The Flash’s Candice Patton Says She Almost Quit Show Because of Fan Harassment

Candice Patton is detailing the dark side of TV fandoms.

The Flash actress recalled being harassed by fans when she joined The CW series as Iris West in 2014. “I wanted to leave the show as early as season two,” she recently told The Open Up Podcast. ”I remember being like: ‘I can’t do this, I’m not gonna make it through, I’m severely unhappy.'”

For Candice, she felt that The CW and Warner Bros. were lax in their response to the online bullying, as they felt it was just a part of joining such an avid fandom.

But the actress was dismayed that they weren’t more considerate of the racism that fueled fan responses. “I think any time you hire anyone who is a minority of any kind you have to be prepared to protect them,” she explained on the July 3 episode. “It’s like if I get pulled over at 2 a.m. in Jackson, Mississippi, by a white cop. Do you think he gives a s–t that I’m Candice Patton from The Flash? It doesn’t matter.”