Hilarie Burton Wants ‘One Tree Hill’ Do-Over With a ‘Girl Boss’

Hilarie Burton said she wants a do-over 'with a girl boss’ after a ‘One Tree Hill’ picture appeared in a psychology textbook — read more

Ladies supporting ladies! Hilarie Burton said she’s “embarrassed” there were no women available to advocate for her and her female castmates on the set of One Tree Hill.

“Teen girl sexuality was a cornerstone of #oth, so its gross to me that there were no women in positions of power there,” the actress, 38, tweeted on Wednesday, March 3. “No one we could turn to to advocate for us. Men telling the stories of girl sexuality is a red flag. I want a do-over with a girl boss.”

The Grey’s Anatomy alum sent the tweet in response to a fan who spotted a One Tree Hill photo in an adolescent psychology textbook.

“Adolescents are exposed to sex in many contexts, including TV and the Internet. Is it surprising, then, that adolescents are so curious about sex and tempted to experiment with sex?” the page read, accompanied by a picture of Burton and costar Chad Michael Murray.

Hilarie Burton Wants One Tree Hill Do Over With a Girl Boss — Hilarie Burton John Photography/Shutterstock

One Tree Hill aired for nine seasons from 2003 to 2012. The series premiered on The WB before eventually moving to The CW in 2006 when The WB was discontinued.

The Rural Diaries author has spoken previously about the importance of girl power on the beloved show, including in the relationship between her and Sophia Bush’s characters, Peyton and Brooke.

“The love stories with all the boys, those were fun, those were important, but Sophia and I had to fight for our own friendship,” Burton said on a May 2020 “Chicks in the Office” podcast episode. “A lot of people wanted to pit us against each other. You know, it’s like, ‘Oh, Hilarie won’t do this, but Sophia will,’ and ‘She’s the pretty one,’ and ‘She’s the this one.’ There’s so much comparison that, as a young person, it’s hard to navigate. She and I now can look back at it and be like, ‘All those bastards. No, no, no. We’re the love story.’ The female friendships were important on that show.”

Chad Michael Murray, Sophia Bush, James Lafferty, Tyler Hilton, Bethany Joy Lenz and Hilarie Burton Dave Allocca/Starpix/Shutterstock

In 2019, Burton, Bush and 16 other women penned a letter accusing One Tree Hill’s original creator, Mark Schwahn, of sexual misconduct. The Virginia native also discussed her claims against Schwahn, 54, in an in-depth interview, later noting she was afraid she’d never work again after speaking up.

“I remember being told as a young 24-year-old actress that, ‘The ratings and male viewership went up so much when you got punched in the face by a man,’ [and] ‘Boys like watching you get brutalized,’” the Dawson’s Creek star recalled on the podcast. “That was really upsetting to me that it was something that my bosses were celebrating.”

While Schwahn never responded to the cast’s allegations, he was fired from E!’s The Royals in 2017 amid the controversy.