Hilarie Burton claims Chad Michael Murray stood up for her against Mark Schwahn

Hilarie Burton has described how her former co-star Chad Michael Murray stood up for her after she was allegedly assaulted by One Tree Hill executive producer Mark Schwahn.

speaking on his podcast drama queens with former co-stars Sophia Bush and Bethany Joy Lenz, Burton claimed the alleged assault occurred after the two traveled to Honey Grove, Texas, to inform a high school that they had won a contest to have a One Tree Hill movie on their campus.

Burton, who has spoken about his alleged treatment of Schwahn in the past, never named him on the podcast, only identifying him as his “boss.”

‘The return flight from that is when he assaulted me. She assaulted me again in the car on the way from Raleigh to Wilmington. He went straight to the set and told Danneel. [Ackles] that he and I kissed all the time, and it was fun, and he was trying to make her jealous. So, she confronted me about it and said, “What are you doing?” And I’m like, “What are you talking about?” she stated herself.

‘So, we had to go on this journey with him. And this was really, like, the last three months where my blood was boiling. I didn’t know how to process it anymore and you can see it in the episode. You can see I’m not there… I look like shit, I’m not connecting anyway.’

Burton, who claimed to have denounced Schwahn to numerous people, later recalled how Chad defended her.

‘Chad [Michael Murray] He walked over and said, “What are you doing?” He said that to our boss at the bar. He watched our boss grab me in front of a lot of people, and you know, Chad had nothing to lose because he knew our boss hated him anyway.

“A lot of people had a lot to lose, so you don’t talk when you have a lot to lose. But [our boss] he felt so comfortable that it wasn’t something he had a problem with. [He thought]”I can do whatever I want to her in public with her boyfriend standing there.”

Sophia praised Chad, her ex-husband, for standing up for Burton at the time, citing his ranking on the show to protect him against possible punishment.

“I was protected as number 1 on the call sheet,” Sophia said of her ex-husband. ‘He had more power, so he could go up and push our boss off you and fight. And I’m glad he did. I want everyone to follow that example.

I sympathize with the reality that people are afraid that the ship will be blown a hole and then it will sink, but get over it and protect your people. Because this idea that looking at the ground is okay, it’s not,” she said.

“And thank goodness, Hilarie, that you had that moment with Chad, who was already so at odds with our boss.”

Burton was one of many women who spoke out against Schwahn in 2017 with allegations of sexual misconduct. She alleged that he forcibly kissed her twice during the time she was working with him at One Tree Hill.

The women have come out again about Schwahn in the years since, last year claiming they were forced to do their 2006 Maxim photo shoot while on the show.

He covered for her: Speaking on his Drama Queens podcast with former co-stars Sophia Bush and Bethany Joy Lenz, Burton said Chad spoke up after Schwahn allegedly grabbed her.

‘Chad came up and said, “What are you doing?”‘: Burton recalled his former co-star, pictured in 2019

Iconic show: Burton and Sophia Bush pictured with co-stars James Lafferty, Bethany Joy Lenz and Murray in 2004

Schwahn was ultimately fired from E! The Royals series in 2017 after Burton, Sophia and other One Tree Hill cast members wrote an open letter showing their support for Audrey Wauchope, who claimed that women on the show were “psychologically and emotionally” abused by the creator of the Serie.

The letter stated: ‘Many of us were, to varying degrees, psychologically and emotionally manipulated. More than one of us is still in treatment for post-traumatic stress.

“Many of us were put in uncomfortable positions and had to quickly learn to defend ourselves, sometimes physically, because it became clear to us that the supervisors in the room were not the protectors they were supposed to be.

“Many of us were spoken to in ways that ranged from deeply disturbing to traumatic to downright illegal. And some of us were put in positions where we felt physically unsafe.’

One Tree Hill aired from 2003 to 2012 and followed the lives of a group of young men and women growing up in North Carolina. Schwahn wrote and directed the series and served as showrunner for all eight seasons.

Small Screen Stars: One Tree Hill aired from 2003 to 2012 and followed the lives of a group of young men and women growing up in North Carolina.