Hilarie Burton reveals Chad Michael Murray confronted One Tree Hill boss over alleged assault

Hilarie Burton has revealed her One Tree Hill co-star Chad Michael Murray confronted the show's creator Mark Schwahn after he allegedly witnessed him assaulting her.

During the latest episode of the Drama Queens podcast, Burton recalled how Murray, who played her onscreen love interest, stood up to Schwahn after he saw the showrunner "grab" her while on location in Honey Grove, Texas in 2007.

"Chad walked up and goes, 'What are you doing?' He said that to our boss in the bar... He watched our boss grab me in front of a lot of people, and you know, Chad didn't have anything to lose ‘cause he knew our boss hated him anyway," she told her former co-stars Sophia Bush and Bethany Joy Lenz. "A lot of people had a lot to lose, so you don't speak up when you have a lot to lose. But (our boss) felt so comfortable that that was not something that he had a problem with. (He thought), 'I can do whatever I want to her in public with her boyfriend standing there.'"

Bush believed Murray used his power as the lead of the show to defend Burton.

"He was protected as the No. 1 on the call sheet. He had the most power, so he could come up and shove our boss off you and get in a fight. And I'm glad that he did. I want everybody to follow that lead," she stated.

Burton, Bush and Lenz were among 19 women who came forward to accuse Schwahn of sexual harassment on the show's set in an open letter in late 2017. Schwahn, who has never responded to the allegations, was subsequently dropped as showrunner of The Royals.

One Tree Hill ran from 2003 to 2012, although both Murray and Burton left after the sixth season in 2009.