Despite widespread outrage over what was recently learned about “Days of our Lives” co-executive producer Albert Alarr and his alleged behind-the-scenes behavior at one of TV’s longest-running series, following an internal investigation conducted by distributor Sony Pictures Television, Corday Productions, producer of the series, is reportedly maintaining the status quo with Alarr still in charge.
via: Radar Online
At least 25 Days of Our Lives cast members have also called for Alarr to be fired after he was accused of groping a female actress on the show.
The investigation, which lasted nine weeks, was launched in response to multiple misconduct allegations made against Alarr by actors and employees associated with the show, according to Daily Mail.
The probe was initially launched after a female employee complained about recent layoffs and alleged that women were disproportionately affected and not receiving equal pay.
Sony Pictures Television, the show’s distributor, oversaw the investigation and reportedly focused on claims that actresses on the soap opera were being “groped.” However, the probe later evolved to include allegations of abusive behavior, inappropriate remarks, and crass conduct.
Deadline reported that Alarr admitted to some of the allegations during the investigation, although he has remained silent about the accusations since the internal probe concluded.
Meanwhile, the investigation reportedly involved interviews with 30-40 individuals – most of which being with women who worked on Days of Our Lives.
The interviews reportedly revealed disturbing details about the working environment on the set of Days of Our Lives.
Reports suggested that the show experienced a significant turnover of cast members in recent years, with both women and men alleging bullying and mistreatment by Alarr. One male actor allegedly left abruptly after being screamed at by the director in public.
According to sources, Alarr’s behavior created a fear factor on set that prevented individuals from speaking up about their experiences.
The lack of HR procedures on the show was cited as a reason why his conduct went undiscovered for so long, and HR issues reportedly had to be handled by producers – meaning Alarr, being involved in such decisions, likely handled many of the complaints himself.
“You don’t want to challenge him, because he’s in charge of everything; he decides who stays, who goes, who get stories,” one staffer said. “If you are someone that was going to make a problem for him, he would just call you a budget cut and get rid of you.”
Corday Productions, the show’s production company, confirmed the investigation and stated that they had taken action to ensure a safe and respectful work environment. However, they did not provide specific details about the measures they have since implemented.
The news of the investigation shocked and angered the cast and crew of Days of Our Lives.
Some expressed their discontent on social media, with reality TV star Lisa Rinna posting: “Karma is a b—-” on her Instagram Story in response to an article about the investigation.
Rinna previously worked on the show and described the working environment under Alarr’s direction as “disgusting.”
“Well, this took a long time… Let’s see when’s the last time I went over there and did that week on Peacock I couldn’t believe the work environment,” Rinna, who last appeared on the show in 2018, wrote.
“It was disgusting, I was shocked,” she added. “I let many people know, Albert included, and they didn’t do a thing until now, it seems.”
In response to the investigation, the show has paused production for at least one week.
It is unclear when production will resume, and Corday Productions has not provided specific reasons for the break.
