"Days of Our Lives" Stars Accuse "Tyrannical" Producer of Inappropriate Behavior
Various allegations against Albert Alarr surfaced during an internal investigation.
An internal investigation on Days of Our Lives has one longtime producer in the spotlight. The soap opera's co-executive producer and director Albert Alarr has been accused of being "tyrannical" and engaging in inappropriate and abusive behavior on set. Anonymous cast and crew members spoke out in a report from Deadline, while one well-known former star, Lisa Rinna, shared her side of the story on social media. Read on to find out what the allegations entail and how the show is addressing them.
RELATED: David Letterman Admitted Affairs With Staffers After Being Blackmailed.
The investigation was initiated because of another complaint.
Days of Our Lives is produced by Corday Productions—which is run by executive producer Ken Corday—and distributed by Sony Pictures Television. According to Deadline, Sony launched an internal investigation in March in response to a complaint from an employee that women were being laid off disproportionally to men and that they were not receiving equal pay. Deadline reported that more women were let go from the show than men, particularly when it came to cast members who lost their jobs, and also that the show featured more male directors than female.
But, as the investigation continued, it began to focus on claims made about Alarr.
Alarr was accused of "ruining the show" with his behavior.
Alarr has worked on Days of Our Lives since 2003, but according to the report, issues colleagues had with him became more pronounced when he was promoted to co-executive producer in 2015.
"He became much more tyrannical, I think he became much more aware of his unilateral power, and that Ken [Corday] wasn't going to be involved in decision-making," an anonymous "veteran" of the soap told the outlet. "And I think [Alarr] took the ball and ran with it, and I think it's ruined the show."
Another source claimed, "Albert has a habit of belittling people, especially people he wants to put down."
One employee said that people were afraid to do anything about the situation, because of the power Alarr holds. "You don't want to challenge him, because he's in charge of everything; he decides who stays, who goes, who get stories," they 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."
For more celebrity news delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
He was also accused of inappropriate and "vulgar" comments.
Other sources claimed that Alarr regularly made comments that were unsuitable for the workplace, including while directing scenes.
"It's kind of a running joke that everything that comes out of Albert's mouth is inappropriate," someone claimed.
Another employee said that Alarr gave notes while directing "in the most vulgar, crass ways," which made "not only women but everybody feel uncomfortable." They claimed he used the f-word when discussing sex scenes with cast members, with an example direction being, "You're [expletive] horny, man, you just want to [expletive] her."
The report also states that there are claims of Alarr initiating unwanted physical contact, including while directing. Additionally, he allegedly kissed an actor without her consent after the show won an award around five years ago.
There are claims of retaliation.
The Deadline article includes two claims that actors were written off of the show following alleged run-ins with Alarr. One actor was allegedly yelled at by the producer after getting his hair cut—even though he was not required to keep his hair the same—and was written off of the show.
Another complaint states that a woman who was allegedly insulted by Alarr while filming a sex scene was told months later that she would be written off the show. She was later offered a recurring role instead of a contract one.
RELATED: ABC News Anchor "Immediately Fired" After Using Vulgar Word for Co-Anchor on Hot Mic.
Former star Lisa Rinna corroborated the report.
Rinna, who played Billie Reed on the series, posted about the Alarr allegations on social media, as reported by The Wrap. Rinna stopped playing the role regularly years ago but returned for a few episodes in 2018. She also appeared on Peacock's Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem in 2021.
"Well, this took a long time," Rinna wrote on Instagram alongside a screenshot of an article about the investigation. Referencing her time on Beyond Salem, she said, "I couldn't believe the work environment. It was disgusting, I was shocked. I let many people know, Albert included, and they didn't do a thing until now, it seems." She added on the post, "Karma is a [expletive]."
Cast members aren't happy with the result of the investigation.
As reported by Deadline, Corday Productions said in a statement: "Corday Productions engaged Sony Pictures Television, which distributes Days of our Lives, to conduct an impartial investigation into this matter. After a two-month investigation, the independent investigator produced a report with its findings. Based on those findings, Corday Productions has taken a series of actions designed to ensure a safe and respectful work environment."
Deadline reported that sources said Alarr was given a written warning and asked to undergo training. This response reportedly has cast and crew members who are aware of the allegations upset.
Best Life has reached out to Sony Pictures Television for comment.
