‘Days of Our Lives’ Co-Executive Producer Albert Alarr Ousted Following Misconduct Accusations

Days of Our Lives has terminated Albert Alarr, its co-executive producer of 20 years, following a misconduct investigation and petition signed by the daytime soap opera’s stars claiming more than a few crew members had “either been physically or verbally violated by him.”

The show’s executive producer Ken Corday announced Alarr’s ouster in an email to cast and crew on Friday, Deadline reported. Alarr will be replaced by Janet Drucker, a producer with Days since the 1980s and who has directed episodes of the drama series.

“Moving forward, we will be implementing additional HR protocols, including an increased HR presence as well as channels for reporting any concerns,” Corday wrote in his memo. “It is imperative that we have a safe and inclusive workplace environment.”

As The Daily Beast reported, the probe into Alarr put the long-running soap on hiatus for more than a week. In his email, Corday told staff that production would resume on Monday.

For his part, Alarr released a statement that began, “It is hard to overstate how heartbreaking I find this situation.”

“These allegations were already examined in a detailed and entirely independent investigation that lasted for two months,” Alarr continued. “Dozens of individuals cooperated and every claim was thoroughly looked into. At the end of that process, the decision was made that I should continue in my role as Co-Executive Producer. Now, with no new facts presented, the studios have reversed course and caved to a cynical pressure campaign to force me out of my job.”

Alarr called the accusations against him “mischaracterizations” and pointed out that over the decades on the show, “not a single complaint has ever been made against me until now.”

“To be clear, this whole situation stems from the animus of just two individuals,” Alar added. “Those individuals, at a time of industry-wide cutbacks and economic uncertainty, have been relentlessly angling for greater pay and increased influence on the show, and, it appears, believed that their best strategy to get it was to play on vile stereotypes in order to bring down a Black man in a position of power.”

“I will always be proud of being the only Black director/producer in daytime soap operas. And, while I am devastated by the manner of my departure, I will always treasure my years at Days of Our Lives and wish the wildly talented cast and crew the very best for the future.”

Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva broke the story on the nine-week probe into Alarr and had reported that a female employee filed a complaint against him, arguing that more women than men were cut from the show in a round of layoffs and hadn’t received equal pay.

The show’s distributor, Sony Pictures Television, interviewed around 30 to 40 people as part of the internal investigation and most of them were women, sources told Deadline.

Among the accusations in the complaint: Alarr allegedly made inappropriate comments on set—including what Deadline described as “college boys-style sexualized remarks about women”—and also publicly bullied and belittled male cast members. According to Deadline, Alarr was accused of groping or touching actresses while directing them, too. An eyewitness claimed that on one occasion, Alarr grabbed and kissed an actress without her consent after the Days cast won an award.

After the inquiry, Alarr ultimately got a written warning and a recommendation to undergo training. Deadline reported that some crew members believed that Alarr got away with his alleged bad behavior for so long because many cast and crew feared losing their jobs.

One staffer told the outlet: “You don’t want to challenge him, because he’s in charge of everything; he decides who stays, who goes, who get stories. 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.”

Actress Lisa Rinna, known for her turns on Days and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, was among the show’s veterans calling for Alarr to be removed. In a now-deleted Instagram story, Rinna said she “couldn’t believe the work environment” when she reprised her character Billie Reed for the 2021 Peacock spin-off Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem.

“It was disgusting, I was shocked,” Rinna reportedly added. “I let many people know, Albert included, and they didn’t do a thing until now, it seems.” Rinna joined the show in 1992 but left three years later. She would return to the series multiple times between 2002 and 2021.

On Threads, Rinna wrote that she “was afraid for the young actors who had to continue to work there.” She added, “I went to the producer I even spoke with Sony HR. I wonder where the union is in this and how was this left unchecked?”

Another show alum, Farah Galfond, posted on Twitter this week in support of the employees who launched a petition against Alarr.

Galfond, who played the character Mimi Lockhart from 1999 to 2007, said Alarr directed her first love scene when she was 19 and “freaked out to be standing in my underwear in front of dozens” of male crew members, including some who’d known her since she was 15.

She added, “[A]nd did Albert do or say one little thing to make me feel remotely at ease? Absolutely not. He pushed and pushed and pushed and pushed me on a particular issue, and was annoyed when I stood my ground.”

“I’m sorry to my former coworkers who’ve been dealing with this relentlessly for decades now. Proud of those who are finding their voice now. His time is up.”