UPDATED with Albert Alarr’s statement: Albert Alarr is exiting as Days of Our Lives director/co-executive producer, with series producer Janet Drucker promoted to replace him in his co-executive producer role. The daytime drama, produced by Corday Prods. and distributed by Sony Pictures Television, also will institute HR presence on set. Series executive producer Ken Corday just made the announcement in an email to cast and crew. (You can read it in full below.)
“Effective immediately, Janet Drucker will be elevated to co-executive producer of Days of Our Lives, replacing Albert Alarr, who will be exiting his role,” Corday wrote. “Moving forward, we will be implementing additional HR protocols, including an increased HR presence as well as channels for reporting any concerns. It is imperative that we have a safe and inclusive workplace environment.”
The news comes a week and a half after Deadline revealed that DoOL veteran Alarr had been the subject of an investigation into allegations that included inappropriate comments and touching, including groping and forceful kissing, as well as creating a toxic environment on the show and governing by fear, with no HR mechanism for cast and crew to complain or get help.
The dismissal also comes on the heels of a petition signed by more than 25 DoOL cast members who called for Alarr to be replaced with a female director after the nine-week investigation didn’t result in a meaningful change, with him continuing in his role on the show while receiving a written warning and asked to undergo training. Along with breaking news of the petition, Deadline this Wednesday published a followup to the original report with new allegations against Alarr and more details about the toxic environment on the show and its lack of HR support.
That second story was reposted by DoOL alums Farah Galfond and Lisa Rinna who both supported the cast’s request for Alarr to be removed.
Following the news of Alarr’s exit, he issued a blistering statement, denying the allegations and claiming that his demise stemmed “from the animus of just two individuals.” (You can read it in full below). For the record, over the past month, Deadline spoke with about a dozen current and former DoOL staffers who shared theirs or corroborated others’ stories of misconduct by Alarr.
“Many of the claims recently referenced in the media are simply false. Others have been taken so out of context or are so twisted that they are unrecognizable from the truth,” Alarr said. “To be clear, this whole situation stems from the animus of just two individuals. 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.”
In the petition, a copy of which was obtained by Deadline, the actors are referring to the “traumatic and disheartening” recent developments on the show chronicled in Deadline’s June 25 report.
“As a result of said actions of the current [co-] executive producer Albert Alarr, mentioned in the report, many of us feel — and will continue to feel — very uncomfortable and distraught should he stay involved with the show,” the petition says. “Many of us have either been physically or verbally violated by him, including witnessing those objectionable and offensive actions.”
DoOL was dark last week and was supposed to return to production this week, with Alarr scheduled to direct his regular Friday episode. At the last minute, the hiatus was extended last Friday night for another week. I hear the investigation and its aftermath was reexamined over the last few days, leading to the decision for Alarr to exit.
The series, which streams on Peacock, will return to production on Monday for a week, followed by a pre-scheduled hiatus the week of Aug. 14.
As Deadline reported, the investigation, conducted by Sony Pictures TV and triggered by a complaint of gender disparity in pay and the recent layoffs on the show, evolved after misconduct allegations against Alarr were raised, with about 30-40 people — primarily women — interviewed.
Alarr had been an associate of DoOL executive producer and Corday Prods. owner Ken Corday for the past two decades. He has worked on DoOL since 2003, joined Corday Prods. several years later, and was named co-executive producer in 2015. In that position as the top day-to-day producer on the show, Alarr was in charge of creative and staffing decisions on the show, deciding who from the cast and crew would stay and who would go.
As Deadline reported, after the investigation was completed, a report was delivered to Corday Prods., which made a decision to give Alarr a written warning and ask him to undergo training while keeping him in his co-EP and director roles, sparking outrage among cast and crew aware of the allegations and the investigation.
“These allegations were already examined in a detailed and entirely independent investigation that lasted for two months,” Alarr said in his statement. “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.”
It should be noted that the decision for Alarr to continue was made unilaterally by Corday Prods. Sony TV only handled the investigation, and I hear Peacock parent NBCUniversal was not involved in the process until this week.
“It’s important to set the record straight,” Alarr continued. “Every day, I worked with hundreds of people, the overwhelming majority of whom would disagree with recent mischaracterizations of me. I have been in this industry for decades, and not a single complaint has ever been made against me until now.”
In their petition, the DoOL cast spoke about the recent turmoil’s potential longterm impact on the show, changing its environment for the better.
“We all want to make the most of this significant moment, not just for us in entertainment, but for our loyal viewers and the culture as a whole,” the actors said.
Here is Corday’s note:
Dear Days Cast and Crew,
Effective immediately, Janet Drucker will be elevated to co-executive producer of Days of Our Lives, replacing Albert Alarr, who will be exiting his role.
Moving forward, we will be implementing additional HR protocols, including an increased HR presence as well as channels for reporting any concerns. It is imperative that we have a safe and inclusive workplace environment.
Production will resume, as planned, on Monday with new leadership in place. As a reminder, we still have a pre-planned hiatus set for the week of August 14th.
Sincerely,
Ken
Alarr’s statement:
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. 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.
It’s important to set the record straight. Every day, I worked with hundreds of people, the overwhelming majority of whom would disagree with recent mischaracterizations of me. I have been in this industry for decades, and not a single complaint has ever been made against me until now.
Many of the claims recently referenced in the media are simply false. Others have been taken so out of context or are so twisted that they are unrecognizable from the truth.
To be clear, this whole situation stems from the animus of just two individuals. 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.
Albert Alarr
Content Source: deadline.com