‘Days of Our Lives’ Star Sues Over Sexual Harassment

Days of Our Lives star Arianne Zucker has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the soap opera’s producers. The actress is suing Corday Production Inc., the executive producer, Ken Corday, and the former Executive Producer Albert Alarr, according to TMZ. During the summer, after being fired from Days after a workplace misconduct controversy, Zucker alleged that Alarr sexually harassed her and other female employees on the show.

As reported by TMZ, Zucker claimed that Alarr subjected her to nonconsensual sexual touching and harassment during his tenure, “claiming he would frequently pull her close to his chest and make sexual moans while doing so.” 

Additionally, Zucker claims Alarr made sexually suggestive remarks while filming, including telling her co-stars he would “love to switch positions” with them during sex scenes. She said Alarr made it apparent that aggressive sex scenes were his preference.

Zucker, who has portrayed Nicole Walker on the formerly NBC-now-Peacock soap since 1998, has reportedly maintained that producers were well aware of Alarr’s behavior because she asserts that “multiple women” had reported him to Corday Production Inc. for his actions. 

As Zucker claims, she met with Human Resources several times between March and June 2023, during which Alarr was permitted to continue working on the show, which caused her to feel “violated and intimidated.” That said, Zucker says Alarr wasn’t formally let go until August in what she believes was a move to “save face” after the allegations came to light.

In October, Zucker said that her contract was up and that she was attempting to negotiate with Corday Productions, who she said presented her with a “take it or leave it” offer but wouldn’t negotiate in a “good faith” manner. Last month, her old contract expired, which she said amounted to her termination. TMZ reports Zucker is suing for harassment, discrimination, retaliation, negligent hiring, and wrongful termination.

Last July, it was reported that Alarr had been the subject of a nine-week internal investigation after the production company received complaints from staffers (including cast members) about his behavior, which was known as “abusive,” making them feel “uncomfortable and humiliated.” Despite receiving a written warning and undergoing training, Alarr kept his positions as EP and director, “sparking outrage among cast and crew.”

Previously, Lisa Rinna, who, in 2021, revisited her Days character of Billie Reed for the first season of the Peacock spinoff offshoot Beyond Salem, confirmed some of the allegations made last year when she stated in a since-deleted Instagram story, “I couldn’t believe the work environment. It was disgusting. I was shocked. I let many people know how I felt — Albert included.”

UPDATE — Feb. 7, 6:40 p.m. ET: Albert Alarr’s attorney, Robert M. Barta, sent the following statement to PopCulture.com in response to Arianne Zucker’s lawsuit.

“As Albert said when Ms. Zucker first leveled these outrageous claims through the press last year, her baseless allegations were examined in a detailed and entirely independent investigation that lasted for two months,” Barta said, via email. “Dozens of individuals cooperated and every claim was thoroughly looked into. At the end of that process, the decision was made that Albert should continue in his role as Co-Executive Producer of Days of Our Lives.

“As Ms. Zucker’s own lawsuit all but admits, at a time of industry-wide cutbacks, she was aggressively seeking a significant personal pay increase and additional influence on the show. Having failed in those attempts, she is now – again – trying to exploit vile stereotypes to denigrate and demean a Black man who was in a position of power.  Well, enough is enough. Every day for decades, Albert worked with hundreds of people who can – and will – testify about the falsity of Ms. Zucker’s mischaracterizations of him. We relish having a chance to share the truth and putting an end to her offensive claims once and for all.”