‘Days of Our Lives’ Star Arianne Zucker Accuses Show’s Producer of Sexual Harassment

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UPDATE (2/8/24): TV Insider received an on-the-record statement from Robert M. Barta, attorney for Albert Alarr, which reads:

“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. 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.”

ORIGINAL STORY: (2/7/24): Arianne Zucker, known for her longstanding role on Days of Our Lives, filed a lawsuit accusing the show’s co-executive producer of sexual harassment. Zucker claims that Albert Alarr, who was terminated last summer, frequently made inappropriate sexual remarks, engaged in unwelcome physical contact such as tight hugs with Zucker and other female colleagues, and subjected female staff to bullying behavior, per Variety.

The lawsuit further alleges that Alarr took pleasure in directing explicit sex scenes and threesomes. On one occasion, while directing Zucker in a sex scene, Alarr reportedly made a suggestive comment to Zucker’s co-star, stating, “believe me, I’d love to switch positions with you,” as detailed in the complaint.

She alleges Alarr also said things like, “F**k him like you were younger!” After making unwanted physical contact and inappropriate things, he would allegedly regularly say “good thing there is no HR here,” the lawsuit states.

In March 2023, Zucker raised concerns with the head of the production company, Ken Corday, which were then forwarded to Sony’s human resources department. Around 30 witnesses participated in the subsequent HR investigation, either by filing their own complaints or providing support for others’.

During this investigation, Zucker claims her pay was reduced as retaliation for speaking up. Additionally, last June, her character was written out of the show without clarification on potential future appearances.

The lawsuit claims that Alarr was terminated only after media reports surfaced regarding the investigation.

Having been a part of the show for 25 years, Zucker asserts that when her contract was up for renewal last autumn, she was presented with a “take it or leave it” proposition, alleging that this effectively amounted to retaliation for her complaints against Alarr.

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At the time of his dismissal, Alarr stated that the investigation was instigated by two individuals who were dissatisfied with budget reductions on the show and were seeking improved compensation.

“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,” Alarr said in a written statement at the time.

He says that several accusations against him were untrue, and some had been so twisted that they were unrecognizable.

Zucker is taking legal action against Alarr, Corday, and Corday Productions. One of her assertions is that she was required to continue working with Alarr throughout the HR inquiry. She claims that he would observe her filming bedroom scenes while wearing minimal attire.

Zucker was involved in the 2005 Access Hollywood tape, where Donald Trump made inappropriate remarks about sexual assault. She was giving Trump and co-host Billy Bush a tour of the Days of Our Lives set.

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