BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA: 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' fame Lisa Rinna called the atmosphere on the set of 'Days of Our Lives' under director/EP Albert Alarr "disgusting" after he was accused of groping on the Peacock soap drama. "Karma is a bitch," the actress says as the filmmaker is accused of grabbing and other inappropriate behavior.
On the set of the long-running drama 'Days of Our Lives,' emotions have been running high. According to several sources, the conclusion of an internal inquiry into misbehavior charges against longstanding 'Days of Our Lives' director/co-executive producer Albert has caused astonishment, surprise, sadness, and outrage among cast and staff. 'Days of Our Lives' was created by Ted and Betty Corday and is produced by the firm they founded, Corday Productions, which is owned and controlled by their son, 'DoOL' executive producer Ken Corday. According to insiders, the nine-week probe began in March in response to a complaint about a recent wave of layoffs.
Albert faced misconduct investigation
According to people familiar with the situation, the complaint was filed by a female employee who claimed that the cuts had disproportionately harmed women and that they were not receiving equal compensation in the program. The gender disparity in recent employee cutbacks was especially noticeable among cast members. According to reports, seven women departed the ranks of contract players around the time of the layoffs. Five of them were fired or reduced to recurring roles, while two left on their own, owing in part to their experiences on the program. One male actor was let go.
Only one of the five 'DoOL' episodes that air each week is directed by a woman. The show's one full-time female director directs the Monday episodes, while three full-time male directors, including Albert, direct the Friday episodes. Another female director is part of a rotating group of half-time directors for the fifth weekly slot.
The inquiry was launched by 'DoOL' distributor Sony Pictures Television after claims of misbehavior against Albert were revealed. According to numerous accounts, 30–40 people, mostly women, were interrogated. Corday Productions confirmed the probe in a statement. According to many who have seen Albert's behavior since he joined the famous serial, problems have been there for years but have gotten worse since he was made co-executive producer in 2015. Albert has been abusive in his position of power, according to various 'DoOL' sources, making individuals feel uncomfortable and degraded.
A source mentioned to Deadline the large number of women who have departed the program in recent years, including actors who have portrayed prominent parts. Men have also been openly mistreated on site, with at least one male cast member being fired after Albert yelled at him in front of the cast and crew. According to a source close to the case, the verbal attack occurred after the actor had gotten his hair cut, for which he apologized despite the fact that he was not under contract at the time, meaning he was not required to keep his appearance, and his character had not previously been on the show.
Complaints were assessed as part of the investigation, with a substantial number of them including improper comments. Another colleague compared Albert's setting to a frat house, with college-boy-style sexualized statements about women normalized as being parred for the course when working on 'DoOL'. There have also been complaints of physical contact, including groping, against Albert, whose directing instructions included touching actors that are no longer regarded as proper, according to many witnesses.
During the inquiry, witnesses verified these and other episodes involving suspected misbehavior by Albert, according to people close to the matter. Albert acknowledged at least some of the charges throughout the inquiry. Sony TV finished the report and turned it over to Corday Prods., the show's production firm.
'They didn’t do a thing until now'
Lisa, who last appeared as her 1990s character Billie Reed for a one-week stay in 2018, took to an Instagram Story to say, "Well, this took a long time… 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."
Lisa characterized the working conditions on the set of 'DoOL' while under Albert's leadership as 'disgusting.' The reality TV star took to Instagram Stories after it was discovered earlier in the day that Albert was under investigation for internal misconduct and was accused of 'groping' actresses on the successful program.
In a screenshot from an article about the probe, she commented, "Karma is a b***h." The actress, who played her 1990s character Billie Reed for one week in 2018, said, "Well, this took a long time… Let's see when's the last time I went over there and did that week on Peacock 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 counted.
Lisa first played Billie in 1992, but she departed the program in 1995. She returned to the role from 2002 to 2003, from 2012 to 2013, and for a few episodes in February 2018. The actress last appeared as her fiery alter-ego in 2021.
