Arianne Zucker has exited her role as Nicole Walker, but she alleges she didn’t leave the show on good terms. According to TMZ, she’s suing Corday Production Inc., executive producer, Ken Corday, and former executive producer Albert Alarr for harassment, discrimination, retaliation, negligent hiring and supervision, and wrongful termination among other claims.
Upsetting Allegations
In the lawsuit, Arianne Zucker alleges she, as well as other female employees, were sexually harassed while working on the sudser. She specifically cites that she was subjected to nonconsensual sexual touching as well as comments while Alarr was working on set. Some of the incidences include making sexual remarks during her love scenes and moaning while pulling her into him.
Zucker says she pressed the issue with co-producer, Sony, and had several meetings with their HR department between March 2023 and June 2023. Throughout that time, Alarr remained employed, a move which left Zucker feeling “violated” and “intimidated.”
In August 2023, Alarr was finally fired — a move which Zucker insists was made to “save face” in response to allegations against Alarr being made public.
Adding to the behind-the-scenes drama is Zucker’s claim that being vocal about the harassment led to Corday Productions treating her unfairly during contract negotiations. The actress alleges that she was presented with a “take it or leave it” offer and that Corday Productions refused to work with her in “good faith.” As her previous contract expired last month, and with no offer agreeable to both parties, Zucker’s employment at DAYS has been terminated.
UPDATE: A spokesperson for DAYS has issued the following statement: “The allegations in Ms. Zucker’s lawsuit are without merit. Corday Productions offered to renew Ms. Zucker’s contract including offering her a pay increase. Rejecting Ms. Zucker’s counteroffer does not constitute retaliation. Complaints about Mr. Alarr’s on-set behavior were promptly investigated. Corday Productions fully cooperated with the impartial investigation and subsequently terminated Mr. Alarr.”
UPDATE 2: Alarr’s attorney, Robert M. Barta, issued the following statement to TMZ on behalf of his client:
“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.”
Mr. Barta further claimed that he and Alarr were looking forward to sharing the truth and, “putting an end to [Zucker’s] offensive claims once and for all.”
UPDATE 3: On February 8th, Arianne Zucker held a press conference to go public with her complains. During this statement she accused the show of not only firing her but several other female employees, dropping others to recurring status, and threatening some to stay quiet. She claims they were all forced to work with Alarr, even after several complaints. She also reports her agents received a request for a reduction in pay in the midst of the scandal. See the full video below.
(WATCH) Veteran soap actress Arianne Zucker, who started as Nicole Walker on Peacock’s ‘Days of Our Lives’ until her contract expired in January, speaks out on her lawsuit against Ken Corday, Corday Prods. and former director/EP Albert Alarr alleging sexual harassment pic.twitter.com/QlKphgXxH4
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) February 8, 2024
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