Current:Home > NewsSignalHub Quantitative Think Tank Center:'Days of Our Lives' star Arianne Zucker sues producers over sexual harassment -Trailblazer Capital Learning
SignalHub Quantitative Think Tank Center:'Days of Our Lives' star Arianne Zucker sues producers over sexual harassment
Robert Brown View
Date:2025-04-09 11:17:25
Former "Days of Our Lives" star Arianne Zucker is SignalHub Quantitative Think Tank Centersuing the show's producers for alleged sexual harassment.
Zucker, who played Nicole Walker on the popular soap opera from 1998 to when her character was written off in June, is suing former long-running "Days" co-executive producer Albert Alarr and current executive producer Ken Corday over claims of touching including groping and kissing, inappropriate comments and creating a toxic workplace environment.
Alarr's "unwelcome physical touching," where he allegedly "forcefully touched without her consent," made Zucker feel "offended, uncomfortable, humiliated and intimidated," according to the lawsuit, obtained by USA TODAY. Allar's alleged touching near Zucker's genitals left her feeling "violated."
"Alarr would frequently grab and tightly hug, purposely pushing her breasts onto his chest, while moaning 'Oh Ari!,'" the lawsuit states.
Albert Alarr, 'Days of Our Lives'executive producer ousted after misconduct allegations, reports say
The lawsuit's other allegations include claims that during certain scenes, Zucker would have to stand up and get out of the bed with minimal clothes with nothing but pasties covering her breasts in front of a mostly male crew. Alarr, her lawyers allege, was allowed to sit in the production booth during an HR investigation while Zucker's body was exposed.
The suit alleges pay disparity, saying female actors were paid less than their male counterparts; Zucker also alleges her pay was cut after reporting the allegations. She said Codray only fired Alarr once the misconduct allegations made headlines.
Zucker "did what we tell all women who experience harassment to do, and that is to report it," her attorney Anahita Sedaghatfar said in a statement to USA TODAY Wednesday. "Ms. Zucker did just that and was the voice for other women who were too scared to come forward. Rather than condone her bravery, Ms. Zucker alleges that Corday retaliated against her and because she spoke out she has lost a job she was devoted to for two decades."
Zucker is also the subject of former President Donald Trump's infamous "grab 'em" tape featuring former "Access Hollywood" host Billy Bush, according to "Today" and The New York Times.
The lawsuit against Alarr, who served as the show's director since 2003 and co-executive producer since 2011, comes on the heels of his ouster in August after allegations of misconduct were raised against him. USA TODAY has reached out to Alarr's rep and "Days of Our Lives" for comment.
Tyler Christopher,soap opera actor from 'General Hospital' and 'Days of Our Lives,' dead at 50
Arianne Zucker alleges pay gap, pay cut after raising sexual harrassment claims
Corday confirmed Alarr's departure in a statement obtained by Deadline and Variety.
"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 at the time in a memo to the show's cast and crew, per the outlets. "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."
Zucker's lawsuit also alleges that Codray has continued a personal friendship with Alarr in the wake of public backlash from fans and viewers after the misconduct controversy surfaced.
"As part of this lawsuit we will seek to ensure that Corday provides sexual harassment training to its employees and hires an intimacy coordinator to be on set for sex scenes," Zucker's lawyer said.
In an August statement to Deadline and People after the allegations surfaced, Alarr said, "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," Alarr continued. "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."
Contributing: Edward Segarra
veryGood! (85)
Related
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Treat Williams’ Daughter Pens Gut-Wrenching Tribute to Everwood Actor One Month After His Death
- Adrienne Bailon-Houghton Reveals How Cheetah Girls Was Almost Very Different
- Meet the Millennial Scientist Leading the Biden Administration’s Push for a Nuclear Power Revival
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Why the Language of Climate Change Matters
- The Best Prime Day Candle Deals: Nest, Yankee Candle, Homesick, and More as Low as $6
- EPA Moves Away From Permian Air Pollution Crackdown
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- Get a 16-Piece Cookware Set With 43,600+ 5-Star Reviews for Just $84 on Prime Day 2023
Ranking
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Robert De Niro's Girlfriend Tiffany Chen Diagnosed With Bell's Palsy After Welcoming Baby Girl
- A Rare Plant Got Endangered Species Protection This Week, but Already Faces Threats to Its Habitat
- One of the World’s Coldest Places Is Now the Warmest it’s Been in 1,000 Years, Scientists Say
- This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
- Apple iPhone from 2007 sells for more than $190,000 at auction
- Texas Environmentalists Look to EPA for Action on Methane, Saying State Agencies Have ‘Failed Us’
- How RZA Really Feels About Rihanna and A$AP Rocky Naming Their Son After Him
Recommendation
Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
How Lea Michele Is Honoring Cory Monteith's Light 10 Years After His Tragic Death
Annoyed With Your Internet Connection? This Top-Rated Wi-Fi Extender Is on Sale for $18 on Prime Day 2023
Lawmakers Urge Biden Administration to Permanently Ban Rail Shipments of Liquefied Natural Gas
Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
In Dimock, a Pennsylvania Town Riven by Fracking, Concerns About Ties Between a Judge and a Gas Driller
Road Salts Wash Into Mississippi River, Damaging Ecosystems and Pipes
Bachelor Nation's Clare Crawley Expecting First Baby Via Surrogate With Ryan Dawkins