Albert Alarr is out as executive producer of NBC’s long-running soap opera “Days of Our Lives” after a 20-year tenure as a director and producer for the show. His exit follows a misconduct investigation by “Days” producer Corday Prods.
Janet Drucker, a veteran producer who has been with “Days” since 1984, has taken on his duties for leading the production of the daytime serial.
In recent weeks, the “Days” production team has been rocked by public criticism of Alarr’s management of the series and by a petition circulating among current and former “Days” actors calling for him to step down from the series, from Corday Prods. and distributed by Sony Pictures TV. Alarr has been accused of creating a caustic environment on the set, among other allegations raised in a detailed expose published by Deadline last month.
In a statement, Alarr said allegations leveled against him were “mischaracterizations” and “false.” He blamed the developments at “Days of Our Lives” on strains caused by recent budget cuts.
“To be clear, this whole situation stems from the animus of just two individuals,” in a statement given to Deadline. “Those individuals, at a time of industry-wide cutbacks and economic uncertainty, have been relentlessly angling for greater pay and increased influence on the show, and, it appears, believed that 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.”
Corday Productions’ chief Ken Corday issued a statement late Friday acknowledging the transition at the company’s cornerstone series.
Alarr served as a director for ABC soaps “General Hospital,” “All My Children” and “Port Charles” before joining “Days” in 2003.
Here is Corday’s full memo:
Dear Days Cast and Crew,
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.
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.
Production will resume, as planned, on Monday with new leadership in place. As a reminder, we still have a pre-planned hiatus set for the week of August 14th.
Sincerely,
Ken
Here is the full statement Albert Alarr gave to Deadline:
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. 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.
It’s important to set the record straight. Every day, I worked with hundreds of people, the overwhelming majority of whom would disagree with recent mischaracterizations of me. I have been in this industry for decades, and not a single complaint has ever been made against me until now.
Many of the claims recently referenced in the media are simply false. Others have been taken so out of context or are so twisted that they are unrecognizable from the truth.
To be clear, this whole situation stems from the animus of just two individuals. Those individuals, at a time of industry-wide cutbacks and economic uncertainty, have been relentlessly angling for greater pay and increased influence on the show, and, it appears, believed that 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.
I will always be proud of being the only Black director/producer in daytime soap operas. And, while I am devastated by the manner of my departure, I will always treasure my years at Days of Our Lives and wish the wildly talented cast and crew the very best for the future.
Albert Alarr
