It has been almost a month since Michael Muhney revealed that the powers-that-be at The Young and the Restless had decided to let him go and put his character to rest for awhile. In the weeks that followed fans learned of sexual harassment allegations against Muhney and they have stood in solidarity behind the actor insisting that in their eyes he will be innocent until proven otherwise. The fans have truly banded together and the result is worth paying attention to because at this point it seems to be everyone connected to the show vs. the fans.
Of course there were issues before this scandal. Jill Farren Phelps took over as executive producer about 18 months ago and the result has been jarring. Fans are very familiar with Jill’s type of story telling and the fact that no matter what show she happens to be at the helm of, the result is USUALLY the same. She tends to ignore character history, fire fan favorites to make room for her favorite actors and the show becomes unrecognizable. The show is also often is canceled not long after Jill is inevitably fired. It’s not that her story telling is awful, but more that it’s dark and shocking. You have to be in her head to be able to finish a story as well as she begins it and her successors just can’t seem to pull it off.
Fans were already watching favorite actors leave and Muhney was just one more name to toss on the pile but this time they felt there was a reason to push back. Long time actors on Y&R have begun speaking out because they are quickly realizing that this show is quickly turning into a sinking ship. The fans are abandoning the show and went from demanding Muhney retain his job to now thinking it’s beneath him. Once the fans started turning on the show the cast began fighting for their livelihood because while everyone assumed Jill was the threat, it’s actually the viewers. Kristoff St. John has been on Y&R and he took to his Facebook to talk directly to the fans saying,
“What does anyone on the periphery of this whole episode really know? We know each other, our families, and the show intimately. We have struggled through the good and the bad, professionally, and personally…. To think that these professional, honest, hard working people are trying to deceive, cover up, misguide or misdirect the public in ANY way is blasphemous, and simply not true.”
He also has all but begged Muhney to “tell the truth” so that the fans will stop hating and verbally abusing the rest of the cast and crew of Y&R. How ironic is it that the man who was chopped and screwed by the show and fellow cast members is now needed to save Y&R? Seriously, none of us were there when he was with Hunter King so we have no clue what really transpired, but it is crystal clear that as long as he stays quiet and lets the fans rally out of control, this show is likely finished. Kristoff and the other actors get it and they also understand how devastating this would be to Bill Bell, Y&R creator, had he lived long enough to see it.
“WANT THIS TO END AS MUCH AS THE FANS DO. But I’ll be damned if I allow a FEW OF THE MANY THAT HAVE HELPED TO CONSTRUCT THE HOUSE THAT WILLIAM BELL SR. built, along with his precious wife LEE PHILLIP BELL, with THEIR own hands, from the ground up, to BULLY ME, SCARE ME OR MY FAMILY, AND IMPEDE MY PROGRESS IN THIS ONLY LIFE THAT I/WE HAVE.”
Kristoff, Jerry Douglas, Eric Braeden, Melody Thomas Scott and anyone else who has spoken out against Muhney realize that it’s no longer about an incident between two coworkers. Instead it is putting their own livelihood and financial stability at risk. Do you think Y&R is going to survive all of this mess or has fan reaction to one man’s firing managed to topple a show rooted in 40 years of history? The irony here is that it appears that much of the cast and production executive turned against Michael Muhney and were happy to see him fired, some even gloated – but now they are learning that he is more popular and important than all of them. Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
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