If you thought that the sexual harassment allegations made against former The Young and the Restless star Michael Muhney were going to disappear, think again. At first glance I was inclined to believe that this story might have amounted to character assassination against the actor, now I’m not so sure. Former Y&R show runner, Maria Arena Bell spoke to Daily Confidential to weigh in on the situation and in doing so she has certainly raised eyebrows.
“I am a fan of Michael Muhney the actor- not the person. Frankly he should have been let go months before because of his behind the scenes actions. It’s still a loss for the fans. Instead of acting quickly they tried to turn the fans against the character of Adam. Bad move. And they should not recast right away now. It’s too damaged.” Adding, “The only thing that matters in this story -now on TMZ is that a young girl is protected. She should have been all along. People should have been more decisive not less in this matter. I think they should have taken immediate action. They didn’t. Whatever happened, they need to protect the safety of the cast.”
Bell’s comments make it crystal clear that Y&R producer Jill Farren Phelps chose to take no action until it suited her. She put the character Adam Newman’s importance above the potential safety of cast members and worried more about story telling than the people working for her. Jill is already considered the doctor death of soaps and attempting to sweep something as serious as sexual harassment (whether it’s true or not) under the rug is not going to sit well with CBS.
Let’s be clear here. Jill has fired beloved actors and axed characters who were woven into the history of Genoa City. She has chased fans away by the masses and now with this huge misstep she will no doubt cause the network to back off from some of the support for the show that is Y&R. Does anyone still think that Jill was brought in to improve things or that there’s a snowballs chance in hell that the show can survive the wreckage that she’s going to leave behind once finally fired? Most shows haven’t been so lucky and it’s doubtful that Y&R will be.
Do you think that Muhney touched Hunter King inappropriately and that she has had to show up for work for months now dealing with bosses that haven’t helped her? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
