Since Michael Muhney (Adam Newman) revealed on Twitter on December 17, 2013, that he'd been fired from his role at The Young and the Restless, fans have been flooding Soap Central and social media with demands that the actor be reinstated. Some fans have threatened to stop watching Y&R after Muhney's final airdate, and many have lobbied for the removal of Jill Farren Phelps as the show's executive producer.
Several of Y&R's top stars took to Twitter in the days following the news of Muhney's dismissal to tell fans in vaguely worded posts that there was "more to the story" than they were aware of, but the outrage continued to swell.
Now, citing multiple sources connected to the show, TMZ reports that the "38-year-old Muhney allegedly bullied and harassed" a co-star who "went to higher-ups and complained [that] Muhney had fondled her breasts on two occasions -- and she said both were unsolicited and unwanted."
A setside source tells Soap Central that on at least one of the occasions there was a witness. --->Per policy, Soap Central is withholding the name of the alleged victim.
The allegations of misconduct were the "straw that broke the camel's back" for an often polarizing actor who admittedly "walked around with a big backpack full of hubris," TMZ added.
In an interview with the Huffington Post shortly after his firing, Muhney revealed that he was caught off guard by his ouster.
"I saw it coming, and I didn't see it coming," Muhney said at the time. "I suspected it could happen, but I didn't think that it really would -- at least not now; maybe down the line."
Muhney, who is married with three children, joined the cast of The Young and the Restless in 2009 after the high-profile exit of a star who objected to a so-called "gay twist" in Adam's storyline. In 2013, Muhney received a Daytime Emmy nomination as Outstanding Lead Actor. It was his first nomination.
In his exit interview, Muhney stated that Y&R's executives told him that Adam would be off-screen for "three to six months and then they'll bring him back with a different actor." Muhney will last air on January 30.
For more on Michael Muhney's firing, please click here.
What are your thoughts on Muhney being let go? Should Adam be recast at some point? Will the loss of another top-billed star hurt Y&R? Tell us in the Comments section below or share your thoughts via Feedback by clicking here.
