Janet Gough/Mega
On February 8, the day after she filed a lawsuit against Corday Productions, which produces DAYS, as well as its executive producer, Ken Corday, and former executive producer, Albert Alarr, Arianne Zucker (Nicole, DAYS) and her attorney, Anahita Sedaghatfar, held a brief press conference to issue statements regarding the litigation.
In her prepared statement, Zucker introduced herself as “a committed and loyal employee of DAYS OF OUR LIVES, playing the character of Nicole Walker, since 1998.” Describing her close-knit relationships with the cast and crew, Zucker said, “I became not just an important character on the show but a mentor, a confidante, a host, a friend and an advocate for those who felt they didn’t have a voice … I became a sounding board for those closest to me, which leads me to my next point. For quite some time, I have seen my female co-workers being sexually harassed, violated and degraded as women by our executive producer, Albert Alarr,” she alleged. “I myself have also been degraded, violated and sexually harassed by Mr. Alarr.” Zucker claimed that after surfacing concerns about Alarr’s conduct to Corday and others at Corday Productions, and lodging a formal complaint with Sony HR, leading to the launch of an internal investigation, “My agents received an email with a reduction in pay. A few days after that, my agents received a second request for a reduction in pay. While waiting for the results of the Sony investigation, my character was written off the show for several weeks … My character was eventually brought back in August 2023, thanks to my lawyer, Anahita Sedaghatfar, who had to get involved. However, once I returned to the show, I was treated differently from several of the male crew members close to Alarr, and also by Ken Corday.” An emotional Zucker, whose lawsuit alleges that DAYS did not negotiate with her “in good faith” on a new contract, went on to claim that she had been “pushed out of my long-time career at DAYS OF OUR LIVES” as a result of “standing up for myself and others”. Zucker is suing Corday Productions, Corday and Alarr for, among other things, harassment, discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination.”
As Digest previously reported, a DAYS spokesperson responded to the claims in Zucker’s lawsuit in a statement, saying, “The allegations in Ms. Zucker’s lawsuit are without merit. Corday Productions offered to renew Ms. Zucker’s contract including offering her a pay increase. Rejecting Ms. Zucker’s counteroffer does not constitute retaliation. Complaints about Mr. Alarr’s on-set behavior were promptly investigated. Corday Productions fully cooperated with the impartial investigation and subsequently terminated Mr. Alarr.”
To watch an excerpt of Zucker delivering her statement, click here.
