14 DAY TRIAL // Fans of the time-enduring soap opera “The Young and the Restless” are still not ok with producers and CBS’ decision to fire Michael Muhney, who starred as fan-favorite Adam Newman, even though it’s been almost a month since his departure from the show has been announced.
Muhney broke the news of his firing in an interview with Huffington Post Canada but he would not go into the details, save to say that he had a feeling that his being so outspoken and temperamental might have had something to do with it.
A few days ago, word got out that this wasn’t the actual reason, but that he had been fired because he was being a complete jerk on set, particularly to young co-star Hunter King, who went to the brass to accuse him of fondling her breasts on at least 2 separate occasions, making advances she never solicited or expected.
Muhney is staying mum on the topic, but his fans will simply not let this go, having collectively agreed that his firing is the worst possible decision CBS could ever make and threatening to “walk out” on the show if they don’t bring the actor back, even if they’d been watching it for decades.
TMZ reports that a group of fans did go through with plans to let CBS know where they stand, flying a banner over the studio, reading just “TEAM MUHNEY SUPPORTS MICHAEL MUHNEY <3.”
Meanwhile, the uproar online continues, as hundreds of comments we’ve received on all Muhney posts confirm. Not only do fans want the actor back as Adam (and not just have the character played by some other actor after a few-month hiatus) but they also want to hear both sides of the story.
With King’s allegations out there online, they expect clarification because, after all, sexual harassment is not an accusation to be taken lightly. They expect King’s people to come forward with a statement, or CBS and especially Muhney, who, they say, is perhaps the most hurt by the claim, if it’s false. He is married and has 3 children.
Fans expect answers and our guess is that they won’t stop until they get them. They want to know why, if the allegations are true, King did not file a police report. However, most of them assume that Muhney is too much of a professional to do that, in which case, they also want to know why CBS won’t bring him back, especially when they’re so vocal about their desire online.
There are also those who say that CBS did the right thing by letting him go if the accusations against him are true. Not knowing all the details of the equation makes fans work with too many “ifs” and they’re clearly not happy with it.
“Letting go of key characters whom have been the reason for the ratings to skyrocket for the past 25 years is not right at all. This is not a joke to fans, some fans have dedicated their lives to this show. Some people a lot of money to go see their favorite actors and actresses at conferences, events, breakfast, lunch or dinner gatherings, at shows and so much more. Fans even spent their week with them on a Cruise Ship too,” one of them says.
And even if some of the fans’ reactions might seem exaggerated, there’s no denying the fact that, if you do something to upset fans (like fire a character they love so much it’s the sole reason they tune in – and don’t even bother to clear the air about the decision), you will suffer in the ratings. Good ratings mean more money, and no executive should ever make the mistake of crossing the fans.