Why Lisa Rinna Had A Terrible Experience On Days Of Our Lives
Long before Lisa Rinna was shaking things up on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," she was portraying the chaos-causing character of Billie Reed on "Days of Our Lives." Rinna originated the role of Billie in 1992, and in 2021, she reprised the role for the Peacock offshoot "Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem."
Billie first arrived in Salem as a bad girl who happened to be the sister of existing Salem resident Austin Reed. Soon after arriving in town, she was arrested by Bo Brady, and the sparks quickly flew. Rinna stepped away from playing Billie a few times over the years, last appearing on the daytime soap opera in February 2018. Rinna spoke out about behind-the-scenes issues with "Days of Our Lives" in July amid reports of an investigation into a show executive. She seemed determined to use her voice to raise awareness of the problems, and she was blunt about how she felt about what she saw.
Rinna was disgusted by a show exec
After some "Days of Our Lives" staff layoffs in March 2023, multiple complaints prompted an investigation. One female employee alleged the cutbacks affected women more than men, and allegations regarding equal pay issues arose too. Sony Pictures Television, which distributes "Days of Our Lives," subsequently spent more than two months investigating the complaints. According to Deadline, director and co-executive producer Albert Alarr became a focus of the investigation. Alarr joined "Days of Our Lives" in 2003, and in 2015, he was moved into the co-executive producer position.
One show veteran alleged upon his promotion, Alarr "became much more tyrannical. I think he became much more aware of his unilateral power ... I think it's ruined the show." Multiple complaints against Alarr revolved around inappropriate language, and several allegations involved inappropriate physical contact with female cast members. At the conclusion of the investigation, Alarr reportedly remained in place with "Days of Our Lives" but received a warning and request to get training.
After the investigation into Alarr became public, Lisa Rinna took to her Instagram Stories to share her thoughts. The Daily Mail shared a screenshot that read, "Well, this took a long time... Let's see when's the last time I went over there and did that week on Peacock, I couldn't believe the work environment. It was disgusting. I was shocked. I let many people know how I felt Albert included, and they didn't do a thing until now, it seems," Rinna wrote.
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Rinna continued to speak out
The same day she posted her Instagram Story, Lisa Rinna took to Threads as well. "I went back to play Billie in 2021 for 'Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem.' I was there for one week only," she began. Rinna added, "I was shocked by the hostile environment that it had become, and I was afraid for the young actors who had to continue to work there. I went to the producer, and I even spoke with Sony HR." Rinna pondered, "I wonder where the union is in this, and how was this left unchecked?" She addressed the Alarr situation in another Instagram Story on August 2. As Entertainment Weekly detailed, Rinna wrote, "Ken Korday [sic] and @sony Do the right thing now! Protect your talent!!!" She added, "Listen to what they are saying — there is a petion [sic] 25 people have signed it. Protect your young actors!! This has gone on for far too long."
While Alarr remained with "Days of Our Lives" initially, that soon changed. On August 4, Deadline reported Alarr left the show. He subsequently released a statement alleging the studio "caved to a cynical pressure campaign to force me out of my job." He claimed the allegations were "simply false" or "taken so out of context... they are unrecognizable from the truth." Alarr added, "To be clear, this whole situation stems from the animus of just two individuals" who wanted to "bring down a Black man in a position of power."