In December 2013, Michael Muhney was abruptly fired from the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless amid allegations of sexual harassment. The actor was allegedly fired by showrunner Jill Farren Phelps because of his unprofessional behavior toward Hunter King, a younger costar. Fans were in an uproar while cast members publicly weighed in on the scandal as it literally reached tabloid proportions. A few months ago, Y&R was recasting the role Muhney had vacated and he came extremely close to working out a deal with the brass to return, something that would have thrilled his mountain of fans.
What did not make sense at the time was how, if those original allegations were true, the show would reconsider simultaneously employing Muhney and King again. That seemed wrong and, after nine months of absolute silence, Muhney finally decided to address the scandal during an interview with Australia's TV Week Soap Extra, saying:
"First of all, there is no one anywhere, of any official capacity, who ever made any of those allegations. If there were, I would be the first person to come out and say, 'Hey, now, I've got to take you to court because what you've just said is lies and I have to sue you for libel and slander.
"I remember sitting down in the final ten months of my tenure with the executive producer and saying, 'Things have to change,'" he continued. "'You guys are going to have to fire me or I'm going to have to quit.' I told them that several times."
So Muhney is basically saying that none of those allegations against him were made, but if that is the case, then why did so many other cast members jump on the bandwagon to crucify him to the press? Shouldn't those claims then be considered slanderous? Either he didn't do it and has a lot of people that he could go after, or he did do it and still has a bit of a case for slander. So while Muhney tried to clear things up, his response seems to have made it even more confusing.
What do you think the real story is behind Muhney's original firing from Y&R?
