6 Real Life Soap Opera Scandals

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5. Nick Santino’s Suicide

Struggling soap actor Nick Santino, who is best known for his roles on All My Children and Guiding Light, committed suicide back in 2012 when he was forced to put his beloved pit bull, Rocco, down admit pressure from his condo. “Today I betrayed my best friend and put down my best friend,” Santino wrote in a suicide note. “Rocco trusted me and I failed him. He didn’t deserve this.”

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4. Michael Muhney Fired for Alleged Sexual Assault

Michael Muhney – who played Adam Newman on Young and the Restless – was fired from the soap opera after his co-star Hunter King complained that he grabbed her breasts on two separate occasions. She reportedly went to the show’s producers and threatened to file a police report if they didn’t fire Muhney, so the decision was made to let him go. Fans were livid. Some pooled together $785 to pay for a plane to fly a banner over CBS Studios, which read: “NO ADAM NEWBIE, JUST MICHAEL MUHNEY.”

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3. Brenda Benet’s Suicide

Brenda Benet – who played the hated seductress Lee Dumonde on Days of Our Lives – was hit really hard by her six-year-old son Christopher’s sudden death in 1981. They had been on a skiing trip when he suddenly fell ill with a throat infection and went into cardiac arrest when paramedics tried to insert a breathing tube. The loss devastated Benet and she sank into a severe depression. The following year, she shot herself in the head. She was only 36 years old.

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2. Donna Reed Tries to Shut Down Dallas

When Donna Reed was abruptly fired after she took over the role of Miss Ellie Ewing on Dallas, she slapped CBS with a $7.5 million breach of contract lawsuit and tried to halt production of the show so that she could get herself reinstated in the role of Miss Ellie. Reed had already signed a three-year contract when she was informed that Barbara Bel Geddes – the original Miss Ellie – was going to reprise the role. Although Reed wasn’t able to halt production of Dallas, she did manage to secure more than $1 million in an out-of-court settlement.

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1. Victoria Rowell Sues CBS and Sony for Retaliation

Victoria Rowell, who played Drucilla Winters on The Young and the Restless, is suing the show’s network producers for racial discrimination. According to her, CBS and Sony Pictures Entertainment refused to re-hire her because she criticized the show for its lack of diversity.

CBS, however, denies any wrongdoing. “We were disappointed to learn that, after leaving the cast of The Young and the Restless on her own initiative, Ms. Rowell has attempted to rewrite that history through lawyers’ letters and a lawsuit that has no merit. We harbor no ill will toward Ms. Rowell, but we will vigorously defend this case,” they said in a statement.

Cate

Cate has a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature and has been the Managing Editor of Fame10 for more than 6 years. Despite having a love for the works of Thomas Hardy, Leo Tolstoy and Lord Byron, she also has an intense fascination with pop culture. When she isn’t writing for Fame10, she’s planning her next big adventure in Southeast Asia.