Chaos on Y&R set after Josh Griffith fires all breakdown writers

The Young and the Restless has been beating the drum about its upcoming 50th anniversary celebration. Already, several actors have started heading back to the set. However, amidst the big returns, the show just revealed its new way to celebrate the big day. That is by handing pink slips to not one but an entire team of breakdown writers at once. What’s going on with the so-called number one American soap opera? Here’s everything you need to know.

Josh Griffith will reportedly be taking over fired writers’ jobs

Actors and crewmates on the Y&R set are in deep shock at the moment. Just think about it, nobody would have imagined pink slips being handed over to a team of writers as the anniversary gift. Sadly, that’s the reality. By the courtesy of head writer/executive producer, Josh Griffith, a group of five breakdown writers have been sacked smack in the middle of celebrating the soap’s historic milestone.

Those fired were individuals who were responsible for mapping out story lines across multiple episodes. In an exclusive report published by The Wrap, they were fired as a measure of cost-cutting. Reportedly, Griffith is taking over all of their jobs himself.

“The timing of the firings is suspect given that WGA negotiations were coming up and the show is celebrating a major milestone with its 50th anniversary,” an insider with knowledge of the situation told The Wrap. “Even more brutal is that four of the five writers of the breakdown staff are all women, one of them being African-American, who was hired with the intended purpose of expanding diversity behind the scenes per CBS’ directive,” the individual added.

READ MORE: 2022’s Most Shocking Exits, Firings, and Passings of The Young and the Restless

The fired writers included Natalie Minardi Slater, someone who had worked on the show for 32 years. Sara Bibel is the other fired writer, who came forward on Twitter to share her opinion. “I was one of the writers who lost their jobs. I will always be proud and grateful for the 6 years I spent at [Young and the Restless],” she tweeted.

I was one of the writers who lost their jobs. I will always be proud and grateful for the 6 years I spent at #YR. During my tenure, I wore almost every hat: scriptwriter, co-headwriter the year we ran the tables at the Daytime Emmys (2018-19), script editor & outlines. https://t.co/MgoS7u6oAp

— Sara Bibel (@deepsoap) February 23, 2023

The shake-up surfaces in the heels of the exit of co-exec producer Anthony Morina. Griffith has been the soap’s solo showrunner ever since Morina’s dismissal from the position.

A dedicated Y&R viewer tweeted, “I wouldn’t be surprised if some people at the top are getting paid far too much or if CBS just completely cuts the budget for it so they can keep the profits. Whatever is happening, it needs to change. [The Young and the Restless] cannot go on like this. One person cannot do 7 jobs simultaneously.”

Meanwhile, Michele Val Jean, a writer at The Bold and the Beautiful tweeted, “My heart is broken for my colleagues and friends. #YR”
Despite getting intense backlash on social media, Sony Pictures Television and CBS have refused to comment. What do you think about the firing? Do you support Josh Griffith’s decision? Let us know in the comments below.