The Young and the Restless (Y&R) spoilers reveal that Michelle Stafford (Phyllis Summers) recently took home a Daytime Emmy for her incredible lead actress performance on the CBS soap. However, Stafford’s acceptance speech caused controversy on social media and gave some fans the wrong idea about a comment she made.
In that speech, Michelle Stafford thanked Y&R Head Writer and Executive Producer Josh Griffith for letting her cry in his office.
That apparently led some viewers to believe that Stafford cried for a storyline or to convince Griffith to make certain changes.
On Instagram, Stafford decided to make a post and clear things up since that’s not what happened at all.
Although Stafford suggested she usually wouldn’t care, she thought she should open up in this case because it might help others dealing with situations of grief.
“I lost a parent recently. It was devastating. But you must carry on with life. You go to work. You take care of your kids….And life does in fact move on,” Stafford said.
As Stafford continued her explanation, she pointed out that around 10 days after the news of her loss, she showed up for a meeting with Griffith that had already been scheduled.
Stafford just wanted to go over some questions related to her story, but she struggled to contain her emotions every time the topic of Phyllis’ relationship with her kids came up.
“Have you ever been there? After a loss you move on and you’re fine but then maybe you’re talking to, I don’t know, a co-worker or you see something at the market and something triggers some memory and you fall apart? The more you try to stop it the worse it gets,” Stafford said.
It turns out THAT’s what happened in Griffith’s office, so Stafford admitted to feeling embarrassed and apologizing profusely.
Thankfully, Griffith couldn’t have been nicer about the whole thing and responded in a way that was “quite human.”
Although Stafford didn’t get into the details of Griffith’s reaction, it’s clear that he showed her compassion when she was going through a rough time.
Stafford felt safe to share in that moment and got the support she needed, even in that professional setting.
“What I said on stage was a spontaneous comment to my boss who did something very kind for me. Very human for me. My wish for others is that one day they actually experience a working environment that’s similar,” Stafford said as she wrapped up her post.
It’s good that Michelle Stafford offered some clarity on this – mainly for those who have been trashing her online when she really deserved sympathy!
