Last weekend, The Young and the Restless star Michelle Stafford went home a winner at The 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards.
Michelle won for Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Phyllis Summers on the hit CBS soap.
The actress gave an emotional acceptance speech thanking many people and giving a shout-out to Y&R Executive Producer/Headwriter Josh Griffith.
Michelle thanked her boss for letting her cry in his office.
It seems her words set off a narrative that Michelle wants to change immediately.
Taking to Instagram, Michelle set the record straight on her words and opened up about a recent loss.
The Young and the Restless star Michelle Stafford clarifies ‘weird narrative’ after Daytime Emmy’s speech
“need to kill this weird narrative that’s seems to be catching fire regarding the thing that I said to Josh Griffith on stage ‘thank you for letting me cry in your office.’ I usually wouldn’t give a s**t. But I think actually sharing the story with you might be helpful to anyone who is experiencing grief. I lost a parent recently. It was devastating. But you must carry on with life,” she began her lengthy caption.
Michelle explained that she still had to work, care for her kids, and go on with life because it does go on.
The actress stated that days after her loss, she was in Josh’s office discussing Phyllis’s relationship with her kids when a wave of emotion came over her.
It happens to anyone who has dealt with grief where suddenly a memory is triggered, and tears start to flow. That’s what happened in Josh’s office.
“I found myself weeping in Josh’s office. Like an idiot.Something about talking about Phyllis’s relationship with her kids just did it. I was so embarrassed. I apologized profusely,” Michelle expressed. “He did the most human thing. I won’t get into what he said and did but it was quite human. Yes, it’s a workplace, our set. For sure. We’ve all been working together for a long time. It’s a professional environment, but we all really care about each other.”
The message continued to reveal that Michelle knew people might not understand her work environment because they may have never had it. Whatever reason the rumor mill got buzzing, Michelle wanted to set the record straight and thank Josh for his kind behavior.
“All I know is that I’m very honored to work with people I also care about and who I believe care about me. What a gift. 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. ❤️ #YR,” ended the caption.
Y&R stars support Michelle Stafford
The comments section of Michelle’s IG post was filled with love and support from fans and her costars.
Tracey E. Bregman (Lauren) and Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea) spoke kindly to Michelle and expressed their appreciation for her sharing the story. Even the official Instagram for The Young and the Restless responded with a red heart emoji.
Colleen Zenk (Jordan) wrote a lengthy response, sharing excitement for Michelle’s win and highlighting Michelle’s strength. Days of our Lives star Tamara Braun knows all too well how Michelle feels opening up about grief and loss.
Michelle Stafford has set the record straight about her Daytime Emmy speech and crying in Josh Griffith’s office, and it had nothing to do with a storyline for Phyllis.
The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS.