In 2009, Michael Muhney replaced actor Chris Engen, who abruptly left the series, and assumed the role of Adam Newman. Previously, Adam was portrayed by child actors, but the character was aged up to adulthood to advance his storyline.

Muhney's performance earned critical acclaim. In 2013, he was even nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award. However, later that same year, he was fired. Rumors swirled around his firing, with TMZ reporting that he allegedly groped, harassed, and bullied his "Y&R" co-star, Hunter King. Muhney has denied the allegations against him (per The Daily Mail).

Another former co-star of Muhney's, Eric Braeden, spoke up about the actor's firing. Braeden told Radar Online that although he welcomed Muhney at first, they ended up not getting along. Braedan said that Muhney wanted him off the show because he "wanted to be head honcho." Muhney has never returned to "The Young and the Restless," although Adam Newman is still around and played by Mark Grossman, as of this writing.