The Young and the Restless

Fans of fired soap star Michael Muhney are taking to the air -- protesting 1,000 feet in the sky -- to make sure CBS honchos know they're really pissed off.

TMZ broke the story ... die-hard fans wanted to make a strong statement of support for Muhney -- who was fired from "The Young & The Restless" for allegedly groping the breasts of his 20-year-old co-star Hunter King.

So ... they plunked down $785 for an aerial banner flown over the CBS studios in L.A. where the show is filmed. The banner screams: TEAM MUHNEY SUPPORTS MICHAEL MUHNEY.

Michael Muhney -- who was fired recently from "The Young and the Restless" for allegedly groping his co-star's boobs -- was also fired from "Veronica Mars" -- partly because his ego was out of control ... sources connected with the production tell TMZ.

A source connected with the production tells TMZ ... Michael told multiple people on the show he was up for the lead in the TV show "Scrubs" along with Zach Braff, but he was just too good looking.

One source said, "I'm not a fan of Michael's," adding, "He had a VERY strong sense of self." We're told the consensus was ... his personality was just really tough to take.

Another source tells TMZ ... the final straw was that Michael allegedly released portions of the season finale online. He was fired, and the way they killed him off was great. He was investigating a crime inside a house and got shot. His last words were, "I smell bread" ... and then he died.

But we spoke with an actress -- Jenna Zablocki -- who was Michael's on-screen love interest in "The Portal." She says, "He was a gentleman, professional, and a really cool guy."

As for the Y&R firing ... the allegations were hardly a secret ... last month a user on a popular soap blog had posted details of the alleged breast-grabbing allegations.

We called Michael's rep but did not hear back.

"The Young and the Restless" star Michael Muhney got 86'd after a co-star accused him of groping her twice. Reminds us of that ancient proverb: "Grope me once, shame on you. Grope me twice ... WHAT THE HELL, DUDE?"

Or something like that.

It's a bird, it's a plane ... no, it's a flying banner paid for by "Young and the Restless" fans outraged at CBS for firing Michael Muhney.

Turns out a group of Y&R fanatics on Facebook pooled together $785 to pay for a banner that will soon fly over CBS Studios in Los Angeles with a message saying, "NO ADAM NEWBIE, JUST MICHAEL MUHNEY."

TMZ broke the story ... Muhney was fired last month for allegedly groping 20-year-old co-star Hunter King's breasts on 2 different occasions. Muhney has allegedly harassed people on the set for a long time.

Y&R's plan is to retire the character and bring a new actor in to reprise the role of Adam Newman, but it's not sitting well with diehard fans.

Michael Muhney, a big soap star who played Adam Newman on "The Young & the Restless" -- was fired last month after one of his co-stars complained to the brass that he grabbed her boobs -- on 2 occasions ... TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources connected to the show tell TMZ ... 38-year-old Muhney allegedly bullied and harassed 20-year-old Hunter King, who plays Summer on the show. She went to higher-ups and complained recently Muhney had fondled her breasts on 2 occasions -- and she said both were unsolicited and unwanted.

Sources tell us ... the new allegations were the proverbial "straw that broke the camel's back." Muhney -- who is married with 3 kids -- had been a problem on the set for a long time, allegedly bullying and harassing Hunter and others. He even admitted in a recent interview with HuffPo's Canada TV after getting fired, "Sometimes I've walked around with a big backpack of hubris."

Muhney's last show will air January 30th.

Muhney has been an extremely popular character on the show, and fans are threatening to stop watching.