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Eric Braeden on His Future with Y&R as He Turns 80: “I Intend to Stay as Long as I Can”

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: JPI

First of all, it’s hard to believe that The Young and the Restless’ icon, Eric Braeden (Victor Newman), is about to celebrate his 80th birthday in about a weeks time.  He is one of the fittest people we know! Braeden’s actual birthday is Sunday, April 3rd.

Eric spoke with PEOPLE.com in a new feature on his legacy with the CBS Daytime drama and more, as Y&R turns 48-years-young today having premiered back on March 26, 1973.  Braeden debuted as Victor in 1980.

The Daytime Emmy-winning star addressed any rumors that he might be retiring from acting or the soap by expressing:  “I love my colleagues. I love my family and friends. So do I see myself retiring anytime soon? Hell no! My life has been enriched by having been introduced to so many things.”

 

Braeden added: “I feel very loyal to The Young and the Restless, very beholden to Victor and very beholden to the audience who has supported us for all those years. I intend to stay as long as I can.”

As for his enduring on-screen partner, Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki), Eric shared: “I adore her, love her. She has put up with me and I sometimes am not the easiest guy to get along with, sometimes.”

So, glad to hear that Eric does not intend on stepping away from Y&R? Comment below.

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Daytime dramas thrive on their legacies and love them or not, Newmans are indelible. I love seeing a solid Victor/Nikki relationship, and I hope they never split again. I am hopeful we can move on some from the Adam drama with a resolution that may last for a while. I would like to see Dylan return to complete Nikki’s family.

Though I love many of the Y&R actors, the show, especially now, is not as much fun without Victor. Maddening? Sure he is. But there’s a core of decency that Eric Braeden imbues into the character that keeps me interested. I’m glad he’s not retiring. The show wouldn’t be the same for me.

I agree with you; at the present , Victor is the Young and the Restless!

Wish they would write him a good storyline instead of the musical chairs they give him with which kid he loves the most . I will always respect him for his standing up vocally and saying what a travesty it is on how they treated Doug Davidson/Paul . He is in good shape for 80 no need to retire if you are doing something you love.

I agree with you , Kay.

I agree. Y & R wouldn’t be the same if Victor was to leave. And upset about Doug Davidson’s not being used as he should. Paul should be working on this poisoning plot not the sickly Ray. I have watched since the beginning I was a kid watching with my older sister.

I love Victor and Doug Davidson. I wish they would quit bringing in the new people and use the talented actors they have.

You’re so right, Rebecca. And in what universe would Rey be serving a search warrant on Adam’s pad when Rey was himself the victim? This would have been an easy way to incorporate Paul into the story. Instead, they get Michael to agree to a warrant with ZERO EVIDENCE, just a hunch. Really? I’ve also watched since 1973; my high school had split scheduling, so I watched in the morning then went to first period. Ah, memories…

Love Eric as Victor Newman, he looks terrific for his age. One hot daddy.

Hoping that the introduction of Ashland Locke will bring opportunities for both Victor/Erik as well as Jack/Peter. Jack needs a strong, intelligent, and possibly mysterious woman to enter into his orbit. Victor can continue to play musical chairs with his children as long as he stays with Nikki. And speaking of Nikki, I wish that Dylan would return, regardless of it being Steve Burton or a newly recast actor. We need some intrigue and mystery since covid is preventing the romance. Today’s episode sucked. Chelsea admitted that she poisoned Rey and Jordan texted any intrigue with regards to Faith. There is so much potential of storylines, but everybody hanging out at the Grand Phoenix, Society, and Crimson Lights is so unbearably boring.

absolutely love Victor.

Happy Birthday to Mr. Braeden. For me , at this point , he is the Young and the Restless. I miss his appearance on the show ; keeps me interested in watching the show . When he’s not on , the show lacks excitement . Adam and Victor together (to me ) make the show more watchable. I hope that Braeden never leaves unless it ‘s from God.

Yes Boop! The real actor chemistry right now is Adam and Victor. These two play off one another beautifully. Whenever they share a scene, I can’t help grinning. As opposed to “groaning” when Sally Slimeball is on. Still want more Kevin, Chloe, Traci, Ashley, Jill, Paul, etc. They ALL play well with Eric Braeden also. I’ve always treasured Traci’s visits to Victor to ‘visit Colleen’s heart.’ Very touching.

Happy Birthday to Y&R and Eric. That handsome old devil has been the backbone of the show for many years and would not seem the same without him. We have loved and hated him at times, mostly doing things to his kids, that he always claimed was in the name of love. Long may he reign!

The young & restless won’t be the same without victor Newman

I was hoping he was retiring!

Sorry but i think he should retire. He is the greatest male lead with one of the most iconic roles in soap /television history. He has nothing else to prove. The current writers arent going to be more creative or do justice to his character or his talents. Go out while on top.

You may be right, other Lis, but I selfishly want Mr. Braeden to stay as long as he can. He’ll ALWAYS be on top to me, since no other male character has his charisma or iconic status.

General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Cynthia Watros Honors Former ‘Titus’ Co-Star Stacy Keach Following His Passing

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Stacy Keach and Cynthia Watros

General Hospital star Cynthia Watros, who can currently be seen in on the ABC soap opera in the role of Nina Reeves, has had a enduring career in television. That included her time on the 2000-2002 Fox sitcom, Titus.

In Titus, Watros starred along with Stacy Keach as Erin Fitzpatrick and Ken Titus, respectively. After the November 10th news that Keach had passed away at 85 while living in Poland, Cynthia took to her Instagram on Thursday, November 12 to pay tribute to the great actor.

Watros expressed, “My first prime time show was along side Stacy. I loved him instantly. What an amazing talent and man.❤️”

Photo: ABC

In Titus, Stacy played stand up comedian Christopher Titus’ heavy-drinking, chain-smoking, five-times-divorced father who frequently pulled cruel pranks and tried to toughen his kids up. Cynthia played by Christopher’s level-headed, big-hearted girlfriend trying to build a normal life with him. In fact, Cynthia’s role on the sitcom was first series regular role after her Daytime Emmy run of Annie Dutton on Guiding Light which ran from 1994-1998.

STACY KEACH’S WIFE ON HIS PASSING

Keach’s wife, Malgosia shared the news of the actor’s death publicly in a statement with PEOPLE. Malgosia expressed, that Stacy had, “a long and difficult battle with a serious heart condition and heart failure.”

She added, “Stacy peacefully departed this world. He fought for so long, with extraordinary courage, determination and strength. He was a true warrior, facing his illness with the same remarkable spirit and resilience that defined his life.”

Małgosia continued, “Stacy was not only a legendary actor, admired and loved by audiences the world over, but also my beloved husband, my companion and the heart of our family. His passing leaves an immeasurable emptiness in our lives. But his extraordinary spirit, his unforgettable voice and the love he gave so generously will remain with us forever.”

Now, let us know do you remember when Cynthia made her sitcom debut in Titus? Share your thoughts via the comment section on Cynthia’s many TV roles and the passing of Stacy Keach in the comment section. But first, check out the very first episode of Titus with Cynthia Watros below!

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Beyond the Gates

‘Beyond the Gates’ Emmy Winner Ambyr Michelle Wants to Compete on ‘Dancing with the Stars’: ‘Pick Me’ (Exclusive)

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Ambyr Michelle

Soap opera fans are always clamoring for when Dancing with the Stars reveals their cast each season, that they would include a familiar face from daytime drama, but it rarely happens, if ever, anymore.

Over the last several years, the series has leaned heavily into casting celebrities with massive TikTok or Instagram followers, which in turn, have helped this season and last have their best ratings numbers in years.

But, how about for next season’s cast of Dancing with the Stars, that it could include newly-awarded Daytime Emmy winner, Ambyr Michelle (Eva Thomas) of Beyond the Gates?

Ambyr Michelle

Photo: CBS

LOVE OF DANCE TO LOVE OF ACTING

Michael Fairman TV spoke to Michelle about her dance background and if she would love a shot at lifting the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy during Wednesday’s November 11, livestream chat on the Michael Fairman Channel.

Ambyr explained to fans (who joined in on the live chat), how she began her show business career. “I started off as a dancer, first and foremost. Acting wasn’t really something I wanted to go after. I did plays when I was younger, but it was just something we did in school, but I really wanted to be a dancer. I moved out to LA to dance, and I fell out of love with dance, which was so weird.”

This year’s Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series winner, added, “I was like, ‘What is going on?’ I moved all the way out here for dance. I found I was forcing myself to go to dance class, and I just didn’t have the passion for it. I was working at this restaurant at the time, and one of my coworker was like, ‘What about taking an acting class out here?'”

Next, Ambyr took the coworker up on the idea. “So, I took an acting class and I fell in love with it that day,” shared Michelle. “I was like, ‘I want to do this for the rest of my life.’ I thought, I would love to book a role, of course, as a dancer, but I think acting has a little bit more longevity.”

Photo: ABC

A SHOT AT THE LEN GOODMAN MIRRORBALL TROPHY

When the talked turned to if Ambyr would consider or be interested in appearing on the ballroom dance competition series, she piped up with, “I would love to do Dancing with the Stars! Pick me!”

As those in the live chat rallied around this idea, it made us think, Ambyr could be the first contestant from Beyond the Gates, and someone representing the soaps. It checks off so many boxes! To which Ambyr replied, “That would be beautiful.”

You can check out the full conversation with Ambyr below.

So, what do you think soap fans? Can we make sure Ambyr’s name gets in front of the producers and casting director for next season’s Dancing with the Stars? Would you like to see her in the competition? If so, who would be your dream pro professional dance partner for her? Let us know in the comment section.

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Beyond the Gates

RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers

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Beyond the Gates and General Hospital

The latest ratings are out for the week of October 26-30, 2026 and the big takeaways include: that CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates was separated by only 23,000 viewers behind third place (of the soaps) General Hospital! For the last several weeks, Beyond the Gates has been closing the gap on this year’s winner for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, and continuing to best GH in the key demos.

According to the latest Nielsen ratings breakdown from Soap Opera Network, the final week of October brought Beyond the Gates 1.790 million on average tuning-in and the show set a season high in total viewers. Meanwhile, General Hospital hit a new season low! The long-running ABC soap had 1.813 million for the week, and once again the series did not go over the 2 million mark.

Meanwhile, in the key Women 18-49 demo, Beyond the Gates was firmly ahead of GH with a rating share of 0.21, while General Hospital had 0.17 rating share.Then, in the key Women 25-54 demo, Beyond the Gates was once again ahead of the ABC soap with a ratings share for that demo at 0.30 while GH came in with 0.26.

Photo: CBS

MORE BY THE NUMBERS

In addition and comparatively, Beyond the Gates +22,000 viewers week-to-week, and had the largest gains in viewership year-to-year in daytime TV with +267,000 from this in 2025.. However, General Hospital seems to be going in reverse. The show was down -56,000 viewers week-over-week and down -22,000 year-over-year .

BEYOND THE GATES

Let’s take a look at some of the storylines that had people tuning-in to Beyond the Gates during the ratings week:

Hayley (Marquita Goings) attempted a massive shocker regarding her pregnancy and tried to use it to extract money from Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett). Although, Bill saw right through her game, he demanded a paternity test, and made it clear he has no intention of raising the child—planning instead to pay her off to take the baby and leave. Meanwhile, Hayley confided her plan to her cousin Randy (Maurice P. Kerry).

Jacob Hawthorne (Jibre Hordges) and Naomi Hamilton (Arielle Prepetit) clashed over Jacob’s ongoing investigation into The Impaler, causing significant strain in their marriage. At the same time, Smitty (Mike Manning) considered taking matters into his own hands—including potentially heading to Mexico for evidence—while Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) worried about what comes next.

Photo: ABC

GENERAL HOSPITAL

Over at General Hospital for the ratings period, the story served up included:

Carly (Laura Wright) and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) teamed up to investigate what really happened to Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna). Later, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) leads them to Jack’s dead body.

Jude (Wil Traval) dropped a bombshell claim to Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn); that he is Phoebe’s father, while Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard) signed their divorce papers.

Then, Danny caught Rocco (Finn Carr) and Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarski) sharing a kiss, plus the shocking return of Heather Webber (Alley Mills) capped the week.

Now the questions become; without having much promotional synergy in the ABC day-part to draw more eyeballs it is not helping but hurting General Hospital. It seems Beyond the Gates is also a  benefactor of a one-two-three punch of CBS soaps (Y&R, B&B and BTG) and promotion.

However, that still doesn’t take away the fact that Beyond the Gates is close to besting GH in all ratings category as they go head-to-head in some markets across the country.

So, are you excited to see Beyond the Gates climb in the ratings? Are you concerned for General Hospital? Do you think they can stave off Beyond the Gates in total viewers or will the upstart soap overtake them in the next ratings report? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

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Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

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