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Y&R's Eric Braeden "I'll Be Damned" Video Interview: Life On A Soap Opera, Being Victor Newman, His Castmates, His Early Life and Childhood!

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: MF Soaps Inc.

Photo: MF Soaps Inc.

Earlier this month, The Young and the Restless’ soap opera icon, Eric Braeden (Victor Newman) released his memoir “I’ll Be Damned” nationwide.

And now for launch of Michael Fairman’s new You Tube channel, The Michael Channel, Eric is the inaugural interview guest.  In sitting down with the Daytime Emmy-winning and popular star, Michael and Eric tackled many subjects and moments from Braeden’s memoir, and life both on-screen and off.

In “I’ll Be Damned” and their conversation, Eric reveals emotional moments from his childhood including: losing his father at an early age, the atrocities of Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany, getting his start in America and his first big break in Hollywood, changing his name from Hans Gudegast to Eric Braeden, meeting his wife, Dale and the birth of his son, Christian. Trying to right the wrongs of his homeland, Braeden opens up about his dedication to his humanitarian work helping form the German American Culture Society, and working for decades to show the world that what we share as humans is far more important than what separates us from one another, and to change perceptions.

In “I’ll Be Damned, Eric takes his fans on a journey of his life behind the scenes of the number one daytime drama series including: what was the trigger that made him decide to stay on as Victor following his conversation with the late Bill Bell (Creator, Y&R).  What he thinks of some of his longtime current and former castmates including; the late Jeanne Cooper, Melody Thomas Scott, Heather Tom, Joshua Morrow, Doug Davidson, and more.

In this interview and as detailed in his memoir, Eric opens up about the one former Y&R actor actor who talked behind his back to other cast members, and stirred up so much controversy that he was eventually fired, and Braeden details what happened during his famous slip-up during a Daytime Emmy appearance.

Watch part one and part two of Eric Braeden’s “I’ll Be Damned’ Interview with Michael Fairman after the jump! T hen let us know what was your favorite part of it, and if you gleaned anything more about this soap veteran in the comment section below!

31 Comments

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Look, I respect Eric Braden and his portrayal of Victor Newman, however, he is far from my favourite daytime actor and character. However, he seems to hold a grudge against certain people, especially those who’ve been apologetic and empathetic to their misgivings and mis-actions. And, that, to me, shows a flaw in a person’s character. Nor does it seem to be the right feeling. Two wrongs do not make a right, and Mr. Braden continues to make his decisions in the wrong position. We all know who this unnamed actor is, and out of respect, I won’t mention this person’s name. However, I do believe in second chances, and would for them to get the second chance to portray their character, and for Mr. Braden to give this actor a second chance to prove they are a changed person, both professionally and personally.

You don’t seemed to have listened to what he said. You might have heard, but not listened. Eric didn’t bring it up, he didn’t attack…he actually said MM was a good actor. He recounted, without malice, the vibe and attitude he received from MM…clarified that he didn’t have anything to do with the firing (you can believe him or not…we’ll never know). But, as was this entire interview, he was classy, spoke highly of all and for the one he didn’t…he used much restraint. Kudos!

Actually, rebecca1, I both heard and listened to what Eric said to Michael. My comments were aimed mainly by both this video interview, his book excerpts, and other interviews he has done online. And the mere fact you’re attempting to actually name the actor is also quite insulting, etc.

I want to say, “you’re kidding, right?” Do you honestly think anyone who followed this story doesn’t know who he’s talking about? It’s quite public…and if you follow this logically there would be no point in his answering Michael Fairman’s question, if no one knew who they were talking about. None of us needs shrink away from his name when discussing the topic; it was brought up and we’re not part of some “secret service”. LOL.

And, I responded to your comment which was posted here, in reference to THIS interview. Thus, my response to you was based on that alone and what was actually said during it.

Who you think Eric was talking about, the kid who played Austin? Come on Scott, EVERYONE knows its Muhney! So what, Eric either will not say the name or is not allowed. Lets move on!

He seemed relaxed here hopefully now that he has spoken on this actor who we all know who it is we can put it behind us and move on and quit thinking he is ever coming back to the show. Picking a battle as he did with EB was not smart been with the show forever .

hi Kay..
And !!!! it was not said the he was a tittay graber ..lol
That was always bs, was never fact, it was always a power play going on, chest pounding for king of the jungle….

I agree I think it’s what we call smoke and mirrors I loved his portrayal of Adam but my dear politics prevail would you like for me to expose how many of thes actors threw chairs threw up on sets etc etc I don’t care performance in screen is the bottom line! I am a business woman I would put up with this off stage nonsense one second ! I may not always agree with your tone but I respect your energy

In other words can we bury the hatchet!!!!

I am appalled that a JFP and AM did not stop it but they took the easy way out sad but true

Be kind I love the soaps and you are probably right need to get with the ages but us old folks take some time ! God bless and be patient

ahhh Eric he’s the d`man!
Eric Braeden & Victor Newman, I’m a fan of both ..
Eric/Victor is the heart of Y&R, he is the holding cornerstone.

Victor is the Only character that I have never FF ..

Michael Fairman .. You are indeed the best of the best.
Your interviews are heartfelt. Amazing guy, you are. Thanks! (you are appreciated 🙂

Its against the rules of watching soaps, never FF Eric Braeden or Anthony Geary!

I love Eric’s Tweet rants. When he rails against Trump, I hear Victor Newman reading those lines.

Eric is d’man indeed! What a class act!

What a great interview with the great Eric Braedon!

E B. And Victor Newman is the Young & The Restless. The day Victor retires is the same day I I’ll stop watching.
I wish someone will tell me who the ex actor who is beefing with Eric.Some please text me the actor name ..

Michael Muhney.

Michael muhney ex Adam Newman, he was a troublemaker, talking behind peoples back. He caused a lot of trouble behind the scenes. he wanted eric to get fired. he was a punk lol.

MIchael Muhney could have stepped in Eric’s big shoes when Eric leaves. NO other actor on that show is capable!

Great actor like to hear his voice

Wow! Completely impressed by Eric Braeden! So refined, good-looking, poised, confident, intelligent…well-spoken. As a Jewish person I’m particularly impressed by his sensitivity to the Holocaust, his respect for the millions it effected and his desire to contribute to a better dialogue between faiths.

His respect for his fellow actors on Y&R (I don’t care and am not/was not invested in MM and would believe Eric over MM if I was) is also very nice to hear.

Great peek into this actor’s mindset. Too bad he can’t say the things President Orange should be saying…from the time Jewish journalists received death threats to the Heil Trumpsters in Washington…the ever-growing anti-semitic acts as yet another Jewish cemetery was attacked…. Braeden would be just perfect to address such heinous acts. A German man condemning this rash of hate..brought to the surface and flourishing under this “regime”… Braeden said lightyears more ( and with such sincerity) in this interview than Trump was “forced” to say in the three littleinconsequential sentences about the ever-growing hateful acts.

Wonderful interview.

Love your post, Rebecca. I also loved watching this interview.
I especially appreciated it when Michael Fairman had Eric Braeden cracking up which in turn, had me cracking up!!!

Thank you, Rhonda. Yes..I always laugh (or smile) when others are laughing. That’s the one good contagious thing! 😉

Great interview Michael Fairman, I love Eric as Victor Newman. He is a very talented actor.

I have been watching the y/r forever love everyone on the soap. Eric braeden is the star of the show it’ wouldn’t be the same without him love you victor newman ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Eric IS daytime! He is full of class, full of history and full of talent. He does have a sense of humor but takes his job very seriously. I like the honesty of him admitting that the “Newmans” have an inner circle. Its a shame Michael Muhney carried on the way he did. I have read how remorseful he is and would hope that he gets a second chance. He should ask Eric for a meeting, just the two of them to right the ship. Even though Eric claims he doesnt hire and fire actors, his word means a lot! Great interview. I wish Eric would do a book tour. What a man!

Class in what universe he is alway combative with everybody the few cast members he is friends with are weaklings at best

K, you just dont like the character “Victor.” Its okay, there are many like you. I respect what the MAN has experienced growing up and who he is. Not everyone can be a sweet little old grandpa who dismisses everything because of his age. He is strong, opinionated and stubborn. He hides no facts of why he is like this. He doesnt trust many and only lets select people in his life. You dont know anyone like that? MM was the one punk who came in and thought he was the heir to the thrown! Eric didnt like him and others, as well. MM has since admitted to his poor behavior and asked the cast for forgiveness. By the way, he is friends with Paul, Michael, Nikki and Victoria in real life. Those people are NOT weaklings!

I found the book very readable with some minor exceptions. One thing I noticed and
found a bit troubling was the omission of Sharon Case in the chapter about the
Y&R cast (he only mentioned her name as Noah’s mother). Anyone else notice?

You could not be more wrong I love the character of Victor I just think he needs the actor a reality check stop thinking he is always right give a little sure makes for less stress! You really think MM was totally to blame for the conflict? Talk to Peter Bergman

Excellent interview I love Eric since Rat Patrol. Love his portal of Victor !! Thank you so very much. Great title for his book!

General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

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Dominic Zamprogna

General Hospital’s Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri) opened up about the burgeoning love triangle forming between his Port Charles alter-go, Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst) after recently aired scenes, plus his hopes for the future of a Dante and Liz pairing, during his appearance on the Sunday, April 23 edition of the That’s Awesome podcast with Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli).

On last week’s episodes of GH, Ric has made the decision that he wanted to propose to his ex-wife, only when he showed up at Elizabeth’s front door, he misread the scenario he walked in with Liz tending to Dante’s injured leg from the softball game. From there, the legal eagle’s jealous streak is reemerging which may cause him to act out and do something unforgivable, or will he take the high road? Stay tuned.

Speaking with Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson about where Elizabeth stands in the annals of the long-running soap, Zamprogna said, “She’s up there with Steve and Maurice (Maurice Benard) as one of the most legacy-filled people on the show.”

Courtesy/ABC

HOW DANTE AND ELIZABETH CAME ABOUT

Dominic jokes it’s a far cry for where Dante and Elizabeth previously, recalling, “We had some scenes together years ago and we were both laughing. Becky’s like, ‘Well, I guess we’re not going be paired up anytime soon.’ I remember we laughed immediately after they yelled ‘cut,”‘and said to each other, ‘Well, so much for that!'”

Fast-forward to early 2025 and as Zamprogna remembered it, “Elizabeth Korte (co-head writer, GH) came up to me at the General Hospital Christmas party, and I think it was a year and a half ago and she said, ‘We’re going to have you in scenes with Elizabeth,’ My internal monologue is going, ‘I’m not with Lulu (Alexa Havins) anymore and Sam’s (Kelly Monaco) gone, so maybe they want to see if this works.’ I didn’t want to get scenes with Becky and try to find the chemistry. I just wanted to play whatever honestly was written and came across for both of us and hope it was what people liked, and I don’t know if it is … or not.”

Knowing how beloved Elizabeth is to the GH faithfuls, Zamprogna added, “She got a big fan base with Ric … and a big fan base with with Jason … and you know, you’re going to piss somebody off. But, didn’t Ric drug Elizabeth and put Carly in a panic room?”

Dom and Liz

Photo: ABC

DANTE AND ELIZABETH PAIRING COULD STIR UP STORY FOR OTHERS IN PORT CHARLES

In closing, Dominic felt that the wide-reaching tentacles of a Dante and Elizabeth relationship is something he is 100% down for. “The triangle thing; I was happy to hear it was with Ric and her, because I felt it’s important to have her the top of it as opposed to Dante, Lulu and Elizabeth.”

Zamprogna added, “When you get into relationships on a soap, things seem to fizzle out a little bit, The buildup is what’s the fun part, and the getting to know each other, and the people who are affected by this coming together. When with this case it’s going to affect: Ric, Sonny, Lulu. There’s so much more story here. To me, it’s going to be a fun story to play.”

You can check out Dominic’s visit to That’s Awesome with Steve and Bradford below.

Now weigh-in: Are you rooting for Dante and Liz, or Dante and Ric at this juncture of the story, or neither guy  for Elizabeth? Let us know your thoughts and picks via the comment section.

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Beyond the Gates

‘Beyond the Gates’ Star Mike Manning Lands Role in Indie Horror Feature ‘Deify’

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Mike Manning

While Smitty tries to hold the fort down in his marriage to congressman Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon)  and their two teenaged children, Samantha (Najah Jackson) and Tyrell (Jaden Lucas Miller) on Beyond the Gates, Emmy-winner Mike Manning has also landed another feature film role.

According to Deadline, Manning has joined the cast of Deify with 6 other new cast members for the indie psychological horror film starring Neal McDonough and Skeet Ulrich, which was previously announced last week.

Joining Manning as the latest cast addition are: Dennis Haysbert, Ashley Greene,  Casey Harnett, Kirk Avecdo, Anji White, anf Nicholas Chimera who’s directing the pic also has a part in the film.

WHAT’S THE STORY OF DEIFY?

Taking to his Instagram with the news of his casting, Manning shared, “A movie about a cult? What could possibly go wrong? Come for the enlightenment. Stay because they won’t let you leave. DEIFY is coming…”

The movie is currently shooting in Chicago and in story, “a cult leader is put on trial after causing his devoted followers to be burned alive. The film is inspired in part by events surrounding the 1993 Waco, Texas, standoff between members of the Branch Davidians church and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, one of the largest civilian firefights ever recorded on American soil.”

MIKE MANNING IS A DAYTIME EMMY NOMINEE

In addition, the multi-talented Manning is a producer on the feature. Previously, Mike was nominated last month in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards. He previously won an Emmy for his role on The Bay and for being a producer on the digital drama.

Mike’s previous credits include the role of Charlie Dale on Days of Our Lives and the Manny on This Is Us, plus various primetime and screen credits.

So intrigued to find what role Mike will play in the upcoming horror/cult film, Deify? Enjoying him as Smitty on Beyond the Gates? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

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General Hospital

GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

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Patrick J. Gibbons

At the conclusion of today’s August 21 episode of General Hospital, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) sings a lullaby to baby Dez, that went into a montage to close out the episode as her father Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) reports to Pentonville and winds up in his jail cell.

However, in a fun fact, the song entitled, “A Lonely Heart To Give” was actually written by none other than former One Life to Live and General Hospital actor, Patrick J. Gibbons.

Daytime fans first met Gibbons as Sam Manning on One Life to Live. At the time, when he started on the soap, he was just 5-years-old. Gibbons played the part from 2010-2013 on ABC and Prospect Park’s editions of the show. Fast-forward to 2018, Gibbons shows up on General Hospital as Wyatt Hoover, the scout who seemed always be injured, but in the thick of the drama. Patrick had appeared on GH multiple times as Wyatt including: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.

Photo: ABC

FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER’S DEATH CAME THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS SONG

Now in 2026, General Hospital fans are getting to learn about another side of Gibbons’ talent as a songwriter and guitar player after “A Lonely Heart to Give” debuted today! Michael Fairman TV caught up with Patrick, who is now a senior at Penn State entering his final year as a finance major, to get the back-story of how his song wound up on GH!

Gibbons explained he wrote the song in honor of his grandmother who passed away a few years ago with whom he was, very, very close with. “Randomly, my grandmother had a downfall and passed away during the second semester of my sophomore year. I was in my dorm a lot and I was just playing with my guitar. And at the time, I was really into finger-style playing. I wrote the lyric and music to it (with a little help from my guitar teacher Lou), and my mom showed the rough demo to Frank Valentini (EP, General Hospital). He’s like an uncle to me. Frank loved it so much he said, “Finish that up. I want to hear the whole thing, and I want it on the show.”

MAKING MUSIC FOR GENERAL HOSPITAL

Gibbons and his parents took the next steps! “So now, all we needed was a female voice, because I thought that would fit the song well,” Patrick shared. “At the golf club we go to my parents were at a dinner. They liked the singer that was performing and spoke to her about the song, and she says she would like to bring it to her ‘boss’ who ended up being Eric Bazilian of the Hooters fame!” (Bazilian also wrote the smash hit song “One of Us” for Joan Osborne).

Next, “We went in the studio and recorded it and the song came together and it was beautiful. We loved it. They loved it at General Hospital and now they’re putting it the show and they are coming in with a piano, instead of a guitar. Paul Glass, the GH musical director, has been keeping us updated over the last six months of how it was coming along, and when it would air, and how GH put their own arrangement to it. I can’t wait to see and hear what they did with it.”

Photo: JPI

PATRICK’S ONE LIFE TO LIVE FAMILY

Everyone knows that the One Life to Live extended family share a very tight bond, and Patrick said he does stay in touch with a few of his former One Life to Live co-stars, especially those from the Manning family! “I stayed in touch with Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair) and sent her little videos here and there. She was like my second mom for five years. We keep in contact with Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) over X the most, and she can’t believe how big I’ve gotten. Like, none of them can! (laughs). I also loved working with Roger Howarth (ex-Todd) and Trevor St. John (ex-Todd and Victor Jr.), and to me since I was so young, they were just my friends, ‘Roger and Trevor,’ not Todd Manning or Victor Jr.”

It was a trip to California and a visit to Port Charles that ultimately led to Gibbons second soap role of Wyatt Hoover. Patrick explains, “In 2016, Frank Valentini invited us out to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital. I think he heard me say, ‘This is so much fun. I miss being on the set.’ He goes, ‘You should come out. I’ll bring you on the show. We can make you a character.'”

A few years later, Patrick’s dream became a reality! “Then, by the summer of 2018, I was playing Wyatt, the scout, and shared scenes with Wes Ramsey (Peter August), and the best was when I shared a scene with Roger Howarth and Michael Easton (ex-John, OLTL and ex-Silas, Finn et al, GH), it was like chemistry from the old days.”

Photo: PGibbons

IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS

As to his future aspirations, it’s a career in the finance game that has piqued Gibbons’ real-life interest. But never say never to a return to acting. Patrick explained, “I’ve always enjoyed numbers. And on top of that, one of the biggest parts of finance is being personable and outgoing.”

He continued, “That’s one of the greatest skills I developed growing up. I really love the markets. I’m super interested. I’m never going to close the door to acting. I’m always open to that because I just love it so much. It’s such a great art.”

Take note! If there are any investment bankers or private equity folks among the GH faithful looking for a young analyst next year, Patrick’s DMs are open. You can find him on X at @PatrickJGibbons.

So, what did you think of the song sung by Trina on today’s GH that was written by Patrick J. Gibbons? Did you enjoy Patrick’s performances as One Life’s Sam and GH’s Wyatt? Would you like to see him back on GH at some point? Let us know via 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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