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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!
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!
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!
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.
Antonio Sabáto Jr., the former Jagger Cates of General Hospital and GH: Night Shift, and the former Dante Damiano of The Bold and the Beautiful has issued his first public statement since the incident involving his son, Jack’s arrest in Alaska for a fatal hit-and-run.
Jack is the son of Sabáto Jr. and Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, and according to court documents obtained by KTUU Jack, was allegedly driving a white Chevy Tahoe when he hit and killed Carl Simmonds, 42, near an intersection in Anchorage around 5:35 a.m. on Monday, November 9.
The reports indicated that Jack fled the scene — but later decided to called the cops to say he hit “something” that “suddenly appeared in the road” while he was “doing late-night DoorDashing.”
Photo: NBC
Now, Antonio has taken to his Instagram breaking his silence on the situation, sharing, “At this time, my family and I are navigating an extremely sensitive and deeply personal matter.”
He added, “As a father, my love for my children remains unconditional, and my priority is the well-being of my family. We ask that the public and members of the media honor our privacy during this difficult time and keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.”
The soap alum concluded, “I also wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the gentleman who tragically lost his life. My thoughts and prayers are with them as well. We sincerely appreciate your compassion, understanding, and respect for the privacy of everyone affected.”
Jack Sabáto was arraigned in court on Tuesday, November 10 with bail set at $5,000, and a no-driving order and the potential of $5,000 penalty fees if he fails to attend future court appearances.
Antonio is the father to Jack, 34, daughter, Mina Sabato, 24 and son, Antonio Sabáto III, 15.
This is a developing story. You can check out Antonio’s official statement below.
So, let us know your thoughts on this tragic hit-and-run, which claimed the life of another man, and Antonio’s statement, via the comment section below.
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Days of our Lives long-running cast member James Reynolds revealed on the November 10 edition of Entertainment Tonight that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and his character of Abe Carver will now be going through an on-screen Parkinson’s battle as well.
Speaking with ET’s Nischelle Turner, the 80-year-old actor and Daytime Emmy winner shared how he attempted to hide the warning signs dating back to 15-20 years ago when he would have, “What they call the hallucinations. My wife (Lissa) would say, ‘You were hitting me last night in bed,’ and I would say, ‘What?!’ I was having these really horrible dreams.” Reynolds also added that he realized falling out of bed was an early symptom of Parkinson’s too.
Discussing the on-going tremors that have become more noticeable over time especially in hands, James shared that when he finally told the Days of our Lives cast they were nothing but “extraordinarily helpful and supportive.”
Photo: ET
SCREEN LIFE TO MIRROR REAL LIFE
Now with DAYS about to launch into Abe’s Parkinson’s storyline, Reynolds hopes that he can turn his experience into something positive by encouraging others facing the disease to keep fighting. During the sit-down, Reynolds co-star Jackée Harry (Paulina Price) recalls her reaction to learning of Reynolds’ real-life diagnosis and how she has continued to search for new treatments to inform James about.
Although Parkinson’s disease currently has no cure, there are medications and treatments can help those manage symptoms and improve quality of life. The condition progresses at a different pace from individual to individual.
As discussed in his conversation with ET, Reynolds cited Michael J. Fox and Alan Alda as two high-profile celebrities who have brought awareness to the disease.
Photo: JPI
In story on DAYS, Abe in recent weeks had been experiencing tremors which led to seek help and a diagnosis Dr. Kayla Johnson (Mary Beth Evans). Soon Abe and others will find out of his battle with Parkinson’s. Although on the promo for this week’s DAYS, Abe is seen telling Kayla, that he will do something, “when the time is right.”
James Reynolds is one of the most prolific performers, being the longest-running Black Actor in a role on a television series, not to mention his aforementioned Lead Actor Daytime Emmy win in 2018, and being inducted in 2025 into the Daytime Emmy Gold and Silver Society of honorees.
You can check out James’ in-depth conversation on his Parkinson’s diagnosis below.
Share your thoughts for James after learning of his health battle, and what do you think of Days of our Lives incorporating the disease into Abe Carver’s Salem storyline? Let us know in the comment section.
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
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B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
Antonio Sabáto Jr. Breaks Silence on His Son’s Arrest for Fatal Hit-and-Run
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B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
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