Actor Eric Braeden has played Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless for so long that it’s hard to remember which came first: Victor or the daytime soap opera. Braeden’s been in the role since 1980, and as of 2024, he was 82 — so, he’ll retire eventually, won’t he?
The last time Braeden’s departure seemed imminent was when the veteran actor’s contract was up for renewal in 2023. It was also that year that Braeden underwent cancer treatment, leading many to think he might finally choose to step back from the show and take it easy. Braeden’s still in the cast, but one year later, have we learned when Newman may finally say farewell to Genoa City?
Eric Braeden’s bladder cancer diagnosis
The same year Eric Braeden’s The Young and Restless contract expired, the German-born actor announced he would undergo treatment for bladder cancer, according to CNN. Braeden shot Y&R throughout the treatment process, and by August, Braeden was cancer-free.
Speaking with Fox News that year, referring to the cancer experience, Braeden said, “I’ve been working out as much as I could. … I’m an athlete, always have been all my life, and I’m used to a certain amount of pain or discomfort.”
What has kept him on Y&R for so long? “The first answer is money. And the second answer, actually, the more profound answer is that I enjoy doing what I’m doing. I really do. I still feel very good about it,” he explained.
Braeden’s contract renegotiation was rocky
But with his contract set to expire and his successful cancer treatment, some thought the time may have come for Victor Newman to hand over the reins of Newman Enterprises. In Sept. 2023, reports even emerged that Braeden had filmed his last Y&R scene. And speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Braeden said that negotiations with the show’s producers about a new contract had reached “an impasse.”
Braeden said,
“I have shown flexibility, they have shown none. It is over. I pulled the plug. That’s it. No more. If I show goodwill, I expect it to be reciprocated. If there is a rigid attitude on the other side, what is there to negotiate? That’s a sign of utter disrespect.
via Soaps
Braeden said he had the utmost respect for the cast and crew, and the soap’s head writer, Maria Bell. “I’m saying this with a great amount of sadness,” he added.
But as Soaps reports, in October of that year, Braeden renewed his contract, after all. But the length of his contract was not disclosed. On the prospect of retirement, Braeden told Fox News, “I’ve known friends and colleagues of mine … athletic friends of mine who suddenly are retired. And now what? Pickleball?”