Sony has confirmed that it signed a new deal with Eric Braeden to keep the soap opera veteran as Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless. Braeden, 68, was preparing to say goodbye to the show that he called home since 1980 after the production company demanded that he take what he described as a ”substantial” pay cut to his seven-figure salary. Terms of the new deal were not released but a source familiar with the negotiations said the actor ended up accepting a pay decrease in exchange for a new, three-year pact.
Speaking exclusively to EW.com, Braeden said he and Sony returned to the negotiation table Oct. 23 and settled the deal amicably (he declined to comment on the specifics). “All’s well that end’s well,” Braeden said. “Both sides were reasonable. We were both satisfied with the outcome. This business is tough.”
Braeden is not sure when he’ll return to the set because the writers have to figure out how to write him back into the show. Asked to explain how his character was going to leave in the first place, Braeden said executive producer/head writer Maria Arena Bell had Victor “going off to rehabilitation.” The notion makes him laugh now. “It was rehabilitation … from the negotiations,” Braeden said, chuckling. “He’s been cured miraculously! Miracles do happen. A week ago, I didn’t think they would.”
CBS released the following statement: “We’re very happy that Eric will be remaining with The Young and the Restless. Victor Newman has been an important part of the Genoa City canvas for nearly 30 years, and we know our audience will be tuning in to see what his plans are next.”
Bell released her own statement, as well: “We are thrilled to have Eric Braeden continue as the one and only Victor Newman. We look forward to his timely return … and we are delighted that Eric will continue his extraordinary work on The Young and the Restless.’”
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No shock there. He went to the press in hopes of shaming the network into paying him more. (Of course, I’ve always avoided the show because I find him a ridiculous actor so that’s just my opinion.)
Concur!!
i love that man he plays the role of victor newman very well i think and i am glad he is staying so much he means a great deal to watch him he keeps everyone on his toes
What is the matter barr? upset because no one will negotiate a huge figure like that for you in your job? Eric braeden never made this about money, it was about the crap sony/cbs was pulling on him.Eric has always cared about this show. Do you realise how close lynn marie lanthom could of come close to losing her job alot sonner had he walked out and taken half the cast with him because of what she was doing?He could of take 90% of the fan base. no victor is no show!
“could have” not “could of”
@claudenorth–You correct that but not “alot sonner?” You are not a very good grammar troll!
I am so glad to here negotions went well for Eric. “Who’s yo Daddy now Y&R?” I am upset still with the story line concerning Sharon’s baby. Hope that doesn’t go on forever or till they are grown. Sucks!! All these new people weren’t necessary to keep the show interesting. When you have dynamic characters like Victor, Kay, Nikki, and Smiling Jack, and Michael why do you need to bring in all the new blood. Have the writters gone lame and can’t make the real actors enough for the show. This show is about the Abbots and the Newmans………
You are so right and so funny to me! Victor is a major part of the young and the restless and everyone knows when Victor speaks we all listen!
Barr, free speech is wonderful and I glad your voice does not speak for all of us, who like Eric Braeden’s portrayal TGVN. So, we wont mind if you dont watch or never have watched because a great deal more of us (fans) do watch him. He is Y&R. I am damn happy this has been resolved. Now, if they would improve upon writing.
Cheryl, I totally agree with your comments and ignore the troll replying to your post. We won’t lower ourselves to the level of “Kyle” below, who is obviously just trolling this board and trying to stir up trouble, we’ll just feel sorry for him. Back to the topic being discussed, I’m SO glad Eric was able to settle with Sony, what a relief! I still don’t agree with him having to take a 2nd pay cut of $500,000 from his current $1.5 million/year to $1 million because of how little soap stars earn compared to actors in other genres. I am glad that one of the reasons Eric decided to stay on the show after all this drama was because of his close relationship with the cast, especially with Sharon Case who is very close friends with Eric and his wife. What I don’t get now is what about Melody Thomas Scott, who is/was (?) being written out of the show Nov. 2nd along with Eric? All I can say is Sony better work out what they’re doing to her too, but I’m not sure how this will be done, with Sony trying to reduce her to recurring status. Melody already lost money when they made her take a leave of absence from the show this summer, wasn’t that enough for Sony? This leaves all of us fans in a real quandary, we’re still back to the same problem: if Melody still leaves, there is no Y&R without Victor AND Nikki. I’m also still VERY ticked off that they’re killing the character of Lauren off, but I guess it’s because Tracey Bregman doesn’t want to stay on the show anymore (no wonder with the way Sony treats all of them). Eric staying is a very good start, but TPTB still have some major damage control to do on this show…
I totally agree w/tanya. Who cares if you do not watch anymore? I probably have been watching since before most of you were born. Y & R is the #1 soap..reason…Victor Newman. If sony really wanted to save some money, they could trim the fat by getting rid of some of those ridiculous characters (gloria, jeff, adam…..) I say bravo to Eric. If any of you haters were in his shoes you would have done the same thing.
on barr’s side. ruined my day, and keeps me still away from this show.
I agree, I stopped watchingt this show about 10 years ago, and swore I would not watch it again until he was gone…ridiculously bad actor…
No matter how good you are there will always haters out there! Eric Braeden, we love you in the Bahamas!
Inda I agree with you but my thing is, if these people don’t watch the show, then why they are commenting. If you don’t have anything good to say then don’t say anything.
stop hate in’ victor is the Y&R
barr – I find you a ridiculous idiot and that’s just my opinion.
Hey barr, let me ask you something; if you don’t watch the show as you claim, why in the heck would you be on here commenting? That makes you seem extremely ignorant. Go make comments on shows you actually watch and leave this forum to fans of the show in question.
I am happy to see that Eric will continue his role as Victor onthe Young and the restless. He is a terrific actor, and there could never be a suitable replacement for the role of Victor. It would be like taking Santa claus out of Christmas.
Thank Heavens those suits came to their senses! No Victor meant no Y&R!
The suits didn’t “come to their senses” – Braeden did. He caved and took the pay cut.
I disagree. There are many people across many industries who would take a pay cut in exchange for a longer term contract – i.e. long term stability, knowing you have a job.
Previous reports have stated Y&R has only been recently renewed for 2 more years of production, so this shows faith on both sides that at the end of those 2 years, there is hope that the show will go on and Braeden will be a part of it.
what does it matter to you, Kyle? Just curious.
It wasn’t about the money. It was about the length of his contract. They were making him renegotiate it every year. That’s an insult to a faithful and popular actor who has been a staple of the show for over 25 years.
wow, what is supposed to happen to lauren, she is my favorite chharacter on the show.
After losing Guiding Light cuz of TPTB aka the suits’ decisions, I was completely done with this genre if Eric left cuz of TPTB. They have to realize who and why we watch this show. My favorite is watching Eric (Victor) and Jeanne Cooper (Katherine). No herd of young, hard bodies learning to act can replace true talent.
Yes, the eoonomy is tough, yes, the soaps don’t make the money they used to, but they have to understand the concept of you get what you pay for. And a contract is a contract. What’s the point of negotiations if its not worth the paper its written on.
who the f$%& are you to say that barr! A lot of people admire him and find that offensive!
Well, it is a comments section for people to leave their opinions in. And Eric is one of the hammiest over-actors on TV.
I think its awesome he is staying. He is the definitive character on “Young & Restless” despite his not exactly being very young. I know soaps ratings are way down but continuity is what keeps viewers coming back or returning.
He’s a drama queen! I can’t believe what a whiny baby this guy is and in this economy. This is the worst news ever! Here I had thought we’d never have to see him back on the screen again.
If you walk in to work tomorrow and your boss decides to cut your next pay until the economy picks up and you know you are good at what you do, tell me, how would you feel? Victor took a pay cut with in his contract not the future contract, I dont think Victor is allowed to break his contract, so the the company shouldn’t break their contract!
Sylvia, may I remind you people are allowed to have differing opinions other than your’s.
ALL THAT HYPE FOR NOTHING! HE CERTAINLY USED EW FOR HIS EXCLUSIVE BARGAINING CHIP!? What does this mean for new billionaire actor role they hired? Although he was important to the show Eric is far from great actor, aka the mumbler lmfao
*high five*
Totally agree. Mumbly Mumberson from Mumbletown.
Strangely, the new heart has made him much easier to understand! Must be those anti-rejection drugs!
Eric Braeden = EPIC FAIL. We all knew he was going to re-sign, but he’s such a tool he had to spend weeks bitching and crying for sympathy first. Total egomaniac. I could care less he will be back, just means my FF will continue to have a work-out when he’s on my screen.
You try being disrespected like that after you’ve worked on something and put your heart and soul in to it and made it a success, then why don’t you see whos the epic fail? Good for Eric for not tolerating it, but good for him also for being good to his fans, he is a man of class and grace, and is forever respected in my mind.
Amen to that sister!
it’s “I could not care less”
Can’t imagine Genoa City without him. Yes, The Young and the Restless is an ensemble cast, but some characters cannot be recast or replaced.
I am one fan who loves him. The show would not be anything without him. He can’t be replaced for no one else can do what he does. He has made this character…..
I agree 100%. There is only ONE Victor Newman and no one can fill his shoes. Hope he is with us for a very very long time and hope Nikki is at his side. Hail to the Victor!
WHY WHY WHY??? I was so looking forward to no more Sir Mumbles Alot Newman!! Ugh.
I am glad he is staying with the show, it would not be the same. At the same time, I think many Americans are suffering financially at this time. Glad he was big enough to take a cut and stay with the show. Wonder where he could get another job acting that could be so great–even with the cut. Many of us would like to learn how to live on just a few million dollars.
For the record, he has already taken a pay cut. He took a quite large one the last time his contract was renegotiated. He was less than a third of the way through that three year contract when they demanded he take another pay cut. Apparently contracts with Sony are not worth the paper they are written on. If they are so hard pressed for money, why don’t they get rid of Paul Rauch and Hogan Sheffer….. the show was so much better before they came on board. Maria was recovering very nicely from the damage done by LML.
HOORAY!!!! Eric, I love ya! I am SO HAPPY that you are staying, because I was going to tune this show out permanently when I heard the news originally. Thank goodness they are not as stupid as I thought they were over at CBS Daytime.
I honestly don’t understand why people like his character. The character acts despicably and bullies and belittles people. What about that is appealing or makes him the heart of the show? Mr. Braeden is a fine actor and has been for many years but I think even he might agree that the character he plays is usually ridiculous and probably would come across more so without Mr. Braeden’s very good performance behind it.
It’s a soap. Someone has to be the “Black Knight.” If not him someone else. Y and R wouldn’t be the same without his manipulations.
Yes TGVN is despicable but the show revolves around his characer. Everyone is either concerned with gaining his acceptance/approval or be trying to enact vengence on him. Look at the past several years and how Victor’s apart of every major storyline: the reliquary, David Chow/Sabrina, the diary, Nikki’s disappearence and most recently Patty/MJ. Colleen’s death was all about whether he’d get her organs. I mean like everything stems right back to him. You may not like the guy, but at least he keeps the other characters on their toes.
I totally agree. Victor Newman has made his share of dirty deals yet he acts superior to Jack Abbott. He sees nothing wrong with marrying and remarrying Nikki and Ashley, marrying the occasional disposable temporary character and making babies that are born after his grandchildren. He even slept with his son’s wife!
Phyllis wasn’t his son’s wife when they slept together. And if I remember correctly, at the time, Phyllis was looking for a meal ticket.
nope he didnt sleep with her. only kissed her. i know its still bad but not as bad, and he felt terrible about it. im so happy victor is staying! victor and nikki need to be together!
and no victor and phyllis did not sleep together either, he kissed sharon.
are any of these characters good people??? lol – I swear most of them have all been in each other’s bed at least once. They should just stop the hating and have a big love fest
You guys really don’t understand do you? Victor is SUPPOSED to be heartless and cruel. That is what viewers are to expect from him. THAT is what makes things so exciting on the show. You have to have a villian. This show has two, Victor and Jack.
Thank You! Finally someone said it!! It is a soap! It is suppose to have drama!!! If you don’t like drama don’t watch it!
And your question is?????
It’s a love to hate thing with ol Victor. Shows need a couple of antagonists and Victor fits the bill (along with Jack).
I am absolutely thrilled with this news. I was so disapponted and upset when I read Eric was let go from the show. I was planning to boycot Sony for their decision. I’ve been watching Y&R for 21 years, now a 28 year old and I have to say that the classic characters are my favourite, they are who make the show. Now Y&R casts too many useless young actors with awful storylines. Needless to say, I will now continue to watch the show. THANK YOU!!!
good for EB for going public and fearlessly making noise and stating his case to the press…of course he was in a good position to do so ..and spent his PR capital wisely where it would get the widest airplay .
Checkmate!
I agree and it’s not like he hadn’t already taken cuts. I believe he was really trying to negotiate. He got the fans behind him and Sony probably blinked. I’m sure he took a pay cut but probably not what Sony wanted.
Yep. Agree.
Y&Rs ratings dropped like crazy when Eric was rumoured to leave even, his fans are his fans, we’ll always stay loyal no matter how much of a jerk vic is, he is Y&R. sony was to scared to pull the plug once his fans stood behind him and said he leaves, all of us millions of fans do to.
He took the pay cut that was originally proposed – going from 1.5 million a year to 1 million. Sony didn’t budge. And the idea that the ratings dropped when he hadn’t even left yet is just preposterous, Allie – the ratings were actually *up* last week. What are you smoking.
Sorry….. the ratings were NOT up, they were down.
Anyone who says they did not want victor back on the y&r does NOT watch the show! He’s a major character and I’m thrilled!!!!!
I watch the show and I didn’t want him back! I’ve actually enjoyed the last couple of weeks more knowing he was going to leave.
Even though I stopped watching the show for reasons that had nothing to do with “the show”, I was surprised to hear that he was leaving the show. I think he is a great actor and a very important part of that show. Considering all the years he has put into the show, I think he deserves every cent. The show would not be the same without him.
The genre could not afford to lose someone of Eric Braeden’s star power. He played the war of words well in the press and got what he wanted a new contract. I’m not mad at him. Now if they could just get some better writers on Y&R and AMC maybe the ratings would go up.
Did the show get the publicity it was seeking? Sure did, might as well had Victor get lost in a runaway balloon…
LOL… This has no doubt generated a lot of attention for Y&R ( and soaps generally) … How often is it – or any other soap -ever mentioned in EW or other media non-soap outlets ?
Just goes to show how much respect and clout EB/TGVN wields! Mainstream media sits up and takes notice when it’s warranted…
Not unexpected but I’m still glad to hear it.
I was entirely prepared to go through with my boycott of ‘Y&R’ if Eric was truly gone from the show.
same! i cancelled my daily recording, glad i can put it back on!
you can just watch it on cbs.com why r u recording it? That’s for dinosaurs
I am so happy! I hated the thought of having to quit watching … yet i was prepared! I stopped watching my recordings a week ago! Thank goodness! Victor is back and I can go on with my 25 year love affair with the show! Thank you Eric Braeden, Sony and Young and the Restless!
I’m so glad things worked out. I’ve watched the show for 35 years and I had decided November 2nd would have been my last. No Victor…No Show!!!
ALL IS RIGHT WITH THE SOAP WORLD AGAIN! thank god eric is staying, I was ready to stop watching!
Sure is! I can relax now…
Huge, huge, HUGE shock.
Good for Eric. The suits at Sony played hardball with him so he slapped that ball right back into their court. Braeden saw what they did to Melody Thomas Scott earlier this year, slamming her with a paycut and writing her out until she swallowed her pride and came crawling back. He didn’t let them treat him that way, and I say good on him. When he went to the press and said it was over, they knew he was fully prepared to walk and realized what it would do to their ratings. That’s the only reason TIIC came to their senses and decided to pay the man what he’s worth to Y&R.
Again – Braeden caved, not Sony. He took a 33% pay cut. Sony won – deal with it.
No, YOU deal with it: you need to get off this board with all your negative comments and insults. Calling another poster a “moron” and telling someone to “deal with it” is immature and insulting, what are you, 13 years old? Or maybe you’re just a digruntled Sony exec who was let go, I’m starting to think the latter.
He was always willing to take a pay cut and previously led the cast in doing so. What he probably ALSO got in this new contract is the REMOVAL of that stupid 26 week renegotiating clause, which makes any 3-year deal irrelevant whenever the suits want to make budget cuts. So a 3-year deal really means just that. Good for him. And I’m a JACK fan.
I was so looking forward to Victor Free Wisconsin. Total bummer.
Atleast he fought back (and, we help him win, which is also a win for us, the fans). Would any you have just accepted a pay cut, if your the caliber of your work did not warrant one. Full pay for EXEMPLARY work
WOOT WOOT!!! I am thrilled that Eric is staying on on the show! Young and the Restless almost lost a fan from day one!
Victor Newman is disgusting. He was already in his forties when Victoria was born so that means that the character should be at least in his 70’s now. The fact that his latest child is younger than his grandchildren is ridiculous.
BUT, m’dear…very true to life. I can name several families I know where this has happened.
So, if you don’t watch it…don’t comment. This is good news for Y&R fans. No MATTER what happened. Victor Newman is integral to the show and his portrayer is a class act.
Remember that his “latest child” is not his child, but his son’s and daughter-in-law’s child.
Right. Faith is his grandchild. And don’t forget that Ashley is way too old to be pumping out babies – esp when she is supposed to be unable to have babies. So, if we have to suspend belief for HER, why not for her baby daddy???
Victor is and never will be “disgusting” he is a class act for sure, I agree Julie. That happens all the time, Ashley and Victor are a joke honestly though, a man of his class deserves a woman with class, NIKKI, not TRASHley. Victor and Nikki supercouple forever! <3
Julia Sat 10/24/09 4:07 AMVictor Newman is disgusting. He was already in his forties when Victoria was born so that means that the character should be at least in his 70’s now. The fact that his latest child is younger than his grandchildren is ridiculous.
Hold on just a second Julie, I happen to have a son who is younger than my Grandchildren, And that is not disqusting, He is a gift from God!!
If what he said is the truth, the studio definitely tried to screw him over. I still don’t like the character. Victor Newman is a kind of a whore. Married how many times now? How many kids with how many women? Some of his kids are younger than his grandkids?