‘The Young & The Restless’ Star Victoria Rowell Says Lack Of Diversity Akin To Terrorism


The Young and the Restless has been on the air for more than 40 years. During the four decades of the show, many actors and actresses have come and gone. But perhaps none has come and gone quite like Victoria Rowell. Having been on The Young and the Restless for 17 years, the Wrap reports she left the show in 2007 because she felt that she had borne the brunt of racial discrimination for many years, and her attempts to convince the network to add more racial diversity to the show was falling on deaf ears.

The problem is that now she can’t get back on the show, and she has said that retaliation in the entertainment industry is a real problem.

“The level of retaliation in entertainment is profound – it’s terrorism. When you think of not being allowed to work in your art form as a writer, a director, because you speak out.”

CBS responded to the Wrap, stating that Rowell’s case has “no merit” and that they would “vigorously defend” themselves against her allegations. There have been rumors that the Young and the Restless creators are considering casting a new actress in the role of Drucilla Winters, bringing the character back to the show. One name that has been suggested is Troy Byer, although the network has not confirmed or denied that they are reprising Victoria Rowell’s role.

In February 2015, Victoria Rowell filed a lawsuit against CBS and Sony because they refused to give her her old job back as Drucilla Winters on The Young and the Restless. Deadline reports that she has been trying to rejoin the show since 2010 and that Judge John Kronstadt dismissed her lawsuit but left Rowell room to amend them.

“Plaintiff’s first and second causes of action for failure to rehire on Y&R are dismissed, with leave to amend, if Plaintiff can do so in good faith and in conformance with the analysis in this Order.”

The allegations made by Rowell state that CBS and Sony are in violation of the Fair Employment and Housing Act. Soap Shows reports that Victoria Rowell and her legal team will resubmit her lawsuit and provide proof of discrimination. Rowell has also been running the Twitter campaign #Dru4Diversity, which has gained a lot of support.

Rowell won’t be coming back to The Young & The Restless anytime soon, but there is still plenty of action with current The Young and the Restless stars. Reality Today reports that The Young and the Restless star Max Ehrich, who plays Fenmore Baldwin, will be appearing in Hulu’s original drama series The Path. Ehrich will play Freddie Ridge, a drug-addicted teenager from a wealthy family. According to Hulu’s Twitter feed, they have also added Kathleen Turner to the cast of The Path.

Max Ehrich isn’t the only star from The Young and the Restless to see action outside the show. Greg Rikaart, who plays Kevin Fisher, guest starred on TNT’s Major Crimes on November 16. Check out the Major Crimes promo trailer here.

The Young and the Restless has a long history and a devoted fan base. Fans are definitely affected when actors come to and go from the show, but in cases like the one with Victoria Rowell, things can sometimes get messy. Only time will tell whether the role of Drucilla Winters will be reprised, who will play her, and what the storyline will be. In the meantime, fans can stick close to the show and enjoy seeing current stars appear in separate shows, spreading their wings in new roles.

[Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images]

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