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Eric Braeden Is Not Retiring From ‘The Young And The Restless’ [Debunked]

By Chrissie Williams
Published on: 07:55 PST, Apr 1, 2017

The Young and the Restless fans were surprised by the report by Soap Hub that Eric Braeden, who plays Victor Newman, was leaving the CBS soap opera. Only, it wasn’t real — it was just a cruel April Fool’s joke.

The false report claims that effective April 1, Braeden would no longer be on the Young and the Restless. Fans reacted in disbelief because they couldn’t imagine the show without Victor.

The reason Soap Hub gave for Eric’s exit made their “joke” believable. Apparently, they suggested that Braeden wanted to leave Young and the Restless so he could write another book.

In February, Eric penned his first book titled I’ll Be Damned, which detailed his childhood in Germany and rise to fame as a soap opera star, Soap Opera Digest revealed.

Since the book released, he has been busy promoting it. Many fans assumed that, at some point, that Braeden may consider leaving Young and the Restless to write another book.

This isn’t the first time this rumor has came up either. Every year the actor is plagued with questions if he will sign his contract or choose to leave and retire. Each year, Eric tells his followers on Twitter that he has no plans to retire. One year a frustrated Braeden said that he will “never retire” and he bragged he just inked a multi-year deal with Young and the Restless.

“I don’t intend to retire. Retirement to me is death.”

Even though Braeden is almost 76-years-old, the actor will not consider retiring. He has stated several times that he needs to stay active. He maintains a strict fitness routine and regularly brags that he has better endurance [at the gym] than his younger co-stars.

Last year, Young and the Restless fans voiced concerns over the way Victor Newman was being written. They worried that he wouldn’t be able to redeem himself because he contributed to his son’s murder (Adam).

Young and the Restless showrunner asked the fans to give some time and to see the storyline to the end. If they still believed that Mr. Newman was unredeemable, they would address it then.

The fans watched the storyline unfold. He made amends with his family and he slowly became much more stable. After several months of working toward redemption, most Young and the Restless fans believe that Victor possesses “some redeeming qualities.”

“I needed to have this character be given a background that explains why he does what he does,” Eric Braeden explained. “Even after all this time, he still makes sure that Victor’s actions are justified. I will always remind [Y&R] that we need to infuse the character with a side that explains what he does.”

Eric has repeatedly said that what keeps him going on Young and the Restless is the response from his fans and followers. He has spent over 37 years playing Victor Newman on the CBS soap opera.

Several years ago, Braeden asked to reduce his taping schedule. They started taping his scenes over one or two days instead of having him report to the CBS studio four to five times a week. For him, it’s the perfect schedule.

Young and the Restless fans can rest assured that Eric Braeden is not going to retire anytime soon. He will continue to play Victor Newman for as long as they will have him.

“I am deeply grateful to the fans and I must say that I learned on Y&R to embrace the part of our profession that entertains and makes people engaged and happy.”

Young and Restless fans, did Soap Hub trick you with their April Fool’s joke? Would you miss Eric Braeden if he decided to retire?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqVoK11cHYo

The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS.

[Featured Image by Mark Davis/Getty Images]

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