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‘Young And The Restless’ Spoilers: Eric Braeden Blocking Michael Muhney Return As Adam?

By Belynda Gates Turner
Published on: 05:23 PST, May 10, 2017

The Young and The Restless spoilers have been working overtime since the recent reveal that Y&R executive producer Mal Young decided to recast Adam Newman (formerly played by Justin Harley and Michael Muhney). New Y&R rumors have now surfaced that Eric Braeden (aka Victor Newman) is throwing his weight around behind the scenes to make sure casting goes the way he wants.

Fact: New Adam Has Not Been Cast Yet

Yesterday, The Young and The Restless rumor mill ran rampant with the announcement that a new Adam was cast because Jason Gerhardt shared a photo of himself over at the CBS studio where Y&R shoots and captioned it, “The wonderful world of auditioning continued. The post audition walk.” An audition at CBS on Monday is not a guarantee he’s been cast. Since then, Gerhardt took down the photos.

What is interesting about Mal Young bringing in Jason Gerhardt in, if he was even there to read for the role of Adam, is that the set leak on Adam’s recast said they would not look at daytime actors. Gerhardt was on General Hospital years ago for a 100 plus episode run as Cooper “Coop” Barrett. In fact, The Young and The Restless might have had the actor reading for another part or even for The Bold And The Beautiful which also film there.

Fact: Michael Muhney Is Lobbying To Get The Part Back

Many The Young and The Restless fans have been vocal about wanting Michael Muhney back as Adam Newman, despite him being fired from the CBS soap under strange circumstances. Muhney has been encouraging fans on Twitter to reach out to Mal Young and others at CBS Daytime to lobby for his return to the role, but this might not work out in his favor.

Some Y&R fans on Twitter are even lobbying the soap to ask they either bring Muhney back as Adam or just leave Adam dead because they don’t want to see another face in the part. When Muhney was fired, there were accusations of impropriety backstage, but nothing ever came of the allegations and The Young and The Restless rumors imply it was all a plot to get Muhney out the door.

Fact: Eric Braeden Does Not Like Michael Muhney

Daytime Confidential offered up juicy The Young and The Restless spoilers from Eric Braeden’s memoir I’ll Be Damned that are about his backstage feud with Michael Muhney. But the book wasn’t the only time Braeden spoke out on the controversy. The actor granted an interview with Jen Heger of Radar Online and said Michael Muhney tried to get him fired.

Braeden told Radar Online, “I was prompted to get into ‘fisticuffs’ with him because he wanted me off the show, if you want to know the truth.” Victor Newman is key to The Young and The Restless yet Braeden claims Michael Muhney waged an “open campaign” to get the soap veteran kicked off the show and said the result was a “shouting match” that involved a physical confrontation.

Rumor: Eric Braeden Is Blocking Muhney’s Return

While the drama is gathering momentum on social media about The Young and The Restless recasting Adam Newman, there are some behind the scenes rumors that Eric Braeden is doing everything he can to shut down a shot at Muhney’s return and is advocating for a totally new recast. Many on Twitter are calling for Mal Young to “respect fans wishes” and bring Muhney back even over Braeden’s protests.

There are other The Young and The Restless spoilers and rumors floating on social media, reportedly from Y&R sources behind the scenes, that Eric Braeden has told showrunners he won’t do scenes with Michael Muhney if he’s brought back. It would be pretty tough to have a meaningful father-son reunion between Victor and Adam if Braeden refuses scenes with Muhney.

Fact: Eric Braeden Slams Fan on Twitter Over Muhney

Today, Y&R’s Eric Braeden took a fan to task on Twitter for saying he was involved with Muhney’s exit or preventing his return and called her “utterly misinformed” and delusional. Braeden raged in all caps, “FYI, NO ACTOR HAS THE POWER TO HIRE OR FIRE ANYONE!” That’s not a hard and fast rule in show business, though, it just depends on the actor.

In prime time, many leading actors are also producers and do have casting power. And while this is not common in daytime, a veteran actor like Eric Braeden, who’s the biggest star on the soap, may have influence over casting decisions even if he doesn’t have hiring and firing authority. Braeden’s reaction seemed a bit hostile and over the top.

There is still no casting announcement for the role of Adam Newman, and Jason Gerhardt is definitely not hired for the role and, in fact, may have been at CBS Daytime reading for another part entirely. There’s also no truth to the rumors that Michael Muhney is coming back. Y&R has not settled on an actor yet and may not for some time to come. Stay tuned for more on these casting rumors and news from The Young and The Restless spoilers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShAfmu9IxRY

[Featured Image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]

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