Just before his 80th birthday last year, The Young and the Restless' Eric Braeden declared that he has no plans to retire, and fortunately for fans of the CBS soap opera, that means his run as Victor Newman will keep going and going and going and... well, you get the picture! That in and of itself is worth toasting to, but so is the fact that today marks the soap icon's 42nd anniversary as Genoa City's most successful businessman!
Braeden first appeared as Victor Newman on February 8, 1980, arriving in Genoa City to run Chancellor Industries for Katherine Chancellor (Jeanne Cooper). The character eventually created his own conglomerate, Newman Enterprises, and became the most powerful and wealthy businessman in town. But Victor didn't just create a company in Genoa City -- he also created a family, which has turned out to be one of the most influential elements of Victor's life, so much so, it appears that Victor might be allowing his children to take over his business. Or... is he?!
In celebration of his 42 years at Y&R, Braeden appeared on Friday's episode of The Talk, where co-host Sheryl Underwood asked if Victor is really going to let his kids take over. The actor's response: "No, I mean a little bit, you know. But I'm watching like a hawk! One misstep..."
He added, "I think it's difficult for some fathers, powerful fathers, to let go and let their children, their sons or their daughters, take over. Very hard."
Besides, as Braeden was all too thrilled to announce last year, Victor isn't going anywhere! "I feel very loyal to The Young and the Restless, very beholden to Victor, and very beholden to the audience who has supported us for all those years," he shared. "I intend to stay as long as I can."
Need more convincing that Victor Newman is as popular as ever? In August, "Victor Newman" trended on Twitter for more than 48 hours.
Check out Braeden's appearance on The Talk here, and let us know what you think about the actor celebrating 42 years at Y&R in the Comments section below.
Would you like to wish Eric Braeden a happy 42nd anniversary as Y&R's Victor? Do you think the character should throw in the towel and let the younger generation run Newman Enterprises? What are you hoping the writers have planned for Victor's next chapter? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
