Victor Newman
Victor Newman is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. He has been portrayed by Eric Braeden since 1980. Initially a guest character who was to last for eight to twelve weeks, Victor has evolved into the soap opera's leading male figure. Created by William J. Bell as a "despicable, contemptible, unfaithful wife abuser", the character was planned to be killed off and never heard of again. However, after Bell saw Braeden's performance, he decided to sign the actor onto a contract. Braeden was hesitant to work on a soap opera, but eventually signed a contract, and has remained on the series as a regular cast member for over 45 years. The character is widely described as a ruthless villain, while loving to those he holds dear. Over the years, he has also been the center of several controversial plots and relationships.
Victor arrived in Genoa City, Wisconsin for business, and he eventually formed his own worldwide conglomerate, Newman Enterprises. After his first marriage to Julia Newman, he formed a romance with stripper Nikki Reed. Their union developed into a supercouple pairing, which has lasted over three decades. He shares two children with Nikki, Victoria and Nicholas Newman. During his first marriage to her, he cheated with Ashley Abbott. He has also had a long-standing romantic history with Ashley, and they share a child together, Abby Newman. He was briefly married to a woman named Hope Wilson and they had a son together, Adam Newman, who grew up without knowledge of Victor being his father. He is also known for his long-standing business rivalry with Jack Abbott. Victor has had several other romantic relationships, including one with his former daughter-in-law Sharon Newman, which was poorly received by the actors and public.
Considered an icon and leading man of the soap opera genre, Braeden's distinct performance of Victor has garnered widespread praise from critics, who have described him as legendary and "enthralling". Victor is famously characterized for his power-hungry ways and low-toned voice. Because of the character's popularity, he was made a spokesperson for the Canadian discount store Zellers. Apart from popularity and critical praise, Braeden has also garnered numerous accolades for his performance; most notably a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, presented to him in 2007. He has been nominated at the Daytime Emmy Awards eight times for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, having won the award in 1998. He has been pre-nominated three times in this category. Additionally, he was the recipient of the "Favorite Male Performer in a Daytime Serial" award at the 18th Annual People's Choice Awards in 1992.
Casting and creation
created Victor as a short-term non-contractual role, debuting on February 8, 1980. Bell stated in 1997, " would last between eight to twelve weeks, at which time he was to be shot by his wife." However, once he saw Braeden's performance, he thought "the voice, the power, the inner strength", and knew he didn't want to lose the actor; "The first thing was to get Eric under contract, but he didn't want to go under contract", he said. However, Braeden was uneasy about the daytime soap opera genre, admitting years later he thought it was "too confining"; although soon signed a six-month contract. Bell immediately changed Victor's storyline to salvage, redeem and develop the character.In January 1999, Braeden’s character appeared on The Bold and the Beautiful in a crossover event. Braeden’s appearances on the show were January 25-28, 1999. On January 27, 2026, it was announced Braeden would crossover to Beyond the Gates as Victor. The event will air sometime in June of the same year.
Development
Characterization
William J. Bell created Victor as a "despicable, contemptible, unfaithful wife abuser". The soap opera's official website notes: "Victor is loving and protective toward family and loved ones, but if crossed, or if Victor feels that one is not living up to one's full potential; then he can more than live up to the adjective that many have used to describe him ruthless." The Los Angeles Times characterizes him as "charming but complicated", while others publications have described him as a villain, as well as an evil, powerful and ruthless character. Sara Bibel of Xfinity wrote that Victor is a male chauvinist. Although he is often considered malicious, Braeden stated that "Bill Bell was a very wise man" and that "he created someone in Victor who is a very lonely man yet also a man who can be affectionate and loving and forgiving". Shelly Fralic of the Winnipeg Free Press described Victor in 2009, stating:Fralic also described the character as being "quixotic", who is "deeply layered with arrogance and angst, imbued with all the failings and bravado that a true villain possesses, his dastardly deeds leaving him most recently responsible not only for the death of his own heart donor, but for the near-death of his granddaughter Summer from peanut poisoning". She also noted that he's been jailed, thrown in a psychiatric ward and shot, had amnesia, epilepsy among other events, but "like all villains worth their salt, he's survived it all and inspired respect, if not adoration". Braeden describes the character as "the villain" and as "defensive and always self-protective", stating that he's "not here to win a popularity contest". He stated that he enjoys portraying Victor "more than anything", also describing him as "very complex". Braeden said that "he fought himself to the position he arrived at a number of years ago", and that "he obviously doesn't suffer fools easily, doesn't suffer enemies easily. He wants relationships badly, but doesn't quite trust them. It's a tragic flaw in him because of his childhood." The actor, comparing himself to the character, noted that he is nothing like Victor, stating: "Money makes a lot of things happen for Victor. My God almighty, that's something else that I, Eric Braeden, would never do. I always confront things directly. But when that doesn't work for Victor, he gets out his wallet If you are abusive to him, he will be abusive to you. No one gets away with that. I will not allow anyone to cross that line with the character."
In June 2011, Michael Logan of TV Guide felt that Victor was "pushing it with the fans", stating: "The megalomaniacal patriarch earned considerable viewer backlash last month when he threw his ex-wife from the back of an ambulance and left her bruised and bloodied." In an interview with Logan, Braeden stated that Victor "doesn't give a shit" and "he doesn't take any shit", saying that is "the whole point of the character". The actor also stated he does not like women defeating Victor, admitting that he wasn't pleased in a 2003 scene where his daughter Victoria slaps him.
When asked which storyline he felt affinity for or strongly about in his thirty years during an interview with AOL TV, Braeden stated it was the scenes in which he met his dying mother, Cora Miller, for the first time since he was seven years old. The actor credited it as the turning point of his career on the show, describing it as "a deeply-felt scene" and something he would never forget. He said:
Relationships
For over three decades, Victor has been romantically linked with Nikki Reed. Nikki was originally from the lower walks of life, having been a stripper. After multiple failed relationships, she began a romance with Victor, who taught her about society. They fall in love and have a child, Victoria Newman, and later a son, Nicholas Newman. The couple are widely considered a supercouple within the soap opera media. The writers of The Young and the Restless detailed their characters to marry and divorce or depart from each other in some form or fashion in a continuous cycle, which is a take on the original supercouple formula. Soap Opera Digest relayed the beginning of the pairing's creation and their impact, described as an "inspired decision", led to Victor and Nikki becoming the series' most successful supercouple. In an interview with Dose magazine, Scott said that the couple always has to get back together, but not without a challenge.Victor and Nikki are recognized as one of daytime television's most prominent couples. They have also garnered a large fan following, dubbed "Niktor" by viewers. In addition, the couple's weddings have been reported by mainstream media. Scott has said: "Let's face facts: Victor and Nikki will always be a huge dynamic, they've been in a circular cycle for over 30 years! Finding a new leading man that you have chemistry with is like finding gold." In a 1994 interview with The Los Angeles Times, the newspaper reported that Victor's relationship with Nikki had "registered an enduring appeal among viewers", with Braeden replying that, "Arguably, it's the idea of this incredibly powerful, wealthy man taking a woman who comes from the wrong side of the tracks into his life, and shaping her and forming her more to his liking. But, of course, no one can shape or form anyone, she remains who she is, has retained her strength, and that causes conflict." In other interviews, Braeden stated that he loves working with Scott and that he "always thought it was an honestly felt love story with great material for conflict with Nikki". He also stated in an interview that he considers Victor's storylines with Nikki to be some of his favorites. Discussing Victor and Nikki's union, former As the World Turns actress Martha Byrne stated: "Young and Restless' Victor and Nikki are the perfect example of a couple who they can tear apart and put back together how many times? And do it really well because they're so stable as characters that you can basically do anything with them now, and the audience will go on the journey with them." The Museum of Television and Radio wrote: "Combined with a series of social-issue storylines covering everything from AIDS to date rape to the plight of the elderly, as well as featuring a group of popular young African-American characters, and several long-term romantic and professional relationships, Victor and Nikki's love story has kept viewers enthralled for many years." They also described their relationship as being a "dominant force" in the soap opera. Daytime journalist Michael Fairman stated: "Victor and Nikki just can't, we mean can't, ever get it together long enough to find any happiness with each other. So, many would say that they deserve each other and the baggage and betrayals that come along with their co-dependent relationship."
Aside from Nikki, Victor is known for his relationship with Ashley Abbott. While Ashley was at a low point in her life, he had an affair with her. This led to Ashley's pregnancy, and Victor left Nikki. However, Nikki was diagnosed with cancer and he returned to her, and Ashley aborted her baby; a move she regretted for many years. Ashley stole his sperm many years later, and had a child, Abby Carlton. Abby was believed to be Brad Carlton's daughter until she was five years old. Victor was married to Ashley from 1990 to 1993. In 2008, Victor married Sabrina Costelana, which was short-lived following her accidental death. Afterward, he left town and Ashley tracked him down when nobody else could. They reconnected their romantic relationship, later remarried and Ashley became pregnant. Davidson stated she was surprised by Ashley's pregnancy, but decided she liked the storyline as it was unexpected. Victor and Ashley's second marriage ended after she miscarried the child.
Victor was noted for his controversial relationship with both of his sons' ex-wife, Sharon Newman, with whom he initially had a father-daughter relationship. In 2003, Victor and Sharon shared a kiss, causing issues in her marriage to Nicholas; she left town to "find herself". Victor supported Sharon throughout her legal problems, and paid her bail at first when she was wrongly convicted of murder in 2011. Case stated that she thinks Sharon thinks of Victor "in a way like a father figure, but not quite. When she was younger she saw him as that, and then when she grew up she saw him less as a father and more like a hero", also stating that Victor is Sharon's "security blanket". The dynamic of their relationship changed when Victor proposed a platonic marriage to Sharon in December 2011, and while they end up marrying, it is annulled shortly after. However, months after the annulment, they begin a genuine romance. Joshua Morrow, who portrays Nicholas, told Soaps in Depth that he was "always kind of surprised that Nick just accepted this from his dad", and that "there were never any scenes showing legitimate anger". Braeden didn't agree with the pairing either, stating that, "We all have gone through periods of playing something we didn't really like to play so much, but you do it."
Michael Fairman of On-Air On-Soaps said that the relationship "hasn't worked out or caught fire through the writing, or with the fans watching on-screen!" In August 2012, Victor and Sharon married a second time, and when he disappeared shortly after, she thought he was abandoning her. Sharon later burned their prenuptial agreement, and took over this company. Talking about the situation, Case stated that the writers could have done this storyline "a million other ways" without "marrying him ". In another interview, she characterized the relationship as incestuous: "Sometimes controversial storylines can work because you're bringing attention to a controversial issue that the nation is trying to decide on. But this was not one of those things. Everybody is universally against incest! It was just so upsetting to the audience. Whenever the actors went to do , the fans would bring it up. Literally, every actor in the building was coming up to me, giving me feedback that they were getting about it!" When asked if the marriage was about "daddy issues", Case said: "That's usually the case in a story like that, but I don't think it's one most people want to watch!" Victor later returned home and annulled their second marriage. During an interview with The Province, Michael Muhney, who portrays Victor's son Adam, said that Victor and Sharon's marriage was "almost like an inside joke".