The Young And The Restless' Eric Braeden Has A History Of Celebrity Feuds

Don't mess with Eric Braeden, whether that's on-screen or in real life. Braeden has starred as the iconic Victor Newman on the soap "The Young and The Restless" for over four decades. Victor Newman is a fierce protector of the ones he loves, and if you're one of his enemies, it doesn't tend to end well. It seems like Braeden may have picked up a couple of Victor Newman's cutthroat qualities because he has had several feuds with some big celebrities throughout the years. 

It seems surprising, especially because many of his cast mates have gushed about the actor. Joshua Murrow, who plays Braeden's son Nick Newman on the show, has had nothing but nice things to say about his on-screen dad. He told Soap Opera Digest, "Any scenes I have with Eric are ones I really cannot wait to tell because he is an absolute legend. I mean, we throw that word around a lot, but my respect for him knows no bounds. He's a true actor and cares so much about this job and his character and everything else." Murrow has vouched for Braeden's character, and while he makes him sound like a stand-up guy, others would not agree.

It turns out the "Y&R" actor has ruffled some feathers with several people in the entertainment industry.

It's safe to say Eric Braeden and Peter Bergman didn't get along when they started on "The Young and The Restless." Bergman joined the show in 1989 as Jack Abbott but wasn't the first to play the character. The soap star replaced Terry Lester, who joined the show in 1980, the same time as Braeden. Evidently, Braeden had more of a loving relationship with Lester than his successor.

Bergman explained to ET Canada, "I came on to replace someone in a very famous role that was very popular, and the only way to do it was to come in and take over...And I don't think I fully considered that that was a little bit of a slap in the face to all the people who had worked with Terry Lester in this role and treasured those memories, Eric among them." Bergman's fiery spirit was good for the show but not the best experience for everyone on set, especially Braeden.

The two actor's relationship got so heated it eventually led to an altercation on set in 1991. Braeden reflected on the incident, sharing, "It was such a big thing at the time and something that obviously I wish one could have avoided, and also to show how it is possible to get beyond something like that and develop enormous respect." Braeden admitted they had conflict but knew they had to put it all aside.

"The Young and The Restless" has been a hot spot for Eric Braeden's feuds. Not only did he have a tiff with Peter Bergman, but he also had one with actor Michael Muhney, who played Adam Newman.

In 2014, shortly after Muhney was reportedly fired from "The Young and The Restless" for inappropriate behavior, he threw all caution to the wind by sharing juicy details about his time on set. In an exit interview with HuffPost, Muhney alluded to having a tough time with Braeden and suggested his co-star had a role in Maura West's departure from the show. After being asked about his time with Braeden, Muhney shared, "The former I'll apologize for when my character bled into my real life at times and if I was intense a few times. But I'll let everyone know how blessed and honored I was that I got to work with them all... I'm going to take Maura's lead. If there were disagreements in the past with Eric, for me, it has to be history."

Muhney's comments didn't sit well with Braeden, and he didn't go down quietly. According to Soap Opera Network, Braeden shared on Twitter, "Implying I had [something] to do with MWest's departure is libelous! Of course I am [upset]. Wouldn't you be if some slimeballs make statements that reflect not an iota of reality?" Braeden and Muhney clearly didn't have to work hard to have tension on-screen as they had it in real life.

Eric Braeden will not let anyone trash talk "The Young and The Restless," even if that includes Eva Longoria. In 2023, the "Desperate Housewives" actor spoke on "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?" about her time on the soap (via Parade). From 2001 to 2003, Longoria starred as Isabella Braña, but her time on the soap opera was not as great as one would hope. She shared, "When I got 'Young and the Restless,' it didn't pay enough for me to live off being an actor. So I continued being a headhunter ... And I would hide the fact I was on 'Young and the Restless' to my clients because they didn't want, like, a dumb actress handling their accounts." 

Not long after Longoria commented about her past feelings on "Y&R," Braeden bashed the actor's opinions. He tweeted, "EVA LONGORIA: you just made derogatory remarks about daytime actors! You simply weren't good enough to survive the pressures of this medium! You were very lucky to get on that "housewife" show! You did one show in 8-12 days with mediocre but salacious dialogue!" In a separate tweet, the actor suggested that his soap cast mates were much better actors than her back then and even now. Despite getting older, Braeden still has a fiery spirit to him that has gotten him in trouble several times.