I think this is a shame. He should go recurring or quit. I'm totally over him. I haven't liked or been entertained by a story of his in the entire four years I've been watching Y&R. (Admittedly, I'm a newbie so perhaps he used to be better.)

I'm not too crazy about Vic most of the time, but I'm glad he's staying for continuity sake. I just hope they write him more age-appropriate.

I started watching Y &R after All My Children was cancelled. Eric Braeden is a big part of the show, has been on for years, and his character connects with so many others. But I hated that whole stupid storyline of him marrying Sharon to get back a Nicki. The man is in his 70's, GROW UP! And, sometimes his mumbling gets on my nerves. He does is best acting when he gets angry. As a long time and essential character on the show, it'd good that he is staying.

If the negotiations lasted longer, would Braeden have flown a blimp over CBS studios with all his Soap Opera Digest covers taped to it?

*Stifling a laugh* LOL

Now as for my own comments about EB resigning with Y&R:

I ABSOLUTELY HATE THIS NEWS!!!!! I want EB gone. His oversized ego (bigger than Russia, Europe and Asia combined) and his brash attitude toward others makes me want to vomit. If I had been JFP, Sony and CBS, I'd have told him to take a flipping hike! He's one useless tool that doesn't matter anymore!

I'm fine with it as long as it means we are going to see a more balanced show and less of TGVN! MAB's version of Victor could test the patience of Ghandi himself.

If he has to stay, which I hate to hear, then put him on the back burner. I am so sick and tired of him being front and center all the time with his finger wagging and all his "you got that" threats. He is an old man, quit making him super human and please no more young women for him, that just turns my stomach.

I really feel sorry for the others that have to work with him now, I bet he is strolling through the halls like he is king. If anyone thought there was back stage drama before, I bet we ain't seen nothing yet.

I am happy at the news. At this point, Victor Newman is the Y&R. Without him, I really don't think the show would survive. It was a good move by Sony. Now, I want them to make him age appropriate. Let him settle down for good with Nikki, run NE, and meddle in his kids lives.

Of course he wasn't leaving by himself - he has been all talk and no action on every single contract negotiation! I was hoping he would finally realize what it means to "retire gracefully" and/or that the new regime would "help him" see the light.

I really wouldn't have been upset to see him go.

He is too old to play the central hero anymore, if he would have left now, he would have left on top of storylines, with possibly an explosive ending to his tenure. There is no way the new regime are gonna keep him front and center. Now he is gonna be a backburning character grizzling at a corner at the ranch, talking about his childrens or grandchildren love lives. Victor Newman can't do that, Victor Newman can't be watered down, it just doesn't work that way with that particular character. It will totally take the edge off of him.

I’m just curious to see if Jill Farren Phelps and the new Head Writer (whose name I can’t recall) will allow Eric to bully them into writing Victor Newman the way Eric wants him written, which is him winning all the time. I believe the far majority of us are sooo over that. If Jill can tell him to either take the script as written or, as my Diva Jillian would say, kick rocks, then cool. Having Jack Abbott, and maybe a few others, win some decisive victories over the “great” Victor Newman is looong overdue.

Plus, I’m with Jamey Giddens. Let’s have a story where Victor gets taken down to the gutter and has to build himself back up. That’s the kind of challenge that most real actors want, Mr. Braeden. I said it before and I’ll say it again. It’s the reason why Peter Bergman has more Emmys than you.

Tired of the character. Unpleasant and surly. Tired of the actor. Also unpleasant and surly. Sigh...

I hope Sony and JFP realize that they cannot continue to use Victor Newman in the way MAB did. He needs to be featured in the kind of stories that Adam Chandler was when All My Children was in its glory days.

Chandler played the high stakes business game and manipulated the personal lives of those around him. Sometimes he won and frequently he lost and paid for his misdeeds. Those stories delved into who the character was, explored his strengths and weaknesses, and at the same time made him relatable without forcefeeding him down viewers' throats.

And Eric Braeden needs to stop being such a selfish prick. He seems to identify the best interests of the show with the glorification of the character he plays. That's just wrong.

I totally agree SoapArmageddon and David Canary won a lot of well deserved Emmys for playing Adam Chandler in the way that a GOOD actor would in response to great writing and complex characterization.

I don't think Jill Farren Phelps or Josh Griffith (Head Writer) are going to put up with EB's shenanigans and his demands that Victor be written a certain way anymore. I'm sure that was discussed in the contract negotiations and that EB can no longer call the shots anymore where his character is concerned.

I hope you're right ChristianDavis148.

Great picture of EB,imo.
I don't think he could retire gracefully, at least I get this impression.
I wonder of it's possible to make Victor human again, some of us wouldn't mind if he'd go back to making snowflakes (and I'd get some gratification since I think it would drive EB up a wall - possibly out the door). He's not in the same league (never would be) as David Canary, since he had to play the devil and an angel simultaneously...

Well, for the fans of this show collectively- I'm glad he's staying. As much as I cannot stand Victor anymore (used to be a huge fan), there are still a lot of fans that love the character as well as actor, and may not privy to some of the backstage drama involving him. With all of the casting changes in progress, I think it's good to have something that makes the show still seems like the show it was for all these years. I think right now losing Victor Newman would be way too jarring.

I do hope that JFP/JG reign his ass in, though and no longer cater to his ideas for story line. No more of these silly PYT's young enough to be his daughter (or DIL - *blech*). No more Norma Rae amnesia. And definitely no more "breakups to makeups" for Victor and Nikki. Either but them together or keep them apart once and for all.

I wonder if he had to take another paycut or something...

I love Victor! Even when he's acting a fool and doing stupid stuff he is still Victor Newman!

He's too central of a character not to retain. I think he needs to be back burnered a bit and I'd really like to see them get him and Nikki back together for an extend period of time. Let him focus on business and have him meddle less with the kiddos. Glad you are staying Eric. It does show that Josh and Jill are at least slightly interested in keeping the show in tact. This is a good show of faith in my mind.

I'm glad Victor is staying in GC! Does fans need a cooling off period of Victor's manipulations ABSOLUTELY! The way MAB had wrote him was "Stefano" like type character and Victor isn't that type of character. I will say that the last few months have seen a change but Bill wrote Victor with more depth and I want that Victor back on canvas that I recognize. Victor needs to be in a big business story-line or trying to win Nikki back in the right way. Doesn't mean he won't meddle in his children's life but not to the extent MAB wrote him as heartless tyrant. That's not Victor I have known for the last 30 years.

I can't believe how ridiculous people sound on message boards and here, foaming at the mouth about "how the show couldn't survive without Victor"

OF COURSE IT COULD!!!

Wake up people, this isn't the 1960's. A show, just like any business, doesn't go under because ONE person leaves it. This is 2012, people are used to businesses, companies, and shows to have rapidly changing staff, and more and more people are waiting in the wings to replace the ones who leave.

Take Ridge on B&B for instance. His departure has/had no affect to the current storylines. He had already been in the back-burner for a YEAR with the lone task of discussing his children's love lives with his spouse. Nothing more.

And I predict this is exactly what will happen to Victor and Nikki. They will become the matriarch family of the show, and stay on the background to comment on their children love lives. Now some feel that is a good thing. And I agree on that it is age-approriate. But I feel Victor Newman is a character who should completely quit when he is still on top. He is not a supporting back-burner character. Can you even imagine Victor as a supporting character? I can't, and I don't want to. I would like to remember him as the romantic leading man and have him exit in a way that is befitting to him. But if he is reduced to being just a supportive (grand)father figure in his final years, that just seems like the worse option here.

I wonder what the terms of this new contract are?

I agree with SoapArmageddon.

Victor needs to be written as an elder statesman in business and on the GC landscape. He should not be 'wild-catting' anymore. It makes him look ridiculous! He can still have good story but in no way should he be driving story on this show any longer.

He is no longer the warrior leading man and his time as romantic lead is in the past. Now that he is staying on, they should use him of course, as they should be using all their vets-- but he needs to be used appropriately. Let the next generation step up already!

I hope the contract states that VICTOR has to lose a fight! Especially a fist fight!!! Honestly, the man is over 70 years old, is way past his prime in weight since he is the size of TWO of his younger versions, the character suffers from epilepsy, has a new heart, and if memory serves me well IS A BIG OLD ASS so I don't understand HOW or why he's always unscathed!

As with Jeanne Cooper, they need to scale down the pompous character of VN. EB does seem to have a very big ego along with his character. I hope they keep him married to one woman and stop his ridiculous philandering - the character is way too old to be bed-hopping with so many women. At this stage of his life he needs to be in a stable relationship There was a time and place for that and his days of sexual schmoozing are long gone. They did not do that with John Abbott. To be honest, he is my least favorite character. I wish he had retired.

Major Characters "who were put out to pasture" & the show survivied=
Jo- Search For Tomarrow
Phoebe- All My Children
Steve & Alice/Iris- Another World
Doug & Julie-Days Of Our Lives
General Hospital- Audrey & ALL THE QUARTERMAINES : )
Guiding Light-Maureen Bauer
The WHOLE Brooks & Foster Families-Young & Restless
Lisa-As The World Turns

Victor Newman is such very old hat now. Those of us who do not love him, as so many for some reason seem to, are extremely fed up with the same old merry-go-round. Reattach to Nikki ... cut her off. Employ the children ... fire them. Get revenge on Jack at any cost. Don your black t-shirt and morph into the aged superhero. Disappear ... come back worse than ever.

I agree that maybe Victor needs to be around but in a completely different capacity. Why don't you really become Ebenezer Scrooge and transform into a changed decent man. Eric Braeden ... prove to us what you think yourself; that you are a great (in your own mind) actor.

TA with Harley490, I am very happy !!
MAB destroyed Victor! Now maybe we get the Victor that we are used to.
I have been watching this show since it started, so I remember the Victor of old. I agree he needs to get back with Nicki, and let his kids live thier lives. Maybe interfering to a point But, not to the point that MAB has had him doing.
Too bad so many can't seem to seperate Victor from Eric.

Nelson Branco had a blind item about a "popular star soon being thrown on the backburner" in the latest Soap Opera Uncensored. While I don't consider him "popular" I do think Branco was referring to Eric Braeden.