For any fans wondering about the health status of The Young and the Restless star Eric Braeden (Victor Newman), you can rest assured that despite what it looks like on-screen, he is A-okay. More than okay, even.
Following a slew of comments on social media that suggested the actor seems to be having health problems, he responded to let everyone know that whatever is seen on-screen is just damn good acting.
"I have heard some comments about my 'condition,'" he tweeted. "I'm an actor and when I'm in a storyline involving a fist fight and a tumble down the stairs and a subsequent COMA, I'm going to play the consequences of that to the best of my ability. But I, Eric Braeden, am full of pee and vinegar!"
I have heard some comments about my "condition"! I'm an actor and when I'm in a storyline involving a fist fight and a tumble down the stairs and a subsequent COMA, I'm going to play the Consequences of that to the best of my ability! But I, ERIC BRAEDEN,am fullofpee&vinegar!!!
- Eric Braeden (@EBraeden) June 23, 2018
As fans may recall, the storyline Braden is referring to happened in late March. During a violent fight, J.T. (Thad Luckinbill) pushed Victor down the stairs, rendering the tycoon unconscious. The fictional character has been recovering ever since, and it's been a journey that has included surgery for a brain bleed and a subsequent coma.
Though some fans have mistaken Victor's unstable health condition for Braeden's real-life health, others have correctly attributed the shaky on-screen presence to current storyline.
"I guess some people don't understand the difference," wrote one fan in response to Braeden's tweet. "You have been so great with your storylines that it looks so real to others [and makes them think] that you are really hurt/unwell."
I guess some people don't understand the difference . You have been so great with your story lines that it looks so real to others 😲that you are REALLY hurt/not well. 🤔#YR
- Michelle Wheeler (@ShellWheels) June 23, 2018
Another fan wrote: "You are doing a great job. No one bounces back from a stroke immediately. My grandfather had a stroke and was very emotional after that whereas before, he wasn't at all. And I noticed you've been displaying that, too."
LOL God bless you! I'm full of piss and vinegar, too! You are doing a great job. No one bounces back from a stroke immediately. My grandfather had a stroke and was very emotional after that whereas before, he wasn't at all. And I noticed you've been displaying that, too.
- Darla B. (@Darla_B) June 23, 2018
It's hard to say how much influence the writers have had on Victor's somewhat drawn-out recovery or if the choices have been mostly Braeden's. However, the powers that be have definitely played a large part in Dina's [Marla Adams] on-screen health crisis; in order to tell the matriarch's battle with Alzheimer's disease as authentically as possible, the show has teamed up with the Alzheimer's Association for storyline assistance.
For more information on Y&R's Alzheimer's storyline, check out this interview with Melissa Ordway, who opens up about her personal connection to the devastating disease and shares what it's been like to work with Adams as she portrays this heartbreaking storyline.
What do you make of Braeden's recent performances? Did you realize that the actor has purposefully been acting sick on-screen for storyline continuity, or did you also think Braeden was perhaps unwell in real life? 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.
