In 2013, controversial head writer Josh Griffith exited the show. (Photo Credit – Instagram)
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The longest-running Young and the Restless cast member Eric Braeden once stunned a lot of fans after he seemingly came to the defense of controversial head writer Josh Griffith. The always forthright Braeden once said that contrary to fans belief he was “very pissed off” after Griffith was let go from the show.
In 2013, CBS’s The Young and the Restless sent fans into a tizzy after they announced controversial head writer Josh Griffith had exited the show. At the time, fans of the longest-running soap opera were not thrilled with Griffith sideling the show’s veteran actors and leaning into younger storylines to cater to a younger demographic.
Shortly after, over-enthused fans took to social media, and one of them asked Y&R’s alpha-dog star Eric Braeden, aka Victor Newman, his opinion of Griffith’s departure. Fans who thought Braden would be thrilled with the news as he was also sidelined from the show were surprised when he tweeted back, “I’m very pissed off!!! Enough said!!!”
Shortly after, in another interview with the State Journal-Register, Eric Braeden explained his tweet, saying, “I don’t like change.” He added, “We had just gotten used to this new writing-producing regime at Y&R, and suddenly there’s another change, and I don’t like it at all! It’s unsettling. So, yes, it pissed me off.”
Eric Braeden noted that the writer’s change was unwarranted, pointing out that the ratings for Young and The Restless were up under Griffith’s regime. “Our ratings are up! I know some feel the veterans are not getting enough attention but that happens every summer, doesn’t it?”
Braeden said he was not upset about not having a storyline in the show, saying, “I’m not upset at all. Writing for a soap – writing for 25 characters day in, day out – is one of the most difficult jobs in Hollywood. I have nothing but respect for our writers.”
After leaving the show in 2013, Griffith was back at Young and the Restless in 2018 as a supervising producer.
