I know the actor’s name is Eric Braeden, but we’re not talking about him. 😄 We’re talking about Victor… Mr. Suave, Mr. Debonair, Mr. Mustache himself. I just read that he’s celebrating 42 years on The Young and the Restless. Forty. Two. Years. That’s basically a lifetime of finessing Black grandmamas all over the world (yes, I said world). Who else can stop Big Mama dead in her tracks in the middle of the day while she’s cooking, or cleaning, or tending to babies, or sitting out on the front porch taking in everybody’s business in the neighborhood? Nobody but Victor Newman. Listen, you can TRY calling Ma Dear at 12:30 on a weekday if you WANT to… either your call won’t get answered or you might get cussed out because you know better than to bother her when her “stories” are on.
Now why they love this ruthless womanizer, I don’t know. Maybe it’s his smooth, low-toned voice. Or maybe because back in the day he saved Nikki from dancing on that pole… which was a gangsta, Captain Save-a-H*# type move, if I do say so myself. But I’m not quite sure why he always got the invite to the barbecue. There was nary a Black person living in Genoa City back then, except for Mamie (the Abbott’s housemaid) originally played by Marguerite Ray. Now if you want some true Black History, she was the first Black to appear on the soap opera, and later in the 90s, the show introduced her nieces to incorporate more people of color into the series. That’s where Drucilla, Olivia, Nathan, Neil and Malcolm ‘nem came in (RIP Kristoff St. John 🙏🏾).
But either way, the real OG who stole these Black mama’s hearts was Victor, and he still does to this day. So yes, file this under Black History Month too, because IYKYK and don’t @ me! Well, you can actually. That would be helpful. 😂