The legendary on-screen feud between Jack Abbott and Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless spans decades, with the characters continuously plotting against one another. At one point, however, the actors portraying them shared a similarly tense dynamic behind the scenes.
When Peter Bergman joined the soap opera in 1989 to play Jack, he and Eric Braeden, who stars as Victor, did not get along. Their relationship deteriorated to the point of a physical altercation on set in 1991. Although they have long since resolved the issue, here is a look back at what transpired.
The Young & The Restless: Peter Bergman & Eric Braeden Got Into A Heated On-Set Fight
Peter took over the role of Jack in 1989, succeeding Terry Lester. The friction between the two actors grew until it boiled over into a physical on-set clash in 1991. Ultimately, they recognized that their off-screen hostility was detrimental to the working environment, even if it fueled their on-screen rivalry.
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Choosing to channel that tension into their performances ultimately generated iconic moments for Victor and Jack. Years of collaboration fostered a genuine friendship between them, allowing both men to reflect on the incident from a different viewpoint. In a 2009 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Peter recalled, “Eric Braeden was a big Terry Lester fan, so his wasn’t the warmest welcome.”
He shared with Michael Fairman that he and Eric experienced several conflicts following his arrival on the soap opera, which culminated in an ugly fight that should never have happened. Peter added that he could have easily done without that experience in his life. Later, in February 2017, Eric published his memoir titled I’ll Be Damned: How My Young and Restless Life Led Me to America’s #1 Daytime Drama.
The daytime star told Soap Opera Digest that he included the event in his book because it was a major incident at the time that he wished could have been avoided. His objective was “to show how it is possible to get beyond something like that and develop enormous respect.”
Eric noted that while he and Peter approach their work differently, they now share a deep mutual respect after putting the past behind them. “We have nothing but respect for each other, but it took a while to get to that point,” he acknowledged regarding the evolution of their relationship.
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