William J. Bell’s soap opera, The Young And The Restless, continues to be one of the most iconic shows the world has ever seen. Despite being almost 50 years old, this series comes out with new seasons each year and keeps its plot interesting enough to ensure its audience is entertained.
Originally meant to be “The Innocent Years,” this show was launched after CBS wanted to produce a show that would compete with ABC’s hit series like General Hospital. It started airing on television on March 26th, 1973 and became one of the most-watched shows on CBS. After 20 years of its initial release, two black characters were introduced on the show for the first time.
This was huge for both the platform and the series since African-American people were not having any representation on television, and even if they did, it was in very stereotypical roles. The Young And The Restless featured these characters, specifically Drucilla Barber and Olivia Winters, in memorable roles that became the reason for the show’s popularity in the African-American community.
Drucilla and Olivia were both the nieces of Mamie Johnson and were introduced into the storyline in 1990. These characters were followed by Neil Winters and Malcolm Winters, cast as the nieces’ love interests.
All audiences loved Drucilla’s role, and Victoria Rowell, the actress who plays the character, claimed she felt honored to represent her community on national television. Her character had a rag-to-riches storyline, turning her from a ballerina to a model. Despite the popularity of Drucilla Winters, writers behind The Young and The Restless eventually wrote her off after the year 2007.
The Young And The Restless: Drucilla Winters Leaves The Show
Victoria was cast in the role in May of 1990. After being on the show for 8 years, she put less effort into eightthe role to focus on another project. When she was back on The Young and The Restless in 2000, her character had a more recurring role and would not have many interactions with the main characters.
When another opportunity arrived for Rowell, she exited the show to work on a miniseries and tried to return to the series in 2002. She played Drucilla for another five years, but in 2007, she became tired of how the writers wrote her character’s storyline. She eventually ended her contract and left the show for good on April 6th, 2007.
This time, there were no other projects or personal issues; the producers behind the show were unwilling to listen to her advice, and both started having a conflict of interest. Victoria was also unhappy that no people working on the show were African-American and wanted them to be more inclusive. After working on the show for years, Rowell started to write her character or would always make changes to the writers’ scripts for Drucilla.
Also Read: What Happened To Victor Newman In The Young and the Restless? Explained
In 2015, Victoria Rowell sued the series for being racist and blacklisting her after she spoke up for her community. She claims to have faced racial discrimination at times, mainly regarding the freedom of expression her Caucasian co-stars had, but she didn’t. Since then, many legal battles have occurred between The Young and The Restless team and Victoria.
Will Victoria Rowell Ever Be Back On The Young And The Restless?
With the way the character was written off, there is the possibility that Drucilla Winters could once again be incorporated into the storyline. When Sharon takes Drucilla and Phyllis to a mountainside spot for a photo shoot, the trio ends up in a quarrel when Phyllis tries to ruin Sharon’s upcoming wedding. Drucilla tries to remove Phyllis’ phone but is pushed towards the cliff’s edge. Both she and Sharon end up falling, but Sharon manages to come back alive with few injuries.
The Young and the Restless turns 50 today! Yep, that’s me as #Drucilla in 1990 in over 2,000 episodes of @YR_CBS @CBS @Sony — thank you #BillBell and ALL the #fans 🙏🏽🔥🔥🔥😘 pic.twitter.com/lhCNwrmXMq
— Victoria Rowell (@victoriarowell) March 17, 2023
As for Drucilla, her body is never found, and all that was seen of her at the site was her jacket. This makes the plot suitable for Drucilla’s return, as she could be shown to be alive, and her return would make the show much more interesting. Despite this, it’s highly unlikely that Victoria would be cast as Drucilla again since she sued the show in 2015. The lawsuit ended in a settlement in 2017. Victoria can be seen playing Kitty Barringer on her show, The Rich and The Ruthless.
Also Read: What Happened To Paul Williams in The Young And The Restless? Explained
