Former “The Young and the Restless” star Victoria Rowell is launching a formal lawsuit in Federal court against CBS and Sony – and alleging that they refused to rehire her because she was openly advocating to get more African Americans on daytime soap operas and behind the scenes as well. It’s no secret that there is no love lost between Victoria Rowell and TPTB at CBS, and she has voiced her feelings about their alleged discrimination on social media on more than one occasion.
According to an official report posted by Daytime Confidential:
FORMER “YOUNG & THE RESTLESS” STAR SUES CBS AND SONY FOR RETALIATION AFTER CALLS FOR DIVERSITY
Victoria Rowell, Y&R’s “Drucilla,” Claims Companies Refused to Rehire Her in Retaliation for her Advocacy for Employment of African-Americans on the Daytime Drama
New York City, NY— Former “Young and the Restless” star Victoria Rowell is filing a complaint in federal court against CBS, Sony Pictures and other defendants claiming that she was denied re-employment on the highest rated daytime soap opera in the country in retaliation for her public and private complaints regarding the lack of diversity in front of and behind the camera on the show.
Rowell became the first African American female with a leading role on “The Young and the Restless” in 1990 when she brought to life the role of Drucilla Barber Winters. She reluctantly left the show in 2007 after facing years of racial discrimination that are described in the complaint. During her tenure she won eleven NAACP Image Awards and received two Daytime EMMY nominations.Starting in 2010 and continuing to date, Rowell has sought to return to the show or to its sister soap opera “The Bold and the Beautiful.” Her attempts to re-join have been denied by those in charge of hiring at Sony and at Bell-Phillip Television Production Inc., with CBS’s CEO allegedly pulling their strings.
Rowell claims the defendants rejected her re-employment in retaliation for Rowell’s public advocacy to increase the presence of African-Americans in daytime soap operas in general and on “The Young and the Restless” in particular. The complaint alleges that defendants have rejected her even though African American women, who comprise a huge percentage of the viewership for “The Young and the Restless” and for daytime soap operas in general, have clamored for Rowell’s return and rejected all of the defendants’ efforts to replace her on the show over the years.
Washington, DC-based law firm Mehri & Skalet, PLLC, along with New York City-based counsel Valli Kane and Vagnini LLP and California-based law firm, Hadsell Stormer & Renick LLP, represent Rowell in this new case.
Victoria Rowell is best-known for her role as Drucilla Winters on “The Young and the Restless,” and she played the part for nearly two decades. According to the press release Victoria has been trying to get back on a CBS soap for five years now and TPTB refuse to hire her because she has been actively fighting for African American actors’ rights on soaps. Although we don’t know all of the details in the lawsuit, and the alleged discrimination that Victoria Rowell received during her tenure at the CBS soap – we can tell you that it is going to be pretty difficult for her to argue that CBS soaps are discriminating against African American actors today. One of the main storylines on Y&R right now is the love triangle between Neil Winters, his son Devon, and his wife Hilary. And, over on “The Bold and the Beautiful” Karla Mosely’s character Maya Avant is a leading lady and dominating the course of the storyline.
Do you think that Victoria Rowell’s lawsuit will stand in court? Does she have legitimate complaints against CBS, or is she just bitter because they won’t rehire her? If TPTB were discriminating against her – why would she want to go back to work there? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
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