‘Young and the Restless’ Alum Victoria Rowell Opens up About Co-Star Allegedly Spitting on Her

A beloved daytime star is revisiting one of the most turbulent chapters of her career. She says her success outside the soap world came at a price on set.

Victoria Rowell is looking back on a confrontation she had with a co-star while working on the daytime soap "The Young and the Restless." The actress recalled the encounter during a recent interview with Carlos King.

Rowell, 67, played Drucilla Barber Winters on "The Young and the Restless" from 1990 to 2007. The role earned her three Daytime Emmy Award nominations and multiple NAACP Image Awards.

She also portrayed Dr. Amanda Bentley on the CBS medical crime drama "Diagnosis: Murder," which aired from 1993 to 2001, and landed roles in films such as "Dumb and Dumber" and "The Distinguished Gentleman."

In a 2015 lawsuit against CBS, Rowell alleged that fellow cast member Michelle Stafford, who played Phyllis Summers on the show, "spat on [her] on set, called [her] a 'freak,' then screamed, 'no one here likes you.'"

During her conversation with King, Rowell reflected the incident and, more broadly, her time on the soap. She explained that "The Young and the Restless" co-creator Bill Bell "was very vocal" about his excitement over her joining the cast. "That became the first issue," she noted.

"He did not hide his appreciation and his actual love for me," Rowell said, adding, "I was invited to Mr. and Mrs. Bell's home— not with a group cast setting. I mean, he really genuinely embraced me."

According to the actress, the tension only grew once her career began expanding beyond daytime television.

"There was that, and then it was deemed that I had preferential treatment because I started booking features [...]. I started booking movies with Eddie Murphy, with Jim Carrey, with Beau Bridges," she continued.

"[...] And so, you know, there was pushback from one of the actors and her husband who was a producer like, 'this isn't fair. And Bill was like, she's going to do the movie. This is different.'So that's number the number two," Rowell said.

The friction intensified when she booked "Diagnosis: Murder" while still filming "The Young and the Restless." Bell ultimately allowed her to work on both shows, she said, even as other actors struggled to find roles outside of soaps.

"I mean so of course actors on the show are trying to book other work and it may or may not be happening for them," she acknowledged. Even so, Rowell said she looked out for her "Young and the Restless" colleagues and pitched them for roles she thought suited them.

Before their altercation, she even recommended Stafford for one series after reading its script. "It was like, I don't know. Look, we have no control over people, places, and things. But all I know is I do my job. I've never stopped doing my job. I will always do my job," Rowell said.

When asked about her decision to leave "The Young and the Restless," she replied, "I didn't want to [but] enough is enough and too much is foolish... it's called self-preservation and self-respect."

Stafford, for her part, has offered a different account. According to Michael Fairman TV, she has said that any spitting was the result of a dramatic "spit take" her character performed during a scene with Rowell's character.

In the same 2015 lawsuit, Rowell also claimed that her outspoken advocacy for Black actors and behind-the-scenes workers had cost her the opportunity to be recast on the soap. She eventually ended her legal battle after reaching a settlement.