Eric Winter and wife Roselyn Sánchez are coming to the defense of their friend Eva Longoria after Eric Braeden went on a Twitter rant about her recent comments about daytime actors.
The Days of Our Lives alum and Sánchez, who appeared on the Longoria-produced Devious Maids, took a stand against the The Young and the Restless actor, 81, on the latest episode of their He Said, Ella Dijo podcast.
"The bottom line is this grumpy actor Eric Braeden, older gentleman who's a soap veteran, he's been around forever in the soap world… This guy goes on a rant," Winter, 46, said. "I don't even want to give him the courtesy of reading everything he says."
Sánchez, 49, added: "It's really awful."
The couple said they believe Braeden's remarks were unwarranted as Winter noted, "I don't think it even deserves the backlash or the comments."
"Nothing Eva said was inappropriate," the Rookie star said. "This guy is completely out of line, in my opinion, because he doesn't know what Eva's financial stance was at that time in her career. I guarantee you he was making a ton more money than she was."
The Fantasy Island actress called for him to make amends, sharing, "Eric Braeden, you should apologize because you were out of line and what you said was completely uncalled for."
Winter added how he believes "this guy is trying to find a way in his older age to get back in the spotlight for whatever reason and to make it a point to defend daytime, which she was not attacking."
Last week, Braeden, who has starred as Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless since 1980, came to the defense of daytime actors in a series of tweets following Longoria's appearance on Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?
"EVA LONGORIA: you just made derogatory remarks about daytime actors!" wrote the Emmy Award-winning actor on Sunday. "You simply weren't good enough to survive the pressures of this medium! You were very lucky to get on that 'housewife' show! You did one show in 8-12 days, with mediocre but salacious dialogue!"
He continued, "Our actresses would run rings around you!! And they did then!! From Robert [De Niro] to whoever they all are, many of them started in the medium you denigrate! It shows a complete lack of class!!"
EVA LONGORIA: you just made derogatory remarks about daytime actors! You simply weren’t good enough to survive the pressures of this medium! You were very lucky to get on that “housewife” show! You did one show in 8-12 days, with mediocre but salacious dialogue! Our actresses
— Eric Braeden (@EBraeden) March 19, 2023
Earlier that day, Longoria, 48, opened up about her experience playing Isabella Braña on the CBS soap opera — which is in the midst of its 50th anniversary celebrations — during an interview with journalist Chris Wallace.
"When I got Young and the Restless, it didn't pay enough for me to live off being an actor. So I continued being a headhunter and Young and the Restless," she recalled. "And I would hide the fact I was on Young and the Restless to my clients, because they didn't want, like, a dumb actress handing their accounts."
"And one time one of my clients was like, 'You look like a girl I've seen on a soap opera.' And I go, 'No, I don't know who that is,'" she continued. "I was like the opposite of a publicist's dream. I was like, 'Don't tell anybody I'm on that show' because I was still making more money on my day job."
If… this is what made him so angry… I… #YR #EvaLongoria #ChrisWallace pic.twitter.com/wIblHvhRlS
— Johnathon (@soapwikijohn) March 20, 2023
While some fans defended the Flamin' Hot director in the comment section, Braeden responded that "the whole tenor of that segment was one of embarrassment about her stint in Y&R."
He added, "When people who have not made it in the [daytime TV] medium or have no idea what it is about say pejorative things about it, I get pissed off! Because I'm one of few people in it who have done it all, from theater to films to loads of nighttime guest star roles! I know what I'm talking about!"
The Young and the Restless airs weekdays at 12:30 p.m. ET on CBS and can be streamed on Paramount+.
