The Young And The Restless: The Truth About Victor Newman's Marriage To Sharon
Soap operas are known for creating complicated and drama-filled relationships on screen. It's common for the shows to portray characters whose romantic interests shift from one sibling to another, or even to a parent or child of a former flame. However, there are times when the familial dynamic between two characters is already so established that fans of the show outright reject the idea of linking them romantically. "The Young and the Restless" made this mistake in 2012 when they paired the iconic Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) with his former daughter-in-law Sharon Newman (Sharon Case), much to the disdain of longtime viewers — and the actors themselves (via CheatSheet).
Sharon had met and fallen in love with Victor's son Nicholas Newman (Joshua Morrow) as a teenager and the two wed very young, per Soaps in Depth. Their marriage lasted for over a decade and during that time the couple had a son together named Noah, and also were raising Sharon's daughter Cassie, who she had given up for adoption as a teenager and then gotten back. Unfortunately, Cassie passed away in 2005 as a young teenager and her death led Sharon and Nick to divorce. Years later the two would share a night together that led to the birth of another daughter, Faith Newman. Following Faith's birth, Sharon briefly married Nick's brother Adam Newman (then Michael Muhney), though that relationship also fell apart.
Understandably, from being married to Victor's son for such a long period of time and from such a young age, not to mention being the mother of his grandchildren, Sharon and Victor had an established father-daughter-esque relationship that fans of the show were quite comfortable with. Because of that, most were outright disgusted when "Y&R" decided to send them down the aisle.
Sharon and Victor's marriage was originally a business arrangement
At the tail-end of 2011, Sharon Newman was embroiled in a custody battle with Nick Newman over their daughter Faith, while trying to fight her feelings for his brother Adam Newman who had recently betrayed her and was trying to win her back. On New Year's Eve she went to visit Nick and Adam's father Victor Newman in prison where he was being held for allegedly killing Diane Jenkins. Seemingly out of nowhere, Victor proposed to Sharon and she accepted, and word quickly spread around town about the engagement. Victor then called in a favor that helped Sharon get joint custody of Faith and the two were then married.
Sharon and Victor were lambasted by everyone they knew, and after crashing a Newman family business meeting at Victor's behest, Sharon realized that he was only using her to make Adam look guilty of insider trading and to get him arrested. Victor was released not long afterward and reunited with his ex-wife Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott), while Sharon had fallen back into bed with Adam. With disdain for each other, Victor and Sharon had their marriage annulled.
Sharon and Victor get married for real
If Victor and Sharon Newman's short and loveless marriage had been the end of the story, fans probably would have found a way to overlook the characters' strange behavior. However, "The Young and the Restless" pushed the envelope by pushing the two into a romantic relationship just a few months later.
The two began dating, to the disgust of all of their family members, and though it was never shown on-screen, it was heavily implied that they were sleeping together (via CheatSheet). While with Victor, Sharon attempted to win Adam Newman back after he got engaged to Chelsea Lawson (Melissa Claire Egan). Adam rejected her and Sharon and Victor were married not long afterward. However, on the night of their wedding the newlyweds went horseback riding and Victor mysteriously disappeared.
Sharon assumed that Victor had abandoned her and was livid. Meanwhile, Nikki Newman found Victor's cell phone while searching for him and sent a text to Sharon saying that getting married was a mistake and that he was leaving her (via Soap Central). In a rage, Sharon burned their prenuptial agreement that stated she would get none of Victor's assets unless they were married for a specific period of time, and then vowed to take over his business. For the next several weeks, Sharon went on a rampage ousting Victor's family members from Newman Enterprises, banning them from his properties, taking over the family ranch, calling off the search for Victor, and reprised an old habit of petty thieving.
Sharon's mysterious actions are explained
After some time, Sharon Newman was informed that a body believed to be Victor Newman's was found in the remains of an explosion in Los Angeles (via Soaps). Believing that Victor had attempted to fake his own death, Sharon claimed the body was his, though she knew it wasn't. She had the remains cremated and left Victor's family to grieve for him while she moved on to Tucker McCall (Stephen Nichols).
Then, Victor turned up in Genoa City very much alive, explaining that he had fallen off his horse on the night of his and Sharon's wedding and had suffered from temporary amnesia (via Soap Central). He then reunited again with Nikki Newman who had been devastated by his "death." He then ended things with Sharon because of everything she'd done to him and his family. He then had Sharon arrested and attempted to get an annulment. She refused at first before agreeing in exchange for her freedom. Distraught over everything that had transpired, Sharon flew into a rage and set the Newman Ranch on fire (via Daytime Confidential). Adam was able to save her from the flames, but the building was destroyed.
Adam tried to hide Sharon away to protect her from repercussions, much to the dismay of his wife Chelsea. However, once Sharon was back in her right mind she was overcome with guilt and wanted to confess to the arson. Eventually, she was revealed to Victor and Nikki and the rest of the public as the culprit and was encouraged to seek psychiatric treatment. Sharon was then diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder which was used to explain away her unusual behavior over the previous year and her entire relationship with Victor, according to Michael Fairman TV.
Fans and actors both disliked Victor and Sharon together
The entire situation between Sharon and Victor Newman was disliked by almost everyone. Even the actors were unimpressed with the storyline. Eric Braeden, who has played Victor for over 40 years, said "We all have gone through periods of playing something we didn't really like to play so much, but you do it" (via CheatSheet). Actress Sharon Case also explained how she felt the narrative was "incestuous" and "upsetting to the audience."
Fans of "The Young and the Restless" were, in fact, upset by the relationship since Victor and Sharon had been viewed as a pseudo father and daughter for many years before this storyline occurred. Sharon's decision to be with Victor and all of her heinous actions afterward have since been considered a complete "character assassination" by the soap.
Since Sharon and Victor split, she has gone on to attempt to reconcile with Nick Newman several times, though they never actually made it down the aisle again. She then experienced a heartfelt romance with Rey Rosales (Jordi Vilasuso), though their marriage ended with his untimely death in early 2022 (via Soaps in Depth). Victor went on to remarry Nikki and the two have remained together ever since.