Eric Winter, Roselyn Sanchez Defend Eva Longoria Against ‘Y&R’ Star Eric Braeden

Eric Winter and Roselyn Sanchez have come to Eva Longoria’s defense after The Young and the Restless star Eric Braeden spoke out against their friend’s comments about soap operas.

“I was like, ‘you’re messing with my girl? Not happening,'” Sanchez said on the “He Said, Ella Dijo” podcast before she and Winter detailed what was said. While speaking with Chris Wallace, Longoria shared that while working on The Young and the Restless (2001-2003), she kept her day job at a temp agency because she wasn’t being paid enough to live off of. However, she hadn’t wanted her clients to know she was an actress on the soap opera, so she asked that no one say she was working there.

“One time she got recognized by a client, it was very awkward,” Winter explained. “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 … goes on a rant. I don’t even want to give him the courtesy of reading everything he says.” Sanchez agrees “it’s really awful.”

Braeden wrote on Twitter to 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 Would run rings around you!! And they did then!! From Robert di Nero [sic] to whoever they all are, many of them started in the medium you denigrate! It shows a complete lack of class!!”

According to Winter on the podcast, “I don’t think it even deserves the backlash or the comments. … Nothing Eva said was inappropriate. 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.”

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Winter went on to explain that soap opera actors are paid per day (with an episode shot every day) for their episode, but those just starting out in the soap world don’t necessarily work seven days a week. Sanchez then pointed out that Braeden also had many more years in soaps than Longoria at the time, so their contracts would have been different.

Furthermore, “let’s not forget the fact he’s a male and back when we’re talking, there were no rights for females making the same amount of money as males, so he was a male actor who’s a veteran making a gazillion times more than she was,” Winter said.

Sanchez then told Braeden he should apologize to Longoria: “You were out of line. What you said was completely uncalled for. [It’s] one thing is to say, ‘we didn’t appreciate as a soap opera actor what you said about how much money we make for a living because I make a decent living,’ and just speak for yourself. …. It was disgusting.”

Sanchez and Winter then had nothing but good things to say about Longoria, calling her “an incredible human being” and “the most supportive friend and colleague in the world.”

Before ending the segment on the podcast, Winter closed with, “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.”