Vivica A. Fox is heading back to The Young and the Restless on Tuesday, April 7, and she says the comeback was not planned. Fox will reprise the role of Stephanie Simmons, the character she first played in 1994-95, in a return she described as a complete surprise.
“Stephanie is back,” said, adding that “Stephanie has a lot of secrets that will be revealed.” She said the call came through a new agent at Innovative Artists, who told her the show wanted to know whether she would be interested in returning as Stephanie. said her first thought was, “Get out of here. The genius of that would be incredible,” before adding, “Well, if they can make it happen, sure, I’m interested. That’s amazing.”
What made the offer stick was the other name attached to it. said she became interested after learning that Shemar Moore was also being brought back. Moore once played Malcolm Winters, Stephanie’s love interest, and said the idea of pairing them again immediately changed her mind. “It was a total surprise, to be very honest with you,” she said. She added, “So far, it’s been surprise after surprise after surprise.”
Executive producer Josh Griffith later met with Fox on Zoom and laid out the storyline. said Griffith told her, “So, Malcolm is going to reach out to Stephanie, and he’s going to need some assistance. From there, the story unfolds.” That setup gives the return a clear point of contact and a reason for Stephanie to re-enter the action, rather than bringing her back just for nostalgia.
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The timing matters because says she is stepping back into a world that still carries traces of the show she left nearly 30 years ago. She said that when she filmed her first day back, “some of the actors from 30 years ago are still here,” and she called it “a wonderful homecoming.” At the same time, she said the pace was punishing: “I’m not gonna kid you, that first week was like boot camp.”
Fox also said the return hit her emotionally when she walked into the producers’ offices and saw a large portrait of Kristoff St. John. St. John played Neil Winters, and he and Fox started on Generations together years ago. She said they later made a Lifetime film, A Christmas Cruise, and were about to do a sequel when St. John died in 2019. “So, it brought tears to my eyes,” said.
Her own read on Stephanie helps explain why the role still fits. said Stephanie was driven to become the best doctor she could be, but her career got sidetracked by Malcolm. That is the thread the show is picking back up now, with Moore’s return setting the reunion in motion and Fox’s comeback giving the story a reason to breathe again. For viewers, the answer to the question raised by the casting news is simple: yes, the reunion is real, and it is built around Malcolm Winters reaching out to Stephanie Simmons after 30 years away.
