Shemar Moore and Vivica A. Fox Are Back on 'The Young & The Restless' and the Reunion Has All the Energy
If you've been watching daytime TV this week, you already know. Shemar Moore and Vivica A. Fox are back in Genoa City, reuniting their iconic “Young and the Restless” characters Malcolm Winters and Dr. Stephanie Simmons for the first time in decades, and the internet is rightfully losing it.
The comeback began airing April 6 on CBS, with Moore's fourth return to the soap and Fox's first appearance since 1995, per Deadline. The two promoted their reunion on Instagram with an unmistakably them energy. "We're young, restless, and reunited," Moore said in the clip. Fox, for her part, didn't miss: "That's right. Stephanie and Malcolm are back and bringing the drama."
The Story
According to Soap Opera Network, Malcolm returns to Genoa City with a life-altering medical diagnosis that requires family intervention from his daughter Lily, played by Christel Khalil. Stephanie's return is tied to a secret of her own involving Holden, played by Nathan Owens. CBS has described the arc as having "shocking and lasting implications" for the residents of Genoa City. No further details have been released, which means the fans are going to have to watch.
In an interview with TV Insider, Fox said that when she was first approached about returning, she nearly said no until she found out Moore was also coming back. "I thought, 'Get out of here. The genius of that would be incredible,'" she recalled. "I said, 'Well, if they can make it happen, sure, I'm interested.'" From there, she said it was "surprise after surprise" working with him again.
The Reunion Energy Is Real
Moore made the whole thing feel like coming home. Talking about their bond off-screen, he told TV Insider: "She calls me Shemarsky. I've had a lot of nicknames, but there's one person in this world that calls me Shemarsky, and that's Vivica Fox. I just heard from down the hallway, 'Shemarsky!' and I was like, 'Vivica is in the building.'"
Fox told Fox Baltimore she also couldn't get over Moore's new ride. "He has a Ferrari now, and I couldn't believe it. I was like, 'Whose racecar is this?' Shemar, you have a Ferrari?" she said.
Moore played Malcolm Winters on Y&R from 1994 to 2005, winning eight NAACP Image Awards and the 2000 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor along the way. Fox played Stephanie Simmons from 1994 to 1995 before going on to star in Independence Day, Set It Off, Soul Food, and Kill Bill, among others. They also co-starred in the 2004 thriller Motives.
The Young and the Restless airs weekdays at 12:30 p.m. ET on CBS and streams on Paramount+.