Everything You Need To Know About Victor Newman's First Wife On The Young And The Restless

Any fan of "The Young and the Restless" knows that Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) has been married many times. Most notably, he wed Nikki Reed (Melody Thomas Scott) a whopping four times. But who was the first to put a ring on the notorious businessman's finger?

Actress Meg Bennett debuted the role of Julia Newman, Victor's first wife, in 1980 and followed her husband to Genoa City as he tried to take over Chancellor Industries, according to Soaps. It wasn't long after their arrival in town that Victor and Julia's marriage hit the skids, and the two went their separate ways

Bennett appeared as Julia in various stints on "Y&R" throughout the late '80s, though by that time she had turned her attention to scriptwriting. Bennett has been nominated for multiple Daytime Emmys for the writing positions she's held at various soaps over the course of her career, including "Y&R," "The Bold and the Beautiful," and "General Hospital." Most recently, she stepped back into her acting shoes and reprised Julia's character in 2020 for a special tribute celebrating Eric Braeden's 40 years on the show.

So who exactly is Julia Newman and what happened to the first woman who stole The Great Victor Newman's heart?

When Victor and Julia Newman first arrived in Genoa City, the young bride was often secluded on the couple's ranch while her husband was out doing business. In her isolation, Julia began a friendship with Brock Reynolds (Beau Kazer) and found herself falling for him, according to Soaps in Depth. Jealous of his wife's interest in another man, Victor turned to his secretary Eve Howard (Margaret Mason) and slept with her.

A devastated Julia insisted to Victor that she hadn't yet crossed the line with Brock and was willing to let him go if Victor would recommit to their marriage. Victor responded by having another affair with Lorie Brooks (Jaime Lyn Bauer) and got caught by Brock who revealed the indiscretion to Julia in hopes that she would finally leave her husband. Despite Victor's betrayal, Julia was unable to give up on their life together and her loyalty to him eventually pushed Brock to give up and leave town.

In the aftermath of their affairs, Julia Newman expressed interest in having a baby with her husband; Victor Newman was decidedly uninterested (via Soaps in Depth). His reaction was to go immediately to have a secret vasectomy performed — which obviously didn't work. By this time, Julia had begun working as a model for Jabot, and, when Eve returned on a mission to steal Victor, she found solace in the arms of her photographer Michael Scott (Nicholas Benedict).

She soon found herself pregnant and was deeply ashamed that she didn't know who the father was (via Soap Central). Realizing that his wife had cheated on him, Victor kidnapped Michael in a jealous rage and held him hostage in a bomb shelter beneath his ranch — even once feeding him a dead rat. In an infamous scene from the soap, Victor set up cameras and forced Michael to watch him sleep with Julia. Julia eventually discovered Michael and was able to free him from captivity. During the ensuing struggle between the two men, she took a tumble down some stairs, which resulted in a miscarriage. Later, the couple discovered that Victor was in fact the biological father of the child, despite believing he was sterile. 

Julia had finally had enough and left Victor and Genoa City soon after.

In 1982, Julia ran into Eve Howard in Paris and discovered that she was slowly poisoning Victor Newman (whom she was engaged to) in an effort to steal his fortune (via Soaps). Julia warned her ex-husband about the plan and the two worked together to fake Victor's death and force Eve to confess.

A few years later, Julia returned to Genoa City to attend Victor's wedding to Nikki Reed and soon became entangled in an affair with Eric Garrison (Brian Matthews), who was engaged to Ashley Abbott (Eileen Davidson), according to Soaps in Depth. Julia discovered she was pregnant and gave birth without revealing the baby's true paternity before leaving town again. She eventually married a man named Charles Martin and let her daughter grow up believing he was her father.

In 2002, Victor visited Julia as part of his trip down memory lane and let her know that her company Martin Designs was in danger. The two bonded, and Julia told him about her daughter, who was now in college. Julia made two more brief appearances on the show. The first was in 2018 when she visited Victor after he suffered a serious fall. She last appeared in 2020 at the 50th anniversary celebration of Newman Enterprises, which was also the soap's way of paying tribute to Eric Braeden's 40 years on the beloved sudser.