In 2015, Victoria Rowell sued Sony Pictures Television, Bell-Phillip Television Productions, and CBS with the claim that her advocacy to hire more Black actors stopped the companies from re-hiring her when she wanted to return to “The Young and the Restless” (via ABC News). “The retaliation is deep and broad, I have lived with it for many, many years,” Rowell said. “I’m not afraid, I am empowered. I am seeking justice.”
In 2017, Rowell dropped the case and by 2019, she was back on the soap she called home for 17 years, but only as herself for a brief guest appearance. The actor appeared after Kristoff St. John, who played Neil Winters opposite her Drucilla Winters, suddenly died in February of that year, according to The New York Times. When the soap did a tribute episode to the character and St. John, Rowell was on hand to remember her longtime co-star, per Deadline.
