The Young and the Restless' Jermaine Rivers ignites internet firestorm — but who really lit the match?

Jermaine Rivers stars on The Young and the Restless as Damian Kane, but he also grew up watching the show. He asked a general question yesterday about other fans of soaps, and it set off an internet firestorm.

The Young and the Restless’ Jermaine Rivers asked fans a question

On The Young and the Restless, Jermaine Rivers has found his character, Damian Kane, stuck in the middle of several crosshairs since joining the show at the beginning of the year. Some storylines he is tied to (as well as the character’s origin) are new, some have been ongoing, and others date back decades — hello, Nate Hastings, Sr!

But yesterday, the actor posed a serious question on his X account: “I’m convinced that most (Not all) of today’s so called soap fans are far removed from the sweet old ladies who watched it back in the 70’s 80’s and 90’s. The internet has created some Straight Savages who are mean spirited and tune in to just complain about the show’s they watch. What happened to watching Soaps for the love of it? Why are Y’all so mad, hateful and triggered for? #RealTalk #SpreadLove”

Fan reaction spread beyond X to other social network platforms, and it seems everyone wanted to be heard. Some wanted to explain the mindset, while others wanted to defend being…well, nasty. Rivers quantified, “I watched soaps as a kid with my mom and even during my lunch break with other Soldiers when I was on active duty (Army). We all enjoyed it for what it was… pure entertainment.”

Rivers appreciated that soap fans are passionate about characters and storylines, but didn’t understand why some would get so “triggered” by watching a show that it would invoke toxic behavior online. X user @DonaldJrPeebles agreed. “Good Morning, Jermaine! Some people use social media to complain about whatever because they are unable to express themselves authentically in real-life. Some live vicariously through soap opera characters because they cannot be them. They wish they can talk back and live grand.”

“There’s enough hate and division in the world. Soap actors, writers and crew members work hard to bring these shows together to entertain the fans. Let’s keep the hate out of the equation,” Rivers suggested.

X user @GCgossiper agreed, replying, “It’s a lil like Road Rage. Do & say things you never would face to face. Not worth engaging with trolls & frankly miserable people. Good for you bringing it up! Courtesy isn’t so common these days!”

Others, however, just wanted to defend being able to express themselves in whatever manner they chose, and blasted the actor for not being on the show long enough to have an opinion. Others took offense that Rivers suggested people could be carelessly offensive. In response to one such post, @ferfuxsakes said, “Case in point right here. Fans think their opinion matters more than others, so they speak with superiority and snark. This isn’t constructive criticism anymore, which is normal chatter amongst viewers. The degradation of others to make a point is why I agree with @JermaineRivers”

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Have some fans lost their way between voicing their opinions on their favorite shows and expressing them as constructive criticism? As writers, we can see different personalities between the shows and audiences, meaning each soap has a distinct type of audience, and that creates a unique online interaction style. Do you think some go too far with the snide remarks and snarkiness (or worse) if they dislike what they see? Or is it all part of the entertainment, and no different than how they would talk to a real person if they were to meet someone from the show?

Share your comments below, and watch The Young and the Restless weekdays on CBS or stream on Paramount Plus.

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