Melody Thomas Scott Reveals Her Latest Love Disaster on The Young and the Restless

She committed murder. He took the rap for her and went to jail. Now The Young and the Restless'Victor and Nikki — played by suds greats Eric Braeden and Melody Thomas Scott — are back in each other's arms. But will it last past Valentine's Day? Thomas Scott gave TV Guide Magazine the gloomy scoop.

TV Guide Magazine: We're loving this umpteenth Victor-Nikki reunion! Who's going to screw it up this time?
Thomas Scott: Victor does the whole Valentine's thing, bringing in a pianist and a violinist, candles and champagne, which of course leads to sex. They're madly in love. But Nikki will find out he lied to her about his involvement in the Chelsea-Anita scam and she leaves him. Just like that. Over! Pow! Nikki gets her s--t together and says, "I can't stay here anymore. I'm done!"

TV Guide Magazine: Then what? Nikki goes back to the bottle?
Thomas Scott: As we know, it's never really over for Victor and Nikki but it's my guess she'll get hooked up with Jack Abbott [Peter Bergman] again and they'll probably marry. She's visiting him in the hospital every day and being a really good friend. [Laughs] We all know where that leads! When Peter and I first saw those scripts we could read between the lines. But it's justmy speculation.

TV Guide Magazine: Y&R ratings took a scary dive when you were written off the show for six months last year. Since you came back, they're dramatically on the rise. Coinkydink? We don't think so.
Thomas Scott: I am thrilled about the numbers. In fact, I am reveling in them. [Laughs] But I would never be so presumptuous to think it was all me!

TV Guide Magazine: Are you at all sorry they dropped the murder charges against Nikki, thereby robbing you of an Emmy-bait trial
Thomas Scott: A trial for what?

TV Guide Magazine: For killing that damn Diane, of course.
Thomas Scott: Meh. People are so over that "Who killed Diane?" mystery. They didn't like her to begin with and they don't seem to have a problem that she's dead. Anyway, this is the third person Nikki has killed. She killed her father her first month on the show, and some guy named Walter Addison when she was mixed up in that Darlene Conley-Rose DeVille scam. So this ain't new territory.

TV Guide Magazine: Do you think Nikki was always intended to be the killer or did [exec producer-head writer] Maria Bell try to make your long absence look like it was done on purpose?
Thomas Scott: [Laughs] I never thought of it that way. My take is that Maria waited to resolve that whole murder mystery until she knew I was returning. I'm sure she would have preferred to have me back sooner. But it had to be fought out with the suits. Maria was waiting and hoping I'd come back.

TV Guide Magazine: The fans and the press give her a lot of flack for your exit, yet you have always put the blame squarely on Sony.
Thomas Scott: I do everything I can to tell people Maria had nothing to do with it. She is one of my staunchest fans. So people can think what they want. There was no monkey business where she and I were concerned.

TV Guide Magazine: Speaking of monkey business, what do you think of this Daytime Emmy mess?
Thomas Scott: Apparently there are no takers to put them on TV. Has a date even been announced?

TV Guide Magazine: Yeah, there's a date but where will they do it? I guess they can always present the awards at a bowling alley. Just watch, this is the year you finally win after 32 years on Y&R and you have to accept your trophy on Lane 6.
Thomas Scott: [Laughs] Oh, it won't be that bad.I was unofficially told that if nobody picks up the awards to televise them they are going to be held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Which is a great room, cameras or no cameras.

TV Guide Magazine: And way better than schlepping everyone's butt to Las Vegas. Though I have to say that my being there to witness the confrontation between you and that suit from Sony at the Bell after-party last year was totally worth the schlep.
Thomas Scott: I'll never forget the look on your face. I've never seen you like that.

TV Guide Magazine: I was scared crapless! Do you think you were ousted to shake up every other star on the two Sony soaps? After all, if the top actress on the top show can suddenly be out of a job, isn't everyone in danger?
Thomas Scott: I don't know. It all could have been done intentionally to make other people afraid. Maybe it should shake up a lot of people. There were very few actors who had wonderful things to say to me when I returned. Whatever. Anything is possible. Anyone can get canned in the future and the reasons for that are never revealed, as we know. The one thing I will say is that we have too many people on the show.

TV Guide Magazine: Since your blacklisting ultimately had a happy ending and you're back with great stories and encouraging ratings, is it all okay now? Or do you wish it had never happened?
Thomas Scott: It happened and it will forever change my little life story, but it all came around to a better place than where things were to begin with. So no regrets. I never regret anything.

TV Guide Magazine: Okay Edith Piaf, one last question. What's the scoop on this new web series you're involved with?
Thomas Scott: I hope it goes! It's called Laid Off.

TV Guide Magazine: Oh, the irony.
Thomas Scott: I've shot two or three episodes so far. It's about three guys who are roommates in New York and they all lose their jobs the same week. Shirley Jones and Marty Ingels are also in it.

TV Guide Magazine: And you play...?
Thomas Scott: Melody Thomas Scott! One of the roommates has watched and worshipped Nikki his entire life — he started at his mother's knee — and he has constant fantasies about me. But I'm never really me. I get to play a different character in every episode, all urged on by his obsession with me. I pop up as the plumber, and a pageant mom screaming at her kid and a Martha Stewart-type cooking host. I could be a nun. Anything in the world. It's really cool.

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