| Adam Newman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Mark Grossman as Adam Newman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Young and the Restless | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | William J. Bell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | April 24, 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | April 24, 1981 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Victor Adam Newman II is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Adam was created by William J. Bell as the son of Victor Newman and Hope Wilson and was introduced on May 24, 1995. Adam left town two years after his birth and was raised in Kansas by his mother, growing up without knowing that Victor is his father.
In 2008, Chris Engen began portraying Adam as an adult. After a year in the role, Engen announced his exit from The Young and the Restless because of objections over his storyline, and Michael Muhney was recast in the role. Controversy arose two weeks after Muhney's debut when Adam seduced male character Rafe Torres. The media accused Engen of homophobia, but the actor dispelled these rumors, saying he was unhappy with the storyline long before the homosexuality plot twist was aired. In 2013, Muhney was fired from the roleand made his last appearance on January 30, 2014; later that year, Justin Hartley was cast as Adam, who played Adam an additional two years before vacating the role on September 1, 2016. In May 2019, Mark Grossman took claim over the role, receiving his first credit as Adam on May 9.
The character is known as an anti-hero, described as "one of the most devious characters on daytime" by The Advocate. He is notable for his relationship with Sharon Newman—a pairing regarded as "dark" by SoapNet—and Chelsea Lawson. Adam has a severely bad relationship with his father, who oftem does not accept him as part of his family. Engen's portrayal garnered significant viewer support, while both viewers and critics have praised Muhney and Hartley's portrayals.