Vivica A. Fox Update (Sept. 2026): Y&R Break for a Netflix Film, Not an Exit
Vivica A. Fox and Y&R: every date so far
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1994–1995 | Fox plays Dr. Stephanie Simmons on CBS's The Young and the Restless for the first time. |
| Feb. 2026 | Deadline reports that Fox and Shemar Moore (Malcolm Winters) are coming back for a multi-episode arc. |
| April 7, 2026 | Fox makes her first Y&R appearance since 1995. |
| April 2026 | Stephanie's return comes with a reveal: Holden is her son with Malcolm. |
| May 4, 2026 | Soap Opera Digest reports that Fox is staying past her original arc. |
| Sept. 1, 2026 | Shooting starts on Netflix's Women Like Us on Shelter Island, N.Y. It's scheduled to wrap Oct. 1. |
| Sept. 5–6, 2026 | In an Instagram Story, Fox tells fans she is stepping away from Y&R for now. |
| Sept. 7, 2026 | Stephanie and Nate Hastings share their first kiss on screen. |
| Sept. 16, 2026 | Fox is listed to appear. Nate shows Stephanie how much he appreciates her. |
| As of Sept. 13, 2026 | CBS hasn't announced her last air date or a return date. |
Fox was hired for eight episodes and ended up staying about six months. That's the part of this story that matters most, and it's why "for now" reads as a pause rather than a goodbye.
Is Vivica A. Fox leaving The Young and the Restless?
She's leaving temporarily, for a film. Michael Fairman TV reported on Sept. 6 that Fox had used an Instagram Story to sign off from the Y&R set. The Story has since expired. Soaps.com and Soap Hub reported the same news, and all three outlets say it's temporary.
The film is Women Like Us, a Netflix comedy starring Whoopi Goldberg, Jenifer Lewis and Vanessa Williams. A recently widowed woman is taken to the Hamptons by her sister and friends to mark what would have been her 30th wedding anniversary. Michelle Obama is an executive producer.
Fox didn't announce an exit. According to Michael Fairman TV, she told viewers I'll see you soon
. Her comments were about the job itself: missing her glam team, and a role that grew much bigger than planned.
When is Vivica A. Fox's last episode as Stephanie?
CBS hasn't said yet. Soaps typically tape weeks ahead of air, so she'll keep turning up for a while after the cameras stopped rolling on her. Soap Hub's comings-and-goings column for Sept. 14–18 has her on screen on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
One outlet has floated a late-October final episode, but that date isn't backed by a second qualified source, so we're not putting it in the table. If CBS or Fox confirms a date, the table gets a new row.
What happens to Stephanie and Nate?
This is where fans are annoyed, and it's easy to see why. Stephanie and Nate kissed for the first time on the Sept. 7 episode, after Nate's surgery. Soaps.com called the timing of Fox's exit a letdown after all that buildup. It's a fair read.
Next week gives the pairing one more big scene first. On Wednesday, Nate thanks Stephanie with a slow dance at his place, and Soap Opera Digest's preview has him telling her whatever this is, it feels real
. Our Y&R spoilers for Sept. 14–18 put that scene in context with the rest of the week.
The Malcolm link doesn't go away either. Stephanie's return started with the reveal that Holden is her son with Malcolm, and that storyline was tied to Malcolm's health crisis. With Stephanie off screen, the Holden thread loses one of its two parents for a while.
Who is Vivica A. Fox, if you only know Stephanie?
Most viewers know her from film. She was in Independence Day and Set It Off in 1996, then Soul Food in 1997, and played Vernita Green in Kill Bill. On TV, she played Candace on Fox's Empire.
She got her start in daytime. Fox played Carmen Silva on Days of our Lives in 1988 and was a lead on the NBC soap Generations in 1989–91, before her first Y&R run. She came back in April alongside Shemar Moore as Malcolm, and that pairing got the episodes attention outside the usual soap press.
What should Y&R viewers watch for?
- Wednesday, Sept. 16: the Nate and Stephanie scene. If you've been waiting on this couple, it's the one to watch.
- Oct. 1: the scheduled wrap date for Women Like Us. Any talk of Fox going back to the Y&R set is realistic only after that.
- A CBS or Fox announcement of her last air date or return. We'll check back and update this page by Oct. 2, after the film wraps.
👉 There's no return date yet, but Stephanie was left in the middle of a story, and soaps rarely cut a new romance loose on purpose.
FAQ
Why is Vivica A. Fox leaving Y&R?
She's filming Netflix's Women Like Us on Shelter Island, New York, from Sept. 1 to Oct. 1, 2026. She described the break as temporary.
Is Vivica A. Fox coming back to The Young and the Restless?
She's said she'll be back and told viewers she'd see them soon. Neither CBS nor the show has announced a return date.
Who does Vivica A. Fox play on Y&R?
Dr. Stephanie Simmons. She first played her in 1994–95, and she returned on April 7, 2026 in a story that revealed Stephanie is the mother of Malcolm Winters's son, Holden.
Keep reading
The week the kiss aired is in Y&R spoilers for Sept. 7–11, and day pages sit in the Young and the Restless section. The CBS soaps viewing guide covers Paramount+ if you've fallen behind. Our previous cast update was on General Hospital: Alimi Ballard's new WSB agent on General Hospital. Every exit, return and recast gets its own page on Cast Updates.
Sources
- Michael Fairman TV — Vivica A. Fox exits Y&R for now (Sept. 6, 2026)
- Soaps.com — Fox's exit and the Stephanie/Nate kiss (Sept. 8, 2026)
- Soap Hub — Y&R comings and goings, Sept. 14–18 (Sept. 12, 2026)
- Soap Opera Digest — Fox staying on (May 4, 2026)
- Soap Opera Digest — Y&R spoilers video, week of Sept. 14
- Deadline — Moore and Fox set for Y&R return (Feb. 2026)
- Rolling Out — Fox back on Y&R (April 7, 2026)
- Wikipedia — Vivica A. Fox (credits and years)