Is Eric Leaving ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’?
The Bold and the Beautiful’s Eric (John McCook) is facing a battle that has fans questioning his future on the CBS soap.
Eric is determined to return to Forrester Creations, a company he founded. Two years after a health crisis and a feud with his son, Ridge (Thorsten Kaye), prompted him tostep away for the greater good, Eric wants back in the company as a designer, but Ridge isn’t having it.
🎬SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬
When Ridge left mid-conversation, Eric was heartbroken, devastated, and a bit defeated. And it’s surely not the outcome he wanted, as Eric hoped to get back to his design roots and be part of Forrester Creations for the rest of his life.
The Bold and the Beautiful viewers saw Eric appear to be accepting his fate when it came to his role in the company, which raised the question of whether this would lead to the character leaving the show.
McCook has been part of the CBS soap since its debut, and at 81, speculation about his retirement has run rampant in the past.
In 2023, Eric was literally at death’s door, which had many convinced McCook was retiring, and Eric was going to die. That didn’t happen thanks to Bridget (Ashley Jones) and Finn (Tanner Novlan), who saved his life at the last minute.
Neither The Bold and the Beautiful nor McCook has commented on his run on the CBS soap coming to an end. In fact, just last year, McCook made it clear that retirement was not in his game plan.

Related: Beloved ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ Legend Reflects on ’50 Years’ of ‘Memories’ in Emotional Goodbye
“I’ll be working right up until they drag me out of here. I celebrate, privately, every day that I have this job. It’s fun, it’s creative, I like the people that I work with. After my lovely wife and wonderful children, it’s the next thing that I’m grateful for — this job and the work that I’m fortunate enough to get to do,” he shared with Soaps.com.
McCook went on to add, “I joke that one day, they’re going to have to call my wife and say, ‘Come get him!’ because until I can no longer remember lines or have some kind of physical limitation, I have no reason to stop working!”
This bodes well fans of Eric on The Bold and the Beautiful because it likely means that whatever is going on with him right now is likely a storyline-dedicated, much like in the past.
The Bold and the Beautiful airs weekdays on CBS.
Next: ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ Star Reveals the Storyline That Led a Fan to Scream at Her in Times Square
This story was originally published by Parade on Dec 4, 2025, where it first appeared in the TV section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.