The Devastating Tragedy That Changed Tracey E. Bregman's Life
Soap star Tracey E. Bregman, who's appeared in "The Young and the Restless," "Days of Our Lives," and "The Bold and the Beautiful," faced tragedy in November 2018 when a wildfire destroyed her Malibu home. Several celebrity residents in the surrounding area — including Calabasas and Thousand Oaks — were among the evacuees. She would ultimately suffer the same fate as Miley Cyrus, Shannon Doherty, and Robin Thicke. On November 10, Bregman took to Instagram and showed her home completely shrouded in flames. "Last picture of my house," she wrote. "Thank God we are all safe. I have no other words. I'm just numb for us all."
Months later, Bregman spoke with Soap Opera Digest and revealed that, before the fire, a nagging feeling something was going to happen prompted her to move her horses. Unable to shake the sense of dread, Bregman then canceled an outing with friends and decided to have dinner at her son's Beverly Hills apartment. Later, Bregman felt an intense urge to retrieve her dog from her Malibu property at 2 a.m. Even stranger, she then returned to her son's home. The next day, on November 9, the fire struck, destroying her home and belongings.
Fortunately, Bregman managed to find a few upsides during the ordeal.
Bregman felt supported by her friends
Due to evacuation orders, Tracey E. Bregman could not retrieve any of her belongings before the fire destroyed her property. "Never once did I even entertain the thought that I could lose my house," Bregman shared with Soap Opera Digest. "If I had any idea, I would've awakened everybody to pack up cars." Bregman also revealed that losing her belongings made her feel she had no tangible proof of her hard work, claiming that she felt as if she had to start all over.
Bregman found solace in her community of friends, many of whom also lost their homes in the fire. "I have a group of dear, dear friends that we all lost our homes," Bregman shared during her BEONDTV interview. "As painful as this whole experience has been, it's been extraordinary in certain ways to be able to hold the hands of dear friends through it all. And you know us all go through it together." And though Bregman went through an adjustment period after the fire, it eventually taught her how to let go of material possessions. "The one thing we all have in common now is our ability now to let go and not have attachment to things."
Bregman also revealed that she and her community were able to find beauty in the scorched surroundings, noting that she never thought she'd see freshly sprouted flowers and lush greenery so soon.
Bregman's Emmy was destroyed
Although no one would willingly endure Tracey E. Bregman's misfortune, she came out of the fire with an admirable perspective on life and material things. Unfortunately, she also lost her 1985 Emmy Award for outstanding younger actress in a daytime drama series, which was certainly not an everyday knick-knack. According to Soap Opera Digest, the award category was previously called outstanding ingenue. During her interview, Bregman revealed that the trophy was ruined during the fire. "Somehow, my Emmy looks like it got thrown out of the back of a car and dragged," said Bregman. "It's decimated."
Fortunately, Bregman wasn't apart from her Emmy forever. In January 2023, "Young and the Restless" star Christian LeBlanc made a surprise appearance on "The Talk" and presented Bregman with a replacement trophy. "I would like to present this, an Emmy for outstanding ingenue in a daytime drama series, but this time it's from the people who love and respect you and cherish you: your CBS, your 'Young and the Restless' family," LeBlanc said during the show. "And I'm so honored to be able to give it to you." Bregman teared up as she kissed LeBlanc and expressed gratitude for her replacement award. "I can't thank you enough," said Bregman. "I'm so overwhelmed to have this." Before the segment concluded, the hosts also gifted Bregman with a cake to celebrate her four decades on daytime television.