Beth Maitland Opens Up About an ‘Embarrassing’ Misstep: ‘I Had to Really Process What the Consequences Would Mean’

Young & Restless fan favorite Beth Maitland has just as many stories to tell as her Genoa City alter ego, published author Traci Abbott — and one experience from her early days as a newbie actress in Los Angeles taught her a very valuable, if cringe-worthy, lesson.

“A friend got me an audition for a non-union commercial for the Schick Center, which was a weight-loss clinic that used aversion shock treatment to help people lose weight,” the Emmy winner tells Soap Opera Digest. (This was well before Jenny Craig offered less dire alternatives.) “I did the commercial, which included a photo shoot,” she explains, adding that the job did end up fulfilling her eligibility for Screen Actors Guild union membership.

But it also gave her more exposure than Maitland anticipated. “Here I was, a 20-year-old hoping to break into show business, and I found myself in full-page ads in the L.A. Times, holding out my clothes at the waistline with a pained expression, for a shock therapy center.”

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The ad campaign proved to be a major learning experience for the beloved actress. “First of all, it prepared me for the future [Young & Restless] storylines of bulimia, diet pill addiction and bullying that Traci would soon face,” Maitland says. “And secondly, I learned to think through my choices. I had done something a bit embarrassing, so I had to really process what the consequences would mean to me.”

It’s no wonder that, decades later, we all still love Beth Maitland — both inside and out!