“YOU CAN’T WORK FOR KATIE!” — Ridge Explodes as Eric’s Stunning Defection Sparks a Forester Civil War on The Bold and the Beautiful

On The Bold and the Beautiful, fashion has always been more than fabric and sketches—it is power, legacy, and identity stitched together by blood. And now, a single decision threatens to unravel the Forester dynasty from the inside out. When Eric Forrester makes the unthinkable move of offering his legendary talent to Katie Logan’s struggling new fashion company, the shockwaves are immediate, explosive, and deeply personal. What begins as a professional opportunity quickly ignites a father–son war that could permanently fracture the Forrester family and reshape the fashion world in Los Angeles.

Katie Logan stands at a crossroads when this bombshell drops. Her new company, born from courage and hard-won independence, is already teetering under immense pressure. Launching a fashion house is never easy, but Katie’s challenge feels relentless. Designer meetings end in disappointment. Promising leads fall apart. With every setback, the fear grows louder: her dream may collapse before it ever truly takes flight.

Katie knows exactly what she needs—someone with unquestionable credibility, vision, and authority. Someone whose name alone commands respect. Yet even in her boldest imaginings, she never anticipates what happens next. When Eric Forrester walks into her office, Katie assumes it’s a polite visit, perhaps a moment of nostalgia between old allies. Instead, Eric calmly delivers a proposal that leaves her breathless: he wants to work for her.

For a moment, time seems to stop. Eric Forrester—the man who built Forrester Creations from the ground up, whose designs defined generations, whose legacy is inseparable from the company’s very name—is offering his talent to a rival brand. Katie struggles to comprehend it. “Are you serious?” she asks, torn between disbelief and awe. Because if Eric is serious, everything changes.

For Eric, this decision is not impulsive. It is the culmination of deep, simmering pain. Forrester Creations has always been his life’s work, his pride, and his sacrifice. But that legacy has been wounded in the most devastating way imaginable—by his own son. Ridge Forrester’s decision to push Eric aside, to declare him finished and irrelevant, was not just a business call. It was a personal betrayal that stripped Eric of purpose and dignity.

Being forced out left Eric feeling invisible in the very house he built. The rejection cut deeper because it came from Ridge, the son he trusted to honor the family name. And while Eric tried to endure it quietly, the hurt never faded. Joining Katie’s company becomes more than a career move—it becomes a declaration that his talent still matters, that his voice cannot be silenced simply because Ridge says so.

Eric is honest with Katie. Yes, part of him wants to teach Ridge a lesson. He wants his son to understand exactly what he’s thrown away. But there is also something purer driving him: the need to create again, to mentor, to build something meaningful from the ground up. For the first time in a long while, Eric feels alive at the thought of designing without constraints, without being dismissed.

For Katie, the opportunity is intoxicating—and terrifying. Eric’s involvement could legitimize her company overnight, catapulting her from uncertainty to prominence. But she also understands the cost. Accepting Eric means stepping directly into the line of fire of one of the most powerful families in fashion. It means inheriting a feud she never asked for. Katie is no stranger to conflict, but this feels different. This feels like war.

And the war begins the moment Ridge finds out.

Ridge’s reaction is volcanic. He feels blindsided, betrayed, and deeply threatened by the idea of his father working for a competing fashion house—especially one led by Katie Logan. To Ridge, this isn’t about Eric’s independence. It’s about revenge. It’s about his father deliberately crossing a line to hurt him.

Ridge storms in to confront Eric, his anger barely contained. “You can’t work for Katie,” he snaps, issuing the command as though it’s law. He accuses Eric of undermining Forrester Creations, of siding with the Logans, of turning a personal grievance into a professional betrayal. To Ridge, this move threatens not just the company, but his authority, his legacy, and his identity as the creative force of Forrester Creations.

But something has shifted in Eric—and Ridge senses it immediately.

For the first time in a long while, Eric does not bend. He does not placate. He does not apologize. He looks his son in the eye and refuses to be intimidated. Eric reminds Ridge that respect is not a one-way street. Shutting him out of Forrester Creations had consequences, and this is one of them.

Eric makes it clear: he is done asking for permission. Done shrinking himself to keep the peace. This decision is about dignity, about reclaiming his sense of worth—and he will not turn back. Ridge’s threats fall flat, his authority meaningless in the face of a father who has finally decided to stand his ground.

Caught between them is Katie, now realizing the true magnitude of what she’s stepped into. Eric joining her company is not just a business coup—it’s a direct challenge to the Forrester hierarchy. She becomes an unwilling witness to decades of unresolved tension, pride, and heartbreak erupting in real time. And as the men face off, it becomes painfully clear that this feud is about far more than fashion.

Alliances will be tested. Loyalties will be questioned. And the ripple effects will extend far beyond Eric, Ridge, and Katie. Forrester Creations may soon face competition unlike anything it’s ever seen—not from an outsider, but from its own founder. Meanwhile, Katie’s company stands poised to rise… or be crushed under the weight of a family war spiraling out of control.

The question now is no longer whether Eric will work for Katie—he’s made his choice. The real question is how far Ridge will go to stop him. And when pride, legacy, and betrayal collide, who will be left standing when the dust finally settles?

On The Bold and the Beautiful, one thing is certain: this bold move has changed everything.