Why Bold & Beautiful Really Fired Deke
Steffy drops the hammer on The Bold and the Beautiful, firing Deke from Hope for the Future without giving Hope a say — and Hope’s pushback only widens the rift as Steffy refuses to budge.
So yes, Deke just got the boot from Hope for the Future, and the way it happened has people raising eyebrows. Short version: Steffy made a call, did not ask Hope, and pivoted the line back to Zende and Thomas. Longer version below, because there are some... odd details.
What Steffy decided and why
Steffy announced that Deke is out as the lead designer on Hope for the Future (HFTF). She did it without looping in Hope, and when Hope pushed back, Steffy pulled the co-CEO card. The official logic: she and Ridge think Thomas and Zende are the stronger team to carry HFTF forward. She even acknowledged Deke has talent, just not a place at Forrester right now.
There was another layer to it: Steffy said keeping Deke would complicate things with Thomas and could make Liam unhappy. Is that contradictory? A little. But that was the reasoning offered onscreen. And Steffy then told Hope she should be the one to break the news to Deke herself.
How it actually played out
- Hope tried to get Steffy to give Deke one more shot. Steffy refused, said she and Ridge already chose Thomas and Zende.
- Deke checked in with Carter to see if anyone knew his status. Carter didn’t. Deke still said working at Forrester was a dream come true.
- Brooke worried about how Hope would take it. Ridge said things were handled. Brooke’s bigger concern: that it might look like Hope’s own brother was pushed aside to make room for Thomas.
- Deke showed up to see Hope and brought fresh sketches. Hope asked him to stop and told him the decision on who leads the line had already been made.
- Deke, hoping he was going permanent, asked where things stood. Hope told him straight: his contract wasn’t extended and he’s been let go.
- He was disappointed but took it on the chin, said Thomas and Zende are more experienced, promised to level up his work, and said he’s hopeful his father will hire him at the restaurant.
The awkward parts the show glossed over
This whole thing is a little messy. Steffy cites both Thomas and Liam in the reasoning (those two rarely line up on anything involving Hope), and the optics Brooke mentioned are real: it does read like Hope’s side got sidelined while Thomas and Zende take point. Also, Deke talking about his dad running a restaurant is one of those details that will make longtime viewers tilt their heads.
If you strip it down: Deke wasn’t fired for bad behavior; Steffy and Ridge just chose a different creative direction. They believe Thomas and Zende give HFTF the best shot right now. Hope argued for Deke, didn’t win, and had to deliver the bad news. He handled it gracefully and might land with his dad at the restaurant while he works on his craft.
Where this leaves everyone
Steffy got her way, Thomas and Zende are in the driver’s seat, and Hope has to swallow a decision she didn’t make. Deke walks out with a decent attitude, which honestly might make him easier to bring back later if the winds shift at Forrester. For now, though, HFTF is back under the usual suspects.