Victor Newman is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. He has been portrayed by Eric Braeden since 1980. Initially a guest character who was to last for eight to twelve weeks, Victor has evolved into the soap opera's leading male figure. Created by William J. Bell as a "despicable, contemptible, unfaithful wife abuser", the character was planned to be killed off and never heard of again. However, after Bell saw Braeden's performance, he decided to sign the actor onto a contract. Braeden was hesitant to work on a soap opera, but eventually signed a contract, and has remained on the series as a regular cast member for over 40 years. The character is widely described as a ruthless villain, while loving to those he holds dear. Over the years, he has also been the center of several controversial plots and relationships.
Nikki Newman is a fictional character from the American CBS daytime soap opera, The Young and the Restless. Created and introduced by William J. Bell in 1978, the role was portrayed by Erica Hope, before Melody Thomas Scott took over in 1979. Introduced as a stripper, the character became well known for her relationship with businessman Victor Newman, a union that developed into a supercouple pairing that has spanned over four decades. She shares two children with Victor, Victoria and Nicholas Newman. In 2013, she reveals that she had previously given up a child for adoption, who is later discovered to be Dylan McAvoy. The character has also had several other notorious relationships, including Paul Williams, Jack Abbott, and Brad Carlton. Scott is considered an icon in the soap opera genre.
Jack Abbott is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. The character was introduced in 1980 being portrayed by Terry Lester. Lester departed from the series in 1989 and was replaced by Peter Bergman shortly thereafter. Bergman relocated to California after successfully auditioning for the part. His first episode aired on November 27, 1989. Jack is known for his longstanding feud with the Newman family patriarch, Victor Newman as well as his romances with Diane Jenkins, Nikki Newman, Phyllis Summers, and Sharon Newman. Jack has represented the Abbott family as the patriarch since the 2006 passing of his father, John Abbott.
Ashley Abbott is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful, two American soap operas on the CBS network. She has been most notably portrayed by Eileen Davidson, who originated the role on June 11, 1982, before departing in 1988. Brenda Epperson portrayed Ashley from 1988 to 1995, before Shari Shattuck portrayed the role for the next three years, until Davidson's return on March 19, 1999. Davidson was nominated in 2003 for Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and she later won that award in 2018.
Drucilla Winters is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Created by William J. Bell as an effort to add more African American characters to the cast, the role was portrayed by Victoria Rowell. Rowell left the role in 2000 to pursue other projects and Alexia Robinson was introduced as Alex Perez, a replacement character, shortly after. Rowell later returned in August 2002.
Sharon Newman is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network, currently portrayed by Sharon Case. Created by William J. Bell as a love interest for Nicholas Newman, the character debuted on June 27, 1994. Before Case took over in September 1994, the character was portrayed briefly by Monica Potter and then by Heidi Mark. When first introduced, Sharon was a young girl from the poor side of town; her early storylines included being raped by Matt Clark and the revelation that she had given up a child for adoption. Nick and Sharon married, had a son named Noah, and later won custody of Cassie, the daughter she had as a teenager. Their marriage faced a number of problems, including infidelity on both sides. Following Cassie's death in an automobile accident, Nick cheated on Sharon with Phyllis Summers, resulting in a pregnancy which ended their 11-year marriage.
John Abbott is a fictional character from the American CBS Daytime soap opera, The Young and the Restless. He is the patriarch of the Abbott family, one of the core families introduced to the series in 1980. After a brief portrayal by Brett Halsey, the role is portrayed by Jerry Douglas. After the character's onscreen death, Douglas has continued in the role as a hallucination to various other characters. John's children are Jack, Traci, Ashley, and Billy Abbott.
Phyllis Summers is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network. The character was created and introduced by William J. Bell, and debuted in the episode airing on October 18, 1994. Phyllis was originally and most notably portrayed by actress Michelle Stafford, until 1997, when Stafford was replaced by Sandra Nelson. Nelson continued in the role until 1999, when the character left; upon the character returning in 2000, head writer Kay Alden rehired Stafford. Stafford has been praised for her portrayal, for which she has won two Daytime Emmy Awards, but left the series after nearly sixteen years, with the character being written into a coma; Stafford last appeared on August 2, 2013. The role passed to Gina Tognoni, who debuted on August 11, 2014, and continued for nearly five years until she departed in June 2019, when Stafford re-claimed the role.
J. T. Hellstrom is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network. The role was portrayed by actor Thad Luckinbill from August 27, 1999, to November 5, 2010. Luckinbill originally appeared on a recurring basis until he was put on contract in November 2002. On November 3, 2017, it was announced that Luckinbill would reprise the role of J.T., beginning December 12, 2017. Luckinbill exited on April 16, 2018, when the character was presumed dead. In February 2019, it was reported that Luckinbill will once again be returning to the show. He returned during the final moments of the March 19, 2019, episode to reveal he had not died. He later departed on March 28, 2019.
Colleen Carlton is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network, last portrayed by Tammin Sursok. The character was born during the March 5, 1992, episode as the daughter of Brad Carlton and Traci Abbott. After leaving the soap opera three years later, the character returned as a teenager in 2001, portrayed by Lyndsy Fonseca, who remained in the role until 2005. The following year, the role was recast with Adrianne León, who portrayed the character for a year until Sursok took over. Sursok exited the role in 2009, following the death of the character. In 2010, an uncredited actress reprised the role in a dream.
Billy Abbott is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network. Created by William J. Bell as the son of John Abbott and Jill Abbott, the character is currently portrayed by Jason Thompson. The character is known for being a "spoiled rich boy," a "screw up," and for his gambling addictions and consumption of alcohol.
Traci Abbott is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera, The Young and the Restless. Created and introduced by William J. Bell, the role has been portrayed by Beth Maitland since 1982. Traci is the daughter of John Abbott and Dina Mergeron.
Abby Newman is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera, The Young and the Restless. The character was introduced on November 13, 2000, as the daughter of Ashley Abbott and Victor Newman. The role was portrayed by Darcy Rose Byrnes as a child until 2008, when the character was rapidly aged to a teenager, with Hayley Erin assuming the role the following year. In 2010, the character was rapidly aged again to an adult, with Emme Rylan cast as Erin's replacement. Rylan was let go in 2012 due to budgetary cuts, but returned months later in February 2013 on a recurring status following viewer complaints. However, her return was cut short once Rylan vacated the role to join General Hospital as Lulu Spencer. Melissa Ordway was then hired as her recast, who made her debut on April 16, 2013. Rylan compared Abby to her previous role, Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light, saying they were both wealthy heiresses who cause trouble. Upon Abby's return in 2013, Rylan felt that she had become "more mature".
Gloria Abbott Bardwell is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network. The role was originated by Joan Van Ark on April 6, 2004, who portrayed the role until 2005, with Judith Chapman assuming the role on January 17, 2005. She is the mother of Michael Baldwin and Kevin Fisher. She is known for attracting troublesome men, and being quite troublesome herself. Gloria can be naive at times, always taking things to the extreme. Known for her over-the-top personality, she owned and operated Gloworm, the hottest Genoa City club, until it burned down.
Jabot Cosmetics is a fictional cosmetics business on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless. Jabot Cosmetics was founded by John Abbott in the 1960s. His children Jack Abbott, Ashley Abbott, and Billy Abbott have worked there with Jack the current CEO. It is currently owned by the Abbott family, with Kyle Abbott, Jack's son with Diane Jenkins, also working there. It is described as a line of "advanced scientific skincare and luxurious fragrances." In 2011, following a deal between CBS Consumer Products and Sony Pictures Television, the line became a "reality". The name Jabot is a portmanteau of John Abbott's first initial and surname, stylised into a more glamorous French; the word "jabot" refers to a garment style element, the ruffle on the front of a shirt.
The storylines of the soap opera The Young and the Restless have changed over the years since the show debuted in 1973. Originally examining the lives of the wealthy Brooks and the poor Fosters, a series of recasts and departures in the early 1980s turned the focus of The Young and the Restless to the Abbotts and the Newmans, including the corporate rivalry between their two respective companies. However, one basic plot that has run throughout almost all of the program's history is the rivalry between Jill Foster Abbott and Katherine Chancellor, similar to the show's sister show, The Bold and the Beautiful, regarding Brooke Logan and Stephanie Forrester.
Kyle Abbott is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network. Introduced on January 8, 2001, the character is the son of businessman Jack Abbott and Diane Jenkins. For the character's first three-year run, he was portrayed by a series of infant toddler actors. In 2010, the character returned, portrayed as slightly older by child actor Garrett Ryan. After two years, he was rapidly aged to an adult, with Blake Hood stepping into the role in April 2012. Upon his return, Kyle began dating Eden Baldwin.
The Newman family is one of the core families on the American soap opera, The Young and the Restless, which is set in the fictional town of Genoa City, Wisconsin. They were introduced in February 1980, when Victor Newman arrived in town. Eventually, Victor was paired with Nicole Reed, who has notably become the family's prominent matriarch, having been married to Victor four times. The family is currently represented by Victor, Nikki and his four living children: Victoria, Nicholas, Abby and Adam Newman. The family is also well known for its long-standing feud with the Abbott family. The Newmans run the multinational conglomerate Newman Enterprises. They have lived at their ranch for three decades.
