Ashley Abbott Character development What is interesting about her character? Davidson opined that a storyline in which Victor's son Adam Newman (Michael Muhney) gas lighted a pregnant Ashley in What else happened with her character? Following the death of John, Jack works desperately to remove his wife Gloria Abbott ( Why did Newman gas lighted her? was payback for Ashley stealing Victor's sperm years ago Was she involved in any romances in the show? Her relationship with Brad Carlton (Don Diamont) came as a shock, Why was it a shock for their relationship? shock, due to Brad being beneath her socially. Did she any other relationships on the show? Adam Newman (
Why did Jack want to remove his wife Gloria Abbott?
Why did Jack want to remove his wife Gloria Abbott?
Davidson describes Ashley as a "dynamic character". She has been characterized as "sassy" yet an "honorable heroine". The Record describes Ashley as "headstrong". She is recognized for her unluckiness and long-term suffering. Davidson stated, "She is a heroine. So often she was being victimized by people and trying to always rise above that, and being driven insane and losing babies, etc." In 1990, The Washington Times described Ashley as a "smart woman", known for her "level head" and "business success". Ashley is dedicated to her work and has a strong sense of family. She is a beloved member of the Genoa City community. Her passion for the family business, Jabot Cosmetics, cost Ashley her marriage to Cole Howard (J. Eddie Peck).  Ashley has been involved in a number of different romantic relationships over her duration on the series. Her relationship with Brad Carlton (Don Diamont) came as a shock, due to Brad being beneath her socially. Epperson, who played Ashley at the time, was uncertain of Ashley and Brad's decision to get married.  Davidson opined that a storyline in which Victor's son Adam Newman (Michael Muhney) gas lighted a pregnant Ashley in 2009 was payback for Ashley stealing Victor's sperm years ago to conceive Abby. She stated: "I think the character really suffered after she stole Victor's sperm from Diane [...] After that, the viewers lost a lot of respect for Ashley. People wanted Ashley to pay for it. My opinion? Although last summer's gaslighting storyline was used to propel a lot of other stories, it was also about making Ashley pay. Now we can close that entire chapter because Ashley paid. It was Ashley's redemption". Around this story arc, Tommy Garrett of Canyon News described Ashley as a "damsel in distress", stating that she had a "twisted mind" due to suffering a hysterical pregnancy after losing her unborn child at the hands of Adam.  Following the death of John, Jack works desperately to remove his wife Gloria Abbott (Judith Chapman) from the family, even illegally making changes to John's will. Explaining Ashley's ambivalence towards the situation, Davidson stated: "Just because you don't like somebody doesn't mean you should do something illegal [...] The point is, their father loved her. And even if they don't like her, they have to honor what he wanted. Ashley never wanted to do anything that went against her father's wishes." The actress stated that Ashley "just wants" Jack to "do the right thing". CANNOTANSWER
CANNOTANSWER
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.

The character is the daughter of Dina Mergeron and Brent Davis, although she believed John Abbott was her biological father until she reached adulthood. She has had relationships with various men throughout the years, most notably Steven Lassiter, Victor Newman, Blade Bladeson, Cole Howard and Brad Carlton. She has a daughter with Victor, Abby Newman. She is also known for her business contributions to her father's company, Jabot Cosmetics, much like her brother Jack. In 2006, it was announced that Davidson was to leave The Young and the Restless. She last appeared on January 11, 2007. Shortly after, the character crossed over to its sister soap, The Bold and the Beautiful. There, she became intertwined with the Forresters and Forrester Creations; she also had a romance with Ridge Forrester. She left The Bold and the Beautiful in 2008 and returned to The Young and the Restless, where she has since had relationships with Victor once again and Tucker McCall.

In May 2012, it was announced that Davidson was let go from The Young and the Restless, leading to her exit on August 3, 2012. Davidson initially hadn't known why, but it was reported later that Sony Pictures Television terminated her contract with the show for her to return to Days of Our Lives as Kristen DiMera, a character she had portrayed there over 14 years prior. Davidson made a brief return to The Young and the Restless in March 2013 for the soap's 40th anniversary. After subsequent guest appearances, Davidson returned to The Young and the Restless on September 3, 2014, as a series regular. In 2018, Davidson again exited the role; she returned in March 2019, following the installment of head writer Josh Griffith.

Casting
Eileen Davidson originated the role of Ashley Abbott on June 11, 1982, until her first exit on December 2, 1988. The role was immediately recast with Brenda Epperson, who portrayed Ashley for seven years from December 5, 1988, before leaving the role on December 21, 1995. Shari Shattuck then assumed the role from March 21, 1996, to February 22, 1999, with Davidson returning on March 19, 1999. Davidson took maternity leave in the summer of 2003. In 2006, news broke that Davidson was to exit the soap opera, and she last aired on January 11, 2007. She then carried the role of Ashley over to the show's sister soap, The Bold and the Beautiful. On September 25, 2008, Davidson returned to The Young and the Restless, and subsequently made one final appearance on The Bold and the Beautiful on November 25 of the same year when Ashley resigned from her position at Forrester Creations.

In May 2012, Davidson informed followers on her Twitter page that she had been let go from The Young and the Restless. Davidson further confirmed she did not know why she was let go, but was seeing the positive light from it. It was then announced by Nelson Branco that Sony Pictures Entertainment wanted Davidson on both The Young and the Restless and Days of Our Lives, but that Y&R would not share the actress, leading to Sony terminating her contract with the soap. Thus it was announced that Davidson would reprise her role as Kristen Blake on the NBC soap. Davidson made her onscreen exit on August 3, 2012. Speaking about her upcoming return to Days and departure from the show with TV Guide, Davidson stated: "What happened to me at Y&R was shocking — I've been in this business a very long time and have never seen anything like it — but it's not like I haven't been fired before." She also went on to say that "I was led to believe that I was fired, though it was a bad news-good news thing — the bad news is Y&R is firing you, the good news is Days wants you." In February 2013, it was announced that Davidson would return to The Young and the Restless for "very special episodes" that would commemorate the show's 40th anniversary. In spite of this, the actress remained a part of Days of our Lives full-time.

In August 2013, following the announcement of Davidson's departure from Days of our Lives, it was announced that she would again reprise the role for three episodes airing in October, later returning for a guest appearance on November 27 and December 2, 2013. In June 2014, it was announced that Davidson had signed a two-year contract with The Young and the Restless to appear as a regular cast member again, and would return to the series in September. Davidson also revealed her contract would allow for her to continue making appearances on Days of Our Lives.

In 2018, Julia D'Arcy Badinger portrayed a younger Ashley in flashbacks. That June, Daytime Confidential broke news that Davidson had quit the role. Davidson last appeared in the role on October 29, 2018. On February 25, 2019, Davidson announced she would return to the role for several appearances; first airing on March 29, 2019. Since then, she has remained on the show on a recurring status.

Character development
Davidson describes Ashley as a "dynamic character". She has been characterized as "sassy" yet an "honorable heroine". The Record describes Ashley as "headstrong". She is recognized for her unluckiness and long-term suffering. Davidson stated, "She is a heroine.  So often she was being victimized by people and trying to always rise above that, and being driven insane and losing babies, etc." In 1990, The Washington Times described Ashley as a "smart woman", known for her "level head" and "business success". Ashley is dedicated to her work and has a strong sense of family. She is a beloved member of the Genoa City community. Her passion for the family business, Jabot Cosmetics, cost Ashley her marriage to Cole Howard (J. Eddie Peck).

Ashley has been involved in a number of different romantic relationships over her duration on the series. Her relationship with Brad Carlton (Don Diamont) came as a shock, due to Brad being beneath her socially. Epperson, who played Ashley at the time, was uncertain of Ashley and Brad's decision to get married.

Davidson opined that a storyline in which Victor's son Adam Newman (Michael Muhney) gaslighted a pregnant Ashley in 2009 was payback for Ashley stealing Victor's sperm years ago to conceive Abby. She stated: "I think the character really suffered after she stole Victor's sperm from Diane [...] After that, the viewers lost a lot of respect for Ashley. People wanted Ashley to pay for it. My opinion? Although last summer's gaslighting storyline was used to propel a lot of other stories, it was also about making Ashley pay. Now we can close that entire chapter because Ashley paid. It was Ashley's redemption". Around this story arc, Tommy Garrett of Canyon News described Ashley as a "damsel in distress", stating that she had a "twisted mind" due to suffering a hysterical pregnancy after losing her unborn child at the hands of Adam.

Following the death of John, Jack works desperately to remove his wife Gloria Abbott (Judith Chapman) from the family, even illegally making changes to John's will. Explaining Ashley's ambivalence towards the situation, Davidson stated: "Just because you don't like somebody doesn't mean you should do something illegal [...] The point is, their father loved her. And even if they don't like her, they have to honor what he wanted. Ashley never wanted to do anything that went against her father's wishes." The actress stated that Ashley "just wants" Jack to "do the right thing".

Storylines 
Ashley is born on April 29, 1960, to John Abbott, Sr. (Brett Halsey, later Jerry Douglas) and Dina Abbott Mergeron (Marla Adams). Twenty-two years later, after completing college, Ashley returns to Genoa City and applies for a job as a lab chemist at Jabot Cosmetics, the family company, using the name Susan Ashley so she will be hired for her skills, not her family connections. She takes over as president of the company after her brother Jack Abbott (Terry Lester, later Peter Bergman) is shot on his one-year anniversary by his wife, Patty Williams. Ashley commences an unlucky streak of relationships; starting with French artist Eric Garrison, who slept with her mother, and Marc Mergeron, who is revealed to be her former stepbrother. Capitalizing on her unluckiness, it is revealed that Ashley's biological father is Brent Davis, not John Abbott, who remains unaware of Ashley's true paternity. Trauma leads Ashley to become missing with amnesia, where she is found by business tycoon Victor Newman (Eric Braeden), who takes her back to Genoa City. Ashley has an affair with Victor, who is married to Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott). To spite Ashley, Nikki engages in an affair with Jack and tries to have Victor's brother, Matt Miller, unsuccessfully seduce Ashley. Ultimately, Victor chooses to be with Ashley, angering Nikki. When Ashley falls pregnant with Victor's child, Nikki is diagnosed with cancer, causing Victor to leave Ashley, who secretly has an abortion. Ashley suffers a mental breakdown, before marrying her psychiatrist Steven Lassiter (Rod Arrants). Steven's former patient Leanna Randolph (Barbara Crampton) stalks the couple and attempts to destroy Ashley. She writes a biography about Victor that exposes information about his dysfunctional relationship with Ashley. Steven is later shot and killed by an unstable patient.

Following a short affair with Brad Carlton (Don Diamont), Ashley marries Victor. The marriage suffers because of Nikki's ongoing problems as well as Victor's daughter Victoria Newman's (Heather Tom) constant schemes to break them up. After her divorce from Victor, Ashley falls in love with Jabot's mysterious photographer Blade Bladeson (Michael Tylo), and they get married. Blade's vengeful twin brother Rick Bladeson arrives in town, holds Blade hostage and impersonates him. Eventually, Ashley and Blade's marriage ends. She then falls romantically for Kurt Costner (Leigh McCloskey), who is shot saving her from muggers. The romance is short-lived, as Kurt leaves Ashley to be with Victor's ex-wife Hope Wilson (Signy Coleman). Ashley nearly engages in an affair with Victoria's husband Cole Howard (J. Eddie Peck), an author who is writing a novel about her life, which requires them to spend time together. After Victoria's pregnancy results in a stillborn baby, Cole divorces her and marries Ashley. The marriage suffers a rough patch when Ashley travels to Madrid to help her stepbrother Rafael Delgado (Carlos Bernard), who is dealing with dangerous customers after selling them forged paintings. Cole assumes that she is having an affair with Rafael, unaware of who he is. During this, Victoria attempts to sabotage the marriage. Ultimately, upon Ashley's return to Genoa City, the couple divorce.

By 2000, one of Jack's former lovers and Victor's latest ex-wife, Diane Jenkins (Alex Donnelley) steals Victor's sperm from a sperm bank, though Nikki switches the sample with Jack's sperm. Ashley then steals Victor's sperm and impregnates herself, claiming that the father is a stranger; this was to make up for the abortion she had years prior. She then marries Brad Carlton and gives birth to Abby Carlton, who is raised to believe she is the daughter of Brad. Ashley is diagnosed with breast cancer, and feeling that she may not have time left, she confesses the truth about Abby's paternity to Victor. Brad and Ashley split, though are brought together when she becomes pregnant with their child. Stress over the battle between Jabot and Newman Enterprises causes her to leave town. While she is driving back, she is involved in a car accident, killing the unborn child. Victor is blamed for the child's death. Brad and Ashley's marriage continues to diminish and they are divorced. Tom Fisher (Roscoe Born), the dangerous ex-husband of John's wife Gloria Abbott (Judith Chapman), arrives in town. To protect his family, John shoots and kills Tom. Ashley covers this up by confessing to the crime herself, though John soon confesses himself, and is jailed for seven years. Gloria contaminates Ashley's new line of beauty cream, which causes a woman to die. John suffers a heart attack following his release from prison, and passes away. Jack removes Gloria from the family, and Ashley leaves town to escape the drama. During a business trip to France, Ashley meets Rick Forrester (Kyle Lowder), and they have an affair. She later travels to Los Angeles to work with Forrester Creations as a lab chemist. Rick and Ashley decide to keep their affair a secret, and she commences a serious relationship with Ridge Forrester (Ronn Moss), whom she becomes engaged to. Ridge's attentiveness to his former love Brooke Logan (Katherine Kelly Lang) ends the engagement. Ashley then has a short-lived romance with Brooke's brother Storm (William deVry). Forrester Creations decide to discontinue their fragrance line, diminishing Ashley's role in the company. She leaves Los Angeles and moves to Europe with Abby.

Ashley locates a missing Victor in France, where they reunite. Upon their return to Genoa City as a couple, they are married and Ashley becomes pregnant. Victor's manipulative son Adam Newman (Michael Muhney) gas lights Ashley, making her believe that she is seeing the ghost of Victor's late wife, Sabrina Newman. Adam causes Ashley to fall down a staircase and lose her baby, though he convinces her that this was a dream, and she suffers from an hysterical pregnancy. Ashley checks herself into a psychiatric hospital where Sharon Newman (Sharon Case), also pregnant, is staying. After Ashley begins experiencing hysterical labor, Adam kidnaps Sharon's newborn baby Faith Newman and gives her to Ashley, with Sharon believing her baby was stillborn. In the ensuing months, Sharon marries Adam and develops a close friendship with Ashley. Six months after Faith is born, the doctor that delivered her (who was being blackmailed by Adam) confesses the truth in a letter. Ashley is forced to hand Faith over to Sharon and the child's father, Victor's son Nicholas Newman (Joshua Morrow). Ashley moves on with her life, and becomes engaged to wealthy tycoon Tucker McCall (Stephen Nichols). Prior to their engagement, he slept with Diane Jenkins (Maura West). They briefly split up because of Tucker's secret business plans with Jack, but reunite shortly thereafter. Abby accidentally runs over Tucker with her car, and Ashley protects her by taking the blame. She is accused of attempted murder and driving under the influence. All charges are ultimately dropped, and she marries Tucker. Their marriage quickly lands in divorce because of Tucker's business scheming and his affair with a previous lover, Harmony Hamilton. Ashley is later forced out as CEO of Jabot by Jack, and Ashley decides to move to New York City with Traci. She returns briefly a few months later for the wedding of Victor and Nikki. Months later, Ashley returns for the funeral of her niece Delia Abbott and comforts her brother Billy on his loss. She returns later to spend Thanksgiving with her family. While there, she sprained her ankle and met Dr. Stitch Rayburn (Sean Carrigan). Abby pushed for a romance, but Ashley reminded her that Stitch was married and had a young son.

In town for Abby and Tyler's engagement party, Ashley left early to drop by the hospital and "run into" Dr. Rayburn. But she found Victoria waiting for him to take her on a date. Ashley reminded her that she'd only been separated a week. When Ben arrived, Victoria was jealously catty, informing Ben that Ashley was her former stepmother.

In September 2014, Ashley did not show up in Genoa City after calling a meeting among the major Jabot stockholders, Jack, Billy, Traci, and Abby. Jack phoned her, and she explained that she was working on a special project, but had decided it was not yet ready to present to them.

The following month, Ashley returned and confirmed that her idea was for a revolutionary new fragrance, and she made a deal with Jack to become Co-CEO of Jabot again if it panned out. Abby had been treating Ben Rayburn nasty and spiteful ever since she found out that he had killed his father as a teen and taken someone else's identity to get his degree in medicine, and broken Victoria's heart. So Abby was shocked when Ashley hired Ben as a chemist for Jabot, despite Abby's objections. Ashley returned to New York City to wrap things up, tasking a reluctant Abby with bringing Ben up to speed on the cosmetics industry. Before she left, she consoled Billy that maybe she could help keep Ben away from Victoria for him.

On Ashley's return, she asked Ben to smell the new fragrance, he found it repulsive, but he kissed her. Ashley revealed that the fragrance contained pheromones, was a love potion, and the kiss had proven it. What she needed was his help to make the scent bearable. Later after Ben was arrested for fraud by a former patient, Ashley bailed him out. She confided in Ben, that she too had taken a murder rap for someone she loved. Ashley asked him to accompany her to Madison on business.

Ben showed up in Ashley's office drunk after seeing Billy and Victoria snuggling with their baby. Ashley threw him in the shower to sober him up, and he pulled her in too. They had sex, and Stitch spent the night. The next day, they agreed to tell no one after Ben found out that he still had a chance with Victoria.

Victor invited Ashley to lunch and tried to get her to take a deal to leave Jabot and work for him at Newman-Chancellor. But Ashley declined and left early, arriving back at the lab in time to see her lab assistant Tobias taking photos of their secret work. She guessed that he was working for Victor, and decided to let him continue to feed him bogus information. Ashley runs into Joe Clark at the athletic club. After referring to them having a good thing going back in New York City, they made plans to spend New Year's Eve together. In May 2017, Ashley's mother Dina came for a "permanent" visit. In October 2017, Dina exposed that John Abbott wasn't Ashley's father. Ashley leaves Genoa City in October 2018, following a series of events that leave her feeling alienated from both the Abbott family and Jabot, following the discovery that John and Dina left legal documents leaving all of Ashley's product patents to her; she confesses she's leaving for Paris to launch her own company with said-patents.

Reception
Jamey Giddens of Zap2it described Davidson as "one of Genoa City's most beloved heroines". Upon learning of Davidson's return to the role in 1999, Candace Havens of the McCook Daily Gazette declared that it was her who made Ashley "one of the most popular characters on soaps". In October 1999, when all of the Abbott siblings and their father John were together again, the Orlando Sentinel wrote: "In the meantime, having the entire Abbott clan together [...] is like a joyous family reunion for longtime viewers". John Goudas of The Gadsden Times was favorable of Epperson's performance two years into her duration, stating that she "is holding her own", though he noted her to be "Eileen's double". He stated that the front-burner status of Ashley and Brad's romantic storyline demonstrated that producer William J. Bell "has full confidence in [Epperson]".

The character has had a rivalry with Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott) for many years; a poll run in 2008 by website Daytime Confidential asking, "Who would win a cat fight, Nikki Newman or Ashley Abbott?", saw 63% of voters say Nikki would win, with 37% saying Ashley would win. Giddens was favorable of Ashley running Jabot Cosmetics in 2008, writing: "Okay this has to stop. My heart simply can't take it. It's like the effects of yo-yo dieting. Everytime I sincerely think I am done with this genre, something like The Young and the Restless heiress Ashley Abbott (Eileen Davidson) announcing that she, not Lil' Billy (Billy Miller), not Cruella de Bardwell (Judith Chapman) or Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford) and no, not even Smilin' Jack (Peter Bergman) will be running Jabot Cosmetics, happens." In 2009, Jillian Bowe (also of Zap2it) wondered if Ashley was "insane in the membrane" due to her hearing a crying child around the Newman ranch, writing: "Is "The Beauty" starting to crack up? Certainly looks that when some freaky things take place on The Young and the Restless."

In 2010, Tommy Garrett of Canyon News praised a scene in which Ashley discovers a sex tape made by her spoiled daughter, Abby, that was posted online. Garrett wrote: "Davidson's performance is spot on as the mother Ashley who is fed up. The tears of despair and exhaustion came streaming down Davidson's beautiful face in character, while her spit-fire daughter didn't give a damn." Giddens later wrote that he thought it was "ridiculous" and "outlandish" to make Ashley pregnant with Victor's child in 2009. Also in 2010, Neeketa Borden of Zap2it created a list of "curiously quirky couplings", with Ashley and Tucker listed as an "honorable mention". In a separate review, Garrett credited Davidson as one of the "powerful performers who daytime TV could not exist without having". When the truth was going to come out that Faith Newman wasn't Ashley's child, Giddens wrote: "Lord, I hope this doesn't make my Ashley Abbott go cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs again!" Mike Jubinville of Zap2it wrote that the character's relationship with Neil Winters (Kristoff St. John) had been a "slow burn, one going on for weeks, but one that is hard to miss. It has the ingredients of a hot romance." Upon Davidson's firing in 2012, Giddens wrote: "I am sincerely hoping the brass at Y&R can't possibly be this stupid, but if they are, Gary Tomlin better blow up Davidson's phone STAT about a Days of Our Lives return!"

References

External links
Ashley Abbott character profile on SoapCentral

The Young and the Restless characters
The Bold and the Beautiful characters
Television characters introduced in 1982
Fictional business executives
Fictional female businesspeople
Fictional socialites
Fictional characters with cancer
Fictional characters with neurological or psychological disorders
Female characters in television
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.

Casting and conception
The role was originated briefly by Sean Garrison in 1980, then by Brett Halsey in 1980 for a year. Then, Jerry Douglas took over the role in March 1982. When John died in 2006, Douglas was only out of work for a few months. Maria Arena Bell, the head writer for the series, brought him back as a recurring guest star on September 1, 2006. Since John's death, Douglas has portrayed the role of John Abbott's spirit, and he appears to his children and friends in times of great need. In 2008, Douglas portrayed the role of Alistair Wallingford on the series for three months.

Following Alistair's departure, Douglas still returns on occasion as Jack's inner conscience. He has also appeared to Ashley on occasion.

Storylines

1980–1999
In 1980, John Abbott was introduced as the founder of Genoa City conglomerate, Jabot Cosmetics. He went to high school with his first wife, Dina Mergeron, as well as other prominent Genoa City residents: Stuart Brooks, Neil Fenmore, Katherine Shepherd, Joanna Manning, Gary Reynolds, and Suzanne Lynch, who Ashley's middle name came from. In 1972, Dina left John to raise their three children: Jack, Ashley, and Traci, with their maid, Mamie Johnson, helping. Ashley discovered in 1982 that Dina had been unfaithful and that Brent Davis was her biological father. Jack graduated from Harvard University and, along with Ashley, who graduated from Colorado State University, prepared to one day take over their family company. Traci graduated from Stanford University and became a best-selling novelist.

John continued to run Jabot, but he often butted heads with Jack over business deals. By the early 1980s, John began dating the much younger Jill Foster, but Jack tried to convince his father to stay away from her given her past marriages to Phillip Chancellor II and Stuart Brooks. Yet, Jack ended up having an affair with Jill, and when John found them she immediately wanted to end their relationship. Even Jack decided to stay away from Jill, who in turn launched a sexual harassment lawsuit where she was awarded $10,000. By 1982, John and Jill finally reunite and marry despite Jack and Katherine's pleas against it.

Mamie Johnson also tried to keep an eye on Jill, who quickly began another affair with Jack despite his romances with Diane Jenkins and his marriage to Patty Williams. Eventually, Katherine obtained pictures of Jill with Jack. Upon seeing the photos, John had a stroke. In 1986, John and Jill divorced, and John fired Jack and threw him out of his house. Jill received 25% of Jabot Cosmetics, a seat on the board of directors, and a cushy executive position with Jabot at $150,000 a year. With this huge settlement, John and Jack hoped that Jill would stay quiet in order to protect Jabot's image.

John replaced Jack at the company with Traci's new husband Brad Carlton (Don Diamont), formerly an Abbott gardener. After his divorce from Jill, he began seeing Joanna Manning (Susan Seaforth Hayes), a high school friend and Lauren Fenmore's (Tracey E. Bregman) mother. He soon moved on to the director of the local soup kitchen, Ellen Winters. John put his love life on hold when Ashley disappeared. He found her in a mental institution in New York, and she had amnesia. Thankfully, she quickly recovered, and John brought her back home to Genoa City. Then, Brad quit his job, and John was forced to hire Jack again. John became involved with Jessica Blair Grainger. Jessica was Christine Blair's (Lauralee Bell) mother, who had recently returned to town. Jessica was diagnosed with AIDS, but she kept her illness a secret from everyone, including John. She tried to move back to Kansas City, Missouri, but she collapsed during her travels. Christine discovered her illness, and she told John. Undeterred, the couple still married in 1988 until Christine's father, Jim Grainger, came to town. John nobly ended the marriage in 1989, and Jessica, Jim, and Christine reunited as a family. Jessica died later that year with her loved ones, including John, at her bedside.

Then, Jack decided to take Jabot public, and Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) took over the company. John's shock over this news caused him to have another heart attack. Jack tried to bring Jabot back by ending his romance with Victor's ex-wife Nikki Newman and in turn, Victor would let the Abbotts regain control of Jabot. However, Victor had tricked Jack and he remained in control of Jabot. Out of spite, Jack married Nikki. Victor had also managed a short time afterwards to have a romance with John's ex-wife Jill.

Then, Jill and John reunited when she was rejected by Victor Newman. They remarried in 1993, and Jill wanted to have a baby. Still, John complained that he was too old to be a father. She managed to get pregnant before John had a secret vasectomy. John wanted Jill to have an abortion, but she refused. Thus, William Foster Abbott was born in 1993. John thought that Victor might be Billy's father, but when he found out that Billy was his biological son, he grew to love him. Then, Jill had an affair with Jed Sanders due to John's impotence. As Jill and John separated, John's first wife, Dina, returned to Genoa City and John began romancing her again. John eventually proposed and filed a divorce from Jill. Stress from the divorce and the custody battle over Billy gave John a stroke, but he quickly recovered. Dina left Genoa City again much to John, Jack, Ashley, and Traci's surprise. John eventually won custody of Billy and moved to New York where Billy attended boarding school. Jack and Ashley ran Jabot while their father was raising Billy. John returned to Genoa City with a 16-year-old Billy in 1999. He returned to help Jack and Ashley fight to maintain control of Jabot.

1999–2006
While in town, John began dating his old friend, Gina Roma (Patty Weaver), and he occasionally sang with her at her restaurant, Gina's. Billy graduated high school, and he went to Louisiana for volunteer work. Meanwhile, Traci's daughter, Colleen Carlton (then played by Lyndsy Fonseca), was placed into John's guardianship when she was expelled from school for smoking marijuana in 2001. Colleen began dating J.T. Hellstrom (Thad Luckinbill), but John forbade his granddaughter from seeing J.T., who was much older than she was. Colleen soon began living with her father, Brad Carlton. In 2003, Ashley and Brad were married and expecting a child, but Ashley got into a horrific car accident, and their son, Robert, did not survive. Meanwhile, Gina's restaurant, Gina's, caught on fire, and John watched out for her until she found new employment. Then, John and Ashley scolded Jack for the troubles he brought upon the company. Victor ended up paying Jabot $75 million for his commercial bribery scandal, and Jack was forced to resign.

In 2004, John was lovestruck by the much younger Gloria Fisher (Judith Chapman). He was unaware that her sons were Michael Baldwin (Christian LeBlanc) and Kevin Fisher (Greg Rikaart). Kevin had almost murdered Colleen, and he set Gina's on fire. John and Gloria went on a cruise, and they came back as Mr. and Mrs. John Abbott. Ashley and Jack were shocked by their father's latest romance; Jack accepted Gloria if his father was happy, but Ashley refused to accept her new stepmother. Then, John found out about Gloria's sons, and he vowed to divorce her for deceiving him. Suddenly, he fell down a flight of stairs, and he was forced to have hip replacement surgery. Gloria nursed him back to health, and he forgave her for her deceit. Ashley became the CEO of Jabot, but John fired her when she began working with her on-and-off lover, Victor Newman. John came out of retirement, and he resumed his position as CEO of Jabot until he could find a proper replacement. He settled on making Jill Abbott the new CEO.

In 2004, Ashley was pursued by a mysterious man, Tom Callahan (Roscoe Born). In reality, Tom was Gloria's estranged husband, Tom Fisher, who she never officially divorced. Tom was Kevin's biological father; he was known as "Terrible Tom" because he abused Kevin as a child. Tom eventually cornered Gloria, hoping she would give him money now that she was married to a wealthy Abbott. She tricked John into giving her large sums of money that he thought was being used for Michael's wedding. Michael wanted to tell John the truth, but Tom confessed to him first. In the end, Gloria went along with Tom's lie in order to stay in John's good graces. She continued taking money from John because Tom was blackmailing her. Gloria told John that Tom was dead, but their divorce was never finalized. John forgave Gloria for lying to him, and they "officially" remarried in 2005. Tom wreaked havoc on Michael and Lauren Fenmore's wedding day, and he took Lauren hostage. Gloria was going to meet Tom in order to free Lauren, but John overheard her phone call. He met Tom in an alley, and during their struggle, his gun went off, and Tom was killed. John drove away, and he got into a car accident. At first, he had no recollection of his night, and Ashley confessed to killing Tom. When he remembered, John confessed to killing Tom, and the charges against Ashley were dropped. John was sentenced to seven years in prison for the murder. While John was in prison, Gloria and her sons schemed against the Abbotts. They landed themselves jobs at Jabot, and they sabotaged Ashley and Jack's business plans.

Then, John began fighting with his inmates, and he believed that his first wife, Dina, had just left him. A doctor examined him, and Jack, Ashley and Gloria found out that John was being over-medicated. Jack wanted to trick his father into changing his will to remove Gloria. He made John believe that he was cutting Dina out of the will. Six months after his incarceration, John was due to be pardoned by the Governor. Before his release, he had a stroke, and he was left in a vegetative state. John signed a DNR, and Gloria and her stepchildren agreed that they wanted to abide by John's wishes. John's family and friends came to the hospital to say good-bye, and John died in 2006. Jack and Ashley overruled Gloria's wish to have a lavish funeral. Instead, they told her the wrong time for the ceremony, and they held a small family-only memorial for John. Then, Kevin discovered that his mother was tricked, and he held another service for John with his mother. After his death, the Abbotts were appalled to discover that Gloria was left 50% of John's billion-dollar estate. The remaining 50% was to be divided among John's four children. While Gloria was expecting a big payout, she was stunned when a prison chaplain arrived in court, and he handed the judge a handwritten note by John that wrote Gloria out of his will. In addition, news broke that Gloria's marriage to John was invalid because she never officially divorced Tom. Gloria returned "home" to the Abbott Mansion to find her belongings in trash bags outside while Jack looked on smugly from behind the door. In 2007, the judge made it official that Gloria was not included in John's final will.

Afterlife appearances
John has occasionally appeared as a viewable representation of Jack's conscience. He has often berated Jack for his shabby treatment of Gloria and his unethical behavior, but always reminds him of how much he loves him. While John's spirit has occasionally manifested in ways that could indicate a supernatural origin, he has never known about Gloria's various misdeeds until Jack found out about them. Thus, the "spirit" is nothing more than a figment of Jack's imagination, appearing as his conscience, rather than a supernatural presence. Ashley, Billy and Katherine Chancellor have had similar visits from John's "spirit."

On December 24, 2013, Jack looks at photos of Phyllis, who is now in a coma. John appears. He tells Jack he needs to be with someone who can take care of him - Phyllis wouldn't want to see him home alone talking to a ghost. Jack tells him he's right, but first he has to do something. He calls Phyllis to chat to her. This is the last appearance of John until the episode aired on March 24, 2015.

John appeared to Ashley in December 2015, when she passed out due to her brain aneurysms. John appeared to Jack in September and October 2016, to tell Jack to forgive Billy and Phyllis for their affair.

References

External links
John Abbott character profile on SoapCentral

The Young and the Restless characters
Fictional murderers
Television characters introduced in 1980
Fictional business executives
Fictional businesspeople
American male characters in television 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 (Christian LeBlanc) and Kevin Fisher (Greg Rikaart). 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.

Casting 
In March 2004, it was reported that former Knots Landing star Joan Van Ark would join The Young and the Restless as Gloria Fisher, mother of Michael Baldwin and Kevin Fisher. CBS reportedly wanted a "big name" star to tackle the role of Gloria. Van Ark debuted on April 6, 2004. By December, news broke that Van Ark had decided to leave The Young and the Restless because she was unaccustomed to the rigors of daytime television, including the long work days and the fast turnaround on scripts and production. Within weeks, the role was recast with Judith Chapman; Van Ark was last seen on January 7, 2005, and Chapman assumed the role on January 17, 2005. In March 2011, it was announced that Chapman had been taken off her contract and bumped to a recurring status.

In October 2014, it was announced that Chapman would appear as Gloria on the soap opera's sister series, The Bold and the Beautiful, with her scenes airing the following month. In September 2015, Chapman stated on her Facebook page that she had "no idea" whether or not she would ever be asked back to The Young and the Restless, writing that she personally believed she would never return. In November 2016, however, upon the installation of Sally Sussman as co-executive producer and head writer, Chapman was announced to be returning to The Young and the Restless the following month for an unspecified amount of time. Upon her return, the actress stated: "This is all such a nice surprise. I had truly made peace with the idea that I would never be called back to the show." She last appeared on October 1, 2018. In September 2020, it was announced Chapman would again reprise the role; she returned October 20.

Development 
Gloria is known for her larger-than-life personality. According to Chapman, "She makes gallons of lemonade when the world gives her lemons!" Chapman also admires Gloria's resilience: "Somehow she just keeps finding the bright things. She gets very depressed of course, but the universe keeps throwing her a bone. I love that about her; that she's willing to pick herself up by the boot straps. Even though her intentions and her judgments are often times misguided. Gloria is not a malicious person, but she will certainly take every opportunity to improve her lot in life!"

On October 21, 2014, Michael Logan from TV Guide reported that Chapman would cross over to The Young and the Restless''' sister soap The Bold and the Beautiful on November 20. Gloria will attend a Forrester fashion show, where she makes "a beeline" for Eric Forrester (John McCook), whom she previously met at Victor (Eric Braeden) and Nikki Newman's (Melody Thomas Scott) wedding in 2013. A show spokesperson commented, "expect some business talk and a little flirting."

Storylines

Backstory
In the 1960s, Gloria Simmons was a naive 16-year-old girl living in Detroit, Michigan. She met the charming River Baldwin (Michael Gross) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and he dropped out of college to live in a hippie commune with Gloria. Then, Gloria got pregnant, and she gave birth to their son, Michael Baldwin (now played by Christian LeBlanc). River and Gloria became Vietnam War protesters, and River was accused of a bomb conspiracy that killed a janitor. In reality, River tried to stop the bomb threat, but he was forced to flee to Canada in order to protect Gloria and Michael. Thus, Gloria was left alone to raise her son for 10 years.

In the 1970s, Gloria still lived in Detroit with Michael, and she worked as a waitress at a diner. There, she met Tom Fisher. Gloria and Tom got married, and their son, Kevin Fisher, was born. Terrible Tom, as he soon became known, was an alcoholic who often took out his anger on the boys. When Michael was a teenager, he left home to escape Tom's wrath. Gloria was too afraid to stop her husband, and Kevin was often beaten and locked in closets by his father. When Kevin was old enough, he ran away from Tom, and he moved in with Michael. Both brothers ended up in Genoa City; Michael became a prominent lawyer, but both boys got into their fair share of troubles. Eventually, Kevin fled Genoa City, and he found Gloria in Detroit, living in the same apartment as before. Kevin's criminal activity followed him there, and Gloria accompanied him back to Genoa City when he was found with her. Reluctantly, Michael agreed to let Kevin and Gloria live with him.

2004–2018
Gloria arrived in Genoa City in April 2004. Soon Gloria enchanted the much older owner of Jabot Cosmetics, John Abbott, Sr. Gloria and John went on a cruise together, and they returned as a married couple. John's children, Ashley and Jack Abbott, disapproved of their new stepmother. The following year, Tom arrived in Genoa City. While investigating, Michael found out that Gloria never officially divorced Tom as Gloria believed he had died, invalidating her marriage to John. Tom blackmailed Gloria into stealing money from John, while she led him to believe that she was using the money for Michael's wedding to Lauren Fenmore. Tom and Gloria legally ended their marriage and she and John remarried in an official ceremony. Gloria went along with Tom's lie in order to prevent herself from being outed by him to John. Tom teamed up with an old accomplice, Sheila Carter, to take down Michael and Lauren on their wedding day. Eventually, John gunned down Tom in an alley after Tom and Sheila took Lauren hostage. During a struggle, Tom was killed and John later got into a car accident, where he lost his memory.

Though Ashley falsely confessed, John soon remembered what he had done and after confessing, was sentenced to seven years in prison for killing Tom. While John was incarcerated, Gloria, hoping to endear herself to her stepchildren, obtained a sample of "GloAgain," Jabot's latest skincare product, from Ashley. She tainted it, planning on catching the "mishap" just in time, before the product went out to the market, hoping she'd look like the hero. Unbeknownst to Gloria, however, Jack sent the samples of product out early to select Jabot customers, and a woman died from using the tainted skin cream. Katherine Chancellor, who was running Jabot in John's absence, blamed Jack for the tragedy, firing him from the company. Gloria became friends with Katherine and John's ex-wife, Jill Abbott. She moved Kevin into the Abbott Mansion, and both she and Kevin got jobs at Jabot. While John was in prison, Jack, Ashley, and Gloria found out that he was being over-medicated. While his father was not in his right mind, Jack convinced him to write a letter that wrote Gloria out of his will. Six months after his incarceration, John was due to be pardoned by the governor. Before he was released, he suffered a massive stroke, and he was left in a vegetative state. Before his health decline, John signed a DNR, and he died with his family and friends surrounding him in 2006.

Jack, still resentful over the circumstances that led to his father's incarceration, intentionally lied to Gloria about the time of the service, causing her to miss John's funeral. When Gloria, Michael, Kevin, and Lauren arrived and discovered that they'd missed the funeral, they held their own memorial, where Gloria eulogized John. Jack and Ashley were stunned to discover that Gloria received 50% of their father's fortune through his will. A prison chaplain came forward, and he gave a judge John's handwritten letter that wrote Gloria out of the will. Appalled, Gloria did not receive any of John's fortune through his final modification and she discovered that her divorce from Tom was never finalized, yet again invalidating their second marriage. Jack kicked Gloria and Kevin out of the Abbott Mansion and they were forced to move in with Michael and Lauren. Still, Gloria wasted no time moving on. She romanced district attorney William Bardwell, who recently inherited a fortune from his uncle's death. William was also recently widowed and he and Gloria met at a grief counseling session. Jill Abbott also pursued William, but Gloria schemed in order to win his heart. She then discovered that William was investigating the Jabot skin cream scandal and she quickly married him to throw him off in 2007. William soon admitted that he didn't receive his inheritance yet due to legality issues. When William discovered that Gloria tainted the skin cream, he loved her too much to turn her in. The stress of his decision affected his health. Suddenly, he had a stroke and Gloria went to turn herself in. William stopped her from throwing her life away but his condition worsened and he later died in 2007. After his death, Gloria received a letter that William's inheritance was finalized and she received $50 million. The truth about John's "modification" to his own will was revealed, and the judge's previous decision was overruled. Gloria received half of John's billion dollar fortune and she quickly went from rags to riches in no time at all. She threw an extravagant memorial service for William at the Genoa City Athletic Club, and William's twin brother, Jeffrey Bardwell (also played by Ted Shackelford), arrived for the service.

Jeffrey came to Genoa City, intent on getting his brother's money. When he discovered Gloria's secret about the skin cream scandal, he blackmailed her into marrying him. Gloria and Jeffrey moved back into the Abbott Mansion, but Jack and his then-wife, Sharon Abbott (Sharon Case), were also living there. The two couples shared the mansion but both intended on keeping it for themselves. With Jeffrey's help, Jack hired Alistair Wallingford (Jerry Douglas) to haunt Gloria due to his uncanny resemblance to John Abbott. In the end, Jack felt guilty and he and Sharon moved out of the mansion. Gloria felt guilty and she gave the mansion back to Jack. Gloria and Jeffrey moved into the Abbott pool house. While there, they admitted their feelings for each other and they made love. Suddenly, Jeffrey filed for divorce, including half of Gloria's net worth, because they couldn't agree on her finances. Meanwhile, Gloria decided to donate half of her net worth to the Marksalogria Charitable Foundation. "Marksalogria" was an anagram for "Gloria's Karma." When she and Jeffrey were divorced in 2008, he received the other half of her fortune. Gloria was then left without a penny to her name. Gloria tried to find a stable job, but when Jeffrey saw how his ex-wife was living, he reconciled with her. Jeffrey also felt guilty about stealing Gloria's diamonds before their divorce.

Jill Abbott wanted Jeffrey, but when he chose Gloria, she made Gloria her slave at Jabot, where Gloria was a receptionist. Jeffrey and Gloria eloped in Las Vegas, Nevada with Little Richard officiating the ceremony in 2008. Upon their return, Jill fired Gloria from Jabot. Kevin and his fiancée, Jana Hawkes (Emily O'Brien), decided to get married at an ashram in Malibu, California. In a turn of events, the guru who officiated the ceremony was Michael's father, Lowell Baldwin. While living on the run, Lowell changed his name to River Baldwin. Michael investigated his father in the past and he knew that he was a wanted criminal. Still, he and Gloria vowed not to turn him in. When River came to Genoa City to apologize, Gloria and Michael forgave him but Jeffrey turned him in to the FBI out of jealousy. Michael worked to clear his father's name but Gloria's damage from the past was coming back to haunt her. She pretended to be someone else and she called Lowell the "ringleader" of their activist group. When Michael found out that Gloria incriminated Lowell, she confessed and she apologized to Lowell, stating that she was only trying to protect baby Michael. Gloria testified for Lowell, against Jeffrey's wishes. Lowell was then released from prison, which infuriated Jeffrey.

Shortly after, Gloria and Jeffrey wanted to take over Jabot. She conned Katherine Chancellor into giving her shares of Jabot stock in her will. Gloria and Jeffrey set up a company called Agreeing Lovers, to buy more shares. Agreeing Lovers was an anagram for "Gloria's Revenge." The four Abbott children united with Gloria and when Katherine Chancellor suddenly died, Gloria and the Abbotts once again had controlling interest in Jabot. Jeffrey was still angry that Gloria testified for River and he burned himself with the tainted skin cream in order to incriminate Gloria. She was sent to jail and she met Marge Cotrooke, Katherine's doppelganger. Marge was really Katherine and she tried to convince Gloria about her true identity had actually died. Katherine was in jail and everyone thought that she was Marge. Kevin discovered the truth and soon everyone found out that Katherine was really alive. Everyone began to focus on Gloria's shares of Jabot. Jeffrey visited Gloria in jail to tell her that he wanted a divorce. In the end, Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) bought Gloria's shares and he transferred her payment into an offshore account. Michael cleared Gloria's name when he proved that the woman who supposedly died from the skin cream had a previous medical condition. Gloria was released from jail and she found Jeffrey in bed with Jill. She signed off on their divorce papers and she never wanted to see him again. To make matters worse, River left town when Michael discovered that he stole millions of dollars from a bank located near the bombing in the 1960s, and Kevin was admitted to a mental institution.

Still, Gloria was not off the hook. She was sued in a civil suit against Jabot for the financial damage of her skin cream tainting. Jabot received a large sum of money in the settlement and Jeffrey revealed that he only divorced Gloria to protect her assets. Katherine and Jill joined forces with Gloria and Jeffrey against Victor Newman. When Gloria and Jill discovered that the bank holding the money from the sale of the Jabot stock had gone under, they rushed to the bank to get their money. Victor sped up the demolition process, and Gloria, Jill, and Jeffrey were trapped inside. Fortunately, Jack rescued them in time, but Gloria and Jeffrey came home without a penny to their name. They moved out of the Genoa City Athletic Club into Phyllis Newman's (Michelle Stafford) penthouse apartment suite. Gloria and Jeffrey wanted Victor to pay them back for stealing their money and they exploited Colleen Carlton (Tammin Sursok) as part of Victor's dirty work. Gloria and Jeffrey used Patty Williams (Stacy Haiduk) to further sabotage Victor. They took Patty hostage in order to receive a ransom payment from Victor and Jack Abbott. In the end, Gloria and Jeffrey opened two suitcases that they believed had millions of dollars inside, but instead, blue dye exploded in their faces. Intent on giving up her life of trickery, Deacon Sharpe (Sean Kanan) offered Gloria $5 million if she retrieved an original Terroni painting for him. He used Gloria because "Terrible Tom" stole the original painting and it was in his safety deposit box. In the end, Daniel Romalotti (Michael Graziadei) returned the painting to the museum.

Gloria's luck finally turned around when Billy Abbott (Billy Miller) exposed Victor Newman in his magazine, Restless Style, regarding the death of his niece, Colleen Carlton. The SEC discovered Victor's involvement in the destruction of the bank that held Gloria's money. She and Jeffrey were then repaid the money that they made from the sale of their Jabot stocks and the Bardwells were rolling in the dough once again. Gloria then teamed up with Jack to maintain control of Jabot but Victor Newman bought the company from them. He hired Gloria as Jabot Ambassadress to spite Jack. Phyllis kicked Gloria and Jeffrey out of her penthouse apartment and Neil Winters (Kristoff St. John) decided to sell his nightclub Indigo to Jeffrey. He gave the club to Gloria as an anniversary gift, even though they were still divorced. Gloria renamed the club Gloworm,'' and she held its grand opening in 2010 with Jeffrey as her date. Soon after, Gloria found out that Jeffrey was laundering money out of Gloworm to run his own gambling operation. Gloria forced Jeffrey to work to pay back Gloworm, but she forgave him. She bought him the title of Count for Valentine's Day in 2010.

Gloria became upset when Kevin's ex-wife, Jana, began stalking her son. She teamed up with Kevin's friend, Chloe Mitchell (Elizabeth Hendrickson), and they broke into Jana's apartment. They were arrested for trespassing, but the charges were soon dropped. In addition, Gloria became a real estate agent and she sold her first house to her former stepson, Billy Abbott, and his new wife, Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle). Still, Jeffrey was stressed because he had no way to pay back the people involved in his gambling business. Eventually, mobster Angelo Veneziano (Mike Starr) began to threaten Jeffrey. Soon after, Jeffrey scrounged up enough money to pay the mob by draining Gloworm's bank account. He left Gloria for Las Vegas, Nevada in 2011. With no money to run her beloved club, Gloria began to romance Angelo to keep her business afloat. He gave Gloria money in exchange for becoming a business partner for Gloworm. Angelo's daughter, Angelina Veneziano (Diana DeGarmo), began to pursue Kevin, but he was engaged to Chloe Mitchell. In 2012, Kevin left Chloe at the altar when he was tricked by Angelina. While "on the run," Angelo hired one of his henchmen to kill Kevin, and Gloria believed that he was leading the search to find him. Kevin and Angelina returned to Genoa City as a married couple, and at the same time, Jeffrey returned from "Las Vegas." He had amnesia and he could not remember who Gloria was. Gloria was furious with Jeffrey for stealing all of her money and she ran into Angelo's arms, having no idea that he almost murdered Kevin. However, Jeffrey later regains his memory but is later bound and gagged in an alley outside of Gloworm no thanks to Angelo, who intends to run off and marry Gloria. With some help from Jill, Jeffrey is freed and goes on to crash Angelo and Gloria's wedding, explaining to her that not only did Angelo kidnap him but that he was the one who stole her money. Jeffrey and Gloria married; however, during the wedding, Chelsea Lawson stormed into the room and announced Jeffrey as her father. Jeffrey denied it as Anita snuck out.

On December 21, 2016, after over a year offscreen, Gloria returned to celebrate Christmas with her family. It didn't take long for Gloria to lash out at Chloe for dating her son Kevin again. She also offended Esther Valentine (Kate Linder) as she tried to defend her daughter. Michael and Kevin try to keep her in check. Gloria reveals that she has once again left Jeffrey and never wants to hear his name again. It is revealed that Jeffrey spent all of Gloria's money and she is now broke. As a result of this, Gloria asks Lauren for a job at Fenmores, which is struggling. After Lauren refuses, Gloria betrays her by telling Jack that she'll help him gain control of Fenmores, with the stipulation that she gains a "small role" in running the company. She then tricks multiple investors into not investing in Fenmores so that Jack will be Lauren's only option. Jack ends up acquiring 49% of Fenmores. Gloria then goes to Jack to cash in the job promise, but is turned away and told she cannot and will not be offered a position. Gloria and Jack later end up drinking together, eventually sleeping together. Gloria attempts to disguise this incident as sexual assault on gossip show GC Buzz and tries using it to blackmail Jack into giving her some sort of compensation. Jack ends up giving Gloria a job as his executive assistant, which Gloria accepts reluctantly, as she had hoped for a more important job title. Jack and Gloria soon become friends with benefits but Jack calls it off after it begins to interfere with their working relationship and his personal life. Jack and Gloria still remain friends and often get involved in each other's personal business. Gloria continues to work as Jabots executive assistant when former son in-law Billy Abbott becomes CEO. However Gloria is replaced by newcomer Ted when Ashley Abbott takes over in mid October.

External links
Gloria Bardwell at Soap Central

References

The Young and the Restless characters
Fictional con artists
Television characters introduced in 2004
Female characters in television