Keeping fans spellbound in a serialized saga of intrigue for 50 years, The Young and the Restless has effortlessly united Gen X, Gen Y, and Gen Z together on a rollercoaster ride of scandalous affairs, corporate power moves, and family dynamics that make our family get-togethers seem like a park picnic.
Whether it’s the four-decade feud between Jill Abbott and Katherine Chancellor, which is immortalized as the longest rivalry on any American soap opera; the return of the presumed dead Adam Newman, Ashley Abbott’s paternity reveal, or the murder of Diane Jenkins, the show has always been full of unfolding drama and ever-evolving plotlines.
Still going strong in its 51st season, The Young and the Restless has again pulled a delightful twist on its viewers, testifying to the depth and longevity of storytelling in the show. Taking viewers down memory lane straight to the 1990s, the Nov. 21 episode of the show brought back a character nobody’s seen in almost 25 years: the son of Eve Howard — Cole Howard.
Who is Cole Howard in ‘The Young and the Restless’? His complete story, explained
Cole Howard is the son of Eve Howard, the one-night mistress and aide of Victor Newman, who was once thought to be Cole’s father. Victor arranged for Eve to leave town after her attempts to court him, as he only had sex with her as payback for his wife Julia’s increasing intimacy with Brock Reynolds. As a result of the deal, Eve had to leave town and work with one of his other companies, while Victor agreed to accept and financially support Cole as his son.
However, Eve kept it a secret from Cole that he was born out of her affair with Victor. After growing up, Cole and Victor’s daughter Victoria fell in love and Cole wrote to her mother Eve about it. Eve, furious and scared that her son was about to unknowingly marry his half-sister, hurried to Genoa City with the intention of putting an end to their nuptials. But she had a severe stroke that put her in a coma before she could tell her son the truth.
After Cole and Victoria secretly wed in Las Vegas, they returned to an appalled Victor and Nikki regarding their incest. Cole and Victoria were forced to dissolve their marriage after Victor revealed to Cole right away that he was his father. But when he had a paternity test done, it was discovered that Rick Daros was Cole’s biological father and not him.
Cole and Victoria remarried, content that they were not related, and their union lasted for the following three years. But when Victoria was out of town, Cole started to feel attracted to Ashley Abbott, eventually leading to the divorce between him and Victoria after Cole was caught kissing Ashley. Single again, Cole married Ashley but divorced her after she pressured him to have a child with her. Cole’s storyline ended after he accepted a teaching position at Oxford and moved to England.
Who portrays Cole Howard in ‘The Young and the Restless’?
N.P. Schoch originally portrayed the role of Cole Howard in 1980. During this time, he was seen as a child in the show on a recurring basis as Victor provided a trust fund in his name. The part was quickly abandoned in 1981, but it was later revived and played by J. Eddie Peck from April 2, 1993, to Nov. 16, 1999.
Now 65 years old, J. Eddie Peck is most known for his work on daytime and prime-time soap operas. He portrayed Cole Howard when he was 35 years old, and then went on to star in the role of Jake Martin on All My Children, from 2000 to 2003. His other soap credits include Days of Our Lives (1991–1992), Dynasty (1988–1989), and Dallas (1989). Peck has also appeared in films like Dangerously Close, Lambada, To Grandmother’s House We Go, and Blind Heat, and was one of the hosts of the Miss USA 1998 pageant.
Peck has now returned to portray Cole in The Young and the Restless, making a dramatic entrance at the lake house where Aunt Jordan and Claire have Nikki captive. This development suggests that the next episodes will have important storyline twists and disclosures. There is a lot of conjecture around Claire’s potential identity as Cole and Victoria’s purportedly died premature child, baby Eve.
Given the show’s history of bringing back dead characters, the possibility cannot be ruled out!