The Young and the Restless has certainly been taking viewers down memory lane this year with a host of surprise returns. Not only is Mamie Johnson (Veronica Redd) back in action, stirring the pot with Jill (Jess Walton) and Chancellor-Winters, but Danny (Michael Damian), Nina (Tricia Cast), Heather (Vail Bloom) and Cameron Kirsten (Linden Ashby) have all blown back into town.
Following that trend, on the episode airing on November 21, J. Eddie Peck reprises his role as Cole Howard. This is a huge shocker for longtime fans of the show who haven’t seen him in almost 25 years.
Now for newer fans not quite sure who he is, or for those looking for a gentle reminder, we’ve got a brief rundown of the character’s bio and what his return to the soap could mean. Hint, we tend to think his return signals that Claire (Hayley Erin) may actually be Cole’s presumed dead daughter with Victoria (Amelia Heinle), but we’ll get to that in a bit.
Who is Cole Howard?
Cole was born to his mother Eve Howard (Margaret Mason) and father Rick Daros (Randy Holland). Originally, however, Eve informed Victor (Eric Braeden) that he was actually Cole’s father whom the two adults conceived as a result of their affair, and that became a closely held secret between Victor and Eve for years. It wouldn’t be until Victor had a paternity test conducted that the truth was revealed, proving Rick was Cole’s biological dad.
There was a stint when Eve and Cole left Genoa City, and when they returned, he was back as a young aspiring novelist who took a job at the Newman Ranch working as Nikki’s (Melody Thomas Scott) stable hand. During this time, Victor was presumed dead, but he was really in Kansas with Adam’s (Mark Grossman) mom, Hope (Signy Coleman).
Shortly after hiring Cole, Nikki helped him with his publishing aspirations and the two developed a close friendship. That would soon evolve into a relationship, which got complicated as Victoria fell for him.
Cole would go on to have connections with a few women in Genoa City, even marrying two of them before he ultimately left the soap in 1999.
Cole Howard’s relationships
Speaking of Cole and the women of Genoa City, when he and his mother Eve returned to Genoa City and he fell victim to SORAS (soap opera rapid aging syndrome), his first major romance was with Nikki Newman. Again, that relationship fizzled as his connection to Victoria grew.
At the time when Victoria and Cole started dating, it was still a closely held secret that Victor was allegedly Cole’s father. Understandably, Victor was horrified when he discovered that the two were not only romantically involved, but eloped. Victor would quickly have the marriage dissolved once he informed Victoria that she married her "half-brother." However, after doing a paternity test, Cole was proven not to be Victor’s child, and Cole and Victoria remarried.
Victoria then became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter named Eve, naming the couple’s child after Cole’s mother. Unfortunately, the baby presumably died days after being born due to an infection.
Although Cole had a brief flirtatious dynamic with Nina, he wouldn’t officially move on from Victoria until sparks flew between him and Ashley (Eileen Davidson). His connection with the Abbott heiress would eventually cause him to marry her, and the two would remain happy in spite of Victoria’s interference. Sadly, it was ultimately Ashley’s desire to have a child and his unwillingness to do so that tore the couple apart.
Why did Cole Howard leave Genoa City?
After a failed marriage to Ashley, Cole set his sights on following his ambition. He wound up leaving Genoa City behind to take a teaching position at Oxford in England.
Are Claire's biological parents Victoria and Cole?
This is the million-dollar question at the moment. We are under the suspicion that due to several references Claire has made about a family reunion, her obsession with Victoria and now Cole’s timely return, and to the house where Nikki is being held captive no less, all signs are pointing toward Claire possibly being Victoria and Cole’s presumed dead daughter Eve.
If this proves to be true, the Newman clan will forever be changed.
New episodes of The Young and the Restless air weekdays on CBS. Episodes become available to stream on Paramount Plus.
