Portia, Nina, Alexis, and Curtis talk separately but they are all talking about the same thing that they must find a way to stop Drew because they can’t let him hurt anybody else. Nina tells Portia that the only way that their troubles with Drew would end is if he wasn’t breathing anymore. Portia agrees with Nina.
Danny and Rocco find a body floating in the Port Charles harbor on Pier 55. Rocco calls Sonny because Danny tells him that Jason told him to call Sonny first since he is out of town. Sonny calls the police and Dante tells Anna that he recognizes the body as Judge Heron, the judge in Michael’s custody case. Sonny tells Anna and Dante that he never even went to court during Michael’s custody case and he would never involve Danny and Rocco in a murder case. Anna thinks the judge was strangled and Sonny tells Dsnte that he thinks Jens Siddwell might have killed the judge and thrown the body in pier 55 to set him up for murdering the judge. Sonny calls Michael to tell him the judge is dead.
Trina tells Kai about Drew blackmailing Portia because he has evidence Portia changed Hesther Webber’s test results to keep Heather in prison. Trina asks Kai if he knows where Drew might keep the hard copy of the evidence he has against Portia. Kai goes with Trina to Drew’s house and uses the key Drew gave him to get into the house. Kai tries to figure out the combination to the safe but he is unable to open it.
Drew comes home. Kai and Trina hide in the house since the house is dark because of the rain and thunder outside. Drew opens the safe to look at Lila’s ring which he intends to put on Willow’s finger again. Drew pours himself a drink and two shots are fired by someone as Drew falls to the floor as blood spurts from Drew’s back.
Billy and Sally have a romantic night where Billy asks Sally to move in with him and she says she will move in with him if Johnny and Katie say it is okay with them.
Kyle tells Jack that he intends to drive Audra out of town so she won’t continue to ruin his life. Kyle thinks that, if he gets Audra out of town, he can prove to Claire how much he loves her.
Claire gets drunk with Vespers and asks Holden to tell her what happened between he and Claire in Los Angeles. Holden tries to persuade Claire to let Karma handle Audra or let him do it. Claire tells Holden that she can take care of herself and doesn’t need anyone to take care of Audra for her.
Xander finishes a call at the Titan-DiMera office, demanding something gets done as Alex arrives. Alex apologizes for being late but mentions that he ran in to Sarah and they got to talking about Xander.
Sarah and Marlena sit together in the town square. Sarah brings up Marlena having so much going on and says she can’t imagine how hard Kristen’s arrest has to be for her, Brady, and Rachel. Marlena says she’s so relieved that Johnny was acquitted and calls Marlena confessing unexpected and so difficult for Rachel.
Johnny and Chanel sit together at home. Chanel talks about being so relieved that the truth is finally out and feeling like she can breathe. Johnny says he feels so bad for Rachel that her mom is going to prison. Chanel agrees that it’s sad. Chanel asks what Johnny plans to do with his new found freedom. Johnny wants to get things back to normal and says he’s actually looking forward to work tomorrow. Chanel says that’s tomorrow while today is about them as they kiss.
Gabi is at home, recording herself saying that she doesn’t need Steve’s help on a recorder pen. Javi walks in and questions who she is talking to. Gabi says just herself.
Belle and Philip go to the Kiriakis Mansion after riding horses. Belle talks about not realizing how much she needed that while Philip comments that he’s out of practice with a lot of things.
Chanel and Johnny decide to head to the bedroom but get interrupted by Susan Banks arriving at the door. Susan says she doesn’t want to interrupt Johnny’s freedom celebration but she is his Grandma as she hugs him. Chanel greets her, so Susan feels she really is interrupting them.
Xander is not sure he’s thrilled that Alex and Sarah were chatting about him. Alex says Sarah asked how he was doing, so he told her that he missed her. Xander questions why he said that. Alex says it’s the truth.
Sarah still can’t believe Kristen put Johnny and Rachel through that, questioning what kind of person lets their nephew and daughter suffer for something they did. Marlena says that in fairness, Kristen did confess so she ended up doing the right thing in the end. Sarah argues that was only after she exhausted all other options and that Kristen only thinks about herself. Sarah calls Kristen a homicidal maniac and feels she was doing the right thing when she kept Rachel from her initially. Marlena points out that she would’ve also been keeping Rachel from Brady and questions if she would’ve wanted that.
Belle asks what exactly Philip is out of practice with. Philip guesses life in general and talks about rebuilding when he lost his leg. Philip says most people would’ve taken lessons from rehab and applied them to life but he didn’t do that. Belle thinks he’s being too hard on himself since he was dealing with mental illness, pointing out how far he’s come. Philip feels not far enough as he still has a lot of emotional baggage to sort out which Belle questions. Philip states that he’s pathologically jealous of everyone and everything so it’s no wonder he could never handle being in a relationship. Belle asks what about he and Gabi.
Javi remarks that Gabi only talks to herself when things are about to hit the fan. He asks if things are about to blow up at work. Gabi says he could say that. Javi questions how many assistants she’s gone through since he quit. Gabi says it’s not her fault that no one lives up to the standards he set as her assistant. Gabi asks if Javi would consider coming back which Javi laughs off and declines. Gabi asks what if she told him that he could be very rich in a few months and asks if that would change his mind.
Philip tells Belle that what she saw between he and Gabi was far from a relationship and just two adults enjoying their company. Philip adds that even if he wanted to pursue something with Gabi, he couldn’t because he’s her boss so Xander and the board would never allow it. Belle argues that there are things HR can do to keep him safe. Philip responds that he doesn’t trust himself to be in a relationship right now and he would never want to hurt Gabi, just like he’d never want to hurt Belle again either.
Gabi assures Javi that he could be very rich in a few months and asks what he says. Javi questions how could he be very rich in a few months. Gabi says she can’t get in to specifics right now, but it’s likely that she will be in a more powerful position at work soon. Gabi pleads with Javi to just come back to Gabi Chic. Javi says he’ll pass as he likes the life he has now and doesn’t want to give that up. Gabi admits she admired him choosing his well being over money and she’s not sure she could ever be that noble. Javi says he just likes the life he’s built and he loves being a firefighter/paramedic and coming home to Leo every night while feeling good about what he does. Gabi remarks that she’s happy for him even if he’s building a life with someone she can’t stand.
Chanel and Johnny sit with Susan as Chanel mentions being so excited to get back to work without the worry of the trial. Susan talks about feeling the same but she doesn’t understand because she never got the vibe that Kristen was the one who shot EJ.
Sarah apologizes to Marlena for being thoughtless when Brady is like a son to Marlena and is an amazing father. Sarah admits she can’t help but think how much easier Rachel’s life would’ve been without Kristen in it. Marlena acknowledges that Kristen has done terrible things to her and hurt a lot of people, but she does have a maternal side and is a wonderful mother to Rachel. Sarah remarks that she never thought she’d see the day that Marlena is defending Kristen. Sarah asks if Kristen was a wonderful mother when she had Rachel take the stand during the trial, knowing she was the one who shot EJ. Sarah talks about seeing what it did to Rachel when she came to the hospital with stomachaches and it was like no one was putting her first. Marlena says she knows how much Sarah cares about Rachel and that she does too. Sarah apologizes for getting on her soapbox when she’s lucky to have Brady and Marlena. Marlena tells her not to apologize for caring and assures she will do anything she can to take care of Rachel. Sarah tells her to just say the word if there is anything she can do.
Xander tells Alex that he does miss Sarah but he doesn’t want her to know that. Alex guesses he doesn’t care what her response was then but Xander stops him to ask what she said. Alex tells him that Sarah said she still loves him and misses him. Alex declares he will stay out of it now, but he thinks they should get together and talk. Xander says now that Alex is finally in a stable relationship, he doesn’t have to go around to everyone else’s. Xander brings up Stephanie’s advice to permanently install Philip as co-CEO and admits he’s thinking about it. Alex encourages that doing so could save Titan and they would all be out of harm’s way, so it sounds like a double victory to him.
Javi tells Gabi that he’s not taking the bait about Leo and will change the subject instead. Javi says Gabi must be thrilled that Arianna is staying in town and going to Salem U. Gabi says he has no idea and is glad that Will and Sonny gave their blessing. Javi comments that it seems like everything is working out for her, then questions what’s wrong based on her response. Gabi explains that she feels like she’s gotten most of her life back since getting out of prison as she got her career and her daughter but one thing is still missing and that’s love.
Belle tells Philip that what happened between them was a long time ago and they are in a good place now. Philip says that means a lot to him as he likes that he has a friend he can be fully honest with without judgment. Belle remarks that relationships are more trouble than they are worth which is why she’s swearing off relationships now that she and EJ are through. Belle wonders why she even got involved with EJ, talking about knowing all the horrible things EJ did to her family but she still jumped in. Philip says he can relate. Belle adds that even after they broke up, EJ still suggested that she could’ve been the one that shot him. Philip questions that and says she could never do something like that. Belle admits part of her wonders if they’d all be better off now if she had the guts to off that son of a bitch.
Marlena encourages that Sarah has done so much for her family. Sarah says she’s always had her back too. Sarah just wishes she could feel better and that she could figure out a physical cause for Marlena’s symptoms. Marlena jokes about Susan’s last warning but admits her premonitions bother her. Marlena adds that Susan did say she was sick in body, mind, and soul which did concern her. Sarah encourages not focusing on that too much but says it did give her an idea.
Johnny tells Susan that Kristen confessed, so it’s over and he wants to move on with his life. Susan argues that things don’t add up. Susan knows Johnny is out of the hot seat but that doesn’t mean the matter is resolved. Chanel argues that it is over for them.
Xander tells Alex that the Titan-DiMera merger was approved because of Philip being an heir and him saying he approves won’t do much. Alex thinks it will appease the shareholders and drive home the fact that Victor would’ve named Philip and Bo in his will if he knew they would recover. Xander complains that he’d still have to give up half of what was left to him and have Philip as an equal. Alex argues that half of everything is still better than nothing and questions if undoing everything he’s accomplished thus far would feel right. Alex feels it’s better to be safe than sorry. Xander questions why he feels like he’ll be sorry either way.
Javi asks if Gabi is lonely. Gabi admits that she is and she misses having someone to share her life with. Javi feels Gabi is cooking up something big and asks if she believes she has time for a partner. Gabi responds that she’ll make time. Javi asks if she means when the right man comes along or if somebody already has. Gabi admits that there is one guy and she never meant for it to be real or for it to go anywhere, but it could be a dead end just like the other guy. Javi questions there being another guy and accuses Gabi of holding out on him. Gabi explains that she doesn’t know where she stands with either guy as with one guy there’s an emotional connection while the other one is the reason she didn’t come home last night.
Philip tells Belle about trying to practice gratitude lately and he’s feeling a lot of it having Belle as his friend. Belle says she’s grateful too. Belle guesses since they failed as husband and wife, they’ll have to settle as life long friends. Philip points out that they still made great memories and brings up when they went camping on Smith Island which they laugh about.
Sarah asks how Marlena would feel about one more blood test just to rule out the possibility of a tick borne illness. Marlena guesses they haven’t tested for that. Sarah says that Susan’s crazy comment got her thinking so Marlena agrees they should do the test.
Johnny tells Susan that he’d really appreciate it if she let whatever vibe go because Kristen confessed and they’re sad for Rachel but it’s over. Susan guesses whatever she was feeling was nothing. Susan decides she’s taken enough of their time and she’s just happy that Johnny is back home with Chanel, so she then exits.
Marlena says that’s enough about her and asks how Sarah has been holding up. Sarah admits she feels like she’s in purgatory since she and Xander aren’t together, but she can’t move forward. Marlena asks if she’s holding out for a reconciliation. Sarah admits she still loves Xander but she can’t go back to the man he has become. Sarah knows Marlena can’t tell her anything about his sessions, but she hopes that Marlena is helping him get to the source of his rage for his sake and Victoria’s.
Alex gets that Xander doesn’t want to reward Philip for lying to him and he doesn’t blame him, but he’s already working with him to preserve the takeover so it won’t make any practical difference. Xander worries that Philip could stab him in the back when he’s not holding anything over him anymore. Xander believes Victor would be laughing at their misfortune. Alex thinks the only misfortune would be for Philip’s fraud to come to light, so they can either wait for the other shoe to drop or do something about it. Alex believes the only other option besides naming Philip as his partner is to undo the entire takeover, then Xander would be done with Philip and the DiMeras once and for all.
Gabi questions how Javi knew she didn’t come home last night. Javi admits Arianna told him. Gabi remarks that these two guys didn’t just fall out of the sky and they are both very different. Javi comments on variety while Gabi says she’s already shared too much. Javi says he won’t let this go and reminds her that they live with a former gossip columnist, so he will get Leo to get all the details on this. Gabi tells him not to dare. Javi agrees to back off but says he only wants the best for her as they hug and Javi then exits the room as Gabi goes back to her recorder pen.
Johnny and Chanel resume kissing until Johnny’s phone rings. Johnny wants to ignore it but Chanel worries that it could be work or important. Johnny points out that he doesn’t even recognize the number but decides to answer. The call is from a Ms. Collins, who Johnny says he remembers. Johnny says he did apply for that position over a year ago and is surprised they still have his resume. Johnny says he’s flattered but he already has a job. Johnny tells her to send over the details and promises to look it over as he hangs up. Chanel asks what that was about. Johnny says she won’t believe this but reveals he was just offered an adjunct professorship job at Salem U as apparently a professor just quit, the next semester starts next week and they’re willing to work around his Titan-DiMera job. Chanel excitedly says they must really want him and asks if he’s interested. Johnny responds that he’s not sure. Johnny says a year ago, he’d take it without hesitating but he feels like so much has changed since then and he’s on a different career path. Chanel points out that he wanted to get back to some normalcy and she can’t think of anything more normal than Johnny DiMera doing something with his love of film for work, so she thinks he should consider it. Chanel adds that Professor DiMera has a nice ring to it.
Belle wishes they could do this every day while Philip says he’s dreading going back to work because of the ever present misery. Philip says all he wanted was to be CEO but working with Xander as a nightmare. Belle encourages him to just quit. Philip responds that he can’t do that. Belle questions why not and suggests he figure out what he really wants out of life.
Alex gets that the idea of Xander giving everything up as CEO is not appealing but if he’s not going to shield Philip, the only other thing he can do is solidify his position in the company. Xander agrees to think about it. Xander says it’s getting late so he needs to get Victoria and drop her off to Sarah. They decide this is to be continued as Xander then exits the office.
Marlena goes home and then Susan shows up at her door. Marlena asks what brings her by. Susan says she wanted to apologize for upsetting her the last time she was there. Susan says she meant what she said about her troubled body, mind, and soul. Susan then gets startled and says she doesn’t want to upset her again but warns that whatever is going on with her has gotten even worse.
Johnny agrees that Chanel may have a point since his first passion was filmmaking and not corporate communications, so it would be fun to talk about what he loves with college students. Chanel encourages him as they talk about being each others’ cheerleader and they kiss.
Marlena tells Susan that she’s putting her foot down and doesn’t want to hear any more about her vibrations because her doctor tells her that she’s just fine. Susan suggests seeing another doctor but Marlena says that’s enough and shuts the door on her.
Xander brings Victoria to Sarah in the town square and asks her what’s up since she asked to do the handover in person instead of through the nanny, so he thought maybe there was something she wanted to talk about. Sarah says nothing in particular. Xander asks if she’s sure there’s nothing else. Sarah says it seems like there’s something he wants to talk about. Xander informs her that he spoke to Alex, who said she asked him about him and said she missed him and still loved him. Xander thought maybe that had changed and she didn’t feel that way anymore but guesses it doesn’t matter since there’s no way they can smooth over their differences. Sarah doesn’t know the point of this conversation then, so she walks off with Victoria.
Philip tells Belle that he doesn’t know what he wants out of life, but thanks to Belle making him see that there might be an alternative. Belle is glad he sees there are other possibilitys and encourages him to look at his future. Philip complains that he doesn’t know what his future looks like as he always thought he would follow in his father’s footsteps. Belle says maybe that’s not good for him and encourages him to think about what matters most to him and maybe that’s not some supposed birthright. Philip thanks Belle for being honest, caring, and giving him a lot to think about.
Gabi goes to the Titan-DiMera office where Alex tells her that she just missed Xander and asks if he can help her. Gabi says Xander wanted to see a cost projection so she will just leave a note and leave it on his desk. Gabi uses the recorder pen and plants it on the desk, then walks out of the office with a smile.
Alex and Stephanie get up in the morning as Alex questions if Kayla always makes breakfast plans this early, joking that he wouldn’t have minded staying in bed a bit longer. Stephanie assures him it will still be there tonight. Alex then gets a text from Kate, sending him a summary of reviews and social media buzz surrounding Stephanie’s One Stormy Night. Stephanie asks what people are saying, but then decides she doesn’t want to know. Stephanie then suggests Alex reads the worst review first but Alex says there are no bad reviews, the critics love her, and her novel is putting Titan Publishing back on the map. Stephanie doesn’t know what to say and asks if this means she’ll get a bonus. Alex says they’ll do a lot better than that as he has a surprise for her.
Steve and Kayla go to the Brady Pub for breakfast. Steve mentions that he’s starving. Kayla figured he would be since he ran out of the house without eating. Steve says he had a case to solve and that he solved it right before she called, adding that he couldn’t have done it without her. Kayla asks if it’s about the Titan-DiMera case which Steve confirms. Kayla asks what he found out, but Steve says he can’t tell her that. Kayla brings up Steve saying that Stephanie might be in the middle of it and asks if she should be worried. Steve assures there’s nothing to worry about and that his early meeting was with Stephanie where they settled things out. Steve adds that he would tell her if Stephanie was in danger. Kayla talks about being curious with the tidbits of information without the answer. Steve says that’s why his work is so addicting. Kayla jokes that he can just give her a cut for her detective work.
Holly sits in the living room of the Kiriakis Mansion as Sarah comes in and comments on all the bags from Holly’s back to school shopping. Holly talks about Maggie wanting her to get everything she needs. Holly informs Sarah that Arianna has decided to stay and go to Salem U so they are going to be roommates. Sarah is glad they reconnected. Holly talks about wanting a fresh start in Paris before but says it will be nice going to school with people she knows. Sarah says for selfish reasons, she’s glad Holly is staying in town. Holly says it would’ve been nice to be with Nicole but she understood her wanting to stay in Salem where her family and friends are, including Tate.
Brady and Tate go home to Rachel, who is upset on the couch and they bring her pet snake with them. Brady tells Rachel that now that they have her stuff there, she can redecorate however she wants. Tate offers Rachel his Playstation but Rachel remains uninterested and says she just wants her mom.
Kayla asks if Stephanie asked Steve to stop pursuing the case. Steve confirms that they agreed it was best for him to leave it alone. Kayla worries that it doesn’t sound like Stephanie to be up to something shady and questions Steve being so cryptic. Steve responds that his daughter asked him to keep a secret so he has to. Kayla questions how long Stephanie has been keeping this secret since she mentioned something awhile back but then she said the secret got out and was a reason her and Philip broke up. Steve shrugs but Kayla says that much is obvious. Kayla argues that Steve said she helped him solve the case and that was the only information she gave him. Steve pleads the fifth but acknowledges that Kayla is worried about Stephanie and won’t stop until she knows. Kayla responds that it’s her job to worry about her daughter. Steve assures her that Stephanie has the whole thing under control.
Alex surprises Stephanie with a new phone that she can use to portray Anastasia Sands. Alex explains that he talked to the Titan PR department and they are to only communicate with her via text and they are in the process of setting her up on a blog tour. Alex declares that Stephanie has her own secret identity which excites her as they kiss.
Sarah tells Holly that she’s glad she and Tate worked it out. Holly guesses things are still bad between Sarah and Xander. Sarah says they have had their issues over the years but when they got married again last year, she really thought they would make it work this time. Sarah brings up how just a couple months ago, they were talking about having a second baby. Holly calls it crazy how quickly things can change. Sarah says that as happy as she is for Holly and Tate, she wants Holly to be prepared in case anything does change because she doesn’t want her to get hurt. Holly asks what this is about.
Brady tells Rachel that he knows she wants her mom and that it’s hard to be away from her but she has a lot of people here that love her very much. Rachel complains that her snake wants to stay at her mom’s house. Brady encourages that her snake will come to like living here and sends her to her room to find the snake a spot. Tate asks Brady how long he thinks Kristen will be in prison. Brady says they won’t know until the sentencing hearing but says that she plead guilty and is refusing to get a lawyer to represent her which shocks Tate. Brady says he’s tried to understand Kristen for years so he’s not going down that hole and is just going to concentrate on his daughter because there’s a good chance that she’s not going to see her mom for a long time.
Sophia begins working at the Brady Pub as a waitress and greets Kayla, who introduces her to Steve. Kayla talks to Sophia about all she’s been through and says she’s there for her. Sophia says she’s doing fine and that now that she and Tate gave the baby up for adoption, she’s ready to move on with her life.
Brady tells Tate that their family has had a lot of hard goodbyes and difficult choices lately. Brady assures that he hasn’t forgotten how rough it’s been for him and that he’s there for him. Tate thanks him but says he’s okay now. Brady knows how hard it was for him to have to give away his baby without even meeting her and that the adoptive parents won’t let him meet her. Tate questions why they are rehashing this. Brady says he just wants him to know that it’s okay to feel upset about it. Tate assures that he and Sophia are moving on with their life. Brady understands if he doesn’t want to talk about it. Brady asks Tate for the name of Sophia’s adoption attorney. Tate questions why he’s asking him this. Brady thinks back to his conversation with Sarah about Sophia accidentally referring to the baby as “he” and Sarah reminding him that she couldn’t reveal private medical information. Brady then claims to Tate that someone at Basic Black wanted a recommendation for a good adoption attorney. Tate agrees to text the information to Brady.
Sarah tells Holly that she doesn’t want to interfere while Holly says she obviously knows something. Sarah wasn’t sure if she should say anything but she was talking to Sophia yesterday and got the distinct impression that she wants Tate back. Holly acknowledges that Sophia clearly still has a thing for him and hasn’t been subtle about it, but it doesn’t matter because Tate loves her. Holly adds that it’s not like Tate ever really had feelings for Sophia as they only hooked up. Sarah clarifies that she’s not saying Tate would ever cheat on her, but having a baby with someone bonds you in a way you wouldn’t expect. Holly relates it to Sarah and Xander. Sarah says she’s just trying to share her wisdom so that Holly doesn’t end up getting burned. Holly calls it a completely different situation since Sarah and Xander were married while Tate and Sophia were barely together. Holly adds that it’s not like Tate and Sophia have to raise the kid together and remarks that the baby isn’t even in Salem so it’s not like they’ll ever see her again.
Alex and Stephanie join Kayla and Steve at the Brady Pub for breakfast. They laugh together about Alex’s toga story. Kayla congratulates Alex on “One Stormy Night”, noting that Titan published a book that is climbing the best seller list. Kayla reminds him that she told him it would be a hit when she found the manuscript at the hospital and says that at least three patients were reading it. Kayla calls the book dangerously steamy and says it’s beautifully written. Steve jokes that it sounds like a book he’d like to read. Stephanie says it’s not his type of book but Kayla disagrees and Alex states that if he can enjoy it, Steve can too. Alex adds that he’ll speak to the author about getting Steve a signed copy which Kayla says would be amazing while Stephanie gives Alex a look.
Holly goes to see Tate for breakfast and asks where everyone is. Tate explains that Brady took Rachel to the pet store to get her snake food and that Marlena and Belle are out. Holly realizes that means they have the whole place to themselves.
Brady and Rachel walk through the town square where they run in to Sarah. Sarah asks how Rachel is doing. Rachel cries that she misses her mom as Sarah hugs her. Sarah assures that Kristen misses her too and is thinking about her now. Sarah invites them to join her at the bookstore. Brady says they were actually headed to the pet store. Brady brings up that they talked about having dinner some time. Sarah suggests going to the Bistro since Xander is banned there. Sarah adds that she’s been missing her daughter so spending time with Rachel would cheer her up. Rachel feels the same. Brady then takes Rachel on to the pet store.
Tate confirms to Holly that they do have the place to themselves but decides they shouldn’t tempt fate after last time. Holly jokes that she would die of shame if Belle or anyone walked in on them again. Tate and Holly kiss until Holly gets frightened by Rachel’s snake.
Steve and Alex both say they need to get back to work. Kayla says this was great and they should do it more often. Alex wants to treat them to dinner some time. Alex offers Steve a ride but Steve says he has a short walk. Kayla and Stephanie decide they will stay a little longer. Alex tells Stephanie that he will see her later. Steve says goodbye as he and Alex exit the Pub. Kayla then guesses Stephanie wanted some mom and daughter time as she asks what’s going on at work. Stephanie says not to get her started.
Tate gets Rachel’s snake back in it’s tank. Holly talks about how she was in to Legos and dolls at that age. Tate jokes with her as Holly suggests they go somewhere that’s snake free, so they decide to head to the Brady Pub and exit.
Brady goes to see Steve in his office. Steve mentions hearing that Kristen confessed to shooting EJ. Brady calls it a weird 24 hours. Steve asks how Rachel is doing. Brady guesses she’s the best she can be with the circumstances but it will take some time for her to adjust. Steve says it’s good that she has Brady, Marlena, and the rest of the family to get her through it. Brady talks about wishing John was still around since if anyone could comfort Rachel and lift her spirits, it’s him. Steve agrees that no one was better at that than John. Brady tells Steve that he came by because he needs his help with something.
Sarah runs in to Alex in the town square. Alex asks how she’s doing with everything that’s happened with her and Xander. Sarah says she’s hanging in there. Alex says that’s good and he’s really sorry about how it all worked out.
Stephanie tells Kayla that Alex asked her to step in for Titan-DiMera on top of all her work at the hospital, so she will be running on coffee. Kayla asks about what EJ is having her do. Stephanie says she’s just overseeing their social media but brings up EJ slashing the budget and how complaints have gone up from staff and patients. Kayla complains about what EJ has done at the hospital. Stephanie says normally her job is to listen and make people heard but EJ just wants the complaints handled and not fix anything. Kayla states that EJ can’t take any criticism. Stephanie notes that it’s not making her very popular either and mentions that yesterday, a nurse called her EJ’s personal cheerleader. Kayla feels she doesn’t sound very happy. Stephanie admits it’s been a challenge between two jobs and writing press releases for other clients, she feels like she’s constantly putting out fires. Kayla suggests a solution is to quit the hospital job.
Holly and Tate walk to the Brady Pub and run in to Sophia outside where they are surprised to learn that Sophia now works there along with Tate.
Sarah asks Alex how it’s going at the office, assuming there’s tension between Philip and Xander. Alex thinks everyone is just trying to move forward and make the best of the situation. Sarah guesses they should be thankful for no more fireworks and asks how Xander is. Alex says he seems okay which Sarah says is good. Alex thinks he’d be a lot better if he knew Sarah was asking about him. Alex says it’s not his place but he knows Xander misses Sarah badly. Sarah admits she misses Xander too and still loves him, but with everything that has happened. Alex knows it’s not his business and tells Sarah to take care of herself as he walks away.
Stephanie tells Kayla that she can’t quit her job at the hospital and that she was just venting. Stephanie declares that she’s no quitter and she’s not abandoning her. Kayla assures that she can handle EJ and says his public relations are a complete and total loss. Kayla doesn’t think Stephanie can fix the hospital’s image as long as EJ’s name is attached to it. Stephanie thinks she’s underestimating her. Kayla reminds Stephanie that there’s no shame in reversing course if EJ makes her do anything crazy. Stephanie promises she would run the other way at the first sign of Dr. Rolf. Stephanie then says she has an odd medical question and asks what Kayla knows about ricin poisoning. Kayla questions her wanting to know and if she should be worried. Stephanie claims it’s for a client who is a mystery novelist and came to her for advice on a creative way to kill a character. Kayla responds that with the right dose, ricin can be extremely deadly. Kayla calls it interesting because it mimics a heart attack so it can go undetected if a coroner doesn’t know to look for it. Stephanie calls that good to know. Kayla comments that she didn’t know that Stephanie had any author clients. Stephanie says it’s just one. Kayla suggests Stephanie should see if she could work with Anastasia Sands. Stephanie says she doesn’t know. Kayla asks why not since she already works for Titan and she’s sure Alex could arrange a meeting. Kayla adds that she knows Stephanie’s plate is full but if Anastasia was her client, maybe she could meet her too.
Tate questions if Sophia only applied to work at the Pub because she knew that he did. Sophia responds that not everything is about him and says she applied because her mom said she couldn’t lay around the house feeling sorry for herself anymore. Holly brings up the Bistro. Sophia says with college around the corner, she quit instead of going on maternity leave and then her mom saw the help wanted sign here so she applied. Sophia declares that it looks like she and Tate will both be working at the legendary Brady Pub while Holly looks annoyed.
Brady tells Steve that he’s had a lot of weird interactions lately regarding Sophia and the adoption, so he realized some things aren’t adding up which Steve questions. Brady responds that he’s not quite sure but he has a gut feeling that Sophia isn’t telling them everything that happened. Steve says he’s a big believer in gut feelings and John was too. Brady says that’s why he hoped Steve could point him in the direction of what to do next. Steve says he’s happy to help and asks Brady to start from the beginning with everything he knows.
Interview with J. Eddie Peck of “The Young and The Restless” on CBS by Suzanne 7/24/25
It was awesome to speak with J. Eddie! I used to watch him play Cole on “Young and The Restless” 32 years ago when he first appeared in 1993. I’d been watching the show since 1986, when I was in college. Like many young people back then, I picked up the soap habit in college – between classes or while at home on vacation. He’s incredibly handsome and made a good couple with all of the women they paired him up with, especially Victoria (played then by Heather Tom); her mom, Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott); and Ashley (Shari Shattuck and then Eileen Davidson back then). It was wonderful that they brought him back last year, not only to reunite him with Victoria (now played by Amelia Heinle), but to show that they have a long-lost daughter, Claire (Hayley Erin). Heinle and Peck had immediate chemistry; they’d previously played lovers Jake and Mia on “All My Children” in 2003.
Unfortunately, the powers-that-be on Y&R wrote Cole out by killing him off with Legionnaires’ disease in early July. This was very disappointing to fans of his, and of fans of the couple Cole and Victoria, and their family with Claire. That happens quite often on the soaps, and in TV in general, usually do to cutting costs, or contract negotiations, or because of some other reason – they don’t let us know these things. Peck was originally brought in for a short-term return, so it was great when they decided to keep him around longer and give him story. We wish it had lasted longer! Perhaps one day they’ll bring him back. As they always say, you’re never really dead in the soaps.
We had a very nice, long chat. I hope you enjoy it! There are also quite a few other questions that I didn’t have time to ask, but he kindly answered them via email.
TRANSCRIPT (not finished proofreading this yet)
Suzanne: So it’s great to see you.
JEP: Thank you, Suzanne. It’s a pleasure to be on with you today and I, I appreciate you reaching out to do [this].
Suzanne: Oh, yeah. Well, first off, let me get something out of the way that I’m sure all your fans are asking. Do you know why “Young and the Restless” decided to kill off Cole?
JEP: Oh, wow. That’s, uh. Excuse me. Um, that’s a really good question. Um, well first, Suzanne, it, it, it took me by surprise.
Suzanne: Right?
JEP: Obviously when Cole– (thank you, son) when Cole got sick, or started with the cough, my first thought was, “he’s gonna have this cough. He’s gonna get sick. He might get really sick ’cause it’s lingering for a long time.” I know the fans, fans, viewers, were very, keen to, Hey, we’ve seen this before. I think they’re gonna write this character off. me, on the other hand, I, I really had a lot of faith, that, um, it was working well for Cole and I. Over at the show, I really felt like, it was starting to really click with, Amelia Heinle, who plays Victoria, and the relationship with Claire. I just thought there was a really nice family dynamic that may have been slightly a different tone than some of the other family. Relationships. I just felt like we, we, we had a certain unique uniqueness to us.
Suzanne: Mm-hmm.
JEP: And I felt like, all of the goods were there, if you will, all of the history, right….three, you know, good actors, lots of history, lots of stuff to work with. So I felt like this was gonna be something that they were going to utilize to, move Cole into the tack house, which. It seemed as though we were going in that direction.
Suzanne: Mm-hmm.
JEP: And then, um, Victoria would nurse Cole back to health and that would, that would quickly speed up their relationship.
Suzanne: Right.
JEP: So they could take us to a different place in their relationship.
Suzanne: Yeah.
JEP: And possibly even, you know, remarry, that sort of thing.
Suzanne: Mm-hmm.
JEP: So, uh. Actually that was not the intent and it never really was the intent. That was me, the wishful actor thinking, Hey, this is working. Yeah, for what it really was. Josh Griffin, our executive producer, head writer, he had given me a call and he was so, so kind and gracious and, and and just, just really a very, very heartfelt conversation that we had. And he says, you know, J. Eddie, we only intended on bringing you back for a couple of days. You know, we saw you at the 50th and everybody got to talk and said, Wow, J. Eddie, you look great.
Suzanne: Gee.
JEP: It was a lot of chatter. And, and the fans have wanted Cole to come back for some time and, you know, due to the 50th, they brought a lot of people back for cameos and things. So I looked as though, Hey, we’re gonna stay back for a couple of days. This might be interesting and fun.
Suzanne: Mm-hmm.
JEP: And, um. Then he said, but we liked you. You know, we like the dynamic with you and Amelia and Haley. And he said, and we just really liked you. He said, I just, I love what you did and I just continued to write for you. So, and, and so really, um, everything beyond that two days, Suzanne was really a gift. And something, I’m very, very grateful for. And, it’s been really, really nice, you know, at this time in my life to be able to go back and play the role that I love so much. And, so I’m very, very grateful for that. And he did his thing. I think, you know, Josh says, we gotta kill Cole, to take Victoria and Claire where we need them to go.
Suzanne: Ah.
JEP: So I don’t know exactly what that means.
Suzanne: Right.
JEP: But I do believe that there’s obviously gonna be a big story, you know, a big setup for those characters. And, and Cole was kind of the sacrificial lamb, I guess, if you will, to propel those characters emotionally, you know, where [it] can take them, so…
Suzanne: Yeah.
JEP: They’ll do their ride, and I wish that was along for it, but, you know, yeah. Again, I’m grateful for the 20 months that I did get.
Suzanne: Well, even though they did kill him off, they could bring him back because it’s a soap and anything’s possible, right?
JEP: Yeah, yeah, yeah. There’s been, there’s been a lot of chatter , even when, you know, it was first learned, over at the show, I had at least half the directors come to me and say, “Ah, you’ll be back,” but who knows? You know what I mean? Who knows? I mean, that’s fine. I mean, listen, I, I certainly can’t guess any of this stuff.
Suzanne: Yeah.
JEP: And so, yeah, who knows.You know, I mean, Josh is very, very creative. If he ever woke up in the middle of the night, says, you know what? And may, Hmm, that might’ve been a mistake. Let’s bring that cowboy back.
Suzanne: Yeah.
JEP: You know, so, yeah.
Suzanne: And I mean, I could say this because people say that about me, but you don’t look your age at all, so….
JEP: Oh, yeah. Thank you.
Suzanne: I mean, they can easily bring you back in 10 years. You’ll still look great.
JEP: Oh, well, I don’t know about that, but, um, you know, when I went back for the 50th, I made a big mistake, Suzanne, when I went back for the 50th, I was so anxious to take my wife, you know. We were really excited and whatnot, and she says, “You know what? You don’t want to take me. Take Austin” – my son, my oldest son, and really, Austin’s like, “Dad, I’d love to go. This might be my only chance to ever go with you, you know, for something like that. Sure. I’d love to go.” Well, Suzanne — and he’s not in the room so I can say this — My son is six foot seven, and better looking than [me] on my best day in life. So I take this guy that completely upstages me. I mean, if you can look all over the internet, and there’s all these pictures of him at the 50th, and he’s not an actor, you know, he’s kind of a, I hate to say “struggling musician”, but, you know, somewhat of a struggling musician and he is all over the place. ’cause simply because the people are like, my gosh, who is that six?
Suzanne: Is he the one that was wearing the mustache and beard in the picture you sent me?
JEP: Yeah.
Suzanne: Yeah. You know.
JEP: Oh yeah, yeah. That’s him.
Suzanne: He looked a little bit, and I can’t remember the actor’s name. Don um, Don… something… that used to play Brad on “Young and the Restless.”
Yes. He looks a lot like him. yeah. Yeah. He has a bit of, a bit of a bit of that, a bit of that, that, yeah. He has blackness in his black hair. Yeah, he is very dark. Yeah.
Suzanne: So tell us, um. How it came about. Let’s go back a little bit to 2023, when you returned to as Cole after 26 years.
Hard to believe it was 26 years. You see, I’m gonna interrupt you. Oh, doggie. Hi baby. Aww.
Suzanne: There’s your little baby
is a rescue that I’ve had eight months and I just adore him. He is such a sweet boy. I love him so much.
Suzanne: Boy, he’s so cute.
Oh, I’m sorry to interrupt, Chris.
No, that’s fine. You can always interrupt.
You’re just looking up at me. Daddy, you’re ignoring me. You’re not talking with me.
Suzanne: I put mine in the back room because she’ll bark. She might.
JEP: Oh yeah. Well, I’ve got, I’ve got a house full of dogs here. They must, I’m so sorry. Must than mine. You were asking, you were asking me a question. I’m so sorry.
Suzanne: No, that’s okay. How did it come about back in, 2023 when they asked to come on the show?
JEP: Oh, well, yeah, that’s a good question. Again, you know, Y&R had its 50th anniversary, and they had a special event.
Suzanne: Right.
JEP: And, uh. You know, I’d been off the show at that time. I was off the show about 23 and a half years.
Suzanne: Mm-hmm.
JEP: And they hadn’t seen me in a long time. Well, I shouldn’t say that. I mean, they, they have invited me back for anniversaries and things like that. They’ve been really nice to me over the years and always invited me back. But they hadn’t seen me at that in that time. I don’t know, maybe in about five years or something like that. So when I showed up and everything, my son and I, we went… my son’s very western… we went wearing our Western gear. Just, you know, let’s just, let’s kind of go, let’s just go being us, you know, I don’t have to dress looking all soapy. And, and I think it just kind brought more attention and just people went, “Well, who…? Oh hey, that’s J. Eddie. Oh, oh my gosh, that’s Jay Eddie.” And, you know, so a lot of the network people saw me and, uh, and this and that, and they kinda got the idea, “Wow, we ought to bring him back for the Blast From The Past event.”
Suzanne: Mm-hmm.
JEP: So I got a call maybe a couple of months later, and YR was doing their very first Blast From The Past. And I’d asked Kathy Thomas, “Who else is doing the Blast From The Past?” She says, “Well, you’re the first one we called.” I said, “Oh, great. Okay.” So II did that. They brought back alumni from —
Suzanne: Mm-hmm.
JEP: From B&B, “Young and the Restless”, and by far, I was the longest person to be off the show, so I really– I told my wife, I said, I don’t really know if I want to go to this Blast From The Past. She says, “Well, why?” I said, “It’s gonna be embarrassing,” I said, “because no one is gonna know who I am.” I’d been off the show almost 24 years at that point. And I said, “No one’s gonna know me. It’s gonna be embarrassing.” So Suzanne, when I showed up, thankfully it was amazing how many fans were our fans back in the nineties and were Cole fans back then. And I got a very, very unexpected reception.
Suzanne: Oh.
JEP: And um, so, uh. You know, um, I guess I didn’t know this, but what I was told by another producer is that before that even happened, Josh already said, I wanna bring J. Eddie Peck back for something. I’ve gotta figure out what it is, right? And then about, oh, a couple of days after this Blast From The Past, one of these soap predictors that we see on YouTube – that predicts what’s going on?
Suzanne: Right.
JEP: And a reputable one, said, “J. Eddie Peck is coming back to Young and Restless.” And whenever that announcement came out, my phone lit up.
Suzanne: Oh wow.
JEP: And I was like, “Oh my gosh. I hope Y&R doesn’t think that I’m announcing that I’m going back to Y&R.” I hope they don’t think I’m that guy.
Suzanne: Yeah.
JEP: And my phone just looks… I immediately get on my social media, and I said, “Hey, not going back to Young and Restless. I don’t know what the rumor is. I don’t know why anyone would say that. I’m not in talks with Y&R. I’m not going back to Y&R. Not happening, but thanks for asking. You know, thanks for inquiring” and so, about two weeks after that… So, I would say it was around, August 18th or 20th, I get a call. I’m sitting on my patio having a coffee. My son was visiting again, so I’m having a coffee with my wife and my son. And it’s Greg Salmon, casting director of Y&R. He says, J. Eddie. this is Greg. Are you getting my messages?” I said, “No, Greg. What messages?” He said, “Well, I’ve been emailing you, and I’ve left you messages. And he says, “Listen. We wanna bring you back to the show.” He said, “Are you interested?” And I just start laughing. I’m laughing and I, and I’m shedding tears. So I said, “Oh, great. This is hilarious.” I said, “This rumor got out a couple of weeks ago .”I said, “I guess it’s true! I’m the last one to know.” See, here I am, Suzanne. I’m the last one to know that I’m going back to the show, and I’m the last one to know, “Hey, stupid, you’re fired.”
Suzanne: That’s funny. But anyway, there are so many rumors out there, all the time about…
JEP: Yeah.
Suzanne: About soaps and actors.
JEP: Yeah.
Suzanne: Yeah, there are. I mean, I always tell people, Don’t believe anything at all until you see it in a verified publication because you just don’t know, and it’s just speculation most of the time. Even if it turns out to be true, it’s not necessarily true [when you read it] and you shouldn’t depend on it and spread it.
JEP: Well. It’s like you said, oftentimes it’s speculative.
Suzanne: Well, yeah.
JEP: You know, maybe, maybe something is a rumor or a thought, but then, you know, once it gets out there, people may think it’s gonna happen, right?
Suzanne: Yeah, exactly. So, well, so you had a great deal of chemistry with everyone on the show, particularly Haley, who played Cole’s daughter —
JEP: Thank you.
Suzanne: Claire, and Amelia, who plays Victoria, the love of Cole’s life.
JEP: Yes.
Suzanne: Can you talk about working with them?
JEP: Oh, well. Yeah. I will start off with Haley. Haley is — I think she’s about the age or so — she’s somewhere between my two adult sons, and… I don’t have a daughter, but, I mean, for maybe the second day that I worked with her, I just really felt a connection with her in a fatherly way. And I think what that is, is she’s such a special young lady, you know? She’s a mother, a wife. She’s classy, she’s unique. I feel like Haley has a maturity and, almost like a throwback to another era.
Suzanne: Hmm.
JEP: She’s not your typical young lady of her age. She’s not even your typical actor of her age. You know, she has a really wonderful, wonderful quality about her, and I just found it endearing, and I just connected in…when I say connected, I mean, Cole just really connected with what she was giving me [as an actor], and um, I’ve always had in my mind the history of where Cole was, what’s happened in his life, his loves… His disappointments. I knew that Cole never had children over the years. I knew that Cole never had a deep, meaningful relationship when he was gone all of that time. That was truly always the way that I had seen him in my mind. And it was uncanny how the writers picked up on his history exactly the way that I had seen it. And, you know, because they could have easily said, well, Cole was married and divorced and he lost his wife.
Suzanne: Right?
JEP: And, you know, all different kinds of things. I knew that he had never had a deep, meaningful relationship. And, they actually brought that up in a conversation between Cole and Victoria one day. She had said to him, “Well, Cole, you’re a, a professor at Oxford and you must have run across and had a number of relationships and things of that nature,” and he said, “Well, I had a trist or two, but I never really had any deep, meaningful relationship, and that truly is the way I always saw this character. I always saw him… even when he was married to Ashley, [whom] he cared a great deal for, but his true love was always Victoria. And that’s why he went, you know, he went outside his marriage…He, I just, I think so much was just the way I played him, the way that Bill wrote him, that even back in the day, I was always trying to steer it back to Victoria, even when I was working with Ashley.
Suzanne: Right.
JEP: And, and I really enjoyed working with those actresses, Shari and Eileen… I loved it, and I loved the Ashley character. Wonderful character.
Suzanne: Right. She’s great.
JEP: Yeah. But, um. I felt Cole’s heart was always with Victoria. And so when Amelia took over that role in, [2004], just prior to that, She was on “All My Children” [as Mia].
Suzanne: Mm-hmm.
JEP: And I had several different love interests on “All My Children” for the time that I was there.
Suzanne: Sure.
JEP: But Amelia was my last one. And Cole, or excuse me –Jake and Mia actually got engaged right just before I left the show, so there was a connection there, there was a night, there was a friendship there that Amelia and I had, and I thought we had a really nice chemistry on that show, just from absolutely, from the get go.There was just some nice chemistry there.
Suzanne: So yeah, I watched that one too, so I–
JEP: Oh, good. Oh, wonderful. Well, thank you for even remembering. It was so long ago.
Suzanne: It was a long time ago.
JEP: Yeah, it was, it was long ago. But, but anyway, um, yeah, I absolutely believed that all the goods were there. You know, if they had chose to go more that direction and for a longer period of time, I just really believed that Cole’s relationship with Claire, and the chemistry, that the three of us had, which is, eh, it was fun.
Suzanne: It was, it was unique, I think, and I think it worked.
JEP: The other thing too, Suzanne, is that I hate to use the word designed, but I guess you could say that I saw a path for Cole. Um, his personality, his history, his love and devotion. He’s a hopeless romantic. He has a sense of humor. He’s a strong male who will fight for the deaths for his family and anything he believes in. I knew I had the fire in the belly, if you will, as an actor, just like I do as a father and a husband in real life. And, I knew that I could make that character very, very interesting if I had the opportunity to do more with it. And especially at this time in my life. You know, this time in my life, I’m a very different person
Suzanne: Mm-hmm.
JEP: Than I what I was 20, 25 years ago. You know, fatherhood and life and ups and downs, and reinventing myself – as I had to do when I left acting. All these kinds of things, you know, have deepened me as a person, and it’s kind of shaped me into a different person than who I was in the 1990s.
Suzanne: Well, that’s, I guess that’s the best of what happens to us as we get older and mature and we–
JEP: Yeah. Fully become better people.
Suzanne: Absolutely.
JEP: Absolutely. And I think that’s what makes it so interesting, you know, for all actors, as we all get, get older, I think…motherhood, for the ladies that I’ve worked with, whether it was Amelia, whether it was Heather Tom, you know. I know, as Heather, whom I worked all those years ago, she was just this young– this young lady with this tremendous amount of talent. I know that she, she’s a different person today. You know, she’s had a very long, successful marriage and she’s a mother and all the years of experience and her close relationship with her mother and things that she had, and all these things really shape all of us. And I think that’s what makes daytime such a dynamic medium is that we see these characters grow and evolve from their youth and through their trials and tribulations to hopefully [become] seasoned, mature, interesting people.
Suzanne: Right.
JEP: And it’s not just the characters, it’s us, too, [and] that’s what makes the storylines so much more compelling and more interesting in this medium than anywhere else. And that is, that we see and experience the life that these characters go through and how that changes them.
Suzanne: Right.
JEP: And generally for the better character.
Suzanne: The character development is great… has always been great on soaps. Anyway, is there anything else that you’d like to tell us about working on the show, and if you have any funny behind-the-scenes stories?
JEP: Well, let me think here. Funny and behind-the-scenes…
Suzanne: You know, anything you’re allowed to tell.
JEP: Yeah, exactly. Well, you know, at Y&R, I think I grew up a lot. By the time I got toY&R, even in the nineties, you know. When I was on Days of our Lives, we were stinkers, you know, and especially me. I had to be one of the worst. (Bye honey. My wife’s checking out. ) I had to be one of the worst when it came to just doing stupid pranks, stupid stuff. But my fellow actor buddies on the show. Oh gosh. I hate to even tell some of the stuff I used to do. But anyway, yeah, over there, there was a lot of, you know, we were just young, younger guys and, just a lot of crazy stuff. I know we did have showers in our dressing rooms, and, of course, why not? We always had a shower in the dressing room, so if you choose to shower at work and shower in the dressing room… “All My Children”, we did not have showers in a dressing room.
Suzanne: Right.
JEP: And at days, most of the time I was there.. actually, I was one of the few people who did have a shower in a dressing room because I had Redd Foxx’s dressing room, which meant you had to walk through a whole ‘nother empty stage to get to the main stage. And a lot of the actors went, “Mike, I don’t wanna walk that far. Just, just gimme one of the close rooms.” And I was like, “Wait a minute. That room’s got a shower, and it’s got a steam. I take it, I want that room. I don’t care how far I gotta walk.” But before I took that room, Suzanne, there was a downstairs area that– most of us guys were downstairs. Most all of us were. And we’d have to shower, you know, down in the community shower and whatnot. You didn’t have a separate stall, but, and I think there was just two showers. There might have been one. I think there was two. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. There was two. And, so when, you know, Michael Easton or Robert Mailhouse, when they would be in their showering or whatever, man, I’d, I’d sneak down there. I’d sneak in there and I’d grab, they’d have freezing cold water. I could get that outside in the hallway, not the tap, but really, really cold stuff. They’d be in their shower and I’d be dousing them with the cold water — just mean, stupid stuff, you know?
Suzanne: Yeah, yeah.
JEP: And then a lot of other funny stuff that I, I really can’t tell, but, we were always cutting up and doing things. What it was at Y&R, you know, for whatever reason, it wasn’t as juvenile as what I was allowed to be on some of the other shows. Again, I was more mature, so where by the time I went to “All My Children,” I wasn’t doing any shenanigans. And then, you know, after I left Days and went to Y&R, there were no shenanigans. I’m trying to think of, if the other folks did stuff.
Suzanne: You know, I heard that the actor that plays Nick, um…
JEP: Oh yeah. He is a practical joke. Nick is, yeah, Josh is, Josh is hilarious. He’s, he’s very, very funny. He’s, he’s a very special individual. Um, I just have so much respect for Josh because I remember when he came in his very first day, and he, Josh, was originally from Oklahoma, and he had been living out in the LA area in the valley for a short amount of time.
Suzanne: Mm-hmm.
JEP: And, going to school, playing basketball for our junior college. (And I got Pilgrim saying, he’s just handing me his ball, handing me his bosses. Come on, dad’s ball time.) Hopefully he’ll stop. But anyway, I remember when Josh first came in and. I wanna say he was 19, I think he was 19 years old. He was pretty young. You know, those first scenes, I was doing those first scenes with him. He [played] Victoria’s brother…But I was gonna say, he’s just a great guy with a tremendous sense of humor. All of the younger guys on the show are all super special. I mean, they’re just, they’re great guys. They’re great individuals. Um. Pots of gold. Everybody’s a just a really good person. Everybody’s so solid. I’ve said to my sons, when I look at my cast members, these are people that are fortunate, but these aren’t people who got lucky.
Suzanne: Mm-hmm.
JEP: These are people that are so special and unique. [They] have a multitude of gifts and qualities, which put them in a position to where they could win that special job. And then when they won that special job, they grew from there and they improved and they were professional and they’ve hung on, you know, to those roles. And trust me when I tell you that these are not just lucky people who happen to land on a soap. I think that. Sometimes there were those people maybe 30 years ago or more. But, I really think, especially with our cast over at Y&R
Suzanne: Mm-hmm.
JEP: These are really talented, deserving, people that have these coveted jobs and roles and characters that we love. You know, they’re wonderful. I’m a huge fan of my cast on that show, as it was every cast that I ever worked with.
Suzanne: Right.
JEP: They’re just really special talented people that don’t take anything for granted. They’re professional. People know their stuff. They show up prepared. There’s no slacking, they’re good. I have seen people that, I don’t wanna say slacked off, but maybe weren’t as professional prepared, you know?
Suzanne: Mm-hmm.
JEP: And that’s not slacking. It’s just like some people just have a problem getting that material down, Suzanne. It’s hard to deliver it. Well, and the people I work with are a lot better at it than I am. They’re really, really good at it. And they’re tremendous and, anyway, but funny stories…Let’s see. Do I have anything? I’m sure you know that there are, um. But I can’t. I can’t.
Suzanne: Right.
JEP: No, they cannot for anything. You know, I will say that, in the nineties and everything, um, I used to socialize a lot more with a cast.
Suzanne: Mm-hmm.
JEP: And, you know, we’d go to the Emmy’s and we’d all go hang out and go out to dinner and go out dancing and all those kinda things and–
Suzanne: Right.
JEP: And even over the show, you know, I used to socialize a lot with the cast and, and maybe, I don’t know what it is now, but… This time coming back? I’m friends, but I never really socialized, you know? Probably ’cause most of the people who do the socializing, you know, were younger than me, and I’m that guy that would finish up with work and, say, “Oh my gosh, I’d love to go do this. Or I’d love to go meet a friend for a while. I gotta race home…” Because I was always rescuing dogs, you know?
Suzanne: Right, right.
JEP: Oh, I can’t leave my wife with. 15 million dogs at the house. I gotta, I gotta rush home.
Suzanne: And how long have you been doing the dog fostering and rescue?
JEP: Um, well, my mother had an animal rescue, when I grew up as a boy in Joplin, Missouri. So, she kind of initiated me with that when I would get home from school. If I didn’t have sports after school, then I was, I was racing home to bottle-feed, to clean up after the puppies, or clean the kennels or do something, or, she’d say,” Hey, I need you to go with me. We’re gonna go pick up a doll.”
Suzanne: She trained you and all that.
JEP: She trained me with all that. Exactly. That’s good. But what she really did was that she opened my eyes to the plight of the dogs. You know, we have the same issues today that we did in the 1970s, which is spaying and neutering, educating – get getting people to spay and neuter their animals. We have overpopulation.
Suzanne: Mm-hmm
We have dogs that are going in the shelter situations, and the shelters are overrun all over the country. And obviously, a lot of shelters euthanize, and that’s what we have out here inL.A. You know, most euthanize. And what I try to do is I try to help find the homes, and place, and bring attention to the dogs that are on the 72-hour list. So, you know. My time is limited.
Suzanne: Mm-hmm.
JEP: And there’s a lot of things that I want to do at this time in my life. I’m 66 years old, and I wanna make the best use of my time while I have my health and things. But to be honest with you, Suzanne, my wife and I are up every single night, following the plight of these dogs. We get alerts and things of the situations and dogs that are critical. We just can’t– you can’t turn your back on it.
Suzanne: Right.
JEP: You know, it’s just not something that I can just walk away from and, oh gee, that’s a bad problem. And I can’t, and I just feel compelled to try to, to do more, to try to help these animals, to educate people more, too. So I am trying to, more so than, “Hey, I’m gonna try to place and find a home for this particular dog,” which I do a lot of, but I’ve exhausted my Rolodex. I’ve exhausted every friend, family [member] — people see me coming, you know, on area over area. So place the dog, can we help it? Can we keep it? Can we foster it? You know?
Suzanne: Yeah.
JEP: So what I’m trying to do now is, I’m trying to do fundraising. I’m trying to expand more on the education of people throughout my entire area and things. We have a lot of folks in Los Angeles that are from all over the world, and folks from all over the world have different cultures, and different cultures that the way in which they view spaying and neutering and things of that nature. So there’s an educational campaign, that I really think that we need to do. And I’m working with that. I’m working with raising money, particularly for my shelter here in Santa Clarita. I did a fundraiser here about four months ago that, thankfully, I had some really nice people that did the heavy lifting.
Suzanne: Good
JEP: That really did the most of the work for me. But we were able to raise some good money. Then I’m involved with another, philanthropist-type of person here, within my community. And we have a big gala coming up on November 1st.
Suzanne: Well, thank you so much.
Here are the rest of the questions that we didn’t have time for:
Suzanne: How did you get into the Airbnb business? Have you ever booked any soaps fans (either inadvertently or on purpose)?
JEP: I had remodel and resale experience. One son is in commercial real estate, the other has history in residential. At the beginning of the pandemic we set our sights on finding the worst house in a nice neighborhood with a great location. Within a few weeks, we found it: a corner lot with a city view.
My son, Austin, created the interior and exterior design, and I got to work—taking the house down to the studs and rebuilding what we call a rustic mid/century farmhouse—remodeled inside and out, including re-plastering the pool and landscape.
The house is very quiet and private. A nice alternative for those looking to avoid hustle and bustle of Los Angeles while being just 7 minutes from Six Flags Magic Mountain, 25 minutes to Universal Studios and an hour from Disneyland during low traffic times.
Last year the house was booked 92% of the time, and we’ve met some wonderful people from every continent in the world. To your question: Yes, I have been recognized a few times. A few months ago I dropped-in to clean the pool. The female guest walked outside, I waved “hello,” she took a long pause then ran back inside the house. After a few minutes a man comes out and shyly says: “I know this is crazy, but my wife is convinced you’re the actor, JEP on the Young and the Restless?” I think even he was surprised when I said, “Yes.” I was pretty sure they were both wondering why an actor on her show is cleaning the pool? I said, “It’s a family biz and we are very hands on. I’m the guy who fixes everything and does the pools.”
The B&B business takes a lot of work. When something breaks—and it will, it’s gotta be remedied right away. There are days when I rather be acting on B&B than be the AirBnB biz. But this is about doing business ventures with my sons, and nothing is more rewarding than that.
Suzanne: I saw a video on your Instagram where you said something like, you would like to go to another soap. Are you going out for auditions in general?
JEP: I think what I mentioned was I’d love to work on another soap. It’s hard to beat the daytime medium when it comes to finding roles with depth. So yes, I love to work on any of the daytime shows. Whether it be B&B, GH, reprising my role of Hawk Hawkins on Days, or creating a new one on “Beyond The Gates.”
Suzanne: Some questions from fans:
Monica wants to know what your favorite storyline on Y&R was?
JEP: Without a doubt, my favorite storyline on the “Young and the Restless” was the early days when Cole and Victoria discovered one another, fell in love, only to marry and find out that they were half brother and sister.
I got a call from Bill Bell one night telling me that he loved the chemistry between Heather Tom and I (when Cole and Vic first met in the tack house where Cole lived). I said, “Oh that’s great. I really enjoy working with her, but we are brother and sister.” Bill followed with: “Hey, you don’t worry about that. That’s my job. You just keep doing what you’re doing—I like you two together. You’re the first actor to have chemistry with the kid, and I’ll figure out how to make it work.” Of course, we know the rest of the story, Victor exhumed Cole’s mother (Eve) from the grave, did a DNA test, and as it turned out, Cole was NOT Victor’s so,n and he and Victoria were reunited. That made much of the audience happy and I was glad to be working with such a brilliant young lady. Heather’s depth was far beyond her years, and I loved working with her. Bill Bell’s stories through the 90s were wonderful, and I was honored to be a part of that era.
Suzanne: Eva writes Y&R recaps for our site. She asks if you have any kind of message for the fans that miss you on Y&R?
JEP: When I got the call from Josh Griffith that he was going to kill Cole, it caught me by such surprise that all I could think about was how grateful I was to have the opportunity to come back and play the role for 20 months. And now, after some time has gone by, it’s really hit me on how much I enjoyed Cole’s return and sad to see it end in his death. Reading viewer comments—some of which are fans from the 90s—touched me deeply. It made me feel I’d left some kind of mark on the show, and at the end of the day, that’s what all of us actors are hoping for.
I think I had over 7,000 comments for two short posts that I put out on my departure. I announced I was going to read every one of them, and I did. It took me about 3 1/2 weeks to read them all. So my message to the fans : Thanks so much for your kind, heartfelt words of support that have helped me feel a little better about Cole’s demise. Wishing you and your family the very best! ❤️
Suzanne: Janet asks, “Where does your next adventure take you to?”
JEP: I’m not sure…and it’s kind of exciting not knowing, really, what lies ahead. I do know that whether it’s on another show, a Lifetime movie, or my own YouTube channel—which I’ve been wanting to do for a long time, I promise I will bring heart, depth and worthy content that our Y&R viewers deserve.
Suzanne: Chris wants to know where you would have liked to see the dynamic of Claire, Victoria and Cole go in the future?
JEP: Hey Chris, thanks for your question. Yeah, I would have liked to have seen the story go exactly in the direction that me as the actor and Cole as the character were hoping and pushing for since Cole’s return to GC. Obviously, Cole’s first priority is the health and well-being of his daughter, Claire, followed by his unconditional support for helping Victoria reach whatever goals she was after in her life. As far as Cole, Victoria was the love of his life since leaving Genoa City 24 years earlier. He never forgot about his one true love and was never able to move on and find a fulfilling relationship. As Cole once told Victoria, “Yeah, sure, I had a tryst with a colleague every now and then, but nothing that ever went anywhere.” Cole’s wish was to remarry Victoria and become the family unit that he always wanted with his daughter, Claire.
Suzanne: Chris also asks, “If you have a dream job or role to play, what would that be?”
JEP: Chris, I became an actor because I wanted to tell stories. I wanted to play characters with depth, heart, and passion. Characters that were appealing, unpredictable, within stories that inspire people to hopefully become better people.
I also have a rather deep sense of humor. I like to bring some level of humor to all my characters . Unfortunately, this time around there wasn’t much room for humor, romance or courtship. The depth of Claire’s story, Aunt Jordan, and Victoria dealing with it all, left little opportunity for Cole’s personality to shine. If there was room, I would have brought it, and it would have been a lot harder for them to get rid of me, I can promise you that.
A veteran actor of eight television series; actor, producer, writer, director and host, J. Eddie Peck has both domestic and international appeal. Once known by millions of viewers around the world due to his thirteen-year stint in daytime television as Cole Howard on CBS’s number one daytime drama, The Young and the Restless, Hawk Hawkins on NBC’s Days of Our Lives, and as Dr. Jake Martin on ABC’s, All My Children. In addition, his starring roles on Dallas and Dynasty are still aired throughout the world. In fact, J. Eddie is one of the very few actors to have a front-burner storyline on two primetime series simultaneously.
Peck has also starred in fourteen films and several hit Movies-of-the-Week. One being the major release dance movie, Lambada, a Gene Siskel “top ten” rental pick-of-the- year. The film was an idea J. Eddie pitched and sold to the studio as a writer, and was later cast as the film’s lead. Peck also starred with the Olsen Twins in the lighthearted comedy, To Grandmother’s House We Go, one of ABCs most successful TV movies of the 90’s, and still a holiday classic today.
Eddie recurred as the world’s “second” smartest human in the role of scientist, Adam Baylin on ABC Family’s all-time highest rated series, KYLE XY. Originally hired for a two-episode guest star, the show opted to bring Peck’s character back from the dead enabling him to return in seventeen of the last 27 episodes.
Once voted by “Teen Magazine” as “TV’s Sexiest New Star,” JEP is one of a small few daytime male stars to shoot the cover of “TV Guide” magazine. He also appeared on eleven daytime covers within his first twelve months on The Young and the Restless, as well as over 75 National magazine covers throughout his daytime career.
While at CBS, the network approached the actor about an “at home special” featuring Peck and his family on their California horse ranch. Originally slated for daytime viewing, CBS later decided to air the show as a prime-time special. The show caught the attention of the network’s executives, and as a result J. Eddie was soon hired by the network, and approved by the pageant owner, Donald Trump, to host the Miss Teen USA, and later, the Miss USA, which proved to be the highest rated USA Pageant in CBS history.
Eddie has also been a guest on over 50-television talk shows, including The Today Show, GMA, Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, Good Day LA, Regis and Kathie Lee, and Donahue. The former disc jockey also enjoys holding the mic, having hosted for E-Entertainment’s Pure Soap and Along for the Ride with J. Eddie Peck, an equestrian lifestyle show which he created and executive produced. In addition, Peck served as guest correspondent for Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, Crook and Chase, as well as a celebrity panelist on 22 episodes of the syndicated game show, Match Game.
Eddie’s created scripted and unscripted programming as well. He’s sold or optioned several feature scripts; a one-hour scripted drama, as well as a one-hour pilot for Animal Planet. Currently, he is in development with “Flippin’ The Bird,” a reality pilot featuring an interesting cast of characters and their vintage-aircraft restoration business out of Ozark, Missouri. Also in 2023, J. Eddie co-stars in Bright Ideas, a Ronn Head-directed, independent comedy currently hitting film festivals and expecting a distribution deal within the year.
From the executive level in entertainment, J. Eddie was brought on by TAMD Multimedia Corporation from 2009 to 2010 as Senior VP of Acquisitions. Mr. Peck expanded his executive level work outside the studio realm when he was hired from 2012 to 2016 as the CEO & President of the national financial services company, AmeriPrem LLC. In addition, he served a five-year term as consultant and national spokesman for the healthcare company, AmeriPlan USA.
Outside of entertainment J. Eddie’s lifelong passion for building and remodeling to restoring old cars and trucks, J.Eddie is usually juggling several projects at a time. Most of all, he enjoys doing all of the above with his wife, Sonya, and their two adult sons. The kid who booked a national commercial within his first 24 hours in Hollywood because they liked his “Ozark Twang,” is still the same guy today — only a little less accent, and a few more credits.
In October of 2023, J. Eddie Peck reprised his role of Cole Howard on CBS’s number one daytime drama, The Young and the Restless. Cole’s managed to rekindle his relationship with his former wife and long-time love interest, Victoria Newman, played by Amelia Heinle.
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, the #1 daytime drama for over 30 consecutive years, is a continuing drama revolving around the loves, enmities, hopes and fears of the residents of the fictional Midwestern town of Genoa City.
The series, currently in its 52nd season, airs on the CBS Television Network, and is available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.
Cane turns down working with Victor and he tells him he would take his chances when the information about Colin conning the woman out of her money so that Cane could use the money to start his empire. Victor tells Cane he knows that he is working on an AI program that can take over any company’s finical information in order to make it easier to take over any company. Victor demands that Cane team up with him to take over Jabot or Mattie and Charlie will find out that grandpa Colin was a thief.
Claire tells Kyle that she needs time to think about his marriage proposal. Claire tells Kyle that she isn’t sure she can trust him anymore although she knows that he loves her. Claire goes to Crimson Lights and runs into Holden and she decides she wants to get drunk for the first time and wonders if Holden wants to get drunk with her.
Britt finds Josslyn and Vaughn in the room where Pascal has them locked up.
Portia finally tells Trina the truth that Drew has been blackmailing her and Curtis because he found out she altered Heather Webber’s blood test results to keep her in prison.
Kai finds out that Drew asked the insurance commission to investigate Stella when he calls the insurance commission to find out the status of the investigation. Kai later talks to Trina and tells her she was right about Drew and he will do anything to make it up to her.
Danny and Rocco find a body floating in the Port Charles harbor.
Curtis tells Drew that he will see him dead before he sees his Aunt Stella go to prison. Drew tells Carly that she should persuade Michael to give Willow her kids back or he will ruin Michael’s life. Carly tells Drew she will kill him if he does anything to hurt Michael.
Willow tells Elizabeth she knows Drew is a terrible person but he is the only person who is powerful enough to get her kids back for her. Willow tells Elizabeth that she is willing to sell her soul to the devil to get back her kids.
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Suzanne: Claire, and Amelia, who plays Victoria, the love of Cole’s life.
Suzanne: And how long have you been doing the dog fostering and rescue?
JEP: So what I’m trying to do now is, I’m trying to do fundraising. I’m trying to expand more on the education of people throughout my entire area and things. We have a lot of folks in Los Angeles that are from all over the world, and folks from all over the world have different cultures, and different cultures that the way in which they view spaying and neutering and things of that nature. So there’s an educational campaign, that I really think that we need to do. And I’m working with that. I’m working with raising money, particularly for my shelter here in Santa Clarita. I did a fundraiser here about four months ago that, thankfully, I had some really nice people that did the heavy lifting.
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