Not only do they play sisters on-screen but Eileen Davidson and Beth Maitland have the distinction of joining “The Young and the Restless” just days apart 40 years ago this month. In recognition of their four-decade contribution to the popular daytime series, on Friday, June 17, CBS will air a special standalone episode of the soap which honors the history of their characters, Ashley Abbott and Traci Abbott, respectively.
Photo by Sonja Flemming/CBS
As shown in a promo for the episode, the sisters can be seen sitting down at a reserved table in Society with their newly discovered grandniece, Allie (Kelsey Wang), as they share information about their lives with the hope they’ll eventually get to learn more about Allie’s own experiences as well. Look for the episode to find the pair reminiscing with their brother, Jack (Peter Bergman), and Ashley’s daughter, Abby Newman (Melissa Ordway), among others, as they take a walk down memory lane filled with flashbacks and memorable moments.
Photo by Sonja Flemming/CBS
Photo by Sonja Flemming/CBS
Davidson first appeared on the soap as Ashley Abbott on June 11, 1982, with Maitland joining the show as Traci Abbott on June 17, 1982.
Photo by Sonja Flemming/CBS
During an on-set celebration last month, which took place the same day the special episode was taped, several co-stars, past and present, joined in for some fun, laughter, speeches, and cupcakes that featured both ladies’ faces embedded in the icing.
Photo by Howard Wise/JPI Studios
Don Diamont, who currently moonlights as Bill Spencer on “The Bold and the Beautiful,” returned to his old stomping grounds at “Y&R” to give a wonderful speech as he recalled working with them during his time playing womanizer Brad Carlton (1985-1996; and 1998-2009) who was romantically involved with both Traci and Ashley, albeit nearly a decade separated the relationships. On the show, Brad and Traci shared a biological child together, Colleen, and Abby was adopted by Brad during his time with Ashley. Sadly, Brad died by drowning after saving a young Noah Newman after his body was found frozen in a lake. A year later, Colleen also fell into a lake and nearly drowned. After being told her daughter was brain dead, Traci made the difficult decision to pull the plug. Colleen’s heart was later donated to Victor Newman (Eric Braeden).
Photo by Howard Wise/JPI Studios
In addition to Diamont, speeches were also given by the aforementioned Bergman, Ordway and Braeden, Tracey E. Bregman (Lauren), Jason Thompson (Billy), and the show’s executive producer, Anthony Morina. Both Davidson and Maitland later gave their own speeches in addition while also being around to pose for dozens of photographs with their “Y&R” family.
Photos by Howard Wise/JPI Studios
The event saw several of their real-life family members in attendance. For Davidson, that included her husband, Vincent Van Patten, and their immediate family.
Photo by Howard Wise/JPI Studios
Watch the special episode promo below.
Note: An earlier version of this article indicated that the original airdate for the special standalone episode was Thursday, June 16. Due to CBS News airing portions of the January 6 Committee hearings on Monday, June 13, a repeat episode of “Y&R” was joined in progress pushing all-new episodes back by one day.
