Ashley Abbott

Ashley Abbott

Ashley Suzanne Abbott (formerly Lassiter, Newman, Bladeson, Howard, Carlton and McCall) is a fictional character from the American CBS Daytime soap operas, The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful. She was most notably portrayed by Eileen Davidson, who originated the role in June 1982 before departing in 1988. Brenda Epperson portrayed Ashley from 1988 to 1995, before Shari Shattuck portrayed the role for the next three years, until Davidson's return in 1999. Davidson was nominated in 2003 for Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

The character is the daughter of one of Genoa City's business tycoons, the late John Abbott. She had relationships with various men throughout the years, most notably Steven Lassiter, Victor Newman, Blade Bladeson, Cole Howard and Brad Carlton, among several others. She is also mother to a daughter with Victor, Abby Newman. She is also known for her business contributions to her father's company, Jabot Cosmetics, much like her brother Jack. In 2006, it was announced that Davidson was to leave The Young and the Restless. She last aired on January 11, 2007. Shortly after, the character migrated to its sister soap, The Bold and the Beautiful. There, she became intertwined with the Forresters and Forrester Creations; she also had a romance with Ridge Forrester. She left The Bold and the Beautiful in 2008 and returned to The Young and the Restless; where she has since had relationships with Victor once again and Tucker McCall.

In May 2012, it was confirmed Davidson was fired from The Young and the Restless, leading to her on-screen exit on August 3, 2012. Davidson initially hadn't known why, but it was reported later that Sony Pictures Entertainment terminated her contract with the show for her to return to Days of our Lives as Kristen Blake, a character she had portrayed there over 14 years ago.