Jack, then played by Terry Lester, was the first Abbott to arrive on The Young and the Restless in 1980.
He was followed by dad John (Jerry Douglas) soon after, as the two became involved in a love triangle with one Jill Foster, then played by Deborah Adair.
Father and son were joined by Jack’s sisters, Ashley (Eileen Davidson) and Traci (Beth Maitland), in 1982. John, Jack and Ashley all worked at Jabot. It was a family company.
But then, in 1983, a huge family secret came out: Ashley was not the biological daughter of John, but of Brent Davis, a tennis pro her mother, Dina (Marla Adams), had an affair with.
Ashley was so devastated by the revelation that she, literally, lost her mind, getting amnesia and slinging hash as a waitress named Annie. Ashley regained her memory, as well as her conviction that John must never have his heart broken in the same way.
She was able to keep the truth from him until John’s death, but, in addition to Ashley and Dina, Jill (Jess Walton), Victor (Eric Braeden) and Jack (Peter Bergman) know, too.
All swore to take the secret to their graves, but now that Ashley is out to take Jabot away from Jack, might he consider letting the cat out of the bag?
Think about it. If Ashley pulls off her corporate take-over on the basis of being John’s child, well, what better way for Jack to pull the rug out from under her than by proving that Ashley isn’t an Abbott, after all?
Heck, just the threat of going public and embarrassing John’s memory might be enough to convince Ashley to drop her coup attempt. Might Jack blackmail his sister privately, only threatening to go public if she insists on unseating him?
Think it’s an unlikely scenario? After all, in spite of everything, the pair have been pretty close all these years. Then why is actress Marla Adams scheduled to bring Dina back to Genoa City in May….
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