The Young and the Restless star Eileen Davidson and Beth Maitland have achieved a massive milestone. The actors celebrate their 40th anniversary of playing sisters Ashley and Traci Abbott. To commemorate the occasion, the show has a special tribute planned for the ladies.
‘The Young and the Restless’ has a special episode dedicated to Eileen Davidson and Beth Maitland
In June 1982, Davidson and Maitland debuted on The Young and the Restless. Davidson’s first air date as Ashley came on June 11; six days later, Maitland debuted as Traci. The Abbotts are a central family on the show, and Ashley and Traci are beloved members.
In the past 40 years, viewers have watched the good and bad moments of the Abbott sisters. Now fans will have a chance to relive their history. On Friday, a special episode will celebrate the lives of Ashley and Traci.
In the episode, Ashley and Traci will talk with their niece Allie Nguyen (Kelsey Wang). The women will reflect on their lives while sharing stories about the Abbott family.
A glimpse at Ashley and Traci Abbott’s history
For the past four decades, Ashley and Traci have been a central focus of The Young and the Restless. Like many Genoa City characters, the sisters’ lives have been drama-filled. One of Ashley’s first storylines was discovering that John Abbott (Jerry Douglas) wasn’t her biological father.
Another of Ashley’s memorable stories is her on-again, off-again love affair with Victor Newman (Eric Braeden). Ashley and Victor become one of the soap opera’s most famous pairings, yet their relationship is plagued by Victor’s ex-wife Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott). Although Ashley and Victor are no longer together as a couple, they remain connected because of their daughter Abby Newman (Melissa Ordway).
Traci also faced her share of drama. As a teen, she was self-conscious about her appearance and was bullied by her former friend Lauren Fenmore (Tracey E. Bregman). When Traci became an adult, she married Brad Carlton (Don Diamont), and they had a daughter Colleen Carlton (Tammin Sursok).
However, like many couples, they had their problems. At one point, Traci fought Ashley over Brad’s affections. Although Traci and Brad divorced, they remained friends. In 2009, Traci and the Abbotts were dealt with a double tragedy with the deaths of Brad and Colleen.
Eileen Davidson and Beth Maitland reflect on their 40 years with ‘The Young and the Restless’
Davidson and Maitland join their The Young and the Restless co-star Kate Linder in the 40th-anniversary club. Being on a show for 40 years is a huge milestone, and Davidson and Maitland feel the love from their co-stars and fans.
In an interview with CBS Watch Magazine credits the fans with making Traci a popular character. “Truly, I can’t imagine what my life would look like without being an Abbott. Traci has been through some things. The viewers who have lived those stories with her are part of her successes and DNA. Our fans are what keep our world spinning in its orbit, and I am so grateful to everyone who tunes in.”
Davidson also echoed Maitland’s sentiments when discussing her time on the show. “I never would have guessed walking through the doors of the Artists Entrance in 1982 would have such a tremendous effect on my life. I’ve been able to work with such incredible actors. I will always be grateful to the fans for their loyalty and love for The Young and the Restless and the Abbotts!”
Fans will take a trip down memory lane as Davidson and Maitland’s special episode airs on June 17. Cheers to many more years to come as everyone’s favorite Abbotts.
‘The Young and the Restless’ Star Beth Maitland Once Called a Cast Member ‘The Biggest Creep’
Beth Maitland has played Traci Abbott on The Young and the Restless for close to 40 years. Throughout her daytime soap career, Maitland has made a lot of friends in her castmates. However, there’s one Y&R star she didn’t exactly like early on.
Beth Maitland is a staple on ‘The Young and the Restless’
As one of the veterans of The Young and the Restless, Beth Maitland has appeared in 465 episodes since 1984. Her role as Traci Abbott is a prominent one among the Abbott family, but she hasn’t had front-and-center storylines for years.
The 1985 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series actress also received a nomination for her Y&R role in 2019 proving she’s still got it.
Early on in her career, Maitland appeared in “over 80 stage productions from Shakespeare to comedies to musicals, including two years with a Lyric Opera Theater Company,” according to CBS.
Though Maitland has other credits to her name, such as Mr. Holland’s Opus, The Young and the Restless is where she made a name for herself. Unfortunately, there’s one co-star she didn’t get along with in the beginning.
One of Maitland’s former co-stars, whom she married on-screen, didn’t give the best first impression. When The Bold and the Beautiful star, Don Diamont, joined the Y&R cast in 1985, his character, Brad Carlton, was destined to end up with Maitland’s Traci Abbott.
“She’s so good, but if Beth wasn’t as sweet as she is, I suppose it could be a little intimidating working with her,” Diamont said in a previous Soap Opera Digest interview. “We have a great chemistry.”
Their first meeting, however, happened two years before Diamont landed the Y&R role. At the time, he starred in Days of Our Lives playing Carlo Forenza, and well-recognized.
Backstage at a concert, paparazzi wanted the two celebrities to pose together for photos. Maitland agreed, but Diamont apparently wasn’t keen on the idea.
Later, when Diamont joined the Y&R cast, Maitland was still salty, giving Diamont the “cold-shoulder” for days.
“I thought he was the biggest creep!” she said. “And I let him know it! We had it out in my dressing room.” She explained feeling better after the blow-up but Diamont hadn’t even remembered the concert incident.
Though it’s been a while since Maitland and Diamont have appeared on a daytime soap together, it seems the two think highly of each other (now). When Diamont was suddenly written off Y&R and let go, Maitland was one of the stars who advocated for his place in B&B.
“When I was first hired,] Brad [Bell] told me I had a lot of friends on Y&R. They said, “You’ve got to bring Don onto your show. You need him on your show. He deserves to be there and this shouldn’t have happened,” he previously told Entertainment Weekly.
That said, Maitland spoke to TV Insider ahead of Y&R‘s Abbott-themed week. The actress reflected on her character’s second wedding to Brad Carlton.
“I got to spend time with my darling Don. He remains such a good friend,” she said. “I admire him and love him so much. He’s a remarkable guy, an amazing father, and caretaker of others. His work has grown tremendously. I love to see that. And I love running into him in the hallway at the studio!”
Clearly there’s been no love loss since that concert fiasco. Maybe someday, The Young and the Restless I’ll resurrect Brad from the dead and he’ll reunite with Traci (or B&B will write Maitland into an episode opposite Diamont).
The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS.
‘P-Valley’: More of Uncle Clifford’s Backstory Will Be Revealed in Season 2
P-Valley has returned for a second season. The series is set around The Pynk, a strip club in Chucalissa, Mississippi, The show also focuses on Uncle Clifford (Nicco Annan), the club’s gender-non-conforming owner and the women who work for her. In Season 1 of P-Valley, we learn that Uncle Clifford‘s family has owned The Pynk for generations. However, it was her idea to turn it into a strip club.
Now in season 2, a lot more of Uncle Clifford’s backstory will be revealed.
Inside the origins of Uncle Clifford’s name
Uncle Clifford is one of the most dynamic characters on television. She is no-nonsense and hilarious, but she also has a heart of gold. P-Valley creator Katori Halls says the role of The Pynk’s owner is actually based on several of her family members.
“She is based off of three living ancestors of mine, which is my mama, who don’t take no sh*t, my daddy, who don’t take no sh*t, and then my Uncle Clifford, who really don’t take no sh*t,” Hall told Thrillist.
For Hall, it’s Clifford’s name that makes the character. “She definitely is a unique being in that Uncle Clifford is considered non-binary; she prefers the pronouns she and her,” Hall explained. “What I love about this name Uncle Clifford is the fact that she’s like, ‘Call me she and her, but I’m still keeping ‘uncle’ in front of my name.’ She is so emblematic of the fluidity of her identity.”
It looks like we will being learning more about Clifford this season.
More of Uncle Clifford’s backstory will be revealed in ‘P-Valley’ Season 2
Last season as Uncle Clifford worked to try and keep the doors to The Pynk open, she also had a love affair with local rapper Lil Murda (J. Alphonse Nicholson). However, Murda wasn’t comfortable being open with their relationship. We’re going to see if the pair are able to make it back toward one another this season. We’re also going to learn a lot more about Clifford’s family and backstory.
“So this season – in season 2 – you get to get more into that backstory, to see how this place was a cotton mill, and then it transformed into a juke joint, and then there was a passing of hands between Ernestine (Loretta Devine) and Uncle Clifford’s mother, Beulah, and then from Beulah to Uncle Clifford,” Annan told Digital Spy. “So there’s a gap shift that happened there, and that’s where we get called in, and you get more of the story and backstory of season 2.”
Nicco Annan had to fight for his role in ‘P-Valley’
P-Valley would not be the sensation that it is without Annan’s portrayal of Uncle Clifford. Sharp, sassy and dressed to the nines, Uncle Clifford is a staple at The Pynk and in popular culture. In fact Annan has been portraying some version of the character since 2009 where he starred in Hall’s Pu**y Valley upon which the series is based.
However, when it came time to cast the series, Annan had to fight to stand in Clifford stilletos. “Katori was very honest,” Annan told Vanity Fair. “She said ‘We’re looking for everyone.’ They cast a wide net.”
Thankfully, the actor knew exactly what he had to do to make sure he won the part. “I could not become Uncle Clifford in the room,” he explained. “I had to show up as her.” Thankfully, it all turned out well.
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