Traci Abbott is a fictional character from the American
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
soap opera, ''
The Young and the Restless
''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City (named after the real-life Genoa City, Wiscon ...
''. Created and introduced by
William J. Bell
William Joseph Bell (March 6, 1927 – April 29, 2005) was an American screenwriter and television producer, best known as the creator of the soap operas '' Another World'', ''The Young and the Restless'' and ''The Bold and the Beautiful''.
Ea ...
, the role has been portrayed by
Beth Maitland since 1982. Traci is the daughter of
John Abbott
Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott (March 12, 1821 – October 30, 1893) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the third prime minister of Canada from 1891 to 1892. He held office as the leader of the Conservative Party.
Abbo ...
and
Dina Mergeron
This is a list of notable characters from the CBS soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'' that significantly impacted storylines and debuted between January 1980 and December 1989, in order of first appearance.
Julia Newman
Julia Newman fir ...
.
Initially a short-term role that would last three months, Maitland impressed the series' producers and was placed on contract, remaining until 1996. Traci was known for her relationship with
Danny Romalotti and her marriages to
Brad Carlton, with whom she had a daughter,
Colleen. Both relationships caused a notable rivalry with
Lauren Fenmore. Since 2006, Maitland has remained on a
recurring status
Recurring status is a class of actors that perform on U.S. soap operas. Recurring status performers consistently act in less than three episodes out of a five-day work week, and receive a certain sum for each episode in which they appear. This i ...
with the soap opera. Described as a fan favorite by ''
Soaps in Depth
''Soaps In Depth'' was an American entertainment magazine, formerly published as a series of biweekly print publications and currently as an online-exclusive publication, that is dedicated to coverage of daytime soap operas. Founded in 1997 by ...
'', Maitland's portrayal has garnered praise, including a
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...
in 1985.
Casting
Intended to be a short-term contract role lasting three months, Maitland impressed the producers. She stayed with the show on from June 17, 1982, to June 4, 1987, and from November 1987 to December 1989, September 1990 to June 1993, making guest appearances in December 1993, February to August 1994, February to April 1995, and April to May 1996. She reappeared in 1999, 2001 through 2002, and since 2006 on a
recurring basis. On March 20, 2007, Traci made an appearance on the show's sister soap opera, ''
The Bold and the Beautiful
''The Bold and the Beautiful'' (often referred to as ''B&B'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It premiered on March 23, 1987, as a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera ''Th ...
''. In 2009, Maitland recorded a song that served as the background music for Traci's daughter,
Colleen Carlton's funeral. The song was entitled "An Angel's Lullaby." Since
Maria Arena Bell
Maria Arena Bell ( Arena; born March 10, 1963) is an American novelist, television and freelance writer. She is the former head writer and executive producer of the CBS Daytime soap opera ''The Young and the Restless.''
Early life and education ...
became a writer for the show, Traci was seen more often: "It got to the point where the show stopped calling altogether and I thought my soap ship had sailed. But, after Maria took over, I suddenly had 30 episodes when
raci's daughterColleen died – the biggest storyline I'd had in over 10 years. I don't have those problems anymore. I feel like an honored member of the cast. The climate has changed."
Character development
Since the death of John Abbott, Traci has become the family rock. Although she is the second youngest Abbott sibling, Maitland says, "Traci has kind of moved into his spot to make everyone accountable in the Abbott universe. She's the conscience everyone has to 'fess up to."
When her niece,
Abby Newman (
Marcy Rylan), began acting out, Tracy acted as a mediator between her siblings and her niece. Maitland said, "Traci sees all of Abby's nightmarish behavior, the drinking, the manipulative pranks, the naked-heiress stuff, as what it really is – a cry for help."
Storylines
Like many of Genoa City's privileged youth, Traci Abbott attended boarding school until her return home in 1982. She had low
self-esteem
Self-esteem is confidence in one's own worth, abilities, or morals. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself (for example, "I am loved", "I am worthy") as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. Smith and Macki ...
because she was
overweight
Being overweight is having more body fat than is optimally healthy. Being overweight is especially common where food supplies are plentiful and lifestyles are sedentary.
, excess weight reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than ...
, and her older sister,
Ashley Abbott
Ashley Abbott is a fictional character from ''The Young and the Restless'' and ''The Bold and the Beautiful'', two American soap operas on the CBS network. She has been most notably portrayed by Eileen Davidson, who originated the role on June 11 ...
, was more glamorous and successful than she was. Traci became the president of rocker
Danny Romalotti's (
Michael Damian
Michael Damian Weir (born April 26, 1962) is an American actor, singer, director, writer, and producer, best known for his role as Danny Romalotti on the soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', which he played from 1981 to 1998, 2002 to 2004, ...
) fan club, and she decided to attend college locally at Genoa City University to be near him. She became a singer in Danny's band, and she fought for his attention with
Lauren Fenmore (
Tracey E. Bregman). In addition, Traci's mother, Dina, returned to town for the first time since she left Traci as an infant. The stress caused Traci to become conscious of her weight, and Lauren exploited her to get Danny's attention. Traci became addicted to
diet pills
Anti-obesity medication or weight loss medications are pharmacological agents that reduce or control excess body fat. These medications alter one of the fundamental processes of the human anatomy, human body, body weight, weight regulation, by ...
while in college, and she would often sing (to the melody of
"Turn to Stone" by the
Electric Light Orchestra
The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood and drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop and classical arrangement ...
), "I turn to pills, when I'm feeling ill, I turn to pills". Her addiction culminated when she found out that Danny and Lauren were engaged. She got
high
High may refer to:
Science and technology
* Height
* High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area
* High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory
* High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift t ...
, crashed her car and sustained serious heart damage. After her recovery, she went onstage at one of Danny's concerts to speak about the dangers of
drug addiction
Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...
.
Then, Traci began seeing her college professor, Tim Sullivan. When she found him in bed with another student, she became
suicidal
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death.
Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or acad ...
. She tried to kill herself, but
Christine "Cricket" Blair (
Lauralee Bell
Lauralee Kristen Bell (born December 22, 1968) is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Christine Blair in the CBS daytime soap operas, ''The Young and the Restless'' and ''The Bold and the Beautiful''. As a producer, she re ...
) saved her. Traci then found out that she was pregnant with Tim's child, and Danny Romalotti wanted to marry her to give the baby a family. They married in 1984, but Danny's former flame,
Patty Williams (then played by
Andrea Evans), was angry because Traci stole Danny. She pushed Traci down a flight of stairs, causing her to
miscarry. Traci decided to
annul her marriage to Danny, and Patty left town shortly after. Traci then got involved with
groundskeeper
Groundskeeping is the activity of tending an area of land for aesthetic or functional purposes, typically in an institutional setting. It includes mowing grass, trimming hedges, pulling weeds, planting flowers, etc. The United States Department o ...
Brad Carlton (
Don Diamont). The two were quickly married in 1986, but Brad chose his budding career over his wife. Traci left town to continue her education at
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
.
During their separation, Brad had an
affair
An affair is a relationship typically between two people, one or both of whom are either married or in a long-term Monogamy, monogamous or emotionally-exclusive relationship with someone else. The affair can be solely sexual, solely physical or ...
with Lauren Fenmore, and Traci reconnected with Tim Sullivan. Still, Brad ended his romance with Lauren when Traci came home. To keep her in Genoa City, he agreed to have a baby with her. When Traci found out she was pregnant again, Brad's insane ex-wife,
Lisa Mansfield, kidnapped Brad, and she tried to make Traci believe that Brad didn't love her anymore. Lisa's scheme caused Traci to have a second miscarriage. When Brad was freed, he worked to win Traci's heart, but instead, Ashley Abbott worked her magic, and she stole Brad from her younger sister. Thus, Traci and Brad divorced in 1989. She went on to write two best-selling books, ''Echoes of the Past'' and ''Epitaph for a Lover''. The former novel was based on her life of living in Ashley's shadow.
Ashley eventually left Brad for
Victor Newman
Victor Newman is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera ''The Young and the Restless''. He has been portrayed by Eric Braeden since 1980. Initially a guest character who was to last for eight to twelve weeks, Victor has evolved ...
(
Eric Braeden
Eric Braeden (born Hans-Jörg Gudegast; April 3, 1941) is a German-American film and television actor, known for his roles as Victor Newman (fictional character), Victor Newman (from 1980) on the CBS soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', as H ...
). Brad spontaneously married
Cassandra Rawlins, and he inherited her fortune when she died in a car accident. He then returned to Traci, and they were remarried in 1991. Traci was pregnant again soon after, and she kept the secret from everyone except her father because she wanted Brad to love her without obligations to their child. Soon, Brad grew close to Ashley again when her marriage to Victor fell apart. Still, Traci finally told Brad about their child, he refused to let her raise their child alone. Traci gave birth to
Colleen Carlton in 1992. Colleen's birth did not help Brad and Traci's failing marriage, and they divorced later that year. Traci's publisher,
Steve Connelly, moved to Genoa City, and the two soon began a romance. Brad became jealous, but he realized that Traci was truly happy. Then, Traci moved to New York City with Colleen, where she married Steve in 1993.
In 1994, Traci visited Brad at the hospital when he had a heart attack. Before leaving town, she got into a heated argument with Lauren Fenmore, whom she blamed for Brad's heart attack. In 1996, Traci returned to Genoa City when her father considered remarrying her mother, Dina Mergeron. In 1999, When the Abbotts reclaimed ''Jabot'' from Newman Enterprises, Traci returned home to join in the family celebration.
In 2001, Traci came home after she learned that Steve cheated on her. At first, Colleen did not believe her mother, but she turned on Steve when she learned the truth. Traci became close to Brad during her stay at home, but he was married to Ashley at the time. Traci decided to forgive Steve and work on their marriage, but Colleen became disgusted with her mother's "almost-reunion" with Brad. She rebelled against Traci and Steve until she was expelled from school for smoking
marijuana
Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...
. Then, Traci decided to send Colleen to Genoa City to live with her grandfather John Abbott. In 2006, John Abbott had a stroke, and Traci rushed to his bedside. John died soon after from complications from the stroke, and Traci truly began to see the hardships that her family faced while she was away. John's widow,
Gloria Abbott (
Judith Chapman), was hated by all of John's children. Traci was shocked to learn of the animosity that spread through her family, and she was also unaware of her siblings vendetta with their stepmother.
In 2007, Colleen was trapped in a burning building that was set on fire by
Kevin Fisher (
Greg Rikaart
Gregory Andrew Rikaart (born February 26, 1977) is an American television actor. He is best known for playing Kevin Fisher (The Young and the Restless), Kevin Fisher on the television soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'' since 2003, and also ...
). Traci rushed to support her daughter, and she also reconnected with her sister, Ashley. Traci returned later that year when Jack dealt with the fallout from a fraud scandal. The next year, Traci was present at the
Jabot Cosmetics annual stockholders meeting. She offered her support to Brad in his bid for CEO of the company, but
Cane Ashby (
Daniel Goddard) was appointed CEO in a turn of events. Several months later, Traci came home to attend the "funeral" of
Katherine Chancellor
Katherine Chancellor is a fictional character from the CBS Daytime soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', portrayed by Jeanne Cooper. Created and introduced by show creator William J. Bell in January 1974, Cooper's Katherine was introduced ...
(
Jeanne Cooper). In reality, Katherine's
doppelganger,
Marge Cotrooke, had died. At the funeral, Traci ran into her mother, Dina, and the two argued about Dina's lacking role in Colleen's life. In addition, Lauren Fenmore apologized for the way she had treated Traci those many years ago. Traci went back to New York, but she returned again at Christmas to visit Colleen. She also shared a touching moment with Brad, and he called her "the one who got away." Several days later, Brad tragically drowned after he saved
Noah Newman from a frozen pond. Traci stayed in town to attend Brad's funeral, and then she returned to New York.
Colleen was kidnapped by
Patty Williams. Upon escaping, she fell into a lake, and she almost drowned. She was rushed to the hospital, only to be declared
braindead
''BrainDead'' is an American political satire science fiction comedy-drama television series created by Robert and Michelle King. The series stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Laurel Healy, a documentary film-maker who takes a job working for h ...
. Patty shot Victor Newman when he attempted to help save Colleen from the lake, and Colleen's heart was donated to him at Traci's request. Traci's brother, Billy Abbott, organized a celebration of Colleen's life that all of her friends and family attended. All of the mourners present released red balloons to honor Colleen while
Beth Maitland's song, "An Angel's Lullaby," played in the background. Traci and Steve stayed in town long enough to be present for the
christening of Ashley's "daughter",
Faith Colleen Abbott. Faith became Traci's
goddaughter, and she wore Colleen's christening gown for the ceremony.
Adam Newman (
Michael Muhney
Michael Muhney (born June 12, 1975) is an American former actor. His best known roles include Sheriff Don Lamb on the UPN/The CW television series ''Veronica Mars'' between 2004 and 2007 and Adam Newman on the CBS daytime soap opera ''The Young ...
) became Faith's godfather, but in a turn of events, he schemed to make Ashley believe that Faith was her child. In reality,
Nick
Nick may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Nick (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Désirée Nick, German actress and writer
Places
* Nick, Hungary, a village
* Nick, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland, a ...
(
Joshua Morrow) and
Sharon Newman
Sharon Newman is a fictional character from ''The Young and the Restless'', an American soap opera on the CBS network, currently portrayed by Sharon Case. Created by William J. Bell as a love interest for Nicholas Newman, the character debuted o ...
(
Sharon Case) were Faith's biological parents. Adam stole Faith from Sharon at birth, and he passed the baby off as Ashley's baby. In reality, Ashley had a
hysterical pregnancy, and she never actually gave birth. This dark point in Ashley's life occurred after Traci and Steve went back to New York City. Traci also returned to visit her family for Christmastime. In 2010, Colleen's best friend,
Lily Winters
Lily Winters is a fictional character from the American CBS Daytime, CBS soap opera ''The Young and the Restless''. Created by William J. Bell, the character appeared as a child for her first five-year period. In 2002, Christel Khalil began portra ...
(
Christel Khalil
Christel Adnana Mina Khalil (born November 30, 1987) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Lily Winters in ''The Young and the Restless'', which earned her a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Seri ...
), had recently overcome a battle with
ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different ...
. Lily could not bear children, but she and her husband, Cane Ashby, were able to conceive through a
surrogate mother
Surrogacy is an arrangement whereby a woman gets pregnant and gives birth on behalf of another person or couple who will become the child's legal parents after birth. People pursue surrogacy for a variety of reasons such as infertility, danger ...
,
Mackenzie Browning (
Clementine Ford). When Lily and Cane's twins were born, Lily asked Traci to be their godmother in honor of Colleen, and Traci happily accepted. In 2011, Cane was shot to death on the steps of a church, and Traci attended his "funeral." In reality, Cane's twin brother,
Caleb Atkinson, was killed on the church steps. Lily believed that she was having
hallucinations
A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the compelling sense of reality. They are distinguishable from several related phenomena, such as dreaming ( REM sleep), which does not involve wakefulness; pse ...
because she was seeing Cane's "ghost." Traci was the only person to sympathize with Lily when everyone else thought that she was insane.
Traci's older brother,
Jack Abbott, was preparing to marry
Genevieve Atkinson (
Genie Francis
Genie Francis (born May 26, 1962) is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Laura Spencer (General Hospital), Laura Spencer on the television soap opera ''General Hospital'' from 1977 to present, for which she won a Daytim ...
). Traci returned to Genoa City to spend time with Genevieve and her sister, Ashley, before the ceremony. On the day of the wedding, Patty Williams took Genevieve's wedding dress, and she crashed the wedding. She shot Jack when he realized who she was, and Jack refused to marry Genevieve because she bought his prized company, ''Beauty of Nature''. Traci stayed by Jack's bedside in the hospital while the doctors told him that he may not be able to walk again. Traci returned in August for Jack's wedding to Nikki, and invited her sister Ashley to come home with her. Traci also returned to support Abby when
Victor Newman
Victor Newman is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera ''The Young and the Restless''. He has been portrayed by Eric Braeden since 1980. Initially a guest character who was to last for eight to twelve weeks, Victor has evolved ...
supposedly died. Victor had been suffering amnesia and was involved in an explosion. As a result of Victor's "death", Jack was forced to sell Beauty of Nature, and Traci urged Jack to be careful in his business deals. Traci would return shortly thereafter as she moved back to the Abbott Mansion, and became a thorn in Jack's latest relationship with
Phyllis Summers (
Michelle Stafford
Michelle Stafford (born September 14, 1965) is an American actress, screenwriter and producer. She currently plays Phyllis Summers on the CBS daytime soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', for which she has won three Daytime Emmy Awards. In ...
), who recently moved in with Jack. Eventually, Traci gave her blessing, but an accident left Phyllis in a coma and she left for Georgia for experimental treatments. Traci briefly hinted to Jack that her return to Genoa City was sparked by issues with her marriage to Steve following Colleen's death.
In 2019, Traci writes another book based on
Cane Ashby.
Reception
Maitland won the
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Traci in 1985.
In 2022, Charlie Mason from ''
Soaps She Knows
There are multiple media outlets which focus primarily on television soap operas and telenovela
A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") ...
'' placed Traci 21st on his list of the best 25 characters from ''The Young and the Restless'', commenting "What's that, you say? Traci's not exciting? Nothing happens to Traci? She doesn't even have a love interest? Traci, friends, is ''us''. Beth Maitland's character is the voice of reason to which no one listens, the well-adjusted personality we should all aspire to be. Also, we couldn't freaking adore her more."
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbott, Traci
The Young and the Restless characters
The Bold and the Beautiful characters
Television characters introduced in 1982
Fictional writers in soap operas
American female characters in soap operas
Abbott family (The Young and the Restless)