The Young and the Restless comings and goings reveal J. Eddie Peck as the latest casting coup for the 50-year-old soap.

J. Eddie Peck Returns As Cole Howard

Hot on the heels of the legendary Colleen Zenk appearing as Claire’s (Hayley Erin) mysterious Aunt Jordan, J. Eddie Peck will be making his Y&R comeback as Cole Howard, the character he first created back in 1993. He hasn’t been seen in GC or on the soap since 1999, so this will be quite a blast from the past.

Since Cole was once married to Victoria (then played by Heather Tom, now Amelia Heinle) and is the son of one of Victor’s (Eric Braeden) ex-lovers, Eve Howard, it’s safe to say he is involved with the Nikki hostage story and therefore Zenk’s Jordan. Fans were stunned when Friday’s Y&R ended with Zenk appearing out of nowhere so Aunt Jordan could assure Claire their plans were coming together.

Zenk was a fan-favorite as As the World Turns’s Barbara Ryan for over three decades, from 1978-2010. She has not been on the soap scene since ATWT was canceled, so she was certainly a sight for sore eyes of the CBS daytime audience.

How Cole is involved with this mysterious mess Nikki is now in remains to be seen. Claire keeps telling Nikki that she will be reunited with the rest of her family, which makes one wonder if she considers herself, Cole, and Jordan to be Nikki’s kin.

Who Is Cole?

When a very young Victoria first began a romance with Cole, it was quite scandalous as there was a possibility that Cole was Victor’s son. It turned out that his mother also had an affair with Rick Daros, which produced Cole. Victoria even had Cole’s baby, but the baby didn’t make it, or so we were always led to believe.

Cole later moved on with Ashley (Eileen Davidson), but by 1999, he moved to England to pursue his writing career and finally returns at the end of this month.

The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings for times. For all the latest Y&R spoilers, recaps, and news, Daily Drama has the scoop