From the moment that The Young and the Restless introduced playboy Jack Abbott (then Terry Lester) in 1980, it was hard to snap a photo of the Jabot Cosmetics exec without an admirer or two affixed like pretty, pretty barnacles. In this case, they’re Jacob secretary Carol Robbins and Jack’s old flame and future blackmailer/wife Lindsey Wells (Lauren Koslow, who you may recognize under all that hair as Days of Our Lives’ Kate).
Where’s HR when you need ’em? After Jack’s father stopped dating upwardly-mobile Jabot employee Jill Foster (then Brenda Dickson), she went out with Junior — then sued him for sexual harassment (and won!). Despite this, after she reunited with and married John, Jack had a steamy-as-a-sauna affair with the mercenary mantrap, thus putting himself in a position — several positions, technically — to be forced down the aisle by opportunistic Lindsey.
Did we mention that Jack also carried on with Jabot model Diane Jenkins? Because he did. Carried on and on, in fact. And the beautiful schemer, who’d eventually conceive son Kyle with stolen spunk that she thought was Victor Newman’s, wasn’t what you’d call low-maintenance, either. Once, during a tiff with her loverboy, she arranged for their next tryst — because it wasn’t like they were going to stop trysting each other’s brains out even during a spat — to be interrupted by none other than…
Poor, sweet, dim Patty Williams. Jack only married Paul’s sister to convince Daddy that he was a big boy and definitely responsible enough to run Jabot. (Spoiler alert: He wasn’t.) When she found out that her husband had only walked down the aisle to climb the corporate ladder, she shot him and snapped so badly that even decades later, she couldn’t get her head screwed on straight. Oh, and as if you couldn’t guess, this photo isn’t from that storyline. It’s Patty’s then-portrayer Andrea Evans hanging out in 2018 with Peter Bergman, who wouldn’t assume the role of Jack until 1989, years after her exit.
After archenemy Victor took over Jabot and pink-slipped him, Jack got even by marrying The Mustache’s favorite wife, the former Nikki Reed. They were a pretty good match, too, but they could never get out from under the shadow that Victor cast. If he wasn’t offering to trade Jack his company for his missus, he was reminding Nikki that she was his darling in the tone of voice that always made her weak in the knees.
… it’s just Jack and Luan Volien, the woman with whom he conceived son Keemo during the Vietnam War. Upon reconnecting decades later, the old flames wound up tying the knot — Jack can’t resist a wedding — just in time for his bride to contract a terminal illness and die, any mention of her or Keemo dying with her. “Everyone knows that’s kind of a standard joke with Peter Bergman,” the actor told USA Today in 2019. “Just bring up Keemo, and he starts to wince.” Suffice it to say, it was not his favorite storyline.
When Jack got together with Phyllis Summers, the sparks that flew fast and furious between them were so bright, they could be seen from Mars. But the fates just refused to be kind to the couple. Maybe it was karma’s way of paying him back for so brutally betraying Patty. Maybe it was some kind of cosmic retribution for Phyllis’ attempt to make roadkill of her sworn enemy, Christine Blair. Whatever the reason, it didn’t last — not then, anyway.
While Phyllis moved on with Nick Newman, Jack got together with his former stepson’s ex-wife, Sharon. Somehow, despite the fact that it was Phyllis’ affair with Nick that had stuck a fork in his marriage to Sharon, the lot of them got it in their heads that it would be a good idea for them to run a magazine together. It was not a good idea. However, Restless Style did lead to a whole lot of more-interesting-than-usual watercooler talk among the mixed doubles.
For some reason, Jack was slow — like super slow — to figure out that his next lover Mary Jane Benson was really his unstable ex-wife Patty (now Stacy Haiduk, Days of Our Lives’ Kristen/Susan). And no, the reason wasn’t the blindfold. She’d had her face remade to be a replica of that of her shrink, Emily Peterson. With whom Jack also had a relationship. Because of course he did. Same look, with a whole lot less crazy.
As much fun as it was to see All My Children’s Cliff Warner squiring around General Hospital icon Laura Spencer during Genie Francis’ stint opposite Bergman as Genevieve Atkinson, the character’s romance with and engagement to Jack wound up being as insubstantial as they were short-lived.
Nothing ever came of it, but there was a hot moment there when The Young and the Restless toyed with the idea of pairing Jack with the late Hilary Curtis (before she was “late,” obviously). She even planted a kiss on her boss at the Delia Project Valentine’s Day Benefit, but his eyes — and lips — were more drawn in the direction of…
Never mind that she’d already shagged Jack’s half brother, Billy. Jack had great chemistry with Kelly Andrews (originally Cynthia Watros, now General Hospital pot-stirrer Nina Reeves). Heck, we actually thought for a while there that she might be The One. But then Phyllis emerged from her coma and restaked a claim on Jack’s heart, and we discovered that…
After being weaponized against Jack by Victor, Kelly (later Cady McClain) lost both her marbles and her life. It wasn’t pretty.
After reuniting with Jack, Phyllis (then Gina Tognoni) was so livid that he wasn’t more livid at Victor for replacing him with a doppelganger — even in her bed! — that she cheated on him with Billy. “Not so much fun, is it,” we could just imagine John chuckling in the hereafter, “when the shoe is on the other foot!”
Incapable as Jack is of going without feminine companionship for even a nanosecond, while he was at loose ends, he landed between the sheets with, of all people, former stepmother Gloria Fisher. They made a fun and formidable scheme team, too, but in the end returned to their old status as frenemies and sparring partners. (Much to our chagrin, we might add; loved them!)
Jack flirted with the notion of getting involved with younger woman Sally Spectra. But her uncanny ability to lie without it having any affect whatsoever on the length of her nose waved enough red flags to convince him to take rather than make a pass.
In 2021, Jack found himself unable to deny it any longer: He’d let get away his true love, and that true love was Lindsey. Just kidding. It was Phyllis (Stafford once again). But seeing as she was on her umpteenth reunion tour with on-again/off-again husband Nick, Jack’s chances of getting an “I do”-over seemed about as slim as the fine line between love and hate.
Shortly after Jack friend-zoned a suddenly single Phyllis, Diane (Susan Walters again) rose from the grave and bought the newly vacant home of her ex’s newly dead son as a way of freaking out ingratiating herself to Keemo’s daughter, Allie. As you can tell from Diane’s expression, it all made perfect sense. To her, anyway!
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