‘The Young and the Restless’: Will Judith Chapman Return?
When Judith Chapman’s Gloria Fisher last appeared on The Young and Restless she was ousted from Jabot. Fans lamented that she left Genoa City without a word. You can bet Gloria’s not done with Jabot, her sons, or Genoa City just yet. In fact, she returned to her fan-favorite role as Gloria this month, and word is she’s leaving already — will she be back?
Seasoned Soap Vet Judith Chapman
Judith Chapman’s no stranger to TV, film, or soap operas. She first hit the soap scene in the mid-1970s playing As the World Turns’ Natalie Bannon. Chapman’s other soap roles include General Hospital’s Ginny Blake Webber and One Life to Live’s Sandra Montaigne in the eighties before playing Days of Our Lives’ Angelica Devereaux in the early nineties, according to Soap Central.
During her hiatus as Gloria from The Young and the Restless, Chapman returned to Days of our Lives as Diana (Colville) Cooper for a brief stint from January to March 2019. It didn’t take her long to wreak havoc in the lives of the Black family. One fun aside is that Greg Rikaart, the actor playing her son Kevin on Y&R, joined her on Days for a time, playing her con artist son, Leo Stark. Between blackmailing Stark, plotting to kill Marlena and trying to win back John, it almost seemed like Days’ Diana was channeling Y&R’s Gloria for a while.
Gloria: The Fisher of Men
Although Chapman’s TV and film repertoire spans over 40 years, it’s the part of Gloria Fisher Abbott Bardwell in the long-running soap The Young and Restless that made her a household name in an age where most soaps have already met their afternoon demise. Chapman replaced Joan Van Ark, who originated the role, in 2005. Van Ark played Gloria for less than a year so Chapman had over a decade to make Gloria hers alone.
It didn’t take long for fans to recognize that the men in Gloria’s life weren’t immune to her bewitching ways. Take John Abbott for instance. After reconnecting with her sons, she set her sights on Abbott’s fortune, but she just couldn’t stay in the good graces of his adult children, Jack and Ashley. After some industrial espionage went awry causing an innocent woman’s death, John Abbott was sent to prison where he later died–but not before writing Gloria out of his will, much to her chagrin.
From Grief to Show Me the Money
Like most soap opera grieving, Gloria didn’t lament long before hooking up with district attorney William Bardwell, fighting Jill Abbott for his affections. Like John Abbott, Bardwell died of a stroke. As luck had it, Gloria ended up receiving Bardwell’s fortune as well as half of John Abbott’s.
In a strange twist of fate, Bardwell’s twin brother blackmailed Gloria into marrying him before her ex-husband River Baldwin came to Genoa City to stir up trouble. Trouble ensued as it always has between the Abbotts and the Newmans. But not before Gloria had a “friends with benefits” affair with Jack Abbott before Ashley fired her from Jabot. Then she was gone.
What Could Gloria Be Up to Next?
Was Gloria’s October surprise just a visit or will she return home for good? Fans write that they are hoping Gloria’s will be around for the duration to add extra spice to existing story arcs. While she says she’s leaving, there’s always a chance she’ll be back with her scheming ways. You can bet that the resident pot-stirrer won’t be returning to Genoa City without an agenda.
