What Happened to Jordan on Young and Restless

If you think Jordan on Young and Restless looks familiar, you probably recognize her portrayer, Colleen Zenk, from her 32-year run as Barbara on As the World Turns! The veteran actress made her surprise return to soaps when she appeared in the cliffhanger of the Nov. 17 episode of Y&R. She turned out to be quite a dangerous villain and like the proverbial bad penny, kept popping up… until she met her maker!

Claire Grace got herself a job working as Nikki Newman’s assistant at Newman Media and made herself as indispensable as possible to ingratiate herself with the entire family. Eventually, Claire told her boss that her Great Aunt Jordan had fallen at her lake house and broken her arm and she needed to go take care of her. Claire claimed that Jordan was a big fan of Nikki’s, and accepted when Nikki offered to fly her to her aunt on the Newman jet since she was heading that way to surprise her sister.

However, when the pair arrived at Jordan’s lake house, Claire drugged Nikki and locked her in an upstairs bedroom, hooking her up to an IV to get alcohol in her system and knock her off the wagon. Jordan then arrived to assure Claire that everything was going according to plan and not to get soft on her now. Claire returned to Genoa City to tell Victoria Newman that Nikki had been rushed to the hospital after having a seizure. Victoria rushed to tell her father, Victor Newman, and they brought Nick Newman into the loop as the family prepared to rush to her side.

Claire called Jordan, who spoke with Victor and pretended they had a bad connection as she told him Nikki was in the hospital and assured him the doctors knew about her MS and were tending to her. As the Newman family all rushed to the airport, Cole Howard entered Jordan’s house looking for Nikki after having received a message from her! Jordan hit him over the head and knocked him out before her guests arrived.

After taunting Nikki, Jordan welcomed the Newmans but quickly dropped the pleasantries and revealed that she was Eve Howard‘s sister and wanted to take revenge for the way Victor treated her sibling. Jordan then revealed that she had poisoned the water bottles they’d just drank from and would enjoy watching them suffer and die! Claire then brought a stunned Cole in to join the “party” and revealed she was the child they’d abandoned decades ago!

Unfortunately, when Jordan explained how she’d stolen Baby Eve from the hospital back then, Claire realized she’d been manipulated and lied to and changed sides. After slashing Nick with a knife, Jordan raced upstairs where Victor had found Nikki. They locked her in the bedroom, but when the police arrived, there was no trace of her!

The Newmans returned to Genoa City not realizing that Jordan had also made her way there, determined to take her revenge one way or another! After calling the cops on herself, she arranged for them to discover planted evidence in a motel room as she slipped off to stalk Nikki!

Jordan slipped into the hospital where Claire had been admitted and stole her away. She then called Nikki and ordered her to come to a secluded cabin to exchange herself for her granddaughter. Once there, Jordan held Nikki at gunpoint and revealed a drugged Claire. When Jordan gave her a bottle of liquor, Nikki smashed it over her head, and Claire told them to stop fighting as she held the gun on them. Jordan insisted they were family, but in the end, Claire sided with Nikki, who pushed Jordan down, knocking her out. The police arrived and placed Jordan under arrest, taking her away.

Jordan was visited by Claire, who wanted to get closure in order to facilitate her recovery. Jordan continued trying to twist Claire, but she wasn’t having any of it anymore and shut her down. Furious, Jordan got her hands on a cell phone and tried calling Claire at the hospital, pretending to be Victoria so she could get through. But again, Claire told Jordan she was dead to her. But Jordan still wasn’t through! A fire broke out at the prison and in the melee, some of the inmates died or escaped, but no one was quite sure what happened to Jordan. However, when Nikki began getting phone calls and heard stripper music again, she was convinced Jordan was on the loose and still after her!

As Nikki tried to lure Jordan to the ranch for a confrontation, Jordan befriended Nikki’s sponsor, Seth, who had also fallen off the wagon. Wearing a wig and glasses and calling herself Isabel, she claimed to be an old friend of Nikki’s and urged him to reconnect with her. After learning that Claire had been released from the hospital into the Newman’s care, Jordan realized that in reconnecting with Nikki, Seth was on to her scheme. After he confirmed he knew who she was, Jordan pushed Seth into the path of an oncoming car, killing him!

Led to believe Claire was staying with Victoria, Jordan set her house on fire. She contacted Victor, who arranged to meet with her. In the alley, she held Victor and Michael Baldwin at gunpoint as they hashed out a deal. Victor offered her 10 million, a new identity, and a chateau in France if she left and never came back. He also agreed to be her hostage until her escape was made, and she took him to a warehouse where she planned to lock him in a room until he died. But Nick appeared and tased her, having followed unseen as part of Victor’s plan. The men then left Jordan locked in the room alone herself!

Jordan was relieved when someone finally arrived but not when she realized it was Nikki, Victoria, and Claire who had come for a final confrontation. After arguing back and forth, Jordan swallowed a vial of poison to thwart their plan to lock her up again and exit on her own terms. However, after watching her collapse, Nikki dialed 911 and Jordan was rushed to the hospital where she recovered and made her escape, knowing a hospital was easier to break out of than a prison!

Disguised as a man, Jordan sneaked around Genoa City keeping tabs on Claire and sending Nikki a drink at the bar to torment her. Victor and Nikki upped security for their anniversary party, but Jordan took advantage of everyone being out to abduct Claire and Harrison! Nikki tried to make a deal with Jordan to exchange herself for her two captives, but Victor tricked Jordan and abducted her himself! As Harrison, and later Claire, were found and rescued, Jordan found herself locked in the Newman wine cellar while Victor claimed she had died after falling off a bridge trying to escape. Victor relished torturing Jordan until Cole found her and enlisted Michael’s help in transferring her to a real prison. Victor was furious, but they forced him to agree not to take the law into his own hands and Jordan was transferred to a maximum-security prison

In November 2024 it was revealed that Jordan had escaped again and was now working with the notorious villain Ian Ward to cause more havoc in Genoa City! They had killed Heather Stevens and framed Sharon Newman for the crime as part of Ian’s plan to get closer to Mariah Copland again. But Jordan grew impatient with her partner in crime as he was also supposed to be helping her get Claire back. Once Sharon realized she hadn’t killed Heather, Ian ordered Jordan to dispose of her, but the villainess opted to chain her up in the sewer as an insurance policy. Then, things got worse as the cops closed in on them.

Jordan made sure Claire saw her and lured her to the park where she revealed Ian had helped break her out of prison and got someone to take her place so no one knew she was gone. Claire claimed she was thrilled to see her aunt again and wanted her help in taking down the Newmans now that she knew they’d never actually accept her. Jordan was wary and tread carefully, but eventually agreed to work with Claire to kill Victoria and get her inheritance. Unfortunately, it was all a trick and Jordan realized she’d been set up by Claire, Victoria, and Nikki! She gloated that she still had Sharon, but then Nick revealed that she had escaped and Jordan felt the walls closing in on her. She drank the poisoned tea Claire had offered her and warned that she would always have to live with the guilt of killing her.