Cole Howard, played by J. Eddie Peck, has gone to that great soap in the sky on The Young and the Restless. Now, the actor is sitting down with Soap Central to chat about his latest run, why he couldn't watch Cole's death, and more.

Peck tells Soap Central that the episode in which Cole took his last breath was so emotional, he couldn't view the program when it first aired. "My wife had watched it sometime during the day," Peck shares. "We'd been cleaning and repairing things for our Airbnb business, and she snuck away to watch it. She said she hadn't stopped crying. Later, I realized I had to watch the show, so I did around midnight."

The actor says the reason he initially couldn't bring himself to see Cole's swan song was because he loves playing the part so much. "I've enjoyed so much coming back to play the role, and working with Hayley [Erin, Claire], and having this daughter," he says.

Peck says he and his TV leading lady Amelia Heinle (Victoria) were able to hit the ground running chemistry-wise when he came back to the show in late 2023 because they'd played lovebirds Jake and Mia on All My Children about 20 years ago. "We had this nice friendship and chemistry, too," he says.

Claire's resurrection wouldn't have played out the same had Cole not been involved. However, his run past Cole and Claire's initial reunion ended up being expanded. "Originally, I was just supposed to be back for a few days, and then, they decided to develop the role a little more and go deeper with it," Peck says.

Peck says he was hopeful that Cole would be sticking around after Victor (Eric Braeden) offered Cole the position of running Newman Publishing. "My mind started getting away from me a little bit," the actor shares.

Fans began posting on social media fears for Cole's future, however, after he returned from an international business trip earlier this year and began coughing. Peck, however, thought Cole would beat the odds. "I thought they were looking to use [Cole's illness] as a way to draw Cole and Victoria closer together," Peck theorizes. "Victoria was going to nurture him back to health and help accelerate their relationship to another level."

Peck gives credit to Y&R showrunner Josh Griffith for talking to him on the phone about Cole's fate. "He said, 'Eddie, I guess you know where this is going,'" Peck recalls. "It actually kind of caught me by surprise, but man, has it been fun. It's just been a great, great experience."

Y&R laid the groundwork for Claire's return in 1998 after her birth. While everyone had been told the baby had died, the focus was on reactions to the devastating news. Victoria (then, Heather Tom) even said at the time that she wasn't allowed to see the baby.

"I remember thinking at the time they've left a door open," Peck shares. "I will never forget the last talk Bill Bell [Y&R's creator and former senior executive producer/head writer] and I had. He told me, 'Eddie, I promise you this character will come back to the canvas.' I believed it. I had a few executive producers reach out over the years, but it just never happened. But, I never lost hope because Cole was still there."

Peck wants to thank the loyal Y&R viewers who graciously supported his return to the show for their support while he was back. "I've read comments and messages on Facebook, and they have meant so much to me," he says. "I will treasure those for a long, long time -- truly. Also, everyone at the show was just so wonderful and kind."

Catch all-new episodes of The Young and the Restless weekdays on CBS and Paramount Plus

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