What J. Eddie Peck Thought Would Happen to Cole on Y&R and Why He Was So Surprised

J. Eddie Peck.

Cole Howard recently died on The Young and the Restless. Now, his portrayer, J. Eddie Peck, has shared a poignant video he’d promised fans where he talked about Cole’s death, what portraying Cole has meant for him, and where he hopes to go from here.

Rest in Peace, Cole Howard

Originally, Peck returned to Y&R when Cole appeared in the storyline where Jordan (Colleen Zenk) and Claire (Hayley Erin) kidnapped the Newmans. He and Victoria (Amelia Heinle) learned the shocking news that Claire was their previously believed dead daughter Eve. Victoria and Cole’s relationship deepened as the trio began to become a family again.

In a video he posted on Instagram, Peck explained what happened.

“Josh Griffith, our executive producer, head writer… called me up a couple of nights before my last day, and he said, ‘Hey, J. Eddie, you probably know where this cold is going.'”

However, Peck hadn’t realized it would mean Cole’s demise. “Well, in fact, I really didn’t know where it was going. I was thinking Cole was going to get sick, and the cough was bad, and he was going to go back to the house with Victoria, and she would nurse him back to health, and it’s going to deepen the relationship.”

He noted that the show originally only planned to have him back as Cole for a couple of days, but because they liked the dynamic between Victoria, Cole, and Claire, they continued to write story for the character.

Peck said that he’d enjoyed returning as Cole and getting to explore the character again. “I’m very appreciative for it again.”

What’s Next

As for what’s next, Peck hopes it might be another soap opera.

“I’m hoping I’m going to go to another daytime show,” he revealed. “Because I love daytime. I love the daytime roles. It’s hard for us actors to find deep roles, you know, there’s all kinds of things that you can play and people my age can play all kinds of roles, you know…. But what I like to play, I like to play a deep, caring, vulnerable yet strong human being, you know, those are the kind of roles I’m attracted to.”

In addition to another daytime role, Peck might start a YouTube channel. In the end, he thanked his fans for their support and praised the cast and crew of Y&R for making his time at the soap so nice.