YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS: WHERE ARE ASHLEY AND TRACI ABBOTT IN VICTOR NEWMAN’S WAR ON JABOT?
TL;DR: Victor Newman is waging an all-out war on Jabot Cosmetics using stolen AI software, but Jack Abbott’s sisters Ashley and Traci Abbott are completely absent from the battle, leaving fans frustrated and demanding answers about why the Abbott heiresses aren’t defending their family legacy.
Victor Newman is coming for Jabot with everything he’s got, and Jack Abbott is fighting back with one hand tied behind his back. Why? Because his two most powerful weapons—his sisters Ashley Abbott and Traci Abbott—are mysteriously missing in action during what should be an all-hands-on-deck family crisis.
Let’s be real here. Victor didn’t just pick a random Tuesday to go after Jack‘s family company. After Phyllis Summers betrayed Cane Ashby and handed Victor a weaponized AI program on a silver platter, the stage was set for the corporate war to end all corporate wars. Jack called Kyle Abbott back from LA. He even brought Billy Abbott into the strategy sessions. But the two people who should absolutely be in that war room? Radio silence.
Where Are Ashley and Traci Abbott?
Ashley is supposedly in Paris recovering from her dissociative identity disorder crisis. Traci is… somewhere. Off-canvas. Doing whatever recurring characters do when they’re not needed for a storyline. And that’s exactly the problem fans are screaming about on social media!
This isn’t just any corporate dispute. This is Victor Newman—The Mustache himself—attacking the legacy of John Abbott. The company their father built. The family name they’ve all fought to protect for decades. And Jack is out here defending it with Kyle and Diane Jenkins while his brilliant chemist sister and his conscience-of-the-family sister are conveniently absent?
It makes zero sense.
What Leverage Are the Abbott Sisters Missing?
Here’s what makes this absence even more infuriating for longtime viewers. Ashley and Traci aren’t just random Abbott family members. They each have specific, powerful leverage over Victor Newman that could potentially deflect some of his corporate wrath.
Ashley’s history with Victor is complicated, messy, and spans decades. They’ve had affairs. They’ve had marriages. They share a daughter in Abby Newman (via some truly soap-opera-level sperm theft drama, but that’s another story). Victor has genuine feelings for Ashley—or at least he did. She’s one of the few people who’s ever gotten under his skin in ways that weren’t purely antagonistic. Fans are right to point out that Ashley might actually have a fighting chance of making Victor reconsider this attack.
But Traci? She’s got something even more powerful. Something sacred.
Victor Newman is alive right now because he has Colleen Carlton’s heart beating in his chest. Traci’s daughter. The daughter who died tragically, and whose heart transplant literally saved Victor’s life. That created a bond between the Abbotts and Newmans that should be unbreakable. The fact that Victor is now attacking Traci’s family legacy while carrying her dead daughter’s heart is… well, it’s monstrously ungrateful at best.
Fans on Reddit are absolutely incensed. One viewer wrote: “Traci needs to tell Victor to straighten up or give Colleen’s heart back.” Another pointed out: “The business is built on Ashley’s creations! Where is she?” The frustration is real, and it’s boiling over.
What’s Next for the Abbott Family?
Could this mean Ashley and Traci are being saved for a dramatic entrance later in the storyline? Don’t be surprised if the writers are holding them back for a sweeps-worthy confrontation down the line. Given Jack’s history of fighting Victor alone and losing, maybe the Abbott sisters will swoop in at the last minute to save Jabot from total destruction.
This likely leads to one of two outcomes. Either the sisters remain absent and fans continue to call out the plot hole (which undermines the entire storyline’s credibility), or the show brings them back in dramatic fashion to remind everyone why you don’t mess with the full Abbott family united.
The real question fans are asking isn’t just “where are they?” It’s “do these writers even remember the show’s history?” When you ignore decades of established relationships and sacred bonds like Colleen’s heart transplant, you’re telling loyal viewers that their memory and investment don’t matter. And that’s a dangerous game to play with soap fans who’ve been watching for 30-plus years.
Don’t miss our latest The Young and the Restless spoilers for more twists and turns.
