CBS's The Young and The Restless, which premiered on March 26, 1973, has kept fans hooked with its captivating storylines and characters. Created by Lee and William Bell, the show is set in the fictional town of Genoa City, Wisconsin, and focuses on the Newman, Abbott, Chancellor, and Winter families. It has won several Daytime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series.
In November 2023, veteran actress Colleen Zenk joined the cast of The Young and The Restless as Jordan Howard. Born on January 20, 1953, in Illinois, Colleen is 71 years old as of 2025. She grew up in Barrington and studied theater at The Catholic University of America.
She grew up with a penchant for acting and dancing and wanted to grow up to become a dancer but she suffered from a serious knee injury while she was growing up which did not allow her to pursue dance as a career. She started her acting career by being cast in television commercials and partnered with brands like Kellogg's.
The Young and The Restless star Collen Zenk's personal life and acting career
Colleen Zenk started her professional acting career when she landed the role of Barbara Ryan for CBS's soap opera called As The World Turns in 1978. She portrayed the role and garnered a huge fan following as well, with fans appreciating her acting skills.
She played Barbara on the show for over three decades until the show finally concluded in 2010. Her portrayal got her several accolades, was critically acclaimed, and was nominated thrice by the Daytime Emmy Awards.
Colleen married Michael Crouch in 1983 and the couple had one child together before they parted ways in 1987. Colleen married actor Mark Pinter in 1987 and they had three children and lived together in Connecticut until they both separated in 2012 and got divorced.
Colleen Zenk's role as Jordan Howard on The Young and The Restless
Colleen Zenk joined The Young and The Restless in November 2023 after a 13-year break from television. She plays Jordan Howard, a criminal in Genoa City seeking revenge on the Newman family. Jordan’s desire for vengeance stems from the loss of her sister Eve, who was involved with the Newmans. Jordan is also an accomplice of Ian Ward, another criminal, as they work together to harm the residents of Genoa City.
Recent storylines on The Young and The Restless showed both Jordan and Ian plotting together to wreak havoc in the Newman family. Jordan was shown kidnapping Sharon Newman after drugging her with chloroform, which alarmed Victor and Nikki, causing them to try to investigate where they had kept Sharon abducted.
Jordan was instructed by Ian to murder Sharon so that he could blame Phyllis Summers for Sharon's death on The Young and The Restless. Instead, Jordan strayed from the original plan and held her captive which caused Ian to feel betrayed by her and try to take matters into his own hands. The upcoming episodes of The Young and The Restless will shed further light on these storylines.
Fans and viewers can watch the show on CBS and stream episodes on Paramount+.