Ashley Abbott /

Ashley Suzanne Abbott (formerly Lassiter, Bladeson, Howard, Carlton and Newman) is a fictional character from the American soap opera The Young and the Restless, currently played by American actress Eileen Davidson, who had played the character for a total of more than 16 years prior to her return in September 2008. The character also appeared as a regular on The Bold and the Beautiful. The role of Ashley Abbott was played by three different actresses. Actress Eileen Davidson originated the role in 1982 and departed in December 1988 when the role was recast with Brenda Epperson Doumani, who played the role until December 1995. Shari Shattuck played the role from March 1996 to February 22, 1999. The original actress, Davidson, returned to the role on March 19, 1999. Davidson was absent from the show during the summer of 2003 when she left on maternity leave. Davidson's second run as Ashley ended on January 11, 2007 when she was fired from the show. She was asked to join the show's "sister" soap, Bold and the Beautiful, as the same character. She first aired in that series on March 9, 2007. During her run on The Bold and the Beautiful, the actress made various guest appearances on