Nikki Newman
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| Nikki Newman | |||||||||||||||
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| The Young and the Restless character | |||||||||||||||
| File:Yr cast mscott.jpg Melody Thomas Scott as Nikki Newman. | |||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Erica Hope (1978-1979) Melody Thomas Scott (1979-) | ||||||||||||||
| First appearance | May 1978 | ||||||||||||||
| Created by | William J. Bell | ||||||||||||||
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Nicole "Nikki" Newman (née Reed, formerly Foster, Bancroft, DiSalvo, Newman, Abbott, Landers and Chow) is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. She was played by actress Melody Thomas Scott.
Character history
Since Nikki was introduced in 1978, in an early story line that had her almost sexually abused by her father (played by the same actor who later played Rex Sterling on Y&R - indicated on her Lifetime TV intimate portrait biography). She has gone from stripper and prostitute to Genoa City's most prominent socialite, largely as a result of her former marriages to wealthy tycoon Kevin Bancroft and Victor Newman (Eric Braeden). She has two grown children, Victoria (Amelia Heinle) and Nicholas (Joshua Morrow), both by Victor.
Nikki was a stripper who later started a romance with Kevin Bancroft (Christopher Holder) which was troubled by his disapproving mother Allison Bancroft (Lynn Wood). Allison bought a copy of a pornographic film titled Hot Hips, purportedly starring Nikki, in a bid to end Nikki's relationship with son Kevin. The film was distributed by criminal Tony Di Salvo (Joseph Taylor). Nikki was eventually able to prove that she did not perform the sex scenes featured in the film; they were enacted by a different woman and were intercut with video footage of Nikki stripping. During the relationship with Kevin, Nikki had a fling with Victor Newman. When Nikki became pregnant, there was some doubt to the paternity of the child. It was ultimately learned that Victor was the father. The relationship with Kevin ended and she took up with Rick Daros (Randy Holland) during her pregnancy. Nikki eventually gave birth to Victor's child, a daughter named Victoria. Despite putting himself at risk to run an ill baby Victoria to the hospital during a blizzard, Rick was ultimately revealed as a cruel villain and his relationship with Nikki ended.
Nikki and Victor
Nikki and Victor's love story was a rocky and tumultuous one. They met at a strip club called "The Bayou" (later renamed Marsino's, then Marilyn's) and first married in 1984. The marriage ended in 1988 and Victor and Nikki both moved on with other people - Nikki with Jack Abbott (played at the time by Terry Lester) and Victor with Jack's half-sister, Ashley (Eileen Davidson). Ashley became pregnant with Victor's child and soon had an abortion, a move she lived to regret. Grief over the loss of the child tore Victor and Ashley apart, and Nikki and Jack divorced soon after.
Victor's feelings for Nikki began to resurface, but Nikki, oblivious to this, married Dr. Joshua Landers (Heath Kizzier). Victor rebounded into the arms of Diane Jenkins (then played by Alex Donnelley) and they married shortly after. Tragedy struck when Joshua was shot dead by his jealous ex-wife, Veronica (Candice Daly), who had disguised herself and had been posing as Nikki and Joshua's maid, Sarah Lindsey. Hours later, Veronica shot and severely wounded Nikki, leading to Victor to divorce Diane and remarry Nikki on her death bed. Victor promised Diane that he would remarry her after Nikki died. When Nikki miraculously recovered, her family was ecstatic, but Diane was (rightly) concerned about where she stood with Victor. Victor soon broke it off with Diane.
After learning that, due to Nikki surviving, their marriage was invalid, Victor and Nikki remarried in a lavish ceremony in September 2002.
Since then, Nikki has been kidnapped resulting in post traumatic stress disorder and has been shot by a carjacker. However, after the death of their granddaughter, Cassie (Camryn Grimes), in 2005, Victor and Nikki became determined to stay strong for their family and this made their relationship stronger than ever. Then in 2008 after Victoria recovered, Victor and Nikki got a divorce. Nikki soon got married to David Chow. and Victor married Sabrina, Victoria's old friend. Both David and Sabrina died in a car accident planned by Walter to kill David and Nikki but the driver mistook Sabrina for Nikki because Sabrina responded to the driver calling her "Mrs. Newman," which Nikki still occasonally went by for business purposes.
When Victor was written off the show in 2009, Nikki returned to accompany him.
Professional career
In recent years, Nikki has transitioned from wealthy socialite to being a prominent part of Genoa City's business community, despite the fact she bought her way in with Victor's considerable fortune.
Early in her career Nikki give Jabot $35 million dollars to help get the company out of debt. She was given a seat on the board of directors and some share in the company. She later sold her share and gave up her seat on the board for money to start her own company, NVP Retreats.
In 2007, Nikki ran against her ex-husband Jack (Peter Bergman) in the race for Wisconsin state senate, but after a few mistakes and being caught on tape kissing her campaign manager, she lost the election to Jack.
In July 2007, Nikki, fed up with Victor's constant disapproval of her decisions, announced that she was leaving him. This led to a long and contentious divorce fueled in part by the involvement of David Chow (Vincent Irizarry) in Nikki's life. In 2008, Nikki and Victor's latest divorce was complete and Nikki lost ownership of NVP Retreats. The divorce was acrimonious and Nikki walked away with a $100 million dollar divorce settlement from Victor. Soon after, she was also made CEO of Jabot Cosmetics when Kay Chancellor stepped down as CEO of Chancellor Industries and made her daughter Jill Abbott CEO. Nikki later stepped down as CEO of Jabot Cosmetics after a scandal involving the death of her husband David and his gambling problems. For a little time in 2009 she was editor-in-chief of Restless Style Magazine.
Recent events
 | This article duplicates the scope of other articles. |
Nikki married David Chow in June 2008 in a small ceremony in Mexico. After they were married, David told Nikki that he had an addiction to gambling and that he owed Walter over $250,000. In July 2008, David asked Nikki for a divorce because he gambled away all of his money and he didn't want to gamble away all of hers, but then he asked for a second chance. Nikki bought them a multimillion dollar estate.
Meanwhile, Paul Williams investigated David and found that David wasn't even his real name. Nikki was going to ask David for a divorce when she found out that David was going to drug her. The marriage was dissolved with the death of David in a car crash. Also killed in the crash was Victor's wife Sabrina Newman. Hurt by the actions of her husband, Nikki offered Victor her support in getting through his tragedy; But he refused. Victor later left Genoa City and went to Mexico to mourn the death of Sabrina. Nikki, admitting she loves Victor and would do anything for him, followed him to Mexico. There she insinuated that Victor killed the man responsible for the death of Sabrina. Victor denied these allegations and stated that he would never have romantic feelings for Nikki again and that he wished she died instead of Sabrina. Frustrated with Victor, Nikki returned to Genoa City only to find Victor back as well. Nikki went to the ranch to talk to him, but he insisted on being alone. Later, Nick found Victor lying on the floor of Sabrina's art gallery. Rushing to the hospital to see Victor, Nikki got the same rejects he had been throwing at her. Nikki, Nick, and Victoria agreed to have Victor committed. When the doctor came to get Victor, he was nowhere to be found. He had left the hospital and town again. Nikki, still determined to find Victor, enlisted the help of Ashley Abbott. Nikki was determined to win Victor back.
Nikki recently entered into a relationship with her early love, private investigator and long time friend Paul Williams (character). In May 2009, Nikki accepted Paul's marriage proposal. In August 2009, Nikki told Paul she couldn't marry him, that she was sorry and she may never return to Genoa city again. Paul was left heartbroken. She later went to the Newman ranch and told Victor that he was the only man she ever truly loved. While leaving the ranch to go meet her taxi, Nikki was hit by a car driven by the mentally unstable and delirious Ashley Newman, who had mistaken her for her husband's ex-wife, the deceased, Sabrina Newman. Nikki returned to the Young and the Restless while using her maiden name of Reed on September 22, 2009. She appeared at a spa in Colorado where she had sent a letter from several weeks before, but the letter was intercepted by Victor's son Adam Wilson before it could be read by anyone.
After Victor was shot by Patty Williams and given a heart transplant, he left with Nikki for a rehabilitation center in Europe.
Nikki will be returning this Christmas.