Who plays Diane Jenkins on The Young and the Restless? Meet the actress behind the character

The Young and the Restless (Y&R), the American daytime soap opera, debuted in 1973. Created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell, the soap looks into the dramatic lives in the fictional Genoa City. Various characters kept changing over the years, and Diane Jenkins turned out to be an important character.

Susan Walters portrays Diane Jenkins. Given that her relationships with businessmen led to her tragic death and the revelation that she had faked her death, Diane has always been a primary part of the plot.

Susan Walters and her introduction to The Young and the Restless

Susan Walters as Diane Jenkins has been one of those characters with complicated relationships, power, manipulative behavior, and dramatic storylines of the soap opera. First introduced on April 28, 1982, Diane started as a minor character but quickly became a major player on the show.

Diane initially arrived in Genoa City as an ambitious woman who quickly got involved with influential men in the town. She had a complicated relationship with Jack Abbott. Diane and Jack had a memorable romance that eventually led to their marriage. Then, they had a child, Kyle Abbott. However, her marriage to Jack did not last due to deceit and manipulation. At the same time, it became questionable whether her feelings for Jack were true.

However, her life changed when it came to light that Kyle was not Jack’s biological son. Kyle was Victor Newman's (Jack's rival) son. 

Diane's rivalry with Nikki Newman has been an enduring theme throughout her presence in the soap. When Diane and Nikki competed for Victor Newman's attention, their conflict began. Diane's manipulation and use of beauty and charm fueled the fire. When Diane was revealed to have caused Nikki's chaos, the rivalry peaked. Diane's rivalry defined her interactions with other characters and showed her scheming.

Diane had relationships with powerful men, including Victor Newman, in addition to her feud with Nikki and Jack. Diane's relationship with Victor was complicated by their secrets and lies as well as their romance. Diane's manipulation of Victor and Jack strained the family.

Diane’s return and death

When Susan Walters quit her role as Diane Jenkins in 2004, she was written out of the show. Diane's story didn't end there, though. In 2010, Diane came back to Genoa City for a short time as a guest star. This return brought back the drama between her, Jack, and other important characters. Her death wasn't added to the show until 2011; it came as a shocking mystery.

Fans tried to figure out who killed Diane. At first, people thought that Nikki Newman had killed Diane by accident while acting in self-defense. But after more research, it was found that Deacon Sharpe, Nikki's husband at the time, had done it.

Diane fakes her death and returns

Diane shocked everyone when she came back to the show in March 2022 after pretending to be dead for years. It was thought that she had been killed, so this was a big surprise. Diane's return caused a lot of trouble, especially in the Abbott family. 

When she came back, there were new fights, especially when she saw her son Kyle again and had to deal with the effects of what she had done in the past. As Diane tried to get what she wanted from the people around her, her manipulative tendencies were clearly shown. 

About Susan Walters

Susan Walters is an experienced actress who has been in the business for many years. In 1983, Walters became well-known when she joined the soap opera Loving as Lorna Forbes. She played this part until late 1986. This early success made it possible for her to move on to other roles in movies and TV shows. She went on to star in well-known TV shows like Melrose Place, Seinfeld, and The Vampire Diaries.

Walters has done well on both soap operas and primetime TV. Teen Wolf and One Tree Hill are two shows where she has had recurring roles. Walters has also been in a number of TV movies, including Horse Sense and its sequel, Jumping Ship. 

The Young and the Restless episodes are available on CBS.