Soap opera community photos scoops news buzz and celebrities

The up and down, back and forth, relationship of Katherine and Jill

Katherine revealed on Wednesday January 30^th that she planned to write a tell-all book. Jill was horrified not only about what her mother would reveal about their lives, but the many others’ in Genoa City that would be affected by the scandal. In recent weeks we have gotten a quick glimpse of flashbacks as Katherine shared her past woes with Amber. Lets take a more in-depth look at the life and times of Katherine Chancellor.

But before we review, see how much you know about Mrs. C. Take this quick quiz then check your answers and learn more.

1) How old was Jill when she and Katherine first met and what was her occupation?

2) Who and what was responsible for the deaths of Phillip II &III?

3) A few years ago Katherine and Jill went head to head in court over who rightfully should have the mansion. Before that they were entwined in a heated court battle over rights to what?

4) Who was Phillip III engaged to when he got her best friend pregnant? J

5) ust when Kay seemed she had found happiness, her identity was stolen and assumed by a drinking, smoking rough around the edges waitress; what was her name?

6) Katherine Chancellor’s portrayer Jeanne Cooper’s son is a star also, who is he?

7) It’s no secret Katherine can be your best friend or worst enemy. After being burned by Jill, Katherine let her guard down and invited a new young woman into her life, named Joann. Kay felt secure that she could control Joann because she had what problem?

8) Also what controversial relationship was insinuated by the Kay/Joann storyline?

9) Prone to dramatic fits, Katherine jumped off of a cruise liner leaving everyone to believe she was dead. A Cuban refuge rescued her but hated her for being rich. On what island did he keep her? And what happened that brought her back to GC?

10) Who is the mother of Katherine’s god-daughter and namesake Kate?

So how’d you do? Amber wasn’t kidding when she said Mrs. C could write a book about her adventures. Here's Soapdom's take...

Katherine Chancellor and Jill Foster have been friends and foes since the Young & the Restless debuted in 1973. Katherine was a bitter, heavy drinker whose marriage had all but failed. Phillip a wealthy businessman consumed his life in work while Katherine sank deeper into the bottle, the effects of the alcohol on her already unhappy life left Katherine an angry drunk. Across town a beautiful beautician befriended Katherine. She was Jill Foster, a naive 18 year old. Grateful for the care and attention Jill showered the heiress, Kay invited Jill to move into the mansion and be her personal assistant. Jill came from a troubled middle-class family that sometimes had financial problems. She was honored to take up residence in the magnificent mansion.

Now living with Katherine, her alcoholism and problems within her marriage became apparent to Jill. Jill vowed to help Katherine in exchange for her generosity. Jill’s love, tolerance, and support of Katherine didn’t go unnoticed by the older, but handsome, Phillip Chancellor. Phillip found himself attracted to Jill. It wasn’t long before Jill couldn’t deny her attraction to Phillip. As Phillip and Jill grew closer, and eventually fell madly in love, Katherine only became more cruel to everyone in her life. Katherine began to see the attraction between Phillip and Jill. She put her son Brock up to seducing Jill. The relationship blossomed, but not as much as her attraction to Phillip.

Jill wasn’t the first young girl Katherine brought into her home and befriended only to end up at odds with them. After Jill, and before Esther the friend and maid, Brock encouraged Kay to invite a young divorcee into her home. Joann gained a large amount of weight after her husband left her. The friendship seemed to be healthy for Joann, who soon began to loose the massive weight and regain her self-esteem, until it turned strange. Kay began to possess and obsess over Joann, cutting her off from the world and pitting Joann against any other friends, AND MEN! The time was a point in television history, specifically daytime, when same sex relationships were not portrayed. Katherine and Joann never actually had a sexual relationship but the emotional storyline behind Katherine’s possessiveness over Joann insinuated a lesbian -ike relationship.  It paved  the way for Katherine Chancellor to be the legendary diva that dared in daytime.

Phillip was the love of Katherine’s life, but he was also the love of Jill’s life. It wasn’t long after making love for the first time Jill discovered she was pregnant. Brock and Jill’s affair came to an abrupt end when Jill learned she was pregnant with Phillip’s child. Now certain there was no repair for his marriage to Katherine on the horizon, Phillip flew to the Dominican Republic to obtain an immediate divorce. Katherine, crazed with desperation and drunk, picked Phillip up at the airport to beg him to give them just one more month to mend the damages. It was too late for Phillip, he was in love with Jill and intended to raise their unborn child with her. In anger, Katherine gunned the gas sending the car over a cliff. Phillip died in the hospital. Before passing away, Phillip expressed his final wish was for Jill and their child to inherit his vast fortune.

Phillip’s final request led to a long-winded battle in court over Chancellor Industries, and the estate. This wasn’t Jill and Kay’s first trip through the halls of justice pitted against the other. For years the two rivals battled over guardianship of Phillip III.

Phillip grew up and became a man that found himself behind the wheel of a car drunk. Phillip met the same fate as his father only this time it was him driving. Phillip also died in the hospital leaving behind a fiancé. Phillip began a relationship with Cricket Blair who had previously been involved with rock star, Danny Romalatti. Phillip was self-conscious that he could never measure up to Danny. Much like Katherine who had a hand in raising him, Phillip began drinking.

Cricket may have been engaged to Phillip Chancellor the third, but her best friend Nina had eyes for Cricket’s man. Nina did everything she could to sabotage the relationship, going as far as taking advantage of Phillip’s drinking problem and getting him drunk, then drugging him. They had sex and she became pregnant. Despite Jill and Katherine’s approval of Cricket and disapproval of the gold-digging Nina, they embraced the young girl and her son in order to be a part of the only link they had left to both Phillips.

After the elder Phillip’s death, Jill happened into a beauty shop looking for work. The owner was a good looking man named Derek. Jill had found love again, but couldn’t let go of the desire to get revenge on Katherine. Jill and Derek plotted for him to befriend Katherine and take advantage of her fortune and business opportunities. The joke was on Jill. Derek and Katherine soon became bed partners and business partners. After a night of drunken partying, Derek awoke with no memory but discovered he was married to Katherine. Jill was devastated, once again Katherine took her man. The marriage was a sham, almost an identical scam that Amber pulled over on Cane last year. After an emotional battle with Jill and Derek, Kay and Derek took a “second honeymoon” cruise. The truth was revealed about the fake marriage, causing Katherine to throw herself overboard. Katherine Chancellor was presumed dead.

A Cuban refuge saved Katherine and kept her secluded in Jamaica. At first the relationship with Filipe was turbulent but as Katherine became accustomed to a simple, slower life without money, a friendship began to blossom. Katherine cut her foot that lead to an almost deadly infection. To save Kay’s life, Filipe came out of hiding to get her medical help. Upon recovering, Katherine wanted to find her new friend and stay with him in Jamaca, but he insisted due to his government affiliation she would be better off away from him. Katherine came home to Genoa City shocking everyone who believed she was dead.

Now jilted twice by Katherine Jill befriended a homeless man, named Rex Sterling and convinced him to seduce Katherine. Rex agreed but soon found he had genuine feelings for Kay. Katherine and Rex had a fun filled, spontaneous relationship. Katherine was the happiest she had ever been. With yet another attempt at revenge blowing up in Jill’s face she decided the wealthy John Abbott, Katherine’s dear friend, would be her next love. When Kay saw the sparks between Jill and John she did everything she could to keep John from marrying Jill. John wasn’t completely taken by Jill when she first began to persue John. Jill was forced to use some underhanded measures to make sure she became the next John Abbott.

As Katherine and Rex were preparing to get married and arrangements were made, Jill horned in on the ceremony, begging Kay to make Jill her maid of honor. Secretly, Jill had tricked John into signing a marriage certificate and she was planning on making the ceremony a double. John refused but that wasn’t the end of the excitement. Nina staggered in, she was in labor.

John soon gave into Jill despite the many objections from his closest family and friends. Even his maid and ex-wife Dina weighed in begging John to reconsider marrying the conniving vixen. John and Jill were married but wedded bliss didn’t last long. Jill had an affair with Jack, John’s son, and Kay happened to come across photographic evidence of the tryst.

Kay creatively had the photograph blown up and cut into a puzzle, sending John the photograph one piece at a time. When the content of the photo became clear John quickly ended the marriage. Once again, Jill and Kay were out to destroy each other.

Jill ultimately won John back. They had one son Billy. When the marriage went south again, this time Katherine had nothing to do with the spoiling of the relationship, Jill and John entered into a nasty custody battle over Billy. During the custody battle Katherine pretended to take pity on Jill and agreed to testify for her. It was just a ruse. Jill learned of the false intention at the courthouse. The women argued, then ended up in a catfight just outside the courtroom.

The fights, arguments, acts of revenge, and stealing of men have been a plenty but Jill and Katherine have had their tender moments beyond the first months Jill cared for Kay upon moving in a 18 years old. Katherine and Jill became quite close during a diagnosis of breast cancer and then again after Katherine suffered a stroke upon learning Jill was actually her daughter. We know that now, but it was a long road to this point. Before Jill and katherine were left with only each other in their lives, there was still many adventures and feuds that continued for decades.

Not long after marrying Rex, a rough and ragged waitress that was a heavy drinker and chain smoker that favored Kay in appearance kidnapped the heiress and took on her identity. Mrs. C’s maid and Rex were quite suspicious of the odd and crude way Katherine (aka Marge) appeared to be acting. Rex put it out of his mind turning to Jill with his unhappiness over the changes in his wife. Esther wouldn’t give up on her friend and employer. Esther was nine months pregnant when she and the real Katherine was being held while Marge lived out Kay’s life. Esther’s pregnancy became too much for her captors to deal with and they rushed her to the hospital. Brock discovered Esther who secretly told Brock about the imposters. Finally Rex, Brock, and Jill uncovered the truth and got Mrs. C back. Esther gave birth to a little girl she named Kate.

Rex divorced Katherine and later remarried her after rekindling what they once shared. But before marrying Katherine again, Rex had briefly married Jill. Happiness just wasn’t in the cards for Katherine, Rex, or Jill.

Esther decided it was her time for happiness and marriage. She began looking for her soul mate in the personals. Esther met a con man named Norman who was just after her money. When he discovered she was only a maid he was going to dump her, but instead asked her to marry him, when she discovered she was in the will of Kay and Rex. Rex ultimately caught Norman stealing from the house. Norman killed Rex.

Well needless to say the life, love, loss , and drama Katherine Chancellor Thurston Sterling has experienced since 1973 is part of the back bone that makes Young & the Restless the number one soap opera for over 400 weeks. Before reality TV became the trend Y&R broke the seal on real life drama, thanks to Katherine Chancellor’s portrayer Jeanne Cooper, mother to actor Corbin Bernsen. Cooper planned a facelift surgery in real life and allowed Y&R to tape and show her alter-ego Kay to undergo her own facelift. On March 26, 1984, 11 years after Y&R debuted, cameras followed Cooper into the operating room, documenting the surgery. America was in awe two days later when the actual bandages were removed on Y&R, showing the results. Y&R informed viewers about the pros and cons of cosmetic surgery while entertaining.

Katherine’s life has had the ups and downs that only daytime drama and the phenomenal acting of Jeanne Cooper and her many co-stars over the years could bring to life. We salute Jeanne Cooper and her alter ego Katherine Chancellor who still brings a special controversy to the screen and her storylines. From alcoholism, vehicular homicide, stealing her daughter’s husbands and loves many times, venturing into the hint of a lesbian relationship; to allowing her fans into her real life decisions and surgeries, Jeanne and Katherine have marched their way to the well earned titled of Daytime legend in her designer heels and gaudy jewelry.

< Prev		Next >