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First seen on The Young and the Restless in August 1999, Thad Luckinbill has played J.T. Hellstrom as one of the most intriguing and developing characters in the show's history. What started off as a stock high school pretty boy role turned into a character with great depth, as J.T. evolved into an adult grappling with love, fatherhood, demons, and eventual redemption.
His storyline in The Young and the Restless has spanned over two decades, returning for several dramatic arcs that challenged both the character and the audience's perception of him. From his early years caught up in teen romances to his unsettling fall into emotional and physical abuse, J.T. Hellstrom's path has embodied both the peaks and valleys of soap opera drama.
Luckinbill's return in 2017 brought a dark turn to J.T.'s story, finally explained by an unexpected medical diagnosis. The character remains one of Luckinbill's signature performances.
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J.T. Hellstrom in The Young and the Restless
In The Young and the Restless, J.T. Hellstrom was also brought in as a buddy of Billy Abbott and a member of the Genoa City teen group. With a charm and somewhat bad-boy status, J.T. started dating Rianna Miner, but things ended when he slept with Brittany Hodges after cheating on her. His best early romance memory was with Colleen Carlton, Billy's niece.
Though beset with problems, including an extensive age difference and a betrayal by Anita, Brittany's mom, J.T. and Colleen emerged as one of the series' teen supercouples—before she skipped town and broke J.T.'s heart.
Love, betrayal, and parenthood
Later on, J.T. grew interested in Brittany again but soon hooked up with Mac, Mackenzie Browning, becoming romantically involved. He briefly insisted he was the father of Brittany's child to guard her against possible danger, further muddying his affair with Mac. After Mac departed, J.T. had a one-night stand with Victoria Newman that resulted in an even closer connection.
When Victoria was gravely injured in the Clear Springs explosion and was left comatose, a paternity test proved that J.T. was indeed the father of her son, Reed. He named their child after Victoria's mother's birth name and wed her soon after Victoria regained consciousness.
Loss, career changes, and departure
Although he did a stint as chief security officer for Newman Enterprises, J.T. departed when Victor Newman requested that he investigate Colleen's activities. Colleen's death in 2009 was a tragedy for J.T., and it helped seal his marriage with Victoria. He turned to Mac, and they eventually left with Reed for Washington, D.C. In 2011, it was announced that they had a second child, Dylan Hellstrom.
In December of 2017, J.T. returned to Genoa City as part of his divorce from Mac and soon found himself hired by Victoria at Newman Enterprises, while secretly assisting law enforcement with their investigation into Victor. In time, J.T. emotionally abused Victoria, leading to a violent outburst in which he physically attacked her. Soon thereafter, he was presumed dead after being hit on the head by Nikki Newman with a fire poker during a fight.
In 2019, J.T. was discovered to be alive in a twist in The Young and the Restless narrative. He survived because a burst water pipe flooded his grave, and he was later discovered having severe headaches and erratic behavior. A medical checkup showed he had a brain tumor compressing his frontal lobe, and this accounted for his violent tendencies. He was remorseful, apologized to Victoria, and received a prison sentence.
Thad Luckinbill's J.T. Hellstrom continues to be one of The Young and the Restless's most complex character arcs—a journey from teen idol to tormented man trying to find redemption. In 2023, Luckinbill returned for a special guest stint, bringing closure to a character whose legacy is marked by love, loss, and the difficult path to redemption.
Catch the latest episode of The Young and the Restless streaming on CBS.
