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What Happened to Stephanie on THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL

Stephanie Forrester may be gone from THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL, but she will never be forgotten. However, if you’re a newer viewer who may not be up on the epic history of the Forrester matriarch, allow us to fill in some of the blanks! The role of Stephanie was played by actress Susan Flannery from B&B‘s first episode in 1987 up until the character’s death in 2012. However, the actress made a surprise return to the role on Dec. 15, 2023!

As the matriarch of the Forrester family, Stephanie had plenty of drama dealing with her children Ridge, Thorne, Kristen, and Felicia. When Stephanie began disappearing for periods of time, it was revealed that she was visiting a comatose young woman who turned out to be Angela, the daughter she had believed died at birth. Unfortunately, she later learned that the doctor had hired an actress to play Angela to get money out of the Forresters, and Angela actually was dead.

The Bold and The Beautiful Ridge Brooke Stephanie
“Listen to your mother, Ridge. If you don’t dump Brooke, I’m putting you in a time out.”Jesse Grant/JPI

Stephanie didn’t approve of Ridge falling in love with Brooke Logan, and got even more upset when her other son, Thorne, fell for the blonde as well! She even went so far as to attack Brooke at the Big Bear cabin and tried to strangle her! After Thorne proposed to Brooke, Stephanie suffered a stroke. The idea of losing her made Eric Forrester rethink his feelings for Stephanie and they were remarried. Eventually, Stephanie began to soften towards Brooke, but it was slow going.

A crazed Morgan DeWitt terrorized the Forrester family, kidnapping Steffy, imprisoning Taylor, and attempting to drown Stephanie in her bathtub. After surviving the attempt on her life, Stephanie found herself wooed by her first love, Massimo Marone. She wasn’t interested, but his return revealed that he, not Eric, was Ridge’s biological father! Eric walked out on her, and Stephanie drowned her sorrows with rival-turned-friend, Sally Spectra.

Stephanie bonded with Brooke when Ridge was briefly presumed dead. And when Taylor Hayes turned out not to be dead, either, Stephanie faked a heart attack to push Ridge and Taylor back together. But when Brooke found out about her manipulation, the family turned their backs on Stephanie. She was on the verge of leaving Los Angeles when she discovered papers declaring her the true owner of Forrester Creations — papers Eric had kept hidden from her for decades!

The Bold and The Beautiful Eric Stephanie
“Never forget who wears the pants in this family, Eric. Hint: It’s me.”Aaron Montgomery/JPI

Taking over Forrester, Stephanie installed Thorne as president and gifted Brooke a gun with which to shoot herself. Brooke fired at Stephanie, but missed. Eric and Stephanie grew closer and remarried for the sake of their daughter, Felicia, who was dying of cancer. In the end, Felicia survived, but only because Stephanie forced her to have chemotherapy against her wishes.

Hoping to get Ridge full custody of his children, Stephanie tried to prove that Brooke would sleep with anyone and steered a man named Andy in her direction. But she was horrified when Andy raped Brooke. At the end of a Forrester fashion show, Stephanie was shot by Brooke’s brother, Storm Logan, who wanted to get even with his father. 

Ultimately, Stephanie returned to Forrester and moved back into the mansion with Eric. After an argument by the pool that led to the death of Donna Logan’s mother, Beth, Stephen tried to take revenge by seducing Pam Douglas into shooting her sister. Thankfully, Stephanie got the gun away from her and shot Stephen instead. Eric celebrated 50 years with Stephanie by getting remarried in an impromptu ceremony at the mansion.

When her doctor informed Stephanie that her lung cancer had returned, she opted not to pursue treatment, but to enjoy the days she had left to her. After saying good-bye to her loved ones, Stephanie died in Brooke’s arms in November of 2012 as she sang her to sleep.

The Bold and The Beautiful Brooke Stephanie death
After everything that happened between them, Stephanie chose Brooke to be with her at the end.Sean Smith/jpistudios.com

However, Stephanie’s presence remained a powerful one, and one that Eric’s subsequent wives have always had to deal with. (Quinn Fuller, in particular, always felt trapped in her shadow.) And in December 2023, as Eric’s life was slipping away, Stephanie appeared to her husband to welcome him to the other side where everyone was waiting for him.

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