What Happened to Tara on THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS
By	Chris Eades	 August 17, 2021
Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
Tara Locke on THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS is new to Genoa City but she's got history with one of its residents! The role is played by Elizabeth Leiner, who made her debut in the episode that aired on March 1, 2021. Viewers might recognize the actress from roles on shows like DROP DEAD DIVA and CRIMINAL MINDS: BEYOND BORDERS. Unfortunately, after stirring up quite a bit of drama, Leiner's role came to an end in August, just five months later.
Tara Locke's name first came up when Theo Vanderway revealed that Kyle Abbott had an affair with the married woman while they were living in New York City. And the son she's passing off as her husband's, Harrison Locke, is actually Kyle's! Stunned by the revelation, Kyle attempted to contact Tara, but she proved resistant.
Kyle was stunned to learn he was a father!Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
However, just as Kyle was about to fly to New York, Tara appeared at the Grand Phoenix to confront him in person. He asked if Harrison was his son and she denied it, insisting that Theo was a liar and a scam artist. She also warned that her husband, Ashland Locke, will crush anyone who gets in his way. After Kyle insisted on proof of Harrison's paternity, Tara finally broke down and admitted she'd had a DNA test run and Kyle is actually the boy's father. But she then declared that they had to pretend that this conversation never happened and left, hoping this was the end of it.
When Ashland traveled to Genoa City to do business, Tara accompanied him, and worried he would pick up on the truth. Sure enough, she later contacted Kyle to warn him that Ashland had fought with her and then turned cold so he likely knew the truth about their affair. He worried the guy could be dangerous, but Tara promised she could protect herself and Harrison and urged him to stay away from Ashland. Although that later proved not to be the case, as Tara returned to Kyle to reveal that Ashland knew about their affair and had turned nasty again, so she came to him looking for protection for her and Harrison!
Tara turned Kyle's life upside down!Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
A paternity test proved that Kyle was really Harrison's father, but Tara was terrified that Ashland would seek sole custody and considered agreeing to shared custody in order to avoid losing her son entirely. Plus, as Kyle bonded with Harrison, he also grew closer to Tara, which made his fiancée, Summer Newman, more than a little jealous!
After learning Ashland had cut her out of his will, Tara agreed to help Sally get Summer out of Genoa City by threatening to keep Harrison from Kyle unless Summer took the job in Italy. Phyllis was determined to find out why her daughter really left town and finally managed to expose not only Sally's scheme and Tara's part in it but the fact that Tara had stolen money from her own company! The Abbott's quickly turned on Tara for her betrayal, and then the feds carted her off to jail for embezzlement!
Stay tuned to Y&R to see if the schemer ever resurfaces again!
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