Jade Taylor

Jade Taylor is a fictional character on the American soap opera As the World Turns. She was originally portrayed by Elena Goode from February 2, 2006 to July 16, 2007, and is now portrayed by Davida Williams since December 17, 2008. Jade, at first, came off as the perfect long-lost relative for the Snyder family, but soon after proved to be a scheming vixen destined to use her beauty to get what she wants. However, despite coming across as cold and calculating, deep down Jade has a heart with good intentions.

Character history

Jade was orphaned at a young age and grew up in a church orphanage. After living with a foster family for several years, she eventually ran away to Oakdale, and upon arriving in town, became the victim of a car accident. Luke Snyder had been rushing to get home before his parents did and couldn't see Jade crossing the road. The accident put Jade in a coma, and when she awoke, she revealed a shocking piece of news to Luke and his parents: she was the daughter of Luke's deceased aunt, Rose D'Angelo.

Lily and Holden, Luke's parents, were skeptical at first, but soon accepted Jade as part of the family. Luke befriended her as well, and she was his main ranting board when she found out he was gay. Jade happily babysat the Snyder daughters, Faith and Natalie, and was all-around welcomed in the household. Little did the Snyders know, however, Jade was conning them. When she stole a charm bracelet from Lily's jewelry cabinet, Luke covered for her, believing he owed her for keeping his own secret. Slowly, as Jade began to make mistakes in telling the stories of her past, the truth came out.

Lily learned from the nuns at the orphanage that Jade was not Rose's daughter. Rose's daughter was named Theresa and she and Jade were friends for a while. Theresa confided everything in Jade and when Jade would turn up in Oakdale, she had all of the information she needed to masquerade as her best friend. When Jade got wind that Lily knew the truth, she forced Luke into a lengthy game of deception. She set it up so that Lily would find them in bed together, thus beginning their fake relationship. Jade, who claimed to want to be a part of a "real" family, knew that Lily was going to kick her out, but with her and Luke now "together", and Luke threatening to leave town if Jade was kicked out, she knew that she was home free.

There was one condition to the deal, though. Jade told Luke that if he ever told his parents the truth, that they were not an item, she would tell them that he was gay. Lily realized that Luke would leave with Jade if she was kicked out and reluctantly decided to let her stay, but not for free. Lily made Jade move into a cabin on their property and got her a job at the public library as a clerk. The Luke and Jade act went on for several weeks before Luke finally had enough. He was ready to come out to his parents and, though Jade tried to convince him not to, he did. Upon learning that her son's relationship with the waif was fake, Lily kicked Jade out.

Since then, Jade has been secretly spending her nights in the library where she works. Desperate to find a place to stay, she met Will Munson, the young man who had poisoned Rose D'Angelo years earlier. She befriended him and talked him into buying a term paper over the Internet (Will needed to get an A to pass Biology class and graduate with his wife, Gwen). Will kept the term paper a secret from Gwen, citing Jade as "just a friend who helped", and when he passed with flying colors, Gwen was very grateful to Jade. When Mr. Weber, the principal at Oakdale Latin High School, found out that Will cheated on his exams, the young man was expelled from the school. On graduation night, Will found Jade in the woods and they became intoxicated, eventually having sex next to an old footbridge. After spending all night making love, Will instantly felt regret when he woke up with the beautiful Jade at his side. Not wanting to hurt Jade, but also not wanting to hurt his wife, Will told her they had to keep their night of intense passion a secret forever.

Will kept his infidelity a secret from Gwen, while Jade was fired from her job at the library because of her involvement in Will's cheating on his school project. Though she promised Will she'd keep her mouth shut about their affair, she brought it up as a factor when asking Will to get him a job at Crash, a music club where Gwen worked. Jade befriended Gwen, and the two began to get along. This worried Will however, who was afraid that Gwen would learn of the night both he and Jade made love. When Gwen learned that Jade was without a stable place to live, Gwen invited the troubled young girl to live at Carly's home with her and Will, because she recalled upon her own difficult experience not having a stable living environment. Eventually Gwen learned that Jade and Will had a one-night stand, when Maddie Coleman exposed their affair while Oakdale was being terrorized by a serial-killer. Gwen confronted her husband Will and friend Jade about the night they made love, and with the truth exposed, Gwen ended her friendship with Jade and left Will.

Will tried to reunite with his wife, but Gwen only pushed him away. Devastated, Will turned to Jade for emotional support and they wound up making love a second time. Jade began to secretly hope that Will would give up on the possibility of reuniting with Gwen, and instead choose a future with her. However, her wish was not granted when she soon came to the realization that Will and Gwen were on the verge of getting back together. Horrified, Jade confronted Will inside a church, and when he told her to forget about the possibility of them ever becoming a couple, Jade told the man she had fallen in love with that would never happen. Jade informed Will that it will be hard to pretend they never happened, because she is pregnant with his child. Will was crestfallen, and came to the realization that the second time he hooked up with Jade Taylor he impregnated her. He quickly informed Gwen, who in her anger, told Will to forget about them reuniting.

Jade tried to grow closer to Will by being pregnant with his child, however he told her he would support her because she was pregnant with his baby but he was not interested in a relationship. Slowly things did not begin to add up, and when an ice storm hit Oakdale, Jade was in a car accident. However, when the doctor wanted to check on Jade, she avoided the doctor exam and instead rushed back to Will's place only to learn that Gwen had spent the night. Crestfallen, Jade realized that Gwen and Will were close to reuniting, and not wanting her baby's father with another woman, became determined to break them up for good. Jade began to post pictures of the baby around the house, and secretly tormented Gwen about the fact that she could not have children. Eventually Jade's friend Luke learned that she was not really pregnant, and he gave Jade an ultimatum- either tell Will the entire thing is a lie, or he will reveal the truth to Gwen and Will. Jade was determined not to give up however, and plotted to stage an accident so it would look like Gwen was responsible for Jade losing her "baby." Jade called Gwen to the library and the two confronted each other and fought, and Jade slipped and some books at the library smashed into her head. Will found Gwen kneeled over a bloody and unconscious Jade, and the two rushed Jade to the hospital. It was then the doctor revealed to Will and Gwen that Jade wasn't pregnant, and they added everything together. Gwen realized that Jade was going to try to set up Gwen to make it look like she was responsible for Jade losing her baby, so that Will would hate Gwen and only want to be with Jade. Finally understanding the extent Jade would go to be with him, Will promised Gwen that Jade would be out of their lives for good.

However, that was not to be as fate was soon determined. Lily learned that Jade was really in fact the daughter of Rose D'Angelo, and that there had been a mix-up in the files at the orphanage that Jade had grown up within. Horrified, Lily rushed to the hospital to be with her niece and revealed the truth to Jade- all along she really was the daughter of Rose, and that Theresa was the daughter of another woman. Shocked, Jade was delighted to finally realize she had a family. Jade admitted to Lily that she had schemed to destroy Gwen and Will's marriage by pretending to be pregnant, and even staged a fake accident that had gone wrong in hope's of blaming Gwen for losing the baby she never had. Shocked, Lily told Jade she had a lot of things to make up for. Will began to consider pressing charges against Jade, but Lily told Will that he was responsible for the death of Rose, and that Jade really was her daughter. Horrified, Will realized that he was responsible for Jade mother dying. Lily made Will see that both he and Jade have done things they are not proud of, and both of them at one point in their lives destroyed lives. Will talked with Jade, and he apologized for killing her mother, and she apologized for pretending to be pregnant and trying to break up him and Gwen. The two agreed to forgive each other, but never forget. Jade later gave Will a check containing the money he had given her, in order to severe all ties between them.

Jade would later get hounded by Maddie and Gwen, who hated her for what she had done to Gwen and Will. Jade did her best to avoid them, and soon met a handsome stranger at the local bar. Determined to make new friends and open new connections, Jade accepted a date to the local Masked Ball that Craig Montgomery was throwing. She was shocked to learn that the man she was interested in, was none other than Adam Munson, the older brother of Will Munson and Casey Hughes who were dating Gwen Norbeck and Maddie Coleman. Shocked, she accepted the invitation only if she could wear a mask to the Ball. Jade hoped to turn over a new leaf with Adam, but that did not work out. Adam turns out to be interested in Gwen, who was still dating Will. When Adam attacks Gwen, Maddie hits him on the head. After Maddie thought she had killed Adam, Gwen and Maddie buried him the woods. Jade soon realizes something doesn't add up and haunts Gwen and Maddie while she is trying to find out the truth. When Adam turns out to be alive and leaves town Gwen and Maddie make sure Jade doesn't tell the truth about anything, by blackmailing her. Jade, determined to get back at Gwen, runs into Cleo Babbitt. Jade wants Cleo to ruin Gwen's relationship with Will. What Jade didn't know however, was that Cleo was slowly falling in love with her mark Will. In her obsession Cleo tries to get rid of Jade and Gwen by tying them to a train track. Jade and Gwen both survived, being saved by Will. Cleo gets arrested. However, Jade then decided it was time to leave Oakdale, because Will would never love her the way she loves him. She goes to see Gwen and Will to make peace with them and then goes to reunite with her adoptive parents.

After a few years away from Oakdale, she returns to reunite with her beloved cousin Luke Snyder. And learns her biological father is a man named Derek Coburn.After a few months staying in Oakdale,she has been in Oakdale offscreen and she has not been mentioned since then.

External links

• Jade Taylor profile