Sally Spectra's Complicated Love Life On The Bold And The Beautiful And The Young And The Restless
There's nobody quite like Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope). Since bursting onto the scene in January 2017 as an unorthodox new fashion designer on "The Bold and the Beautiful," she's been a whirlwind of drama (via Soap Central). Since leaving Los Angeles for Genoa City — and "The Young and the Restless" — in November 2020, things have only gotten more complicated for Sally. Over the years, many of her stories have centered around her complex love life. No matter which leading man she finds herself attached to, she can never maintain a relationship because of her unconventional ways.
Typically, Sally is the downfall of her romantic relationships. Her lying, scheming, and plotting have ruined many of her couplings that had the potential for a happily ever after. Whether she's loving brothers in Los Angeles or bedding brothers in Genoa City, Sally's romantic history is complex and somewhat tragic. To understand the downward trajectory of her personal life, it's worth revisiting Sally's origins on "B&B" before she joined "Y&R."
If the first cut is the deepest, then Sally's relationship with fellow designer Thomas Forrester (then Pierson Fode) hurt her the most. What was supposed to be her big break in LA quickly turned into a nightmare when her dream man broke her heart.
What exactly happened between Sally and Thomas? What about the many men that followed? And why has Sally been unable to have a successful relationship?
Sally was her own worst enemy when she first met Thomas
After arriving in Los Angeles, Sally became obsessed with reviving Spectra Fashions into a powerhouse design company. However, she had little traction and needed a way to garner attention. After meeting Thomas Forrester, Sally devised a plan to gain publicity for her attempted resurrection by fighting with his sister Steffy Forrester (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) for social media attention (via Soap Central). Eventually, Thomas kissed Sally, though it was only a tactic to shut her up in the moment. Things remained civil between the two until their relationship heated up in the land down under.
Thomas brought Sally to Steffy's Australian wedding as a plus-one, but as it always seems to happen with Sally, things went awry. Steffy didn't like or trust her brother's date, and an argument on the Sydney Harbor ensued. The spat led to Sally falling into the water and Thomas hopping in to save her, after which they shared a passionate kiss.
Afterward, Sally and Thomas became hot and heavy until her thirst for success got the better of her. Sally stole designs from Forrester Creations and attempted to pass them off as her original ideas. She faced prison time, and her future looked grim, but Thomas came to her rescue again. He went as far as to front Sally a large sum of money to keep her in business, even after she stole from his family's company (via Blasting News). Following this, the pair entered into an official relationship, though their happiness was soon ruined.
Thomas left Sally for Caroline Spencer
Sally and Thomas' next attempt at finding happily ever after came crashing to an abrupt halt, though for the first time in their romantic history, Sally wasn't the one to pull the plug (via Soaps in Depth). A looming presence over their relationship was that Thomas shared a young son, Douglas Forrester, with Carolie Spencer (Linsey Godfrey). Eventually, Caroline's uncle, Bill Spencer (Don Diamont), concocted a scheme to pretend that Caroline was dying to lure Thomas away from Sally.
A trip to New York City with Caroline and Douglas soon became a permanent relocation for Thomas. However, while living in the city, Caroline couldn't handle the pressure of maintaining her fake illness and ultimately confessed everything to Thomas, per Soap Central. After learning the truth, Thomas broke up with Caroline and reunited with Sally. He whisked Sally off to NYC to build a future together, but soon after, he left her for Caroline again.
Thomas' decision devastated Sally, but eventually, she found the glimmer of a potential new romance with not one but two of the charming Spencer men.
Sally developed an attraction to Liam Spencer
Unlike most men on this list, Sally Spectra's temporary situation with Liam Spencer (Scott Clifton) wasn't an actual relationship or even a purely sexual attraction. Instead, they were drawn together by their mutual disdain for the actions of Liam's father, Bill Spencer (via Soaps in Depth). Bill's relentless pursuit of the building that housed Sally's fashion company led to one of the wildest, most heart-pounding moments in "The Bold and the Beautiful" history.
Bill wanted the building flattened, no matter the cost, so he could have the location for the next Spencer tower. However, as he ordered the building's demolition with Sally inside, Bill was unaware that Liam was there with her. Both Sally and Liam were trapped inside when exploding pieces of rubble collapsed on top of them, per Soaps. Fearing they might die in the aftermath of the blast, the pair shared a passionate kiss, despite Liam's marriage to Steffy Forrester.
Luckily, the two survived, though with nowhere to house her fashion business, Sally departed Los Angeles.
Sally returned to LA and started dating Wyatt Spencer
Following the aftermath of the Spectra building explosion, Sally Spectra took a sabbatical away from Los Angeles. However, when she returned, she became intertwined with a different Spencer man — Liam's brother Wyatt (Darin Brooks), per Soaps in Depth. Wyatt felt a semblance of guilt toward Sally because his father was responsible for her company's erasure. However, things continued harmoniously between them until Wyatt's high school sweetheart, Flo Fulton (Katrina Bowden), returned to town. After Flo's arrival, everything sally and Wyatt were building together rapidly deteriorated.
In the meantime, Sally got caught up in Thomas Forrester's obsession with Hope Logan (Annika Noelle), and she withheld crucial information that could have helped Hope and Liam's marriage (via Soap Dirt). Upset at this revelation, Wyatt dumped Sally and began a relationship with Flo, much to his mother Quinn Fuller's (Rena Sofer) satisfaction. Unfortunately, Wyatt and Flo's reunion sent Sally on a downward spiral that she's still feeling the ramifications of to this day.
In a twisted attempt to lure Wyatt back into her life, Sally faked a fatal disease, and the events that followed left her life in tatters. She used her fake illness to garner sympathy from Wyatt and even kidnapped Flo to keep her from exposing the truth. However, when Wyatt eventually learned what happened, he got back together with Flo. Sally then left Los Angeles for good, making Genoa City — and "The Young and the Restless" — her new home.
Sally become enamored with business titan Jack Abbott
Sally Spectra's relationship with Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) perplexed everyone in Genoa City. Shortly after arriving in town, Sally was taken under Jack's wing, and it was apparent she wanted more to develop between them (via Soaps in Depth). Others scoffed at the substantial age difference between them, but Jack didn't heed anyone's warnings. Jack's ex-wife, Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford), was convinced that Sally had cruel intentions, and she led the charge against Jack's involvement with the red-headed vixen. She was right to be concerned because it turned out Sally was actively working to dismantle the relationship between Jack's son Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor) and Phyllis' daughter Summer Newman (then Hunter King).
Phyllis went to Los Angeles to get the backstory on why Sally had left town, and when the scandalous truth was revealed, it was game over for Jack and Sally, per Soaps. Jack decided he couldn't trust Sally and dumped her. Though their relationship didn't advance that far, it set the tone for the rest of Sally's time in Genoa City — drama and heartache.
Like her time in LA with the Spencer brothers, Sally's next set of love interests were siblings, too. Her relationships with the powerful Newman brothers might be her messiest era yet.
Sally and Adam Newman bonded over their mutual dark sides
According to Soap Central, after Sally Spectra's public embarrassment and being dumped by Jack Abbott, she was offered a second chance in her career by Chloe Mitchell (Elizabeth Hendrickson). After being hired by Chloe, Sally began working alongside Newman Media's Adam Newman (Mark Grossman). However, Sally and Adam didn't grow close until she was publicly humiliated by Phyllis Summers, who dumped water on her head. Adam came to her aid in the aftermath, and the two shared a kiss (via Soap Dirt). The kiss began Sally's first genuine love story since her arrival in Genoa City. She and Adam fell deeply for each other, and things went splendidly until he abruptly ended the relationship.
Adam ended up on the outs with the Newman clan and was forced to leave his position at the company. He decided the only way to save Sally's job was to put as much distance between them as possible. Sally didn't understand the reason for their break up, and Adam lied that it was because she had ruined his life, per Soaps. Though he claimed that Sally had cost him everything he'd ever wanted, the truth was that he sacrificed his own happiness to save her, leaving viewers torn.
Then, if the preexisting bad blood between Adam and his brother Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow) wasn't toxic enough, Sally's next move destroyed their familial bond even further.
Sally found herself in bed with Nick Newman
So far, Sally Spectra's involvement with Adam Newman's brother Nick Newman has been purely physical, and they don't seem headed down a path to a genuine relationship (via Soap Hub). However, their sexual relationship hasn't been without its fair share of obstacles during the short time since it began. The first time they slept together was in the office, and Adam nearly walked in on them.
The situation has already led viewers to pick sides between Team Adam and Team Nick, and we're sure the conflict will only heat up. The brothers have years of bad blood behind them, so it's not out of the realm of possibility for this to erupt into a full-scale war. Despite making peace after Adam donated his kidney to save Nick's daughter Faith Newman, that truce appears to be in the past (via Soaps in Depth). Instead, they are back to doing what they do best — fighting over a woman. Previously, the brothers have fought over Sharon Rosales, Sage Warner, and Chelsea Lawson (Melissa Claire Egan), and now Sally is at the center of their family drama.
"The Young and the Restless" fans will have to stay tuned to see if Sally Spectra's latest relationship will crash and burn just like the rest.