What happened on The Young and the Restless today? Recap for December 18, 2025

The Young and the Restless episode aired on December 18, 2025, focused on lying, struggles for control, and risky suggestions. Jack Abbott found himself caught off guard by Adam Newman’s most recent action, while Victor Newman’s influence was seen in almost every choice. As people got angrier, partnerships were doubted and old friendships dealt with serious problems that might not get better easily.

At the same time, Billy Abbott pushed ahead with a strong plan that put Phyllis Summers directly in the middle of the trouble. Giving hope for money and influence, Billy made a deal that could alter Phyllis’ future and possibly break it. Throughout all of Genoa City, distrust grew as others began to understand how far this plan might have already developed.

By the finish of the show, many different ways appeared to stop Victor, each more risky than the one before. From moral dilemmas to possible criminal fallout, the Abbotts faced hard choices, while Phyllis played her cards close to the vest, insisting everything was unfolding exactly as she planned.

The Young and the Restless recap for the episode aired on Thursday, December 18, 2025

Jack lashes out at Adam and Chelsea

At Crimson Lights, Jack made a video to explain the changes at Jabot before anyone else could. He stopped being calm the moment Adam Newman and Chelsea Lawson showed up. Jack blamed them for doing Victor Newman’s mean tasks and hurting him while pretending they were just doing their jobs as reporters.

Chelsea said they had to tell the news, but Jack did not believe her. He told Adam he thought they were friends and felt hurt by what they did. Adam claimed it was not about Jack, but Jack yelled back that anything with Victor is always about him personally.

The confrontation escalated when Jack demanded a retraction or apology. Adam flatly refused, prompting Jack to declare he would burn Jabot to the ground himself before allowing Victor to destroy it. Afterward, Adam and Chelsea were visibly shaken. Chelsea questioned whether following Victor’s orders was worth losing their integrity and worried about setting a bad example for Connor.

Doubts grow at the Abbott mansion

At the Abbott family home, Kyle Abbott recorded a voice message for Summer Newman before having a talk about Jack’s new plan with Diane Jenkins Abbott. Diane was still very unsure about trusting Phyllis, explaining that Phyllis always cares about herself more than anyone else.

Her unsettled feelings grew even more as the entire family considered how small an amount of time they actually had to save their business. A short while later, Diane saw some new data on her phone and mentioned a different way to defeat Victor, one that had nothing to do with getting help from Phyllis.

The new information hinted that Victor’s current actions might be more than just cold-hearted, but could actually be breaking the law, which makes it possible for him to face problems.

Billy makes Phyllis an explosive offer

At the GCAC, Phyllis sent one more angry phone message to Victor, because she was sick of not knowing what was going on. Billy showed up shortly after and thought Victor was trying to quit or break their agreement. He gave her a new suggestion of his own, telling Phyllis she would get a huge amount of money for her family if she helped him instead.

Billy shared that the Abbott family really wanted Phyllis to take the AI computer software back from Victor without him knowing. If she did it, Phyllis could ask for as much money as she liked and pick any amount she wanted. Billy told her not to wait or think about it too much before walking away to let her make up her mind.

Daniel Romalotti Jr. came over to see Phyllis a bit later and could tell that something was wrong. He had a feeling that Billy and Phyllis were part of the group that stole Cane Ashby’s AI program and thought Victor was part of it now.

Even though he was scared for both the company Jabot and his mother’s well-being, Daniel did not get her to admit any secrets. Phyllis said over and over that she had everything handled and suggested she had a scheme that would in the end bring their whole family back together.

Diane prepares a legal trap for Victor

Back at the Abbott family home, Billy told Jack, Diane, and Kyle that Phyllis had said she would think about their new offer. Jack felt concerned that they were losing time but Diane turned their attention to her different idea. She explained that the way Victor was using the AI computer software went against the actual laws of the land.

Even though they did not have any real evidence at this moment, Diane knew exactly where she could find it and had already started setting up clever tricks to catch him. If her new plan turned out well, Victor could end up having to go to a state prison for his actions.

As the show finished, the Abbott family reached a point where they had to make a choice, if they should believe in Phyllis or follow the secret path that could at last stop Victor forever.

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