Y&R 2026 Preview: Shocking Returns, Stunning Exits & Romantic Surprises

The Young and the Restless spoilers for 2026 promise some crazy moments in the land of Genoa City. Read below to learn more about what fans can expect to unravel in the new year.

Matt Clark Goes Down

The Young and the Restless spoilers for 2026 note that viewers don’t need to fret about Matt Clark, aka “Mitch Bacall” (Roger Howarth), since he’ll go down for all his nasty actions in 2025.

Whether it’s heading to his demise or prison, he’ll exit the canvas within weeks of the new year. Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow) and Sharon Newman (Sharon Case) will get their vengeance.

However, they’ll also have to navigate the idea of a romantic reunion. Does Shick have a future together after all Matt’s chaos is extinguished?

In addition, Sharon and Nick’s son, Noah Newman (Lucas Adams), will also have to figure out his own plans where romance is concerned in the aftermath of Matt’s exit.

He loves Sienna Bacall (Tamara Braun), but the Matt drama could create messiness for their relationship, and it may not survive. With that said, there have been teasers that Noah could gravitate toward ex, Audra Charles (Zuleyka Silver), so only time will tell.

Michael Baldwin’s Dilemma

Over to Michael Baldwin (Christian LeBlanc), who will have a dilemma on whether to stick with Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) and help him with his plan to bring the Abbotts down, or to turn his back on The Moustache. What will Michael decide?

In light of this, Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) might be the one to end up saving the day for Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) and Jabot if she can steal back that AI software out from under Victor’s nose.

Speaking of Phyllis’s plan, her reward for helping the Abbotts is to score Marchetti for Summer Newman (last played by Allison Lanier). Could all these ‘Summer’ mentions add up to a return for this character in 2026?

Now that Claire Newman (Hayley Erin) is officially out of the picture, Summer’s comeback could also equal a romantic reunion with Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor), which would make Harrison Abbott (Redding Munsell) happy.

In other news, Young and the Restless viewers need to keep a watchful eye on Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson), as his need for revenge against Victor seems to be bubbling over, once again.

Jack, Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope), and Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle) have all shown concern, so fans will have to wait and see if Billy spirals out of control, once again.  

Lily Winters’ Exit

Y&R viewers were pleasantly surprised on Halloween when a backstage video surfaced from the set, showing a very pregnant Christel Khalil dancing with her castmates. Still, this means the actress will be heading off the canvas soon, due to maternity leave.

Cane Ashby (Billy Flynn) and Lily Winters are getting closer, so what will trigger Lily’s exit, and how devastated will Cane feel?

Elsewhere, fans will see more of Mariah Copeland (Camryn Grimes); however, even though she’s getting help at a mental health facility, it sounds like things will take a turn for the worse.

Some BTS teasers imply that there’s a good chance Mariah takes off with Dominic Newman-Abbott-Winters-Chancellor (last played by River and Rainn Ware), and as spoilers reveal someone in Devon Winters’ (Bryton James) immediate family is slated to land in danger, all arrows are pointing towards Mariah doing something awful.

She’s been getting hallucination visits from Ian Ward (Ray Wise), so will he prompt her to do the unthinkable?

Lastly, Adam Newman (Mark Grossman) and Chelsea Lawson (Melissa Claire Egan) will deal with challenges in their romance. Y&R spoilers indicate that Chelsea will quit Newman Media, so how will this affect their relationship?

What storyline are you most looking forward to for 2026? Comment below! Tune into the CBS soap daily and check out SOS often for the best Young and the Restless updates, spoilers, and news.