Young and the Restless Recap September 24, 2026: Claire Newman Wants Her Mom Dating Again, And Victoria Newman Is Way Ahead Of Her

CLAIRE AND VICTORIA GET CANDID: YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS RECAP

TL;DR: This Young and the Restless Recap catches Claire Newman playing matchmaker for Victoria Newman without a clue that her mom already has a very specific someone on speed dial, Victoria sneaking off to the Riverbank Motel with Kyle Abbott only for Matt Clark to spot Kyle on his way out, Traci Abbott talking Billy Abbott into giving Jill Abbott one last shot at his wedding, and Phyllis Summers begging Matt not to follow Patty Williams out of town before her son Daniel Romalotti asks her to stay and fight.

Claire And Victoria Talk Romance

Claire Newman and Victoria Newman roll back into the tack house with a haul from Fenmore’s, and Claire is feeling sentimental. After the week she’s had, she’s overflowing with gratitude for her mother and the whole Newman clan, and then she drops a loaded question: how exactly does a person move past an ex? Victoria, with the poker face of a woman who has a lot to hide, asks whether Claire is still hung up on Kyle Abbott. Of all the names to pick. Of all the days to pick it.

Claire swears she’s moving forward, then flips the script and asks if Victoria is truly past Billy Abbott, since attending an ex’s wedding has to feel a little strange. Victoria concedes the two of them share a wild backstory but insists she feels zero awkwardness about any of it. Which, to be fair, is probably true. Billy is not the Abbott currently keeping her up at night.

Then Claire goes full fairy godmother, asking whether her mom is ready to put herself back out there, because she can’t stand the thought of Victoria ending up alone. Victoria squirms and dissolves into giggles like a teenager caught passing notes. The moment Holden Novak texts, Claire is out the door, leaving Victoria to replay her daughter’s advice about finding a man who truly values her. Oh, honey. If Claire only knew which man her mom has in mind.

Meanwhile, over at the Abbott estate, Kyle is supposed to be helping his dad brainstorm a bachelor party, but his brain keeps wandering somewhere far more interesting. When Victoria’s text arrives asking to get together, Kyle informs Jack Abbott he has a session with his fitness instructor. Technically, cardio is involved. Nobody said he was lying.

Down the road at the Riverbank Motel, the pair wastes no time, and afterward Victoria reminds Kyle he promised her something spicy, bragging that her tolerance for heat is sky-high. Kyle protests that she gave him zero notice to plan his surprise, then claims control of their next rendezvous. Victoria fishes for clues and asks whether ice will be making a comeback, but Kyle promises it’s something brand new, no snacks involved. They lock in a date for tomorrow, share a goodbye kiss, and Kyle strolls out the door straight into the line of sight of Matt Clark. Of every motel in Genoa City, these two picked the one with the town’s most notorious guest down the hall. Bold strategy.

How long before Claire figures out who her mom is really sneaking off to see? Email your theories to amber@soapoperamagazine.com, we want every juicy guess.

Traci Abbott Makes A House Call

Speaking of that bachelor party, Jack and Kyle rule out anyone popping out of a cake and toy with a jazz theme, maybe even booking the jazz club itself. They reminisce about the many, many times they’ve butted heads with Billy, and both agree Sally Spectra has sanded down his rougher corners. Jack admits he can’t recall his brother ever seeming this steady. High praise from a man who has watched Billy make approximately four hundred terrible decisions.

At home, Billy and Sally debate what their first dance should be as newlyweds, and he cues up a song so they can slow dance around the living room. Sally whips up a mocktail she’s dubbed The Ballyhoo, and the romance is in full swing until Jill Abbott calls. Billy would love to let it ring, Sally insists he answer, and by the time the dust settles, Jill hasn’t even bothered with a voicemail. From there, Sally reiterates that she wants her future mother-in-law at the ceremony, and rather than torch a lovely evening with another fight, she heads to bed.

Enter Traci Abbott, requesting a drink and announcing that she and her brother are long overdue for a real talk. Billy immediately suspects Sally sent for her. Traci swears she didn’t come to twist his arm, and Billy confesses he’s torn, since the wedding is sacred and having Jill in the room guarantees friction. Traci gets it. Her own mother was absent for her too and wounded every one of her children, but something shifted once her mom was on her deathbed, and Traci had to push past the hurt or live with regret forever.

Billy insists their situations aren’t comparable. Traci calls nonsense, arguing that their parents damaged them both and it’s up to them to decide how much that damage gets to shape who they are. She reminds him Jill’s health isn’t great, and if things stay broken, Jill might never cradle her own grandbaby, which makes this possibly the final window to patch things up. They’ll always clash, and it will never be a greeting card, but if he slams the door on his mother for good, he’ll be kicking himself later. Before she leaves, Traci shares her mother’s final words to her, a promise that she would always be remembered. Grab the tissues, folks.

When Sally wanders back out, Billy admits he ought to be furious she called in reinforcements, but Traci got through to him, and he phoned Jill. They argued, he confessed he didn’t really want her there, and then he told her she can come as long as she promises not to pick a fight on his big day. Sally knows how tough that was and tells him how proud she is that he chose grace. Billy Abbott, playing the bigger person? Somebody check the weather, because Genoa City might be freezing over.

Phyllis Summers Refuses To Let Go

Over at the motel, Phyllis Summers drops in on Matt and asks if this is another farewell performance. Matt admits he’s been reflecting on how incredible she is and calls them best friends, and Phyllis fires back that he slapped an expiration date on that friendship. Then Matt floats a fantasy: what if the two of them skipped town together and rode off into the sunset? Nobody here will ever accept him, she’s short on friends anyway, and she could run Arabesque from anywhere.

Of course, Matt then talks himself right back out of it, acknowledging she’d never abandon Genoa City and he refuses to make her choose, since any shot at reuniting with her kids lives here. Her children will never warm up to him, he has no interest in making things worse for her, and he sees himself as a walking disaster who’ll only wreck her life. Phyllis calls him exactly what he is, a donkey, and wonders aloud whether she’s a masochist, since nothing she’s said has convinced him to stay.

Matt swears he cares. Phyllis reminds him he’s hitting the road with a woman who once tried to murder one of her children, and Matt claims he’s only escorting Patty Williams out of town. Phyllis’s counteroffer: if he’s so keen on helping, dial the police, because leaving with Patty is a one-way ticket to the morgue. Hard to argue with that math.

Later at The Shadow Room, Phyllis asks Daniel Romalotti whether anyone would even notice if she packed up and vanished. Daniel scoffs and guesses Matt invited her to skip town with him. Phyllis defends Matt as the one person who takes her exactly as she is and puts her needs first, insisting he’s all she has left. Daniel rattles off Lauren Fenmore, Michael Baldwin, and Sharon Newman as proof otherwise, and Phyllis waves them off as too judgy. Daniel tells her they all adore her, and while running off with Matt is her decision to make, Genoa City is home. Phyllis says it hasn’t felt like home in a long time, and Daniel pleads with her to stay put and fight to rebuild those bridges. Sweet, sensible advice. Naturally, she’ll probably ignore it.

Which secret explodes first: Victoria and Kyle’s motel dates, or Matt’s getaway with Patty? Sound off in the comments below.

Genoa City Keeps Its Motels Busy

One daughter begged her mom to start dating, completely unaware that Mom’s calendar is already booked with her ex. One groom-to-be finally swallowed his pride and let his mother back into the wedding, all thanks to a sister with a gift for well-timed tearjerkers. And one redhead is torn between the only man who makes her feel accepted and the family who keeps asking her to stay. On Young and the Restless, even a quiet motel hallway comes with a witness.

Sound off on our Facebook page and tell us who you think cracks first.

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