The Young and the Restless Recap, December 1, 2025: Jack reveals his plan to save Jabot

On the Monday, December 1st episode of The Young and the Restless, the Abbotts contemplated how to defend their company, Cane surrendered to Victor, and Lily and Phyllis exchanged heated words.

What happened on The Young and the Restless

At the Abbott mansion, Billy asked how Jack was feeling, and Jack replied that he wouldn’t have missed Thanksgiving for anything. Diane inquired about Sally, and Billy indicated that she’d left to meet Audra. Traci changed the subject to hearing about Paris, but Ashley preferred to find out what had been going on at home. Jack hesitated to spoil the day, but he admitted that there were problems at Jabot.

Jack filled everyone in about Cane’s plan to use an AI program to take over all the legacy companies in Genoa City, only to have the software stolen and used against Arabesque. Billy added that they believed Victor had stolen the software. Jack thought they had to be ready for Victor to turn the weapon on them, but it might be too late to save Jabot by the time they developed a counterprogram. Ashley believed she had the best chance of convincing Victor to stop. Jack warned that Victor wouldn’t easily give up on fulfilling his dream of destroying Jabot and Jack.

Jack doubted his family would like his plan to save Jabot. He explained that Victor fancied himself as the boxer, working from the outside to jab his opponent to size him up and patiently wait for the perfect opportunity to strike. Jack thought they had to fight back by doing something unexpected. He suspected that Victor was waiting to use the AI program until he could dominate and humiliate them in the most public way possible. Billy realized that Victor might be targeting the Abbott Communications launch. Ashley worried that the event was only days away.

Jack envisioned anticipating Victor’s next move and delivering a counterpunch that he’d never see coming. Ashley asked how Jack expected to protect Jabot if they had no defense against the program. Jack figured that the only way to stop the software from getting inside Jabot’s operating system was to shut everything down. Kyle scoffed at the thought of closing up shop, and Ashley protested that it might destroy Jabot forever. Jack pleaded with his family to hear him out.

Jack argued that if Jabot went offline, every door the AI system could enter would be closed. Diane pointed out that their holiday products were already in stores, but Kyle predicted their customers would go elsewhere without access to online sales and the spring line. Jack accepted that it wasn’t a perfect idea, but it was the best of lousy options. Jack expected Jabot to be shut down for about three months, which would buy them time to find a way to fight the program or get it away from Victor.

Billy observed that Traci had been quiet. She reflected on their family breakfasts, where their father had taught them to be there for one another and solve problems together. Traci believed John would have seen the risks in the plan, and it felt like the long-term effect could be devastating. Ashley asked if Jack was sure there was no other way.

Jack recalled that John had also taught them how to make tough decisions. Jack offered to call the whole plan off if anyone thought it was the wrong move. Billy didn’t have a better plan, and Kyle had prepared to go big or go home. Diane reluctantly backed the idea. Jack asked Traci and Ashley what the verdict was.

At the new Newman ranch, Victor informed Adam that there had been no word from Nick. Victor fretted that it would become harder to convince Nikki and Victoria that everything was all right in L.A. when Nick was being uncharacteristically evasive, and no one had talked to Noah. Adam offered to fly out to L.A. to see what was going on. Cane arrived and announced that he was there to admit defeat.

Adam was suspicious of the sudden retreat, but Cane swore he was on the level because his company was on the verge of collapse. Cane recognized that it would sound hollow to congratulate Victor, but Adam maintained that the Newmans didn’t have the toxic software. Cane argued that Victor was the only one with the guts to try stealing it, and he acknowledged that he’d paid the price because he hadn’t been prepared. Cane offered to let Victor buy whatever was left of the empire Cane had built with his father.

Cane said he wasn’t ashamed to have tried and failed because it had been a good run. Adam scoffed at the idea that Cane expected Victor to step in and pick up the pieces, but Cane was certain that Arabesque was of value to Newman Enterprises. Adam wondered why they shouldn’t just wait for the company to die. Cane reasoned that Victor would never turn down a bargain when it fell in his lap. Victor contemplated what Cane would do if Victor weren't interested in picking the bones of Arabesque.

Cane insisted that Arabesque could be rebuilt and flourish again, and he was only seeking to recoup his original investment. Adam chided Cane for asking for charity after everything he’d done, although he considered watching Cane grovel to be minor payback for the damage he’d caused. Cane appealed to Victor to profit from his bad fortune. Victor hesitated to forgive or rescue Cane, and he preferred to let Cane twist in the wind until he reached his inevitable end.

Cane acknowledged that he’d hurt people, and he couldn’t undo the choices he’d made. He imagined his penance was to be destroyed by the AI program he’d created. Nikki and Chelsea entered the room and they were surprised to see Cane. Victor agreed to consider Cane’s proposal, and Cane exited. Victor crowed that his family members had just watched the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Adam was relieved when Victor confirmed he wasn’t really considering bailing Cane out. Victor divulged that he wanted to leave Cane a shred of hope, so he didn’t realize Victor had prepared a noose for him to hang himself. Victor saw some good fits with what was left of Arabesque, but he intended to wait until the devastation ran its course and then swoop in and get whatever was left over once the company was destroyed. Victor planned to wait until Cane begged them to take Arabesque off his hands.

At the Athletic Club, Lily wrapped up a Thanksgiving call with Charlie, and she hoped he and Mattie would make it home for Christmas. She mentioned that she’d seen his dad that day, and Cane missed the twins. Lily lectured that Thanksgiving was about family and gratitude, and Cane loved his children, regardless of what relationship they chose to have with him.

Phyllis was on the phone as she descended the stairs to the foyer. She was glad to hear Lucy was feeling better and that the teen had laughed at her silly video message. She stepped into the dining area and locked eyes with Lily.

Phyllis and Lily made small talk about Lucy being on the mend. Lily figured the one thing she and Phyllis had in common was that they both loved their kids. Phyllis pointed out that Cane also loved his kids, and she suggested Lily find some common ground with him rather than pitting her children against her ex-husband. Lily snapped that if Phyllis cared about Cane’s relationship with his kids, she should stop being a bad influence on him. Phyllis accused Lily of dangling a carrot in front of Cane and hitting him over the head with it every time he tried to make amends. Phyllis vowed not to let her get away with it.

Lily fired back that Cane had started the game by lying to her and their children for years, so he’d made his bed and could lie there alone – except Phyllis had somehow slithered into it. Lily guessed that Phyllis wanted to preserve the Dumas persona because it benefited her. Phyllis contended that she supported Cane because she believed in him, and he could build an even bigger empire if he weren't obsessed with Lily. Lily spat that while Cane was under Phyllis’ influence, Cane would never be a man his kids could love and respect.

Phyllis praised Cane for rising above his station by doing something no one ever thought he’d do, and she blasted Lily for looking down on “the peons” after being born with a silver spoon. Phyllis defended that Cane had worked hard to create an empire to impress Lily and provide for his kids, yet Lily wouldn’t even encourage her children to call their dad on Thanksgiving. Phyllis condemned Lily for creating an impossible standard for Cane that no one could meet, and she called Lily heartless for telling him to walk away from the business he’d created with his dad.

Lily groused that only Phyllis would spin a tale where she was the innocent hero saving poor Cane from evil Lily. Phyllis argued that Cane wasn’t the first guy Lily had hung out to dry, since Lily had made Billy and Daniel’s lives miserable after she’d dumped them. Lily imagined that Phyllis was keeping Cane angry enough to prevent him from being the good man he’d once been. Phyllis countered that Cane wasn’t moving on because Lily was manipulating him with his undying love for her. Cane walked in and bellowed that no one manipulated him.

Cane wondered why the women were fighting. Lily barked that she’d thought Cane had sunk to a new low with the Dumas thing, but he was scraping the bottom of the barrel by attaching himself to Phyllis. Phyllis surmised Lily was jealous because Phyllis had done everything on her own rather than ride on her billionaire brother’s coattails. Cane roared that it was enough.

Lily assumed Cane was enjoying being in the middle, and she declared the conversation a waste of time. Lily warned Cane that Phyllis would be his downfall if he weren’t careful, and she stormed off. Cane demanded to know why Phyllis had caused trouble, and she ordered him to pick a side. Cane proclaimed that he had already picked a side, and he knew where he was going.

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