The Young and the Restless Recap, December 16: Jabot reels from Victor’s attack as Phyllis demands answers

On the Tuesday, December 16th episode, of The Young and the Restless, Billy and Sally celebrated their success, Jack and his family scrambled, and Phyllis demanded answers from Victor.

What happened on The Young and the Restless

Billy called Jack to check on him after the article about Jabot came out during the Abbott Communications launch party. He understood that Jack was busy with damage control, so he didn't expect a call back. Sally joined him at the bar, and they toasted to the official launch of their company. She reflected on the journey to secure an investment, and she even managed to get Billy to thank Jill for making it happen.

Billy referred to Sally as a rockstar, but she praised him for being her rock and having her back. Together, they believed they made quite the formidable team. Sally appreciated Billy's ability to focus on their company, despite Jabot being ripped apart in the press. Billy didn't think Adam was truly in charge of Newman Media. He was merely a cog in Victor's machine and did his bidding. Sally asked if Billy believed the article was entirely incorrect.

Billy read aloud the article titles about the state of Jabot. Sally read some of the social media posts as well, and she was worried that, despite this being the plan for the company, it would continue to spiral and become its inevitable downfall. Billy told her that Jabot was better than ever, but Sally thought they were playing directly into Victor's hands. She knew that the media coverage would grow, so she wanted to get ahead of it. Sally wanted to publish positive articles about Jabot through Abbott Communications, but Billy stopped her in her tracks.

Billy wanted to fight, but it couldn't be them. Another Abbott putting out a puff piece about Jabot could make things worse. Jabot couldn't risk landing in a worse position if they fan the flames. Sally appreciated that Billy talked her down, and he thanked her for fighting on behalf of his family. Still, the problem of how to help Jabot still existed. Billy trusted that Jack, Kyle, and Diane would concoct a way to make the company feel alive.

Billy knew that Jack carried their father's legacy, and if Jabot took, he would bear the sole weight of the crash. He appreciated that Sally saw Adam for who he truly was. It was long overdue. However, what she really wanted was to use her platform to destroy Newman Media, but they had to hold off on that. They could become future targets of the negative press against Jabot, and Billy vowed to fight by herself as they defended the company.

Jack fielded phone calls from worried individuals about the state of his family company. Diane wondered if anyone believed the story they were putting in the media. However, there was only so much they could do to reassure people. Kyle questioned how Victor uncovered their plan of defense so soon. He asked whether it was possible that Victor had a mole in Jabot, but Jack said that everyone in the know about their game plan was someone who could be trusted implicitly.

Diane returned with an update from the crisis PR team. They encouraged them to keep doing everything they were doing and ride the wave. Jack was upfront with his wife and son, telling them there was a very real possibility this could be the end of Jabot Cosmetics. Diane asked if Jack had given up, but he assured her that wasn't the case. Kyle pointed out that people knew Victor hated Jack, so reputable outlets wouldn't take a Newman Media article at face value.

Jack asked Diane to think of Victor's game plan, and they both realized that he'd attack in another capacity at some point. Jack knew their customers would eventually understand something legitimate existed beneath the surface. With Jabot's products off the market, anyone could step in and fill the void.

Billy arrived at the Abbott household, and a fight broke out over Nikki. He defended his brother's choice to tell Nikki the entire plan, but they didn't think she was responsible. He knew Nikki didn't tell Victor, and she wouldn't backstab him like that. Diane wasn't as confident. Billy didn't think it mattered how Victor knew about their plan. Despite that, he felt like Victor was caught off guard by Jabot, so this latest attack was not as well thought out.

They could use his panic to their advantage. The family discussed Phyllis, and they plotted to exploit her. Billy thought that they needed to give her something that she desperately wanted because it was the only way she'd defect and join their cause. They decided to have Billy serve as the family's spokesperson, and they were prepared to offer her "just about anything."

Daniel tried to reach Phyllis at Crimson Lights, worried that Jabot's potential downfall would affect Summer and her company. Phyllis encouraged him not to worry and promised to call her to talk her down. Daniel admitted he had already called his sister, and Phyllis demanded to know what had happened. Daniel didn't think anything made sense, and he turned to Phyllis for ideas about how their company could have fallen apart so quickly.

Phyllis was surprised that Jack didn't clue her in to what was happening with Jabot. She felt like he turned his back on her. Daniel disagreed because there was nothing about it that directly involved Phyllis. He explained to his mother that she wasn't a reliable source for information because she had a tendency to spill secrets to anyone and everyone.

Phyllis asked Daniel why he was speaking to his mother like that, but he'd seen her in action before. He knew her better than anyone. Daniel watched her with Jack, and he picked up on whatever ulterior motive she might have had. Phyllis claimed to be worried about Summer's future, but he knew there was more to it. The idea that Phyllis isn't dancing on the grave of Jabot caught his attention. He wondered why she was so nervous about the company's health, since she didn't work for it.

Phyllis denied her son's accusations, but he maintained there was more to it. He assumed he'd get more information in the near future, which would prove that she lied to him. Phyllis acted as if she were being attacked, got up in a huff, and accused him of ruining their good night. After she left, he said to himself, "Oh, she's so guilty."

Victor celebrated the success of the article about Jabot. It was their most-read article, and it had only been in the press for a few hours. He noticed that Adam wasn't celebrating as much as he was, and he reiterated that there was nothing to be ashamed of. He asked why Adam felt remorse or hesitation, but before he could answer, Chelsea arrived at the ranch and asked why she had been left out of the loop about the story.

Chelsea admitted that the Jabot story was legitimate, but she felt just as blindsided as Jack was. She didn't buy into the idea that there wasn't enough time to fill her in. Chelsea felt embarrassed, and it was a bad look that one of the top members of Newman Media had no inkling about one of the biggest stories they've ever published. Victor told Chelsea that keeping her in the dark couldn't have been prevented. He praised her for keeping quiet when asked for answers, and she got the sense that she was being dismissed.

Victor reminded both Adam and Chelsea that, as the owner of Newman Media, they worked for him and operated at his discretion. He reiterated that he had his own reasons for moving forward as he did. Chelsea wished she had had advance notice of Victor's plan of attack, which he followed up by saying how much he valued her.

Adam explained that Jack made a countermove, so Newman needed to act fast. She assumed that Victor had more plans for the worst for Jack and Jabot, so she asked if he would let her in on it this time. Victor told the pair, "Jack Abbot has two dismal choices. He can either watch his company go down the drain or put Jabot back online to avoid bad press." Adam acknowledged that it would make him vulnerable to the AI attack. Victor declared that his enemy was finished.

After they departed, Phyllis arrived at the ranch, incensed because of the hit piece on Jabot. She demanded answers and clarity about what was really happening with the company. Once she realized the rumours were true, she reminded him of their deal. Phyllis was promised Jabot, but if the company was left destroyed, there would be nothing left for her to run.

She called herself stupid for believing in him, and she pleaded with him to be honest. Phyllis asked, "Are you shutting me out? Are you?" He asked her to calm down and that everything was going according to plan. She wanted to know if their original deal was in place, and she wouldn't leave the ranch until she got an answer.

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