CBS Y&R FULL [12/18/2025] – The Young and the Restless Spoilers: Thursday, December 18

The shockwaves from the Jabot scandal continue to spread across Genoa City, touching far more than just corporate boardrooms. What makes this chapter especially dangerous is how deeply the fallout seeps into personal relationships, forcing everyone involved to confront uncomfortable truths about loyalty, influence, and control. The crisis is no longer just about business—it’s about who holds power and who is willing to sacrifice others to keep it.

At the heart of this tension is a revealing conversation between Billy Abbott and Sally Spectra. Neither claims total authority, but both understand how narratives are shaped—and destroyed—in real time. Billy speaks with a mix of bitterness and clarity, convinced that Victor Newman is once again pulling strings from the shadows. In his view, Adam Newman may appear to be running Newman Media, but he’s merely the face of an operation Victor still fully controls.

Billy argues that the Jabot scandal isn’t organic journalism or coincidence. He believes it’s a carefully engineered attack, designed by Victor and executed through Adam, who’s positioned just far enough forward to take the blame if things go wrong. Sally, however, hesitates to fully embrace that interpretation. She raises a critical question: are there not legitimate concerns about Jabot that Newman Media is amplifying rather than inventing?

Sally’s skepticism reflects a broader public uncertainty. She points out that Victor’s tactics are most effective when they’re rooted in fragments of truth. Billy doesn’t deny that Jabot has flaws, but he insists there’s a difference between manageable imperfections and manufactured collapse. In his eyes, what’s happening now is exaggeration weaponized to incite fear and instability.

Sally pushes back with hard-earned pragmatism, arguing that perception can be as powerful as reality. Allowing Newman Media to dominate the narrative, she warns, is equivalent to surrender. Her solution is aggressive counterprogramming—flood the media with positive stories and disrupt Victor’s momentum. Billy resists, not out of fear, but because he recognizes Victor’s favorite trap: defensive publicity can make a company appear desperate or guilty.

Their disagreement isn’t personal—it’s philosophical. Billy believes restraint denies Victor the spectacle he craves, while Sally believes silence allows Victor to rewrite reality unchallenged. Neither is entirely wrong, and that ambiguity makes the situation even more dangerous.

Behind closed doors, the Abbott family shifts into strategic mode. Jack Abbott, Diane Jenkins, and Kyle Abbott unite with a shared understanding that survival now depends on coordination. Jack recognizes that Victor has chosen escalation and that hesitation will only be interpreted as weakness. Diane brings measured calm, fully aware of how perception can be manipulated, while Kyle feels the pressure of proving Jabot is not a relic, but a company capable of evolution.

Their strategy focuses on unity, containment, and continuity. They understand that Victor’s goal is as much psychological as financial—panic is the real weapon. If the Abbotts fracture internally, Victor wins without lifting another finger.

Meanwhile, the emotional toll of the scandal becomes clear through Daniel Romalotti’s growing concern for Summer Newman. Knowing she’s trapped between two powerful legacies, Daniel questions Phyllis about Jabot’s sudden troubles. Phyllis claims ignorance, but Daniel isn’t convinced. Years of experience have taught him to hear what his mother avoids saying.

When he confronts her about probing Jack earlier and suddenly caring so deeply about Jabot, Phyllis deflects, framing her concern as purely maternal. Daniel senses the evasion. Unable to maintain the façade, Phyllis storms off, leaving Daniel with an unsettling realization: his mother is hiding something—and it’s connected to the chaos unfolding.

Elsewhere, Chelsea Lawson grows increasingly uneasy. Her discomfort isn’t financial, but instinctive. Watching Adam operate under Victor’s influence triggers familiar alarm bells. She sees how confidence can turn into blindness and how easily autonomy can be an illusion.

Back at the Abbott mansion, tension thickens. Jack admits how quickly Victor’s counterstrike came, raising the terrifying possibility of a leak. Diane suggests Nikki as a variable—logically, not emotionally—but Jack vehemently rejects the idea. Billy steps in, grounding the discussion in reality: how Victor learned the truth matters less than the fact that he now controls it.

Jack makes a decisive shift. Containment is no longer enough. To survive, they must dismantle the machinery Victor uses to dominate the narrative. That realization turns the Abbott home into a war room.

The conversation takes a sharper turn when Billy suggests going straight to the source of the artificial intelligence program—Phyllis Summers. Jack is wary, knowing Phyllis is unpredictable and self-interested. Still, options are running out. Billy agrees to approach her, while Jack acknowledges that defeating Victor may require working with people he doesn’t fully trust.

At Newman Media, Chelsea confronts Adam after learning about major decisions she was excluded from. Victor’s arrival shuts down the debate instantly. He makes his hierarchy clear and declares Jabot finished. Chelsea is left understanding that, in Victor’s world, being valued doesn’t mean having influence.

The true collision comes when Phyllis confronts Victor. Furious, she reminds him of their deal—she gave him the AI program in exchange for control of Jabot. But she realizes too late that Victor may no longer need her. His calm reassurance only deepens her suspicion.

Victor refuses to clarify, leaving Phyllis questioning whether she’s been used. That uncertainty reignites her danger. If she decides Victor has outgrown her usefulness, loyalty becomes optional—and exposure becomes profitable.

As loyalties shift and alliances tremble, one question looms over Genoa City: will Phyllis remain Victor’s pawn, or become the spark that finally turns the tide?