The Young and the Restless fans have waited 40 years for Patty Williams and Diane Jenkins to have a confrontation that’s been brewing since the ’80s.
The rivals for Jack Abbott’s heart were young when their drama spilled over with life-changing consequences. But until Patty’s recent return, there hasn’t been an opportunity for the ladies to clash, at least not with Diane knowing it’s Patty she’s speaking to.
Now that Patty’s holding Jack hostage at the behest of an anonymous benefactor (re: Victor Newman), it’s the perfect time for her and Diane to come face-to-face and hash out past hurts. But is that in the cards? Let’s get into the odds of Patty and Diane finally having it out with one another.
Key Takeaways
- The bad blood between Patty and Diane
- Stacy Haiduk on a potential run-in with the rivals
- How Y&R could be setting up an unwanted reunion
Patty Williams and Diane Jenkins’ Longstanding Feud
The acidic nature of Patty (Stacy Haiduk) and Diane’s (Susan Walters) dynamic dates back to last century. Patty was a teenager when she married Jack (Peter Bergman). Their union was transactional for him. He wanted to be president of Jabot.
His father would only bestow the role on him once he settled down. But Patty (then Lilibet Stern) was desperately in love. Her feelings weren’t reciprocated, and Jack (then Terry Lester) carried on an affair behind her back. The woman he was seeing was Diane (then Alex Donnelley).
Patty was pregnant by the time she found out. When she confronted them, the incident resulted in a miscarriage due to her falling down the steps. Still, Patty was determined to make her marriage work and wanted to start a family.
What sent her over the edge was a conversation she was never meant to hear. Patty shot Jack after she heard him say that he had no plans to build a life with her and that he’d only married to secure a more influential position at his family’s company.
Distraught, Patty lost all memory of her actions and took care of Jack in the aftermath of their violent encounter. When she did remember, she divorced him and tried to move on. But for Patty, all roads lead back to Jack, and the person she holds responsible for her young heart being broken is Diane. The same can be said for her spiral into madness.
Why Patty and Diane Haven’t Fought Yet
After Patty left Genoa City in 1984, she and Diane didn’t come face-to-face until 2010. She’d come back to town to stir up trouble for Jack in a plot hatched by Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) that would later spin out of control. But her love for her ex-husband hadn’t waned. It had just slipped into obsession.
Their scheme required Patty to assume the identity of her psychiatrist, Emily. The plastic surgery she underwent to look like her has worked in Patty’s favor more than once. By the time Diane reentered the picture, Patty’s plot had been found out, and Emily had made a life with Jack. But Patty wasn’t done trying to win Jack over and assumed Emily’s identity again.
When she and Diane spoke, Patty was the only one aware of their past. Diane thought she was having a conversation with Emily. Though their talk about Jack and Diane’s affair in the ’80s was tense, it was only loaded from Patty’s side.
Diane was dismissive, referring to Patty as a child and, even back then, as having a bit of a screw loose. She dismissed her own behavior by saying they all had a lot of growing up to do. But it was clear her downplaying of what happened got under Patty’s skin.
Diane was only in town for a visit, so nothing came of their encounter. Fast forward 16 years, and Patty is once again up to no good. Now is the perfect opportunity for the two women to finally hash it out.
Will Diane Confront Patty? (Speculation)
Patty is holding Jack hostage on a yacht and trying to use their time together to rekindle the connection she believes they have. Meanwhile, his family is searching desperately for him. They know he’s missing, and they have a clue that leads to a marina, but whether that’ll lead to Diane discovering the ex-spouses on the boat is still up in the air.
While speaking to Soap Opera Digest, Stacy Haiduk was asked about the possibility of big drama coming up between Patty and Diane. She said, “I think that could be very intriguing to Patty,” and winked. The actress didn’t confirm the two would reunite, but it’s hard to believe the possibility is off the table. Even if they don’t see each other on the yacht, they could run into one another in town.
Haiduk mentioned that Patty has unfinished business, perhaps involving not only Jack but also Diane. They both have a bone to pick. Patty for what happened 40 years ago, as well as some contempt for Diane being married to Jack now. And Diane, for what Patty is putting them through in the present, once she finds out who has her husband.
