Soap Hub Performer of the Week for Y&R: Jess Walton

The Young and the Restless viewers know that Jill Foster Abbott Atkinson is an outspoken, savvy businesswoman in Genoa City who runs Chancellor Industries. So, when Lily Winters called her to help clean up Billy Abbott’s mess, we couldn’t wait to see her. Jill’s return had heartfelt, emotional highs and lows. For that, Soap Hub presents Performer of the Week honors for Y&R on Jill’s portrayer, Jess Walton.

Jess Walton – Performer Of The Week

From the moment we saw Jess Walton as Jill, we felt her passion for her craft. Given that she, and nearly everybody else, believed Chance Chancellor (Conner Floyd) died, Walton delivered several poignant lines about grief. We felt her lines spoke not only to Jill’s sadness but also to Walton’s herself, given the fact that the actress recently lost her husband, John. Even more, we felt Walton’s words on grief spoke to those of us who are currently walking through our own suffering with her. The Young and the Restless on-screen moments truly touched us, and we felt Walton’s emotions as she worked through her feelings.

Additionally, we loved seeing Jill’s interactions with her son, Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson). We bought that she felt fed up with Billy’s risk-taking while still absolutely loving her son. Jill served up some tough love, but she still managed to let her son know how she felt about him. Again, Walton brought palpable feeling to the scenes.

Jill’s moments with Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) and speaking with Katherine Chancellor’s (Jeanne Cooper) portrait also reminded us of Jill’s spunky side. We also got to see her joy at learning Chance didn’t die (again). Ultimately, Walton brought a breath of fresh air to the canvas, and we hope to see her around more often as Jill mentors Lily Winters (Christel Khalil) as Chancellor’s new CEO. We want nothing more than to see her enjoy being the laid-back matriarch of the family.

The Young and the Restless (YR) airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Genoa City, check out all the latest that’s been posted on Y&R spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.