It’s been 15 years since Daniel Romalotti and Abby Newman had a romance, but The Young and the Restless might be rekindling their flame. They’re both at a turning point in their lives. Abby is starting to lose patience with her husband, Devon. And Daniel is nursing a broken heart over walking away from Tessa. Their connecting thread is Mariah’s case, which is under review.
Key Takeaways
- Daniel and Abby’s romance
- Why they could reconnect
- How a reunion would bring more mess to their doorstep
When Did Abby and Daniel Date on Young and the Restless?
Abby and Devon aren’t on the same page about Mariah. Their opposing views on the appropriate consequences for kidnapping their son are causing a rift. In contrast, Daniel believes her sentencing to a mental health facility is exactly the help Mariah needs. When he walked in on yet another fight between the married couple, it got us thinking. Could Daniel and Abby catch feelings for each other again?
The year was 2010. Emme Rylan was in the role of Abby Newman. This was back during Abby’s “Naked Heiress” arc, when posing nude and causing a ruckus were core parts of her character. She was acting out at the time and prone to outbursts. Daniel (Michael Graziadei) found her to be a brat and once spanked her for it after a tense back-and-forth. But that ended up being the spark that lit the match for both of them. They began a romance.
Abby framed her nudity as activism, but it was also attention-seeking and about her inheritance. Daniel wasn’t left out of her shenanigans, which included recording their intimacy. She’d hoped their sex tape would increase her notoriety and infamy. Abby wanted to be a reality TV darling and didn’t care what it took to make that dream come true.
Though she could be mercurial, she and Daniel did have a fun and flirty connection. He supported her in her protests and stood by her despite her family’s position on her actions. Abby helped him, too. She used her name to get an art critic to one of Daniel’s shows, which led to commissions for him.
Why Abby and Daniel Broke Up
While Daniel and Abby’s romance wasn’t exactly serious, they did care for one another. He was in the midst of divorcing B&B’s Amber Moore (Adrienne Frantz), and Abby was busy provoking her parents. But they made it work and may have gone the distance if Daisy (Yvonne Zim) hadn’t revealed that she was pregnant.
Sheila Carter’s daughter had drugged Daniel when he was married to Amber. He didn’t want to believe his rape resulted in him fathering a child. However, Abby chose to take a beat. He needed to focus on the paternity test and the direction his life would be taking if he were the father.
Though they were no longer together, Abby did remain in his life as a friend. At one point, she attempted to restart their romance. But this was after she ran Tucker McCall (Stephen Nichols) down with her car. Between a confession tape that was disappeared, a brief stint in rehab, and making amends for what she did, Abby had a lot going on.
Abby also had a producer who wanted to use her scandals to drum up buzz. Uninterested in being party to a life under a microscope, planned or otherwise, Daniel chose not to get back with Abby.
How Y&R Could Rekindle Abby and Daniel’s Romance
Abby (Melissa Ordway) doesn’t have a shortage of people to talk to about Mariah’s (Camryn Grimes—see what she’s been up to!) case. But she may need someone to confide in regarding the toll it’s taking on her marriage. Daniel has a stake in what happens, too, but he’s in a unique position. He wants Mariah to get better for her sake and Tessa’s (Cait Fairbanks). He’s in love with the singer-songwriter and is waiting in the wings for her if her marriage doesn’t work out.
While Daniel isn’t hoping for Teriah’s downfall, his heart is on the line. He could use someone to talk to about his own feelings who likely won’t pity him. In a similar fashion, Abby is getting looks, too. But hers concerns Devon’s anger, and how it’s escalating a situation everyone thought had been settled. If Abby and Daniel become each other’s sounding boards, it could lead to an unexpected resurfacing of their past affection for one another.
However, going down that road again would make things even messier. Daniel got involved with Tessa despite her being Mariah’s wife. He got his heart broken in the process when he decided to step back so that she could work on her marriage. He’d be falling into the same pattern with Abby. A distressed married woman on the outs with her spouse isn’t someone to get involved with even if it’s only for a moment.
For Abby and Daniel, that’s likely all that it would be. Though they’re not the same people they were nearly two decades ago, now isn’t the time to wonder what could have been. But it may be the time to make a mistake that makes the Mariah situation worse than it already is.
