The 2025 Met Gala may have been all about pushing fashion boundaries, but The Young and the Restless star Michelle Stafford took a different approach—she dove into her personal red carpet archives. The three-time Daytime Emmy-winning actress shared a video throwback photos to Instagram, and with it, she shared a very Michelle-style message to her younger self: honest, funny, and totally relatable.
4 Little Words
“This girl right here,” Stafford said, pointing out her former self in a photo from the 2011 Daytime Emmy Awards, “and only I can say this—you need to eat a cheese sandwich.”
She figured the photo was from around 2010 or 2011 and gave her gown high marks. “I like the dress,” she said. “I think Monique Lhuillier—it’s a wedding dress actually, but I like it.” Still, she couldn’t resist giving her past self a little tough love. “But we need some meat. We need a little meat,” she added. “Only I could say that.”
MORE: Here’s why Phyllis should become a free agent on Y&R.
The picture in question appears to be from the 2011 Daytime Emmys held at the Hilton Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Stafford attended that year as a nominee for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her unforgettable work as Phyllis Summers on Y&R.
While the fashion was undeniably stunning, it’s Michelle’s signature blend of humor and heart that truly stole the spotlight—and reminded us all to be a little kinder to our younger selves (and maybe to eat the sandwich).
