In the December 16 episode of The Young and the Restless, the real damage from Victor’s public strike against Jabot became clear — not in what he did next, but in how completely he controlled what came after. While Jack scrambled to contain fallout and Newman Media tracked the reaction, Phyllis finally understood the truth: the deal she made to secure her future had stripped her of all leverage.
Key Takeaways
- Phyllis realizes Victor has changed the terms of their deal and left her with no leverage.
- Victor makes it clear he no longer needs the AI to control the situation or her.
- Phyllis understands too late that she is trapped inside Victor’s long game.
What Happened: Phyllis Confronts Victor and Learns the Deal Is Over
Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) came face-to-face with Victor (Eric Braeden) after the hit piece on Jabot exploded across Newman Media, and she didn’t waste time getting to the point. She wanted answers. The shutdown story wasn’t supposed to happen this way, and it certainly wasn’t supposed to leave her empty-handed.
Victor didn’t deny what he’d done. He barely acknowledged it as a betrayal at all. From his perspective, Jack’s (Peter Bergman) decision to take Jabot offline changed the board, and he simply adapted. The AI wasn’t needed anymore. Public perception would do the damage just fine.
That’s when the reality sank in for Phyllis. The leverage she thought she had — the AI, the promise of control, the idea that Victor needed her — was gone. She accused him of rewriting the deal and leaving her with nothing to run, nothing to gain, and no protection.
Victor, unmoved, offered only vague reassurance and his word — the same currency Phyllis has trusted before and paid for dearly. By the time the conversation ended, it was clear the truth she didn’t want to face: Victor had already won, and Phyllis was trapped in a deal that now only benefited him.
Why It Matters: Victor Exposes the Truth Phyllis Tried to Ignore
For Phyllis, this confrontation wasn’t just about Jabot or bad press — it was about control. She entered the deal with Victor, believing she had leverage, believing the AI gave her power and a future she could claim once Jack fell. December 16 shattered that illusion.
Victor made it painfully clear that he never needed Phyllis as a partner. She was just a means to an end. Once Jack shut Jabot down, the AI became irrelevant — and so did she. The narrative did the work Victor wanted, and he retained absolute authority over how and when it was deployed.
For Victor, this moment reaffirmed his favorite truth: deals are only binding for the weaker party. He didn’t break his word in his own mind — circumstances changed, and he adjusted. Phyllis wasn’t outplayed by chance. She was outplayed because Victor never intended for her to gain real power.
The Fallout: Phyllis Is Cornered by the Man She Never Should Have Trusted
Phyllis left Victor’s orbit, realizing the truth far too late: the deal she thought protected her no longer existed. Victor had already achieved what he wanted without cashing in the AI, and that meant he no longer needed her loyalty, silence, or cooperation. The leverage Phyllis believed she held vanished the moment the hit piece went public.
Worse, Victor didn’t reassure her because he didn’t have to. His calm wasn’t confidence — it was dismissal. By controlling the narrative around Jabot, he ensured Phyllis was tied to the fallout without any guarantee of the payoff she was promised. If Jabot collapses, there’s nothing for her to run. If it survives, Victor still holds the weapon that implicates her.
Phyllis now stands in a dangerous middle ground. The Abbotts are closing in, Daniel (Michael Graziadei) already senses she’s hiding something, and Victor has every incentive to let the consequences land where they may.
Phyllis isn’t playing both sides — she’s exposed to all of them. That’s never a good place for Phyllis, and what she does next is bound to be explosive.
