Why Billy Abbott needs Daniel Goddard's Cane Ashby back on The Young and the Restless

Jason Thompson (Billy) and Daniel Goddard (Cane) on The Young and the Restless | Image: JPI
Jason Thompson (Billy) and Daniel Goddard (Cane) on The Young and the Restless | Image: JPI

On The Young and the Restless, Daniel Goddard played two roles: Cane Ashby and his twin brother, Caleb. Fans were deeply upset when they thought they witnessed Cane being killed in 2011. The outcry ranged from calls and emails to the network to a banner demanding his return being flown over the studios at CBS that read, “Y&R fans want Daniel Goddard as Cane Ashby.”

Goddard returned, and viewers learned that it was his twin brother who had been killed, and Cane had been alive all along, pretending to be Caleb. Of course, he had what he deemed a good reason, but things were never really the same for fan faves Cane and Lily (Christel Khalil).

But now, not only are fans asking for Goddard's return again but there could be a valid reason why his character, Cane Ashby, needs to be in Genoa City.

Cane Ashby on The Young and the Restless

Billy and Cane on The Young and the Restless | Image: JPI
Billy and Cane on The Young and the Restless | Image: JPI

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Last seen in 2019, Cane left for Australia to find his father, Colin Atkinson (Tristan Rogers). You may remember Colin was Jill’s (Jess Walton) husband, and he had left Genoa City after stealing the fortune of Katherine Chancellor. Devon (Bryton James), Katherine’s grandson, was the beneficiary of Katherine’s fortune, but Colin swindled it. Cane had promised to redeem himself to his family and friends by tracking down Colin and getting the money back, vowing not to return until he had accomplished that mission.

But five years is a lot of time, especially in soap land. Did Cane ever find Colin? Is it time for him to come back to Genoa City and make things right with his family?

What Cane’s return could do for Genoa City

The Young and the Restless' Billy and Cane | Image: JPI
The Young and the Restless' Billy and Cane | Image: JPI

While it’s totally possible that Cane was actually involved in the will forgery scam that Colin pulled off, and the two of them are living the highlife in the Outback, there are some characters on The Young and the Restless that could benefit from Cane’s return to Genoa City.

It’s debatable whether Cane’s return would be welcomed by Lily Winters. When Lily and Cane were at their best, they were a well-matched, semi-supercouple-potential duo. Although Lily’s been in other relationships, nothing has ever really topped her one with Cane, even though it took a dive or two. Lily’s had a rough year, and if Cane’s grown up and redeemed himself, then they could be well-suited again. It’s hard to say if Lily would actually be interested or how their kids, Mattie and Charlie, would feel about a family reunion.

But a (perhaps) more interesting twist would be how Cane’s return could affect Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson). While there was a time when everyone thought Cane was Jill’s son, the sibling rivalry between Billy and Cane was real. Cane coming back could be a plot twist in Billy’s project to get back Chancellor that no one saw coming. After all, Billy plans to do to Victor what Victor did to Billy and bring down Chancellor from the inside. While Billy intends to ensure that Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) fails at being Chancellor’s CEO, Victor’s plan had an extra step that Billy can’t pull off on his own: Victor bought the company from Jill. But if Cane was to return with the cash flow, then maybe it’s something the two of them could do together. And re-seating Lily where she thought she belonged could go a long way in Cane’s redemption with Lily, Billy, and Devon as well.

Is Daniel Goddard returning to The Young and the Restless?

Billy and Cane on The Young and the Restless | Image: JPI
Billy and Cane on The Young and the Restless | Image: JPI

In a recent Instagram post, Daniel Goddard got fan attention when he hinted at a possible return to Y&R. Okay, okay, so he didn’t actually say the show’s name, or mention anyone or anything related, but he did say he had major news that he couldn’t share yet.

What other major news could he possibly have that Y&R fans would want to hear?! In the video post, Goddard said, “So I just wanted to reach out and say hello and see how you were doing and tell you that something truly incredible is in the midst. And I cannot wait to share more.”

Goddard captioned the video with, “I’ve missed you. Very much. You’ll never know how much each and everyone of you means to me. There is nothing more powerful than the human connection. Nothing. Family, community and connectivity is the glue that holds us together. Because I said the core of each and everyone of us, is the desire to be understood and loved by people that matter. 🤍”

Executive producer and head writer of The Young and the Restless Josh Griffith also had the wheels turning when he told Soap Opera Digest, “I think that Lily is going to find true love.” Could that be with Cane?

Stay tuned to find out what happens next! You can watch full episodes of The Young and the Restless weekdays on CBS or stream on Paramount Plus.

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