A 2025 Preview: What happens next on The Young and the Restless

On The Young and the Restless, while others were wrapping up 2024, some lives were taking off in a new direction for 2025.

What to expect in 2025 on The Young and the Restless

As the executive producer and head writer of The Young and the Restless, Josh Griffith told TV Insider what viewers can expect for the new year. “It will be even better than 2024. It will be a whirlpool of romance, suspense, and family conflict,” Griffith anticipated.

Sharon-Phyllis-Tessa-Mariah

On The Young and the Restless on New Year’s Eve, Sharon (Sharon Case) was taken by Jordan (Colleen Zenk), and it appeared that Tessa (Cait Fairbanks) was nearly kidnapped by Ian (Ray Wise). “This story is going to explode over the next month or two in a major way, with a lot of surprising reveals as to what really happened over the course of the last six months. It will shake up Mariah (Camryn Grimes) in a huge way and affect her relationship with Tessa, and it will bring Sharon and Nick (Joshua Morrow) closer than ever. He is the one who’s determined to find out what happened to her. He’s leading the charge, so it’s going to be very exciting and very suspenseful.” Griffiths also shared that Sharon and Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) will find themselves in “a life-or-death situation where they’re both going to have to reevaluate their relationship.”

Victor vs. Jack

Griffiths says that the war between Jack (Peter Bergman) and Victor (Eric Braeden) is far from over. Because of Nikki’s (Melody Thomas Scott) alcoholism and Jack’s attempt to save her last year, Victor’s rage against Jack was reignited. He’s not done getting his revenge as “in true Jack/Victor battle history, just as one thinks they bested the other, the other one comes up with another strategy.” This time, Victor will go after Jabot, with Claire (Hayley Erin) and Kyle’s (Michael Mealor) relationship caught in the middle.

Claire-Kyle-Summer

“Claire and Kyle are going to have to fight the fact that Victor doesn’t want them together and Jack is worried that they shouldn’t be together because of what Victor might pull,” Griffith teased. As we saw in 2024, after becoming calmer and kinder when she first dated Chance (Conner Floyd), Summer (Allison Lanier) has returned to her more pettier and competitive nature. “[...] if Victor and Jack weren’t enough for Kyle and Claire to have to worry about, Summer’s decision of, ‘Maybe I want Kyle back,’ is going to throw another wrench into that. We’re going to see Summer sort of return to her Phyllis attitude,” Griffith explained.

The Newman Family

Victor had given a toast at midnight on New Year’s Eve, saying to his family, “To the Newmans, near and far. May this year be the best of all.” Unfortunately, things look rocky. Griffith describes Claire and Kyle's relationship as a powerful Romeo and Juliet story, but the pair will be affected by the Victor vs Jack war. Additionally, Nikki, Victoria (Amelia Heinle), Victor, and Nick “will be heavily involved in the next arc of this Ian fallout for Sharon.”

Sally-Billy-Phyllis

“I’m really intrigued by this,” Griffith shared. He explained that Sally (Courtney Hope) and Billy (Jason Thompson) got together because of the betrayals they both experienced by Adam (Mark Grossman) and Chelsea (Melissa Claire Egan). “It puts them in a very interesting and romantic situation. I think Sally is going to be a very good influence for Billy, and as we slowly introduce Phyllis into that mix, Phyllis becomes the sort of darker angel on one shoulder of Billy’s while Sally is the lighter one on the other,” Griffith added.

Adam & Chelsea

“They really emotionally rebonded as parents as they dealt with Connor’s OCD. They had that one night in Baltimore, and they’re going to find it harder to isolate that night as just a one-time thing that came out of fear and grief and realize that there’s more to their relationship that still exists beyond being parents,” Griffith shared. Does this mean Chelsea will move into the ranch house? It can’t be that simple for a happily ever after for these two…maybe Sharon as a neighbor will be a potential conflict of interest.

The Winters/Hamilton/Hastings Clan

Interestingly, Griffiths divulged that Nate’s (Sean Dominic) half-brother is more of a man of mystery than we first assumed. “Nathan Owens, who’s fantastic, is just the first step in a major, evolving mystery for the entire Winters family,” Griffiths teased. He added that Damian will have a major impact on Nate, Devon (Bryton James), “but especially Lily [Christel Khalil].” He added that we'll find out that "maybe Audra [Zuleyka Silver] has some more skeletons in the closet as well as we get into this mystery.”

The Romalottis

Still in the first year since Heather’s death, Daniel will be looking for closure. According to Griffith, he has to “find a way to totally forgive Sharon, and set himself off on a new path with a potentially, I don’t want to say romance, but a but a bit of a walk on the on the emotional wild side.”

Ian & Jordan

Of course, the biggest questions revolve around Ian Ward (Ray Wise) and Jordan Howard (Colleen Zenk). Since we discovered that the pair not only knew one another but had teamed up and returned to Genoa City together, fans have wondered what their master plan was. Griffiths would only tease, “We’re headed for a wild ride and a massive showdown between this diabolical duo and the Newmans. Look for major showdowns between Nikki and Jordan and Victor and Ian.”

Watch The Young and the Restless weekdays on CBS or stream on Paramount Plus.