The Young and the Restless Recap for Tuesday, November 26, 2024: Nikki has her first day as CEO

Nikki entered the living room at the ranch house, and Victor addressed her as the new CEO of Chancellor Industries. Nikki told him she was more than ready for the position and had him to thank for all of it.

Nikki read the press release by Newman Media on her phone. She was impressed at how important she sounded. Victor showed her other articles and how she was the lead story around the world.

Nick, Victoria, and Claire came in bearing gifts. Nick noted that Nikki’s new hairdo looked amazing (it does!). Nikki said it had been a tough year, but she had never felt stronger and was happy to have her family celebrate with her. They told Nikki that she was their hero and hugged her.

Claire told Nikki how much she treasured her forgiveness and her inclusion into the family. They shared a tender moment, and then Nikki asked Claire if she would accompany her to her first day at the office.

Claire surprised Nikki by telling her that she had thought a lot about it, that things were different, and that she was curious about how it would be to work with Nikki. She said she would be honored to accompany Nikki on her first day.

After Claire, Nikki, and Nick left, Victoria warned Victor that Billy wasn’t done with him. Victor scoffed at the idea, but Victoria said the way he humiliated Victor wouldn’t be forgotten by Billy. “Billy Abbott, with nothing to lose, is a dangerous man,” Victoria reminded her dad.

At Chancellor, Billy was cleaning out his office. Jill called his mobile phone, but he didn’t accept the call. She messaged him and asked that he stop ignoring her so they could talk things through.

Billy responded to Jill on a video call so she could see that he was packing up his stuff after being unceremoniously dumped by his own flesh and blood. “For Victor Newman, no less,” Billy added. Jill said it upset her to see him like this.

Billy wondered what part got him fired. Jill said she had to protect the company as their reputation was taking a major hit, and she felt Billy left her no choice. “Isn’t choosing your family the right thing to do, Jill?” Billy snapped.

Jill noted that Billy didn’t call her mom. “You really know where to stick the knife in, don’t you?” Jill said. She knew she had hurt him and was sorry for it. Billy thought Jill threw him aside the second that Victor turned up the heat. Jill insisted the company was going in the wrong direction and owed it to Katherine to fix it. Jill noted that she didn’t have the strength or stamina to do it anymore.

Billy told Jill she was playing the sick card and that she sandbagged him. “You let me believe I was going to fill your shoes, and you never intended for that to happen,” Billy snapped. Jill said she stayed up at night trying to figure out what to do and had wanted him to succeed. “No, you didn’t. You set me up to fail so you and Victor and everyone else could comfortably say, ‘Billy screwed up again,’” Billy snapped.

Billy told Jill that he had made mistakes in the past, but he owned up to every single one of them. This time, he was doing well, and she jumped ship. He hung up on Jill as Nikki came in and asked what he was doing there.

Billy said he was packing up his things and didn’t expect her to be there at the crack of dawn. Nikki told him he didn’t need to bother and she could get someone to box his stuff and have it sent to him. Billy sarcastically told Nikki she was sweet to offer.

In front of Claire, Billy told Nikki that Victor was "a cutthroat son of a bitch," but he expected more class from Nikki. Nikki reminded Billy that she wasn’t his enemy, but he retorted that Victor ruined his life for amusement. Billy said he understood where he stood but wondered if Nikki felt any remorse for what they did to Lily. “Are you okay with how that happened, or was that just business?” Billy wondered.

Nikki told Billy he had also done Lily wrong by firing her. Billy noted he was correcting that mistake when he had the rug pulled out. Nikki reminded him that his mother didn’t believe in him. Billy called it a convenient narrative for all of them. “Billy screwed up again, so the parents had to come in and fix it,” Billy said. “You said it, not me,” Nikki retorted. Billy told Nikki that deep down in all of her self-righteousness, she knew he was right.

On his way out, Billy warned Claire not to be around any of the Newmans except her mom. He said that they all wore the same blood-soaked clothes that Victor did. “Don’t learn the hard way like I have,” Billy added.

After Billy left, Nikki apologized to Claire and asked if it scared her off. Claire noted that her parents warned her that things could get ugly and it was one of the reasons she didn’t want to work there. Claire wanted to know what happened with Lily.

Nikki told Claire how she and Victor lied to Lily. Nikki said when the truth came out, Lily was devastated and refused her job offers. Nikki added that Victor decided for Lily that she belongs at Winters but Lily’s not having it. Nikki shared that she regretted what happened and hoped that Lily would forgive her one day. “Victor and I made an enemy out of someone we greatly admire,” Nikki admitted.

At Crimson Lights, Sharon noted to Nick that she deserved all the hostile looks she was getting from people. She told Nick that she had received new meds and could feel the difference. She also wanted him to know that she didn’t agree with the insanity plea and just wanted to accept her punishment, which was a life sentence. Sharon worried that Nick wasn’t being realistic about her situation and didn’t want him to be blindsided when she inevitably went to prison. Nick said that he would never abandon her.

Billy strolled into Phyllis’ hospital room and joked that he was sure off base about her theory on Sharon. “You look great,” he quipped. Phyllis noted she was going home in the afternoon. Billy brought her up to date on Jill selling Chancellor to Victor. Phyllis thought that was really cold, even for Jill.

Billy shared that it was time “the old man gets a taste of his medicine.” Phyllis said she would forward Billy’s mail to the cemetery. Billy clarified he wasn’t going to do it alone. He noted that Phyllis hated Victor as much as he did and suggested that after she got home, they take Victor down together.

Diane came to the Abbott mansion after a meeting with the Jabot lawyers. It turned out that the company was an empty shell. Victor had sold off all of the divisions before handing it to Diane.

Jack admitted that his contact in Europe had already told him what Victor was up to. Diane was irritated that Victor duped her, but Jack wasn’t surprised. “I guess, once again, that bastard has the last laugh,” Diane fumed. “Oh, I’m not so sure about that,” Jack said with a smirk.

Kyle came downstairs and didn’t want to stop and talk to his parents. Jack told him that they just got more information and wondered if he wanted to hear it. Jack revealed that Victor handed Glissade over to Diane. Kyle was surprised and asked if it was part of their plan and Jack confirmed that it was.

Jack wanted to know if they succeeded with their plan and if Kyle learned anything. Kyle admitted that he had discovered that he wasn’t over Diane leaving him as a child. He said that was why he let Victor in, because of his anger towards her.

Diane said she was worried, and that was the reason. Kyle added that he thought he was over it, and after the initial shock of her return, he was genuinely happy that she was back. “But the minute you and I had problems, I could feel it,” Kyle realized. Diane cried that he had every right to feel that way and hoped he would forgive her one day.

Kyle admitted that when they were working together at Jabot, he was, in retrospect, trying to sabotage her, although he didn’t realize it back then. Kyle, Jack, and Diane respectfully shared their faults and took responsibility for their actions. Jack wondered where they could go from there, and Diane hoped they could go forward. Kyle told his parents he wanted that, too, but there was a lot of hurt, anger, and a big question of where he belonged. Kyle took his coat and left while Diane held onto Jack and cried.

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