Just when you thought The Young and the Restless was about to embark on quite the summer demerger, as Chancellor and Winters seemed to be on the cusp of going their separate ways as individual companies, it looks like Jill (Jess Walton) could throw a wrench in the plans.
In The Young and the Restless episode airing on June 25, Billy (Jason Thompson) and Lily (Christel Khalil) pitched their idea to separate Chancellor-Winters. They positioned the notion as the solution to all the corporate infighting and proposed Lily join the soon-to-be Abbott-Chancellor as Billy’s co-CEO. Billy is of course thrilled by the possibility, and unbeknownst to him, so are Devon (Bryton James) and Nate (Sean Dominic).
As loyal viewers know, the Winters clan previously discussed Lily pretending to go along with Billy’s desire to separate the companies and stay behind at Chancellor-Winters. Then when the demerger goes through, she would quit and join Devon and Nate at Winters. It’s assumed that Jill will only go along with separating the companies if Lily stays on at Chancellor-Winters, so Lily would ultimately be betraying the woman who hired her over her own son.
Back with Billy and Lily’s pitch. By the episode airing on June 26, Devon and Nate have heard the plan, and Devon pretends to be resistant to the idea. He actually does too good of a job pretending, as he questions Lily’s loyalty to Winters and accuses her of being Billy’s pawn, right in front of Billy.
Lily takes exception to her brother’s attack, which feels personal, and when Billy leaves, she takes him to Devon. He defends his actions as putting on an act for Billy’s sake, but she chastises him for questioning her devotion to the family. She then turns things around on him and accuses Devon of really trying to push her away so he doesn’t have to share the co-CEO position with Lily at Winters.
With all that being said, it’s starting to look like this entire idea of a demerger may not go through thanks to Jill. While in the park, Billy takes a video call from Jill who surprises him when she says she’s having second thoughts about the idea. She feels the companies are more profitable together and she questions whether Lily would really stay on at Chancellor if her brother and cousin go to Winters. Billy attempts to reassure his mother that the proposal is sound, and he brings up the fact that she entrusted him with her board vote. So he plans to use his vote and hers to see the demerger goes through.
Later back in her office, Lily also takes a video call from Jill. She expresses her concerns with Lily and alludes to the idea that she may not let Billy use her vote to support separating the companies. Lily understandably looks perplexed.
Let’s say that Jill does decide she no longer supports Billy’s grand scheme. When it comes to a board vote, hers could be the only nay. Billy, Lily, Devon and Abby (Melissa Ordway) still have their votes, and by all indications right now, they’ll vote yay. However, at this point, Devon and Abby don’t know about Jill’s health problems, Devon and Nate haven’t really combed through all the numbers of what a demerger means to the bottom line and Jill appears primed to remind Lily that the companies merged for a great reason and it was Lily’s brilliant idea.
So is it possible that Jill reveals her health condition to all the board members to change the tides of the vote? Will Lily be reminded that the merger is her brainchild and is a good one? If Jill does tank the demerger, one thing is for sure, something has to change with the vitriol among the leadership. Maybe Devon and Billy need to go on a bonding retreat?
New episodes of The Young and the Restless air weekdays on CBS. Episodes become available to stream on Paramount Plus the next day.
