A popular star has exited The Young and the Restless… for now. Here’s the soap’s latest comings and goings casting news for the week of January 12-16. Find out if any popular performers from yesteryear are joining the show, if any newcomers are boarding in contract, recurring, or day-player roles, and if any actors or actresses are leaving the CBS drama.

Key Takeaways

• Christel Khalil began maternity leave, and Lily exited Genoa City to visit Charlie and Mattie.
• Cait Fairbanks receives increased airtime as Tessa, including a pivotal scene with Sharon.
• Roger Howarth continues his arc as Matt Clark/Mitch Bacall following his surprise return.
• Lily’s absence reshaped multiple storylines tied to Cane, Devon, and the Winters family.
• Tessa’s upcoming decision signals a possible turning point in her romantic storyline.

The Week of January 12, 2026

Christel Khalil has officially begun her maternity leave. The actress, who is pregnant with her third child, has two sons: Michael, 15, and Remy, a toddler. Her character, Lily Winters, announced that she was exiting Genoa City last week to visit her children, Charlie and Mattie, for a few weeks. Khalil revealed that she was expecting last October, via a video on social media.

Cait Fairbanks gets more screen time as Tessa Porter. Look for Tessa to make a tough decision about her complicated love life with some help from Sharon Case’s Sharon on Wednesday, January 14.

Roger Howarth continues his story arc as Matt Clark/Mitch Bacall. (Here’s how Y&R fans feel about the character’s surprise return, after being declared dead some 20 years ago.)

The Young and the Restless (Y&R) spoilers update for the week of January 12-16 reveals that Sharon Newman (Sharon Case) will face a sad shocker while Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) plays defense and Michael Baldwin (Christian LeBlanc) gets interrogated.

At the Newman ranch, Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) will pump the brakes on any deal with Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) since there’ll be a more pressing issue to tackle.

Jack and Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor) will stash Matt Clark (Roger Howarth) somewhere secure while Victor tells his family about the AI program attacking Newman Enterprises.

After Cane Ashby (Billy Flynn) moves forward with that attack, he’ll leave Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) over the moon as they get passionate in bed and discuss their Newman takeover.

Across town, Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope) will struggle with growing concerns about Billy Abbott’s (Jason Thompson) vengeful side and how much he’d rather be the one making Victor suffer.

As for Victor, he’ll blow up at Cane and Phyllis over their latest plot. Phyllis will remain brimming with confidence, but Victor will be determined to protect Newman and make them pay.

While Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle) and Adam Newman (Mark Grossman) try to mitigate the damage, Victor will end up bickering with Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott).

Nikki may argue that if Victor hadn’t been so stubborn about his plan to go after Jack, then he wouldn’t have scored the AI program and the company wouldn’t be in this mess!

Back with Phyllis, she’ll rush to her own defense, so it sounds like Daniel Romalotti Jr. (Michael Graziadei) will blast his mom for causing more chaos.

However, Phyllis finally has a chance to be a winner, so she won’t have any qualms about embracing it.

Once Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow) is out of the hospital, he’ll take charge of the situation and seek Jack’s assistance.

Nick will keep Sharon in the dark as he presumably tries to get control of Matt and end this nightmare for good.

Noah Newman (Lucas Adams) will make a stunning Matt-related discovery, so he may find out what Nick’s up to and cause problems as usual.

Other Y&R spoilers say Tessa Porter (Cait Fairbanks) will come clean to Sharon about her divorce decision.

That news will be tough for Sharon to hear, but she’ll offer up some guidance and most likely understand that Tessa has to do what’s right for her.

Mariah Copeland (Camryn Grimes) has completely checked out of this marriage, so there’s only so much Tessa can do.

Tessa is ready to call it quits, but she might have a change of heart down the road.