Lily Is Back on The Young and the Restless! How Christel Khalil Returned to the Soap
Lily made her big return to Young and Restless in the March 26 episode after Christel Khalil returned to work at the soap back in February following her recent maternity leave to give birth to her third child. And now that Lily is back in Genoa City, she’s going to be neck-deep in drama after conspiring with Victor (Eric Braeden) to make it appear that he’d had her and her kids abducted!
Comeback Tour
Back in October 2025, Khalil revealed that she was pregnant with her third child by showing off her baby bump in a fun dance video with some of her Y&R co-stars. The actress then took a break from the soap, and Lily left town in the January 7, 2026, episode. She shared the first photo of her newborn in February and shortly after, the first pic of her back at the Y&R studio posing in a selfie with co-star Billy Flynn (Cane).
Lily left Genoa City back in early January after sharing a kiss with Cane on New Year’s Eve. He had been trying to prove to his ex-wife that he was a changed man and hoped that their liplock meant that he was on his way to winning back her love, but she insisted it had been a mistake and packed her bags to spend some time with their daughter, Mattie.
In her absence, Cane plotted with Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) to steal Newman Enterprises away from Victor and his family and very nearly succeeded. When Victor announced that he had kidnapped Lily, Mattie, and Charlie, Cane was immediately willing to return the company to protect his family. Phyllis refused, but ultimately agreed to give just Chancellor back in exchange for the safe return of Jack (Peter Bergman), who Victor had also abducted.
But while Jack’s kidnapping was very real, Lily’s wasn’t. Cane was stunned to learn from Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) that Lily had been part of Victor’s twisted scheme from the very start, and upon Lily’s return to Genoa City, her motives became crystal clear. As she entered the Newman Ranch at Victor’s invitation, he playfully asked if she was all right following her “abduction,” and she snarked that while their accommodations were luxurious, she and the twins were happy to be back in their homes. More importantly, Lily was concerned that Victor had mentioned in their last phone call that this wasn’t over yet. “Did you get your company back from Cane and Phyllis?” she asked. “And are you ready to hand over Chancellor to Devon and me?” Victor just smiled at her enigmatically.
Will Lily actually get Victor to put her back in control of Chancellor? How will her collusion with Victor affect Cane’s desire to reunite with his ex-wife? And what will happen when Lily’s birth father, Malcolm (Shemar Moore), returns to town again?
Share your thoughts on Lily’s return and predictions of where you think the storyline will go next in the comments below!
Conversation
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