What Happened to Chance on Young and Restless — His Dramatic Life Story

Chance Chancellor on Young and Restless has had kind of a complicated history so if you have any questions, we’re here with a refresher on everything you need to know about the guy!

Who plays Chance?

The character was born in 1988 and played by a series of child actors, including future Gossip Girl star Penn Badgley, in 2000. In July 2009, Chance was aged into an adult and played by Guiding Light alum John Driscoll. The character was written out in September 2010 but returned for a handful of guest appearances in 2011. His name was mentioned in the fall of 2019, so it was almost inevitable that the character would be returning. And when Chance returned in November 2019, Donny Boaz had stepped into the role. In November 2020, however, Y&R temporarily recast the role with Justin Gaston due to Boaz’s positive COVID diagnosis. However, in February 2021, Boaz announced that he’d been written off the show. Then, in November 2021, Y&R announced that Conner Floyd would be taking over the role later that month, and that actor’s run came to an end in July 2025 when Chance met a tragic end.

Who are Chance’s parents?

Phillip “Chance” Chancellor IV was born to Nina Webster and Phillip Chancellor III in 1988. After his father’s apparent death, Nina married Ryan McNeil, who became a new father figure to the boy. Phillip was upset when Ryan left Nina for Tricia Dennison, and Nina urged her son to continue to spend time with Ryan, even if that included Tricia. Ryan ended up with Victoria Newman but remained part of Phillip’s life until he was killed in 2001. Following his death, Nina and Phillip moved to Los Angeles.

During a visit to Genoa City in 2008, Nina mentioned that her son was serving in the Iraq War. And in 2009, Phillip came home himself, now going by the nickname Chance, to deal with the shocking revelation that his father had faked his death all those years ago. Having been discharged from the Army, he began working at the Genoa City Police Department as a detective. Chance developed a crush on Chloe Mitchell, although it wasn’t until he was stabbed and nearly died that she finally admitted her own feelings for him. During a trip to New York City, Chance proposed, but Chloe turned him down. But after talking with Kevin, Chloe changed her mind, and Chance happily accepted her proposal!

Why did Ronan shoot Chance?

But Chance had an affair with Heather Stevens, and Chloe was furious, calling off the engagement. While trying to prove that his GCPD partner, Ronan Malloy, was a dirty cop, Chance was arrested for drug possession. Ronan, who was an undercover FBI agent, had planted the drugs on him to protect his partner, and it was revealed that he was also Nina’s son! When Chance tried to bust the group of dirty cops, Ronan shot and killed him to prove his loyalty. Chance’s family was devastated and also upset at the claims the young man was leading a drug ring. In the end, Ronan revealed his true identity and finally brought the dirty cops to justice.

Why did Chance leave Genoa City?

Christine Blair arranged for Phillip and Nina to be taken to a secluded location where they were stunned to see Chance, who had faked his death so that he could go into the Witness Protection Program after the bust. They agreed to keep the secret and said goodbye to their son. Later, when Ronan required a liver transplant, Chance resurfaced to find that he was a match and helped save his brother’s life. He reconnected with Chloe as a friend and worked with Ronan to take down Colin Atkinson. He eventually left Genoa City again to take a job at the Pentagon.

Why did Chance return?

In 2019, Chance’s name came up in connection to Adam Newman, who had been spending time with the Chancellor heir during his time in Vegas. And when Amanda Sinclair arrived in Genoa City, she revealed that she was an attorney representing Chance, who was contesting Katherine’s will that left the bulk of the Chancellor fortune to Devon Hamilton. Chance came home just in time to thwart a hostage situation at the Grand Phoenix as he also investigated the truth behind Katherine’s will and helped discover it was a scam set up by Colin.

Naturally, the handsome Chance attracted some of Genoa City’s single ladies, and while Phyllis Summers gave it a shot, his heart landed with Abby Newman, and the two began dating seriously. But even as he and Adam kept their secret, Chance continued dating Abby, and things got very serious. Once he’d landed a job working for the CGPD, Chance popped the question, and Abby happily said yes! But his connection to Adam ended up getting him shot when he pushed his pal out of the way of a gun! Although his condition looked a little dire, Chance eventually recovered and was able to marry Abby as they’d planned.

Unfortunately, their dream to start a family hit a snag when Abby was unable to conceive. The couple asked Mariah Copeland to be their surrogate, but after she agreed, Chance reported that he had a low sperm count and wouldn’t be able to give Abby a baby right now. Then he got a mysterious phone call that changed everything! When Abby returned home later to find Chance had disappeared, she worried to Nina about where he’d gone, and then Christine arrived to reveal that Chance was off on a top-secret mission and no one knew when he’d be back.

Abby went ahead with the plans and kept a video diary and stayed in contact with Chance to let him know about the pregnancy, including when their son, Dominic, was born, but there was never any word from Chance in response. Then, in October 2021, Christine reported news that the building where Chance was supposed to have been was bombed, but Abby refused to believe he could be dead. However, when his wedding ring was recovered from the remains, everyone feared the worst!

How did Chance survive?

Abby refused to give up hope and contacted an old friend of Chance’s, a former medic named Kim Dunaway, who revealed that he was alive but in bad shape! Abby flew to Spain to see Kim, and was overjoyed to be reunited with her husband. Chance was happy to see Abby and to learn that they had a son, but insisted he couldn’t come home until he had finished his mission. Abby ultimately persuaded him to return to Genoa City with her to be with their son, and he agreed, though he struggled to connect with the baby and fit back into his life. When Devon worried about Dominic not having a strong father figure, he decided to sue for partial custody of the boy. Abby was heartbroken by the turn of events, especially when Chance agreed that he was in no fit state to care for his son! Ultimately, they signed a shared custody agreement with Devon, but things were still occasionally awkward.

Chance tried to go back to work, but while on a stakeout, his PTSD overwhelmed him. Abby grew more and more worried about his mental health, so he finally agreed to see a therapist. Although she was also concerned when he said his doctor suggested he get back on the horse by rejoining the GCPD. He made it his personal mission to honor Rey Rosales by closing all of his open cases, and eventually did just that. But he ran into a sticky situation when he investigated the death of Ashland Locke and found evidence proving Victor Newman had covered up what really happened. Abby helped persuade him to put family first, and since Ashland’s death was technically really an accident, he agreed to drop his investigation.

Chance remained conflicted, though, about his decision to let Victor get away with his crime, and Abby continued to worry about her husband missing out on raising Dominic as he focused so much on work. Chance found himself bonding with Chelsea Lawson over their shared restlessness. However, despite his attempts to spend more time with Abby, Chance found himself clashing with her as she continued to feel like he was putting her and Dominic second after his job.

Why did Abby and Chance break up?

Chance was already feeling like the third wheel as Abby’s friendship with Devon grew stronger, but things took a terrible turn when he caught them having sex! Heartbroken, Chance told Abby that their marriage was over, but he promised he would still be there for Dominic. As he filed for divorce, Chance leaned on Sharon Newman, who offered her support and friendship as well as some helpful advice. He was feeling disillusioned at work, and the situation only got worse when he was called on to arrest Jeremy Stark in what was very clearly a frame job. Chance began wondering if he was wasting his time trying to enforce justice in a place like Genoa City.

Chance moved on with his life, urging Abby to go ahead and move in with Devon if that’s what she wanted, and asking Sharon out on a date. But even as their relationship was growing, Chance found himself mixed up with Summer Newman as he investigated Phyllis’ presumed death. He also stepped in to help save Faith when she was kidnapped by Cameron Kirsten. Chance was then named chief of police in Paul’s absence, and with Sharon out of town, he celebrated with Summer. Sharon noticed Summer’s attraction to Chance even as he remained oblivious!

In November 2023, Chance was shot in the line of duty, and Nina feared for her son’s life. Sharon also bristled when Summer had an emotional visit with Chance in the hospital. Once Chance was released, Nina begged him to find a less dangerous line of work and was relieved when he considered Jill Abbott‘s offer to come work at Chancellor-Winters.

How did Chance end up with Summer?

When Sharon was unable to attend a concert with him due to work, Chance invited Summer since it was one of her favorite bands. After initially declining, Summer finally accepted, and they had a lot of fun. Sharon later admitted to Chance that she wasn’t looking for a serious relationship right now, and while he assured her he was happy with the way things were, he did confess he could see himself falling in love with her. After having a dream and reflecting on her life, Sharon let Chance go so he could find happiness elsewhere. Chance quickly found happiness with Summer, who cheered him up after the split by taking him out to dinner. The pair then went on an official date and shared their first kiss, eventually consummating their new relationship.

Working at Chancellor-Winters, Chance found himself caught between Billy and Devon as the two jockeyed for control of the company. He also drew on his detective skills to help Summer and her family when Jordan abducted Harrison to bring the boy home safely. And as Summer and Kyle began sparring over custody of Harrison, Chance tried to support his girlfriend. When plans were made to split Chancellor-Winters back up, Chance was made COO of the new Abbott-Chancellor. Unfortunately, he then found himself caught between Billy and Lily as they argued about the right way to run the business. After Billy fired Lily, Chance went to him and demanded to be made co-CEO alongside him.

Frustrated by working with Billy at the family business, Chance confided to Summer he wanted to return to the police force. After Heather Stevens was murdered, Chance went back to work at the GCPD to help investigate and solve the crime. Unfortunately, when the evidence piled up against Daniel, Summer was upset when Chance arrested her brother. Even after Sharon confessed and Daniel was freed, the rift remained between Summer and Chance.

How did Chance die?

As 2025 began, Chance helped Nick locate a kidnapped Sharon and Phyllis and arrested Alan Laurent for the crime, though he was revealed to be his evil twin, Martin. Chance tried to repair things with Summer, but seeing her attention drifting back towards Kyle, he left her to figure things out. In June, Chance found himself invited along with many other Genoa City residents to the French estate of the reclusive businessman Aristotle Dumas. The tycoon revealed himself to be Cane Ashby and confided he wanted Chance there because he suspected someone was trying to kill him.

When Damian Kane was murdered, it seemed Cane’s suspicions were correct, though Cane was frustrated that he wouldn’t involve the authorities and placed Nick under house arrest. It was soon revealed that it was Cane’s right-hand man, Carter, who was responsible, and he attempted to take Lily hostage. The situation spiraled out of control, and when Chance tried to wrest the gun away, he was fatally shot, and everyone mourned his passing.