The Young & the Restless: Head Writer Teases ‘Earth-Shattering’ Impact of Sally’s Pregnancy on Adam (Excl)
Ever since Sally (Courtney Hope) and Billy (Jason Thompson) learned that they were expecting on The Young and the Restless, the question on many fans’ minds has been: How will Adam (Mark Grossman) react to the news? He and Sally lost their newborn daughter, Ava, in 2023, and Adam hates Billy’s guts, which set the stage for an emotional reckoning when Adam found out about the pregnancy on Y&R in the May 26 episode. Head Writer Josh Griffith spoke to Soap Opera Digest to break down the complicated dynamics at play as Adam reels from the one-two punch of information.
Adam Has ‘Profound’ Reaction to Sally’s Pregnancy
The discovery that Sally and Billy are poised to welcome a new addition came to Adam from Billy himself — and it affects him “on a profound level,” says Griffith. “How could it not? Here is his enemy, a man that he despises, in love with and preparing to marry a woman that he himself lost— and they’re now going to have a child when Sally and he lost theirs. So this is going to be emotionally earth-shattering for him.”
While Adam and Sally have been broken up for nearly two years as a result of Adam’s betrayal with Chelsea (Melissa Claire Egan), there is still an emotional residue tying Adam to Sally — one that is especially sticky due to her choice of romantic partner. “I think there will always be a sense of protectiveness from him because of his hatred for and distrust of Billy,” notes Griffith. “He’s not romantically pining for her. He’s profoundly in love with Chelsea. But he feels that Billy ultimately will do what he does and find a way to break her heart.”
Knowing than an innocent baby will soon join the mix only makes Adam’s belief that Sally is in for a world of Billy-inflicted hurt feel more urgent. Griffith explains, “To have a child there in the middle of it, he’s almost feeling protective of that child — ‘If I can protect this child because I couldn’t protect the child that I lost, I will.'”
Sally and Chelsea Want Peace
Much of this is going on for Adam on a subconscious level — but it’s going to be an uphill battle to keep that from bubbling to the surface and potentially affecting other areas of his life. Teases Griffith, “Adam tries to downplay this and fight it, but how long can that last? And at what point does it start to create a rift between Chelsea and Adam?”
Meanwhile, Sally is not a fan of how much Billy enjoys getting under Adam’s skin — and Chelsea is also weary of the the constant tension between the two men. Griffith says, “Sally and Chelsea both share a profound dislike of the fact that their partners can’t stand the others. ‘When is this gonna end? When can you guys stop? Because the more you hate each other, the more it affects us.'”
However, those pleas may very well fall on deaf ears. After all, Adam and Billy’s feud has been going on for years, and at the heart of it is the tragic death of Delia, Billy’s daughter with Chloe (Elizabeth Hendrickson), who died in a hit-and-run accident in 2013 caused by Adam. “I think that from Billy’s perspective, he will never ever forgive Adam for Delia,” Griffith offers. “And I think that Adam can’t forgive himself for that, either — but he needs to deflect it towards Billy.”
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