Love Lines: A Look Back At Daniel’s Romantic History On YOUNG AND RESTLESS

Although Daniel (Michael Graziadei) and Mackenzie (then-Ashley Bashioum) never became involved, they were edging toward something intimate. He was 16 when he flipped for 20-year-old Mackenzie but neglected to mention his age. Just before things got too personal, J.T. gleefully apprised Mackenzie of how many trips around the sun Daniel had made and she called off the budding relationship.

Daniel and Lily (Christel Khalil) were crushing on each other, but their warring moms Drucilla (hers) and Phyllis (his) tried to squelch that young love (even packing Lily off to a boarding school) and failed. The teens eloped in 2006 and although Lily was still a minor, her parents decided not to oppose the marriage. However, Daniel’s addiction to porn and subsequent lies about it contributed to them splitting up in 2007.

Daniel and Amber (Adrienne Frantz) started out as buddies in 2006 (she was responsible for turning him on to lewd online material) and even co-conspirators on a couple of schemes, but they unexpectedly consummated their friendship one drunken night and became a duo. They got hitched in a rooftop wedding in 2009 but almost a year later, she got custody of her adoptive son, Eric, and moved to California. Daniel decided he wasn’t ready for kids and stayed behind.

While Daniel and Amber were briefly broken up, he hooked up with Colleen (Tammin Sursok) but decided he was still into Amber.

Daniel helped Abby (then-Emme Rylan) pursue her dream of reality stardom and they became lovers. He declared his love at that year’s Halloween party (he went as Vincent Van Gough; she dressed up as Lady Gaga) but Daisy showed up pregnant (see next poto) and the baby, she claimed, was his. Abby decided she and Daniel should just be friends while he sorted out his dilemma.

Daniel was raped by deranged Daisy (Yvonne Zima), who drugged him and forced herself on him. She skipped town but returned to Genoa City very pregnant. She gave birth to Lucy in 2011. Fearing for his daughter’s welfare because of an unstable Daisy, Daniel married his baby mama in 2012, but soon regretted it. Daisy landed in a mental hospital, but video footage showed her leaving with an unidentified woman and she hasn’t been heard from since.

After Daisy’s desertion, single dad Daniel became attracted to Heather (then-Jennifer Landon). In 2013, the couple and Lucy moved to Savannah, GA for his art career and to start a new life together.

Daniel returned to Genoa City in 2022, alienated from Heather and Lucy, and reconnected with Lily. In 2023, he and Lily rekindled their romance….

.... But at year’s end, Heather (Vail Bloom) planted a kiss on her ex while Lily was out of town, signaling that 2024 may prove complicated for Daniel.