The Young and the Restless: Has Victoria Become Victor?

Victoria’s recent behavior on The Young and the Restless has shifted alongside the corporate battles involving Phyllis, Cane, and Billy. The question isn’t whether she’s changed — it’s whether this is who she’s been moving toward all along.

The Young and the Restless’ Victoria Newman’s Shift in Perspective

On The Young and the Restless, Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle) has always had a temper, but she wasn’t typically cruel. Recently, that line has blurred. She’s no longer reacting — she’s initiating, planning, and following through.

There was a time when Victoria recognized the consequences of Victor’s actions because she felt them personally. Now, she’s defending those same actions, even when they clearly created the problem.

Victoria has pointed to Victor’s near-death experience last year at the hands of Ian Ward as a turning point. That tracks across the family — Adam Newman (Mark Grossman) expressed something similar after the shooting, wanting to be a bigger (or better) member of the family. But empathy for her father doesn’t explain why Victoria now frames him as a victim in the conflicts he set in motion.

Rewriting What Happened

Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) took Cane Ashby’s (Billy Flynn) company and dismantled it, even though Cane hadn’t targeted Victor in any meaningful way before that. It was an extreme reaction to an implied threat that Cane could use an app if he wanted to.

Okay, yes, he had everyone on top of a mountain at his luxury estate for a couple of months, but Victor had options. Adam was able to come and go, and he could have gotten him to send a chopper or something long before the internet was back up.

But destroy the guy’s everything over it? Seemed a little extreme as a clapback. 

When Cane retaliated, the narrative flipped. Suddenly, Victoria framed him as the wronged party, completely innocent of any wrongdoing himself. That’s a lot of revisionist history, and at the very least ignores a long pattern of Victor initiating conflicts, often including his own family.

The Pattern With Billy

Victoria’s continually clashes with Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor), who asks how she can sympathize with her monster of a father. But it’s an argument she’s used to, given all he’s done to her ex, Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson).

Victoria defaults to “both sides do it,” no matter the situation. That framing lets her avoid acknowledging the imbalance — and hold her father (or herself) accountable.

Acting Like Victor

After realizing her standing with Victor had shifted, she adjusted her approach. Instead of questioning him about Jack Abbott’s (Peter Bergman) kidnapping and drugging, she aligned with her dad.

Victoria went to Milan to try to turn her niece, Summer Newman (Allison Lanier), against her own mom. She’s talked about turning her own children against Billy. She’s openly antagonized Kyle while defending what happened to his parents at the hands of Patty Williams (Stacey Haiduk), who has tried to kill Jack in the past — and Victor trapped him alone with her on a yacht when he kidnapped him.

Now, Victoria’s taken it even further: falsifying documents and giving them to Christine Blair (Lauralee Bell) in an effort to put Phyllis in prison.

Collateral Damage

Those documents don’t just target Phyllis — they implicate Billy and Cane.

Billy hasn’t done anything to Victoria or her family in this situation. Charging him based on false evidence would mean knowingly putting the father of her children at risk of being put in prison for years based on her own lies. He’s also moved on — he’s engaged to Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope), and they’re expecting a baby.

Cane may be less innocent, but he is collateral damage as well. Regardless of his role in taking the company, he’s not the primary target. But if he goes down with it, the fallout extends further. Cane is a miracle match to Malcolm Winters (Shemar Moore) and is scheduled to be his life-saving donor.

Ignoring Nikki’s Line

Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott) has been clear about her discomfort with how far things have gone — she was willing to leave Victor over it. But, she’s also been more than uncomfortable with Victoria’s attitude and defense of Victor.

Victoria says she wants her parents back together, but she’s not backing Nikki’s position — she’s helping Victor execute his.

Where This Leads

Phyllis isn’t blameless, and she might not be the Newmans’ favorite ex-in-law, but she gave to Victor (the AI app and Chancellor); she didn’t steal from him.

Phyllis ended up in control after a series of moves that, ironically, made her the victor. Treating that as theft requires ignoring how events unfolded.

The larger issue now is Victoria’s support of her father and how far she’s willing to go to prove she should be his second-in-command. She’s no longer just defending Victor — she’s operating like him.

The consequences of Victor and Victoria’s latest strategy might affect those who don’t actually deserve it, in a devastating way. For Malcolm, it could cost him his life. That may be what it takes for Victoria’s distinction between herself and her father to no longer hold.

Especially if she, unlike Victor, is held accountable for the consequences of her actions.