The Young and the Restless: The Newmans Can Dish It Out But Can’t Take It

The Newman family has been in control of Genoa City for a very long time. But on The Young and the Restless, the formidable family began the year by losing it all. While it’s understandable that they would be upset, their lack of irony is becoming all too obvious.

The Newmans Can’t Take It

Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) has always had a motto that when someone hits, he punches back twice as hard. It’s a mantra that has been instilled into his kids, and they’ll quite often take on the same mentality.

Yet for a family who thinks they’re the toughest in town, they can’t seem to take what they dish out. From the patriarch to the in-laws, the Newmans have taken a big fall, and they don’t think they deserve a minute of it.

This is the same family that had no problem destroying Cane’s (Billy Flynn) company, Arabesque, or taking Matt (Roger Howarth) and Sienna’s (Tamara Braun) Shadow Room and handing it over to Noah (Lucas Adams) as if it were theirs to give away. Yes, the same Noah who scolded Audra (Zuleyka Silver) for being given a company to run that stolen illegally using the same AI program that Victor used to take The Shadow Room. 

It’s Only Okay When They Do It

When the Newmans make ruthless business moves, it’s framed as strength. It’s just Victor being Victor. It’s the family protecting what’s theirs.

But when someone does the same thing to them? Suddenly it’s betrayal. It’s unforgivable, and they must be “destroyed.”

Even more ironic is that the Newman family was actively planning to destroy Jabot using their AI program before everything fell apart. In their minds, Cane, Jack (Peter Bergman), Billy (Jason Thompson), and whoever else they deem a threat deserved to lose everything. Yet when the tables turned, the outrage became selective.

Victor has spent decades trying to crush Billy Abbott. It’s practically a Genoa City tradition at this point. But the moment Billy manages to score a win, the Newmans act as though the rules of the game have suddenly changed.

But Are They Really Wrong?

To be fair, the Newmans don’t see themselves as hypocrites. They see themselves as survivors.

From Victor’s perspective, everything he does is about protecting his family and the empire he built from nothing. In his mind, there’s a difference between defending what’s yours and someone trying to take it from you.

The Newman children grew up in that mindset. They’ve always been taught that loyalty to the family comes first and that anyone outside of that circle is fair game.

So when their enemies strike back, the outrage isn’t necessarily about fairness, it’s about betrayal. In the Newman worldview, they’re the ones who are supposed to be in control — and right now, they’re not.

That loss of power might be the real issue. For years, the Newmans have been the ones dictating the rules of Genoa City’s corporate wars. Now they’re the ones reacting instead of attacking.

And judging by their reaction so far, that may be the hardest loss of all.

What do you think? Are the Newmans power players who deserve to always win? Or are they getting a dose of their own medicine for a change?