The Young and the Restless gave fans something to talk about during November sweeps involving the Newman family — nostalgia and rewriting history.
Thanks to the reign of terror from Jordan (Colleen Zenk) and Claire (Hayley Erin), several new stories are emerging on the hit CBS soap.
Nikki’s (Melody Thomas Scott) alcoholism will, of course, be front and center, as well as her stripper days.
However, the story that has Y&R fans talking is whether Claire is Victoria (Amelia Heinle) and Cole’s (J. Eddie Peck) daughter Eve, who they thought died.
Head writer Josh Griffith recently revealed that Claire, Cole, and Jordan are all sticking around for a while.
Josh also hinted at what’s coming up for Claire on The Young and the Restless now that her life has been blown up.
What’s next for Claire on The Young and the Restless?
Speaking with Soap Opera Digest, Josh admitted the story came about as he looked back at how to bring some Y&R history to the forefront. Eve died on the show, and the actress who played her, Margaret Mason, died in 1999.
That left Josh thinking about baby Eve not dying but rather Eve’s sister Jordan raising her as part of a revenge plot against the Newmans.
After what the family goes through at the hands of Jordan and Claire, Josh feels it perfectly leads to a new story of how Claire fits into the family.
“It’s going to be a huge conflict between Victoria and Nikki and Victor because on the one hand, this could be another Newman child and Victoria now has an opportunity to embrace that. But at the same time, this is someone who was instrumental in pumping vodka via an IV into her mother. That’s a great dilemma and conflict,” Josh shared with the outlet.
Although Josh didn’t confirm Claire is baby Eve all grown up, the signs certainly point in that direction.
The Young and the Restless star Hayley Erin earns mad props playing Claire Grace
For years, Adam (Mark Grossman) has been the black sheep of the Newman family. There’s no question Adam’s actions played a part in his turbulent relationship with Victor (Eric Braeden) and his siblings.
Because of Claire’s actions, even though Jordan brainwashed her, Claire will likely find herself in a similar position to Adam. Josh didn’t tease the parallel, but it’s easy to see where the story is headed.
One thing Y&R fans can count on, regardless of what happened with Claire, is that Hayley will kill it, and Josh agrees.
“I thought the other crucial moment that Hayley did so brilliantly was the moment where Claire realized that her aunt had lied to her and then you saw all the hurt and you saw 26 years of betrayal. When I saw that, I said, ‘Okay. She is absolutely redeemable.'” Josh expressed to Soap Opera Digest.
The year is ending, but Claire’s journey with the Newman family has just begun. Keep watching to discover Claire’s impact on Cole and Victoria and what Jordan has planned next.
The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS.