“The Young and the Restless,” the most-watched and highest-rated daytime drama series in the U.S., is celebrating its 52nd anniversary today, March 26.
Created by the late William J. Bell and the late Lee Phillip Bell, the series revolves around the loves, enmities, hopes and fears of the residents of the fictional Midwestern town of Genoa City.
Following the exit of then-executive producer and head writer Mal Young in 2018, Josh Griffith and Anthony Morina were named co-executive producers of the soap, with Griffith also becoming head writer. Since 2022, Griffith has been the show’s executive producer and remains the head writer.
Under Griffith, the show has continuously produced standalone episodes that celebrate the iconic cast while highlighting the importance of the characters they play. Last fall, episode highlights included anniversary episodes dedicated to the likes of Sharon Case (Sharon Newman), Michelle Stafford (Phyllis Summers), Joshua Morrow (Nicholas Newman) and Bryton James (Devon Hamilton), among others.
Although not referenced on screen, recently cast members Eric Braeden (Victor Newman) and Amelia Heinle (Victoria Newman) celebrated their 45th and 20th anniversaries, respectively.
Speaking of anniversaries, in November 2024, “The Young and the Restless” celebrated its 13000th episode. Meanwhile, in February 2025, the show took home its first Writers Guild Award for Daytime Drama since 2020, marking the show’s seventh win overall since it premiered. The series beat out the likes of “Days of our Lives” and “General Hospital,” with the former taking home the award over the previous four years.
In addition to the aforementioned Case, Stafford, Morrow, James, Braeden and Heinle, the current cast includes Allison Lanier (Summer Newman), Beth Maitland (Traci Abbott), Cait Fairbanks (Tessa Porter), Camryn Grimes (Mariah Copeland), Christel Khalil (Lily Winters), Christian Jules LeBlanc (Michael Baldwin), Conner Floyd (Phillip “Chance” Chancellor IV), Courtney Hope (Sally Spectra), Eileen Davidson (Ashley Abbott), Elizabeth Hendrickson (Chloe Mitchell), Jermaine Rivers (Damian Kane), Jason Thompson (Billy Abbott), Jess Walton (Jill Abbott), Kate Linder (Esther Valentine), Lauralee Bell (Christine Blair), Mark Grossman (Adam Newman), Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea Lawson), Melissa Ordway (Abby Newman), Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki Newman), Michael Graziadei (Daniel Romalotti), Michael Mealor (Kyle Abbott), Nathan Owens (Holden Novak), Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott), Sean Dominic (Dr. Nate Hastings), Susan Walters (Diane Jenkins), Tracey E. Bregman (Lauren Fenmore) and Zuleyka Silver (Audra Charles).
Watch clips below with cast members congratulating Braeden and Heinle on their anniversaries.
