The Young and the Restless' four most frustrating characters

On The Young and the Restless, we have characters we love and others we hate. Some of them frustrate us in various ways. Here are four of the most frustrating characters on Y&R.

Diane Jenkins Abbott on The Young and the Restless

Susan Walters on The Young and the Restless | Image: CBS

While we love Diane (Susan Walters), it's been frustrating to watch her sit around sulking week after week, not doing a darn thing to repair her marriage to Jack (Peter Bergman). She's hurt after seeing him in bed with Patty (Stacy Haiduk), but she knows Jack was drugged. He wasn't in his right mind, and it's not like he's been pursuing an ongoing affair with Patty since then.

We realize that Diane needs some time to sort things out in her mind. But it's been about a month and a half since the incident (if not longer), and all we've seen in the past six weeks is Diane nursing her wounds and avoiding Jack. Y&R fans are getting tired of the stagnation. Diane is a strong woman who should find a way to work things out with Jack. What happened with Patty wasn't even what we could call a one-night stand, considering that his decision-making ability was severely compromised. And, boy, do we blame Kyle (Michael Mealor) and Billy (Jason Thompson) for not taking the tainted whiskey home and having it tested in a lab! It could have made all the difference in the world.

Jack and Diane are great together and could be a supercouple again, if only she would talk to him. Isn't communication a vital component in marriage? Sitting around and sulking for weeks is the equivalent of rocking back and forth in a rocking chair. Nothing of value is being accomplished. Diane is better than this, and her marriage to Jack deserves better. It's been a long time since he's been in such a strong, solid, and happy marriage. Let's see Diane put her big-girl pants on and work things out with the husband we know she loves.

Jack Abbott

Peter Bergman on The Young and the Restless | Image: CBS

We love Jack as well, but sometimes he comes up with bird-brained schemes that make us roll our eyes and shake our heads. Even his son, Kyle, was aggravated when he spotted Patty putting moves on Jack in Crimson Lights, while Jack just stood there, looking like he was under her spell. Jack later explained to Kyle that he was hoping he could get her to admit that she had been in cahoots with Victor (Eric Braeden) when he was kidnapped. Kyle tried to get Jack to wise up, asking him, "How would Mom feel if she'd walked in here and saw you with Patty, looking like that?"

When Kyle is the wise one in a conversation, something is wrong! This is the guy who spent months on end, moping over Claire (Hayley Erin) after she broke up with him, even after she started dating Holden (Nathan Owens). Watching Kyle do that was like being subjected to Chinese water torture. So it's ironic when we hear him talk sense to Jack. Of course, Kyle then came up with his own bird-brained scheme, telling Jack, "Let me get revenge against Victor," or something to that effect. No, Kyle, forget it. You're not equipped to pull one over on the Mustache.

But Kyle was right when he warned Jack, "Dad, you're playing with fire. Haven't you been burned enough already?" Excellent point, Kyle! Jack shouldn't plot any revenge schemes against Victor, at least none that involve Patty.

Victoria Newman

Amelia Heinle on The Young and the Restless | Image: CBS

Watching Victoria (Amelia Heinle) do everything under the sun to put Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) behind bars is becoming mentally exhausting. When she decided to fly to Milan to persuade Summer (Allison Lanier) to side with the Newmans against Phyllis, her own mother, Nick (Joshua Morrow) was against the idea -- but Victoria didn't care. She disrespected his wishes, as Summer's father, and she visited Summer anyway.

Victoria doesn't even seem to care whether Billy, her children's father, goes to prison for his part in running Chancellor Industries after Phyllis stole it from Victor. "Let the chips fall where they may," she told Christine (Lauralee Bell). Doesn't she care that Victor has treated Billy horribly for years? Won't that horrible treatment impact her children as well?

In 2023, when Victoria first learned that Claire was her daughter, Eve, (the daughter she thought had died as an infant) we watched her become a loving mother to Claire as they made up for lost time. Those scenes were like a breath of fresh air. It was also nice and refreshing to see Victoria's warm side emerge when she rekindled her friendship with Nate (Sean Dominic). But now, the Y&R writers have turned her back into the ice-cold, ruthless businesswoman she used to be. They took all that progress they made with her, and they threw it out the window.

Kyle has engaged in numerous arguments with Victoria, all because she turns a blind eye to Victor's ruthless tactics. Nick once advised her, "Try to be more like Mom and less like Dad." Unfortunately, that good advice went in one of her ears and right out the other one.

Victor Newman

Eric Braeden on The Young and the Restless | Image: CBS

Victor will always be on the list of Y&R's most frustrating characters, since he is arrogant and only sees things his way. His alliance with Patty is far-fetched, considering all of the horrible things she's done to the Newmans over the years. His jealousy of Jack is ridiculous, considering that Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) only has eyes for Victor, and she always returns to him. He has nothing to be jealous about, and he should darn well know that by now.

Victor's insecurity where Nikki is concerned is one of his most frustrating traits, especially considering that they have a history that spans over forty years. Nikki will always love Victor the same way that Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) will always love Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) on The Bold and the Beautiful. Victor exhausts too much mental energy on Nikki's friendship with Jack when he should be using it to keep the Newmans safe from dangerous people like Matt Clark (Roger Howarth).

Victor's deal with Patty may have thrown a monkey wrench into Jack's marriage, but Victor's own marriage is in a shambles, and Phyllis stole his company. So, he isn't any better off than Jack is right now. As a matter of fact, Jack is better off than Victor is (at the moment), because Jack still has Jabot Cosmetics. No one has stolen it from him. Ha ha! Take that, Victor!

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