The Young and the Restless Recap, February 18: Sally and Audra become Genoa City's newest power duo

Here is your The Young and the Restless recap for Wednesday, February 18, 2026 featuring Billy's first day at Chancellor, and a major milestone for Sally and Audra.

What happened on The Young and the Restless

Billy finally arrived at Chancellor after being gifted the company by Phyllis for his efforts to distract the Newmans. Jack rounded the corner, completely unsurprised to see his little brother there. He asked if Jack planned to take jabs at him on Nikki's behalf. Of course, Jack accused Billy of being defensive, but Billy had grown tired of always being doubted.

Billy braced for a fight. Moments like this are classic The Young and the Restless, with family loyalty facing corporate chaos. He asked if Jack did the same when Nikki took the company from him, or if he only cared about being the spokesperson for his friend. Jack questioned the cost to Billy of acquiring Chancellor.

Jack questioned what the cost was for Billy to acquire Chancellor, a question that’s becoming central on The Young and the Restless. However, Billy refused to speak about anything involving his children. The subject was off limits.

Jack revealed that Sally came to him with concerns about Billy's behavior. It was an offensive revelation, but Jack didn't back down. He asked his brother if his pursuit of Chancellor had pushed Sally out of his life. Sally made that decision. He tried to make things work, but she didn't agree with his choices.

Billy wasn't fully upfront with Sally about his feelings toward Victor and Jill for betraying him. He never let it go. Jack urged Billy to change course, but he couldn't just give up a chance to run Chancellor. Jack told Billy that he and Sally were concerned about his obsession with running that company.

Billy didn't believe that was Jack's real issue. He questioned whether his concerns were genuine, and, if not, asked, "Or are you just pissed off that I'm the Abbott that bested Victor Newman?" Nikki appeared in the entryway and said she wasn't surprised that Billy's first piece of business was to gloat about Victor's downfall.

Billy offered to be civil with Nikki, but she wasn't having it. She accused Billy and Phyllis of stealing her husband's life's work. Nikki then turned her attention to Jack and asked if he was there to congratulate his brother on acquiring Chancellor.

It was the kind of explosive entrance The Young and the Restless thrives on. However, Jack assured her that that was far from the case. Nikki asked Billy to avoid running the company into the ground. Besides the corporate heads, many employees at Chancellor depended on its success.

Jack tried to diffuse the tension and offered to take Billy out to lunch at Society. Billy agreed, but before he left, he threw in a jab about how Victor and Diane would react to Nikki and Jack's continued closeness.

Once Billy was gone, Jack apologized for his brother’s actions. The guilt ate at him even more since it was an Abbott that stole the company from her. Nikki appreciated Jack's support, and she knew that it put him in a compromising position with Billy. Things kept spiraling for Billy. He was on the verge of losing everything.

Nate noticed Victoria sending a text message outside of Chancellor Cafe and asked if everything was alright. He assumed she had a plan to get Newman back. Victoria confirmed that she did, and her entire family was behind her. The Newmans were determined to reclaim what was rightfully theirs.

Nate asked about Phyllis and Billy, but Victoria sadly had no good news to share. The pair were still calling the shots, and for now, that wasn't changing. The idea of Billy doing this to her family was deeply upsetting. However, Victoria changed her mind about poisoning her children against their father. Despite Billy's actions, she couldn't do it.

Victoria was adamant that the Newmans would regain control of their empire, so she was willing to ride it out. She thought about sending the children back to boarding school to keep them out of the crossfire. They didn't deserve to become collateral damage in Billy's war against the Newman family.

Billy's obsession with Chancellor had blown up everyone's lives. Nate wasn't on board with Victoria's plan. Was this really the best for the children? Sending the children out of town could backfire and cause more harm than good. Nate understood why Victoria needed leverage against Billy, but when he thought about saying more, he pulled back. It wasn't his place.

Nate decided to say a bit more after all and asked whether Victoria was doing this to spite Billy. Separating him from his children could be the perfect way to get him to fall in line. This could be viewed as a desperate ploy to regain control of Chancellor and, eventually, Newman Enterprises.

Victoria's children knew what Victor and Jill did to Billy in the past, so this would throw them back into the drama. She didn't want her kids exposed to the hostile nature of the war. They'd been through enough. Boarding school appeared to be the best option.

Audra stopped by Society for a meeting with Sally, and evidently, it was urgent. After was has happened in the past, Audra was scared that there was another disappointing change to her employment status. Sally had drafted a press release offering her the co-CEO position, effective immediately.

Sally went behind Billy's back and told Jill that he abandoned her to regain control of Chancellor. Audra was surprised that Jill was on board with her expansion of duties. However, Jill trusted Sally. She believed in her ability to turn this company into a success. All Sally needed from Audra was to prove her right and help make the company profitable.

Audra asked how the company suddenly grew in size. The company had acquired Newman Media, and Audra was floored. She asked how Sally procured Newman Media, and she admitted that Billy tried to offer it as a Valentine's Day gift. The gesture didn't prevent the end of their relationship.

Audra asked what happened with Billy, and Sally told her Billy had moved out earlier that morning. Billy withheld how badly he needed revenge against Victor. The separation between business and pleasure became impossible to maintain.

Having both Sally and Chancellor was impossible because Billy stopped being there for Sally. She grew tired of fighting with him, and he felt like she held him back. There was no moving forward, so they're done.

Sally tearfully confessed that Billy deserved to get what he wanted, but she also had to think about herself and her own future. Sally hoped that Audra was still open to it being just the two of them. With Billy out of the picture, she apologized for leaving Audra hanging about her professional future. Abbott Communications would now be known as Spectra-Charles Media.

Billy showed up at Society and had an awkward encounter with Sally. Audra stepped in and told Billy he made a huge mistake letting her go. Billy didn't take the bait; he simply told her it was Sally's choice to leave. He wished she would change her mind. Sally replied, "It was my choice. I chose you. And you chose Chancellor. So that's why we're here, Billy. And that's why I walked away."

Billy received a call about Johnny and Katie, but he had no idea what the context was. Jack asked if he was okay, and he wasn't. Billy declared that Victoria just fired the first shot. Billy's bitter feud with The Newmans is just heating up on The Young and the Restless.

Nick put the fentanyl back into his pocket, and Sharon asked him what he had hidden from her. He denied keeping anything from her and explained that he had already run out of refills for his prescription. The vibe instantly shifted. Sharon was concerned. She just refilled Nick's medication, so he shouldn't need a refill this soon.

Sharon asked Nick if she needed him to pick up more, but he said he could handle it. There was a lot going on with his family company being stolen by Cane and Phyllis. It was a lot of stress for anyone to deal with. Sharon suggested that Nick look into other viable treatment options, like physical therapy or an aroma diffuser.

Noah surprised his parents by returning to town. They both missed him greatly. They asked what happened in Los Angeles because he was expected to remain there. A lot had changed, but he hadn't filled them in yet. This was a face-to-face conversation, given their reservations about his relationship.

Noah planned to reopen The Shadow Room at a later date. Unfortunately, Sienna did not return to Genoa City with him. He believed that Sienna coming with him was the best plan, but she needed more time to think about the offer. Returning to LA was more difficult for Sienna than she had anticipated.

Noah apologized for leaving in the midst of Mariah's mental health crisis. Sharon told him that Mariah was released into her custody, so Noah would have ample time to spend with her. Noah commented on the news of Newman's downfall, and he told his parents how upset Summer was by her mother's actions.

Nick remarked that Phyllis hadn't won anything and said she would be sorry for her actions. Noah and Sharon noticed how quickly Nick lost his temper. Although he was always kind of a hothead, this was different. Nick claimed he needed to check on his parents, but before he left, Noah asked how Nick could still be in immense pain.

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Nick toyed with the idea of taking the fentanyl after realizing he had no more refills. Things looked grim for the golden child of The Young and the Restless. He may never be the same after this injury.

Catch all-new episodes of The Young and the Restless weekdays on CBS and Paramount Plus.

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