The Young and the Restless Recap, March 17: Victor pushes Nikki away as Jack and Diane’s marriage unravels

Here is your The Young and the Restless recap for Tuesday, March 17, 2026 featuring Diane confronting Jack about Patty, Cane confirming Nate's fears, and Phyllis signing over Chancellor to Victor.

What happened on The Young and the Restless

The Young and the Restless' Victor Newman | Image: CBS

At the ranch, Nikki was dumbfounded that Victor ordered her to get out of their shared home. He refused to be accused of acting selfishly. Victor claimed he didn't do anything out of spite toward Jack. All he wanted was to reclaim the empire that he had built from the ground up.

Victor told Nikki that she'd never stand in his way of taking back his rightful place at the top of the corporate food chain. Nikki accused Victor of being unreasonable, but he was sick of how his family treated him. She, Nick, and Adam had looked down on his choices for getting Newman Enterprises back, and he was at a breaking point.

Victor reminded Nikki about how she had repeatedly threatened to leave him over his issues with Jack Abbott. However, Nikki flipped the script on her husband, pointing out that he was the one who caused all the problems. She couldn't believe that Victor actually thought Jack meant more to her than their marriage.

Victor attempted to leave the room, but Nikki told him they weren't finished. He was exhausted from hearing about how much she cared for Jack. However, she reminded Victor about how many times she had stood by him, even when he was in the wrong. Nikki agreed to leave their home, but she told Victor he'd be forced to live with the consequences of his actions.

The Young and the Restless' Phyllis and Cane | Image: CBS

Phyllis saw Cane sitting alone at the GCAC bar and asked if he was texting Daniel. Cane wondered why he would do that, so Phyllis reminded him of their agreement. Cane was supposed to secure Daniel's forgiveness, but when her son visited her office, he wasn't giving out any amnesty.

Phyllis reminded Cane of what was at stake with Lily and the twins. She expected him to do better, so his family could be free. Time was running out, and Phyllis was growing increasingly impatient. Cane felt like he did everything in his power to get Daniel to forgive his mother.

Phyllis pleaded with Cane to try harder to get Daniel back into her good graces. Cane told Phyllis to give Newman back to Victor, which would be the sign of good faith for Daniel and Summer to drop their guard with her. Not only would they forgive her if she did it, but Lily and the twins would be freed as well.

Cane told Phyllis that she owed him, so she was going to do what she needed to do. After she backstabbed him and handed the AI program over to Victor, he still teamed up with her against his better judgment. Still, no matter how many times he allowed Phyllis back into his inner circle, she found a way to screw him over.

Cane tried to keep his voice down, but he screamed that Victor kidnapped his family, so he was desperate to secure their freedom. Phyllis maintained her belief that Victor was bluffing and no real harm would come to Lily and the kids. She accused Cane of being jealous of her success.

Nikki found Phyllis sitting at the bar and asked how she could live with herself. Nikki questioned how Phyllis felt comfortable stealing Summer's family legacy. Phyllis gave her best guess on what she believed went down between Victor and Nikki, and she was right on the nose.

Phyllis was tired of people knocking her down for her success. She looked at Nikki and told her, "If this is the energy that you came at your husband with, well, I can understand why he threw you out on your ass." Phyllis cut off the conversation after receiving a phone call from Victor. He asked her to come to the ranch, so they could finish their deal.

The Young and the Restless' Phyllis Summers | Image: CBS

Phyllis arrived at the ranch, pleased to finally hear from Victor. He asked her to take a seat, so they could "get this over with." Victor didn't want to discuss Nikki, but Phyllis had another comment: she said she didn't feel bad for either of them.

Victor offered Jack Abbott's safe return in exchange for Chancellor, with Phyllis unaware that he'd already been rescued. Phyllis wanted to know what had changed from Victor's original plan to reclaim the entire empire. Ultimately, she agreed to the deal, and he confirmed that Jack was free.

Phyllis asked if Lily and the twins would be released as well. Victor didn't think she cared, and she admitted she knew he'd never harmed them. Victor admired how delusional Phyllis was and asked whether she truly believed she was on his level.

The Young and the Restless' Nate and Victoria | Image: CBS

At Crimson Lights, Nate overheard Victoria finalizing her plans for a trip to Milan. Victoria confirmed that she was headed to Milan to visit Summer. Victor's plan fizzled out, so she was ready to put her plan into motion. Victoria was confident that she could easily convince Summer to align with her against Phyllis.

Nate asked if Nick was on board with her plan, but he wasn't. Even though her brother didn't approve, Victoria was eager to do whatever she could to return Newman Enterprises to her family. Nate was hopeful that Victoria would find the answers she sought, but he needed some of his own. Nobody had heard from Lily or her children, and the silence was becoming quite concerning.

Nate considered calling the police to report them as missing, but Victoria assured him that it would all be over soon. Her statement caught Nate by surprise because it sounded as if she knew that for a fact. Victoria lied to Nate and played it off like she knew Lily was responsible, so she was certain everything was fine.

Nate knew that something else was going on, and he confessed that he and Devon suspected Victor was involved. Victoria feigned surprise that anyone would ever believe Victor was involved in Lily's disappearance. Before Nate could get Victoria to come clean, Cane walked in and asked if Victor was going to let his family go.

Nate was appalled that Cane knew Victor had kidnapped his family and kept it to himself. Cane showed Nate proof that Victor had Lily and the twins, and nobody knew where they were. Victoria got really quiet, and Cane asked her to admit what she knew. She tried to deny having any knowledge, but Cane wasn't buying it.

Victoria successfully evaded the question, and she agreed to go to dinner with Nate when she returned to town. Cane was furious that Nate allowed Victoria to leave without holding her accountable for her father's actions.

The Young and the Restless' Billy and Jack Abbott | Image: CBS

Jack wasn't surprised that Diane slapped him because he felt like he deserved it. He was profusely apologetic for jumping into bed with Patty and urged her to realize it made no sense. Jack wanted the chance to explain what happened if she allowed him to. Although he wasn't even sure where to begin.

Diane wanted Jack to speed up his explanation, so she could quickly get away from him. Jack tried to start from the beginning, and how he was drugged by someone in the Jabot parking lot. Diane didn't want to waste time on those details and asked her husband to skip to the part where he was sleeping with Patty Williams.

Jack claimed he was trying to placate Patty to find a way off the yacht. He was convinced that his scotch was drugged as well, which left him with no inhibitions and susceptible to her sexual advances. Both he and Patty were high on something, and while thirsty and hot, they couldn't control themselves.

Jack recalled that Diane didn't know the way that drugs could impact someone, and she threw it in his face that she wasn't an expert on drugs like he was. Diane didn't believe that any drugs forced him into bed with Patty. She felt like Jack conveniently forgot about her and their marriage, so he could have a tryst in the sheets with Patty.

Diane was utterly heartbroken because she was petrified about the conditions he was being held in, only to find him in bed with Patty. Billy returned to the room, and Jack asked Billy how he ended up in this predicament. Billy wondered what his brother may have been feeling.

Jack tried to explain to Billy that he was drugged and would never have willingly hopped into bed with Patty. Billy informed Jack that Patty locked herself in one of the rooms on board, and Jack remarked that he never wanted to see her again. Jack vowed to make Victor pay with "flesh and blood" for doing this to him.

Diane ranted to Kyle in the hallway about Jack's attempts to blame drugs on his behavior. She wanted to get home as soon as possible, and Kyle told her that they needed to take Jack with them. Despite everything, they couldn't just leave Jack to rot on the yacht.

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