CBS The Young and the Restless Spoilers — Tuesday, December 23, 2025: Holiday Cheer Cracks as Secrets, Ultimatums, and Power Plays Ignite Genoa City

As Christmas lights glow across Genoa City, The Young and the Restless reminds viewers that the holiday season doesn’t heal old wounds—it exposes them. The Tuesday, December 23 episode unfolds like a carefully wrapped gift filled with razor blades: beautiful on the outside, dangerous beneath the surface. This is a week where whispered secrets carry more weight than public scandals, where love is tested by power, and where the people claiming to protect their families may be the very ones pushing them toward ruin.

At the heart of this pivotal episode is Sally Spectra, whose sharp instincts once again place her at the center of a brewing storm. Sally doesn’t traffic in meaningless gossip. When she speaks, it’s because the timing is right—and this week, her information threatens to fundamentally reshape the balance of power in Genoa City. Whatever Sally has uncovered is not a standalone revelation. It connects to deeper fault lines running through Abbott and Newman territory, and it lands at a moment when emotions are already stretched to the breaking point.

Sally understands that truth is only as powerful as the moment it’s delivered. She waits until pressure has reached critical mass, ensuring her words don’t merely sting—they detonate. And when she finally chooses to act, she does so deliberately, bringing her intelligence first to Billy Abbott and, inevitably, Jack Abbott. This is not an accident. Sally isn’t just sharing information; she’s choosing who she believes can wield it without losing control. In doing so, she forces the Abbotts to confront an uncomfortable question: what kind of victory do they actually want? One rooted in integrity—or one that mirrors Victor Newman’s ruthless playbook.

While Sally’s revelation looms, Matt Clark finds himself trapped in a far darker predicament. He is not acting freely, but under pressure so intense it borders on coercion. Someone is pulling his strings, forcing him into choices that don’t belong to him. In a season built on goodwill and tradition, Matt’s situation exposes the rot beneath Genoa City’s festive surface. A person under this kind of pressure doesn’t simply make mistakes—they become volatile, capable of desperate decisions that ripple far beyond their original target. Matt isn’t just a player anymore; he’s a potential weapon—or a casualty waiting to happen.

Elsewhere, Clare Grace Newman stands at the center of a quieter, but no less dangerous, emotional storm. Her brief and unresolved connection with Holden Novak in Los Angeles continues to haunt her present. Clare keeps Holden at arm’s length, not out of indifference, but out of instinct. She doesn’t want a romantic relationship with him because it comes attached to something she cannot control: a secret linking Holden to Audra Charles.

In Genoa City, secrets are never passive. They grow in the dark, feeding on silence, changing shape with every half-truth meant to contain them. Holden has offered Clare pieces of his story—just enough to appear sincere, but not enough to calm her unease. That partial honesty is more destabilizing than a lie, forcing Clare into the exhausting role of deciphering what’s missing. Even if she redefines their bond as friendship, the tension remains. Friendship here is not safety—it’s proximity. And proximity means exposure.

Victoria Newman sees this threat clearly. She doesn’t need proof to sense danger; experience has taught her that waiting for evidence often comes too late. To Victoria, Holden isn’t a charming distraction—he’s a vulnerability. With the Newman name comes predators, opportunists, and secret-keepers who believe access is currency. If Holden’s connection to Audra runs deeper than Clare realizes, then Clare herself could become leverage in someone else’s game. Victoria will not allow her family to be used as bargaining chips.

Meanwhile, Victor and Nikki Newman face a cruel holiday irony. Christmas, meant to symbolize love and unity, instead forces them to confront the state of their marriage. Victor’s war with Jack Abbott has never been just business—it’s about identity, legacy, and pride. His instinct is always to strike first, to dominate before anyone else can shape the narrative. Nikki, however, sees the human cost of this obsession.

Nikki’s anger is not impulsive; it’s the fury of someone who has sacrificed for decades and now feels her pain is being dismissed in favor of Victor’s ego. When she threatens to leave, it isn’t a performance—it’s desperation. She wants Victor to stop. Victor wants her loyalty without question. To him, love functions like allegiance. To Nikki, love without respect is a prison.

The tragedy is that Victor doesn’t respond to emotional ultimatums. He interprets them as challenges. As Christmas sharpens their contradictions, Nikki is forced to confront a terrifying possibility: that Victor is choosing war over their relationship. And if that’s true, leaving may no longer be a threat—it may be the only power she has left.

As tensions escalate, Tracy Abbott steps in as a rare voice of calm, offering Diane Jenkins Abbott guidance rooted not in judgment, but in survival. Tracy understands that the Abbott legacy isn’t just corporate—it’s spiritual. Her advice reminds Diane that strength sometimes means refusing to feed the fire, even when provoked. Jack, too, resists chaos by consciously focusing on gratitude, using family unity as an act of defiance against Victor’s aggression.

Across town, unlikely truces form. Billy Abbott and Victoria Newman set aside their differences, recognizing that fighting each other only benefits Victor. Their ceasefire is uneasy, fragile, and dependent on no new revelations—an almost impossible condition with Sally’s intelligence in play. Billy and Kyle Abbott similarly find temporary alignment, accepting that unity is necessary while Victor hunts them.

At the Abbott Communications launch, Cain Ashby’s presence reopens emotional wounds for Lily Winters. His familiarity softens her defenses, reminding her of a version of him that once made her feel safe. But that softness is dangerous. Lily notices Cain’s lingering closeness with Phyllis Summers, triggering hard-earned distrust. Even without proof, Lily feels the shadow of her past reaching for her again, threatening to pull her into a heartbreak she swore she’d outgrown.

In the Newman camp, pressure turns overtly threatening as Nick Newman pushes Matt Clark harder, convinced he’s hiding something crucial. A man under coercion will eventually snap—either confessing or lashing out. Complicating matters further is Detective Annie Stewart, whose loyalty may be influenced by money. In Genoa City, wealth isn’t just power—it’s justice. If the Newmans can outbid the truth, innocence itself becomes expendable.

Michael Baldwin wrestles with this moral decay, confiding in Lauren Fenmore Baldwin about a dilemma with no clean solution. Does he continue enabling Victor, or risk everything by betraying him? The fact that Michael even questions his loyalty signals a dangerous shift. Victor’s most devoted allies only waver when loyalty becomes more destructive than betrayal.

Finally, Chelsea Lawson issues Adam Newman an ultimatum that feels personal but carries political weight. Adam is once again trapped between Chelsea’s need for security and Victor’s demand for obedience. Any choice becomes a betrayal. And during a holiday week already fueled by conflict, Victor will not tolerate Adam slipping from his grasp.

By the time the festive glow fades, Genoa City will be irrevocably changed. Alliances will be tested, secrets will surface, and someone already cornered will finally break. The question isn’t whether the holiday spirit will save anyone—it’s who will be destroyed before Christmas morning ever arrives.