If you witnessed the catastrophic Bicentennial Gala on The Young and the Restless, surely you’ve had to withstand a windstorm of rumors. However, the number one question on your mind is probably “what actually happened to Phyllis Summers?” 

Beyond what’s happened to the character, there’s also the question of whether the ghastly car crash is truly the last we’ll see of her. On a long-running soap, viewers have to be prepared for the worst. In this case, Phyllis Summers, played by Michelle Stafford, has been on the show since 1994! But is this the end? Is Phyllis finally leaving The Young and the Restless?

What really happened to Phyllis Summers?

The drama began when Phyllis was asked by her daughter Summer to work at the family company, Marchetti. Despite the latter warning her not to cause any trouble, Phyllis immediately clashed with her sworn enemy, Diane. When threatening to reveal Diane’s location to the dangerous ex-con Jeremy Stark didn’t work, Phyllis went ahead and acted on her threat. This was evidently the final straw for Diane’s lover and Marchetti’s owner Jack, who told Summer to fire her meddling mother.

Things only got worse for Phyllis when two of her attempts to interfere in her son Daniel’s life backfired, leading Summer to side with her brother against their mom. Heartbroken, Phyllis agreed to team up with Stark to take down Diane. They put their plan in motion at the Genoa City bicentennial gala, the biggest event in Genoa. 

At the party, Phyllis lured Diane to a GCAC suite and provoked a catfight that others burst in to witness. Unable to deny his criminal inclinations, Stark swiped Jack’s engagement ring right out of his pocket. However, ring or no ring, Jack and Diane go on to publicly announce their engagement at the party — only to have Phyllis interrupt and rant at the couple.

Mid-tirade, Phyllis suddenly collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. Everyone wondered what was wrong with her, and because of other events that had happened that night, began to immediately blame Diane. Things get even more complicated when the ambulance crashes and Chance reports Phyllis did not survive the accident.

Is Phyllis Summers bidding farewell to The Young and the Restless? 

Spoiler Alert! Phyllis isn’t dead.

In classic soap opera fashion, Phyllis Summers is going to “come back from the dead” in future episodes, much like the red-headed phoenix she is. It’s quite like the time Cane Ashby (Daniel Goddard) was shot and “died” on the steps of the church at his dad’s wedding to Jill. Or, the two separate times Adam Newman and Victor Newman faked their deaths. Either way, the people of Genoa aren’t new to these “resurrections.”

While everyone grieved and looked for someone to blame, Phyllis was actually hiding out in a motel, alive and scheming. However, after secretly attending her own memorial, Phyllis began having second thoughts about putting her loved ones, especially Summer, through the pain of losing her. Stark, on the other hand, didn’t appreciate her altering their plan, and threatened to make her death permanent. Scared for her life Phyllis winds up killing him instead in self-defense and disposing of his body. Now Phyllis is forced to remain in hiding, for not just one but two reasons.

The many faces of Phyllis Summers

Phyllis Summers has always been the spitfire redhead fans have come to love through the many decades of The Young and The Restless. Nonetheless, devotees of the show know that the character has had a few different faces since the show first started. The character first appeared in October 1994, with Michelle Stafford being the first and original Phyllis. A few years later, she chose to leave the show in 1997 and Sandra Nelson took over for a couple of years. Stafford returned to pick up her role in 2000 and stayed until 2013. Although Gina Tognoni also made her mark with the role of Phyllis in 2014, she left in June 2019, and Stafford returned to The Young and The Restless. 

We’re not saying goodbye just yet

So while the rumors that Stafford is tired of playing Phyllis may seem true and understandable, it simply is unlikely that this is the end of Phyllis. Why? Because there is more than one Phyllis Summers Newman. And we’ve grown to love them all.

Also, while Michelle Stafford has over 2,100 episodes of playing Phyllis Summers, it hasn’t prevented her from pursuing other passions. Stafford has appeared in other projects over the years, with notable roles in the movie Double Jeopardy in 1999, and as a regular on General Hospital (neatly sidestepping all the recastings) where she played the part of Nina Reeves from 2014–2019. 

Finally, Stafford’s social media followers would recall her Instagram post as the soap hit its 50th anniversary. Not only did she give props to the soap’s creators, but she also expressed her continuing commitment to the iconic role of Phyllis. Looks like she’s here to stay, if only for the time being!

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