Young And The Restless Characters Fans Love To Hate

Published on October 16, 2020. Updated November 1, 2022

The Young and the Restless (Y&R) never fails to deliver interesting and colorful characters. Some are lovable, while others can be very hard to love. With that said, in the soap opera world, hating a character is not all black and white. Unlikable characters add an interesting element to the show, and some conflict, thus many of the “hated” characters are loved by their fans in the end, as without them, the show would go stale. Listed below are some Y&R characters that fans love to hate.

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12. Tucker McCall

A shrewd businessman who always has his eye on the prize, McCall did some pretty terrible things during his tenure on Y&R. He took revenge against his mom, Katherine Chancellor, and also took jabs at Victor Newman. With that said, he’s very enjoyable to watch onscreen and in storylines. Plus, his love affair with Ashley Abbott was one for the books.

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11. Daisy Carter

Being the offspring of Sheila Carter and Tom Fisher could leave any child a little messed up, and such was the case for Daisy Carter. She flew onto the Y&R scene in 2009 with her brother Ryder, and the two picked up where their mom Sheila left off when it came to targeting Lauren Fenmore. Everything Daisy did – from the kidnappings, to manipulation, having Daniel’s baby, and so much more – was simply awful; however, it made for some exciting plot twists and storylines in the land of Genoa City!

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10. Sheila Carter

Speaking of, Daisy did some horrible things, but it can never top all that Sheila was up to on Y&R during her heyday. Carter was a monster when it came to her hate-on for Fenmore, and it’s disturbing to think about how far she went sometimes. With that said, as over-the-top as her actions were, they were intriguing for fans to watch, and some Y&R viewers wish for a Sheila return just to see these two women in scenes together again.

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9. Deacon Sharpe

Deacon Sharpe is a character that has gone back and forth between both Y&R and its sister soap, Bold and the Beautiful. While he’s handsome and can be charming, he’s also manipulative, and can be a real slime ball. At the same time, Sharpe can be highly entertaining on daytime screens, and made storylines interesting on Y&R during his tenure on the show.

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8. Billy Abbott

Speaking of handsome and charming, Billy is the kind of character that bounces back and forth, between “good” and “slime ball.” When he’s doing what he should be doing by being a good father, husband and brother, he can be adored by fans; however, when he’s being not-so-good, like stealing his brother’s wife, or trying to use people, gamble, etc., he can rub audiences the wrong way. Regardless of what he is up to, he certainly is an entertaining character, whether he is being good, bad, or otherwise.

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7. Colin Atkinson

It’s hard to explain what it is about Colin Atkinson that makes him so endearing despite being a con artist on screen! Is it the jokes he makes? The fact that there seems to be a somewhat decent person buried in that Australian accent? Or, could it just be the charm that oozes from beloved soap opera legend actor Tristan Rogers every time he graces the Y&R set? Either way, fans simply love to hate Colin, and look forward to whenever he pops into Genoa City!

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6. Ian Ward

“Cult leader” says it all when it comes to Ian Ward and his personality! From all he did to Nikki to all he did to Mariah and everything in between, Ward was one of worst characters to grace Genoa City. With that said, without those trying to harm our soap opera heroes and heroines, there wouldn’t be an “uprising” story to tell, and Ward certainly helped storylines and plots along in this regard.

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5. Luca Santori

From blackmail to trafficking illegal drugs to shady business deals, Luca may have not been in Genoa City for that long, but he certainly made a tremendous impact. Plus, that smile of his could melt any ice-cold heart. Does anyone miss seeing Santori on Y&R? Maybe it’s time to bring him back? The show could use another resident bad boy in town!

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4. Sharon Newman

Sharon is a dynamic character that has a huge following, but also has a great number of Y&R fans that don’t appreciate her very much. While early on, she was portrayed as a sweet and kind character, over the years she’s done some questionable things, like lie about her stepdaughter’s (Summer) true paternity, was a kleptomaniac, torched the Newman Ranch, and was even romantically linked to Victor Newman. She has redeemed herself to some degree over since; however, Sharon remains a character that (some) fans love to hate.

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3. Phyllis Summers

This hotheaded redhead was originally introduced as a scheming woman, who faked a pregnancy with Danny Romalotti in order to marry him. Since, she’s been involved in many underhanded things, but has also allowed fans to see the more human side of her. Phyllis is certainly a multifaceted character, and while most don’t agree with some of the stuff she does, she certainly makes Genoa City a more interesting place.

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2. Adam Newman

Adam is always up to no good; however, many of his schemes over the years have linked back to the fact that he simply wants to gain approval from his bio dad, Victor. The character has passed away multiple times, only to miraculously turn up back on the scene very much alive. Truth be told, while he hasn’t been the nicest of characters over the years, he is one that tends to spark life into Y&R storylines.

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1. Victor Newman

Played by actor Eric Braeden since 1980, Victor has been a mainstay on Y&R. His rags to riches story is one that is endearing, and while many fans may not like him very much, they do love to watch him on daytime screens. Whether he is trying to control a business venture, trying to get back at Jack or Billy Abbott, fighting with Nikki, or pitting his children against each other, Y&R audiences know that it is way better to have Victor in the land of Genoa City than away from it. What would life be like on the show without Victor, anyway? Probably, pretty boring!