Believe it or not, when The Young and the Restless first introduced the character of Phyllis, she was only intended to stick around for a few

episodes. “She was created by Bill Bell,” reflects Michelle Stafford, “and he didn’t really have a vision for the character, because she wasn’t

meant to hang around. She was going to come on for a few episodes and then be gone.”

Longtime viewers will recall that Phyllis first appeared way back on October 18, 1994, introduced as a groupie of rocker Danny Romalotti. The character was, in fact, little more than a spoiler in the popular and long-running Christine/Danny romance.!

But there’s a reason Bell — who created not only Phyllis but, with wife Lee, the long-running soap — was considered one of the greatest scribes to ever work in daytime. “I like to say that I helped flesh out Phyllis, because Bill liked what I was doing. So to have her become someone who has remained on the canvas for three decads is an incredible honor!”

Did she have any clue that Phyllis would become one of the most loved — and occasionally hated — Genoa City residents of all time? “Absolutely freakin’ not!” Stafford exclaims. “It’s insane!

While she’s loving her current storyline — “Wait until you see what we’re filming right now,” she warns — Stafford wouldn’t mind revisiting certain aspects of Phyllis’ past. “It would be interesting to get to know more about her mom,” she muses. “During my very early days on the show, Phyllis got a call from her mother, Lydia, who was played by the amazing Abby Dalton” of Falcon Crest fame. Visit Advertiser “You could tell that Lydia was the kind of really rich woman who has cocktails for lunch was completely over Phyllis and her antics,” Stafford recalls. And while Dalton, sadly, passed away back in 2020, “It might be fun to revisit that relationship. Or bring back her sister, Avery. There’s a lot left to explore in that family!”