Chelsea Lawson is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network.

Portrayed by Melissa Claire Egan, she was created by former head writer Maria Arena Bell and made her debut during the episode airing on November 11, 2011.

[1][2][3][4] Egan's character was to be "a mysterious woman named Chelsea who is connected to Billy’s arrest in Myanmar".

[2] On the topic of Egan working with her former co-star Billy Miller, the actress said: "We are buds from way back, of course, from our days on All My Children, and so we have been hanging out even before I came to Y&R.

[6][7] In January 2018, Daytime Confidential reported that Egan had decided not to renew her deal with the serial and would soon vacate the role.

[15] Jeffrey Bardwell (Ted Shackelford) was then revealed as Chelsea's father, after which Egan said "it came out of nowhere", though "it’s great to have so many people to be intertwined with, if you will.

"[5] On the topic of her character's personality, the actress said: "The viewers met Chelsea as a schemester and pregnant with child.

"[20] After giving birth to Billy's baby, Chelsea's next love interest was Adam Newman (Michael Muhney).

"[5] She said that "everyone seems to think we have good on-screen chemistry" and that "it’s an interesting energy between Chelsea and Adam being the "bad guys" in town.

He even tried to cover up Sharon burning down Victor Newman's (Eric Braeden) home, working under the law to do so.

Afterward, Billy secretly records Chelsea admitting that their one night stand was consensual and that her rape claim was a con she used against tourists.

Chelsea then befriends Adam Newman (Michael Muhney), and although he tells her he isn’t good enough for her, she persists and they form a friendship, even after Victoria's warnings.

They decide to elope to Adam's childhood home in Kansas (where Sharon unsuccessfully attempts to stop the wedding), and return home to join in a business venture with Chloe Mitchell (Elizabeth Hendrickson) and Kevin Fisher (Greg Rikaart), a website called TagNGrab.

Adam then promises Chelsea they can move to Paris, but because of his inability to abandon his corporate life at Newman Enterprises, she leaves him and asks for a divorce.

After their separation, Chelsea discovers she is pregnant with Adam's child, and while attempting to tell him on several occasions, her new friend Chloe convinces her not to do so.

After Chelsea moves in with Dylan, he proposes and she accepts, and later has to pay off Jeffrey to keep his mouth shut about the child's true paternity.

After their wedding, Chelsea goes into labor and Dylan delivers her child, a son named Connor McAvoy.

She attempts to kill Sharon's husband, Rey, and thereafter ends of in an accident which leads to her being left in a wheelchair, unable to speak.

You can't help but root for Chelsea in spite of the baby ruse, which is a testament to Egan's layered, committed performances.

Michael Fairman of On-Air On-Soaps wrote: "With so many stories yet to play out, the Y&R writers and producers are certainly ready to put it in the more than capable hands of Egan.

They wrote: "The Young and the Restless made a smart move in pairing sexy grifters Adam Newman (Michael Muhney) and Chelsea Lawson (Melissa Claire Egan) in 2012.

By building first a friendship, then a love affair for Chadam, Y&R managed to save Chelsea from becoming yet another boring, cookie cutter, lady psycho (Daisy, anyone?

)"[30] Luke Kerr of Zap2it felt that Chelsea was "out of her league" when competing against Sharon for Adam's attention, and thought the storyline was "fun".

[32] Egan received Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of Chelsea, in 2013 and 2014.