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

Her stint on the soap opera was initially a short-term role; however, her work impressed the producers and she was placed on contract.

[1][2][3] On February 14, 1997, Stafford left the soap opera to pursue other career opportunities, and the role was recast with Sandra Nelson.

Everybody [that I spoke with] really had a strong opinion of the character and of where she would be in the show.In 2009, Stafford signed a new contract with The Young and the Restless which would ensure her portrayal of Phyllis for an unspecified period of time.

[15] On May 22, 2014, reports surfaced that former One Life to Live and Guiding Light actress Gina Tognoni had been cast in the role of Phyllis, following her "flawless" audition.

"[24] Phyllis' first romance on the soap opera was with Danny Romalotti (Michael Damian), whom she conned into believing he had fathered a child with her.

A paternity test supposedly revealed Nick as the father, and their daughter, Summer Newman (Hunter King), is born in December 2006,[28] and they are married in May 2007.

Their three-year marriage eventually succumbs to Nick's ongoing feelings for Sharon, which resulted in an affair and the birth of their daughter, Faith.

[34] She then ran away from home as a teenager for undisclosed reasons, leaving behind a younger sister who was revealed to be Avery Bailey Clark in 2011.

Eventually, Brian Hamilton was revealed to be Daniel's biological father; however, Danny fought for custody and won, leaving town with him.

During this time, Sasha Greene was blackmailing Phyllis before the custody case for Daniel, threatening to expose her of running down Christine with a car.

When Tim dropped dead in Phyllis' apartment, she moved the body and then turned to Ronan Malloy for help.

However, Sharon now wants Nick back, and tampers with the test results, allowing everyone to believe Jack is now the father of Summer.

While she lay in her coma, Jack comes to visit Phyllis to tell her that he needed to see her one last time before he officially moves on with the new woman in his life, Kelly Andrews (Cady McClain).

In an attempt to uncover Sharon's paternity test-switch secret, Victor goes to Georgia and gathers information about a risky form of medication that may be able to wake up patients who are in comas.

After Victor secretly gets Summer to forge her signature on the required documents, Phyllis' doctor begins to administer the drug, and she emerges from her coma.

Phyllis becomes Jabots CEO in late October 2018, and enlists the help of newcomer Kerry Johnson to replace the position of the absent Ashley Abbott.

Hot off the heels of her breakup, Phyllis finds comfort in Nick, and they decide to start a relationship, as well as move in together, much to the dismay of Sharon.

However, this relationship is short lived, as Phyllis persuades the D.A, Christine Blair to give her immunity, in return to confessing about the murder of J.T.

In April 2023, she was reportedly killed in a fiery ambulance crash, despite faking her death with the help of conman Jeremy Stark (James Hyde), who claimed to be Phyllis’ husband.

In 1995, Lilana Novakovich of the Toronto Star stated: "Michelle Stafford is every bit as irrepressible as Phyllis Romalotti, her character on The Young and the Restless.

Jamaica Gleaner was enthralled by the twists and turns of the love triangle and published an interview with Stafford; the newspaper asked whether Nick would end his ten-year marriage to Sharon and rather enter into an official romance with her pregnant character Phyllis.

Daniel R. Coleridge of TV Guide labeled it "A can't-miss week for the popular Sharon/Nick/Phyllis triangle" when Phyllis's OB-GYN is to inform her that she is expecting.

[44] Stafford also received a nomination for the Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Female Scene Stealer in 2001.

[47] Stafford has also received eight nominations for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2003,[48] 2005,[49] 2007,[50] 2008,[51] 2010,[52] 2011,[52] 2013,[53] winning only once in 2004.

[2][55] Tognoni's performance of Phyllis has been met with critical acclaim, earning a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2015, yet winning the award in 2017.

[56][57] In 2022, Charlie Mason from Soaps She Knows placed Phyllis 9th on his list of the best 25 characters from The Young and the Restless, commenting "A hurricane in high heels, this pot-stirrer makes every scene more exciting simply by walking into it.

But to paraphrase Jessica Rabbit, the infamous strumpet brought to life by Michelle Stafford isn't bad, she's just drawn that way.

"[58] In 2024, Mason cited Phyllis as one of the worst mothers in American soap operas and criticised her for faking her death after she had judged Diane for doing the same thing.

In the article, editor Michael Maloney wrote: "She refuses to be shut down or be called a hypocrite by anyone, which makes her an unstoppable force of nature!