Y&R Recap Dec 9: Michael Sweeps Lauren Off Her Feet With a Romantic Anniversary Surprise
On this episode of The Young and the Restless (Tuesday, December 9, 2025), Michael pulled out all the stops, transforming the GCAC dining room into a casino to celebrate his 20th wedding anniversary with Lauren. Complete with a blackjack table, custom anniversary cards, and a recreation of their wedding cake, Michael took Lauren on a trip down memory lane before revealing one final surprise: a romantic getaway to Las Vegas.
Last Episode
On the last episode of Y&R, Cane threatened to destroy Phyllis and her career, while in LA, Victor bankrupted Matt Clark and tried to bribe Sienna to leave Noah.
The Genoa City Athletic Club (GCAC)
Lauren is dressed in a fancy dress and is on the phone with Gloria when she sees Michael in the dining room, dressed in a tuxedo and standing in front of a Blackjack table. She ends the call and heads over and sits down at his table.
Michael asks if she’s free tonight… He has a spot available for her; would she like to play some blackjack?
Lauren grins. She wants to be dealt in!
Michael deals three cards face down, then turns them over. They’re custom cards with “Happy 20th Anniversary” printed on them.
Lauren recalls that Michael proposed to her at a blackjack table twenty years ago… But his hair was a lot darker then!
Michael laughs. Now she can see him from space, and he’ll make sure she remembers some of the best moments of their life together.
Flashback. A young Michael tells Lauren that she’s the best thing that ever happened to him and asks her to marry him.
Lauren smiles as he puts a huge rock on her finger, and they both tear up as confetti rains down around them.
Lauren has happy tears in her eyes. She can’t wait to spend the rest of her life with him!
Michael remembers everything about the night he proposed to her.
Lauren laughs and they reminisce about their first kiss. He was so charming!
Flashback: Michael and Lauren dance together. Lauren wants to talk, but Michael doesn’t want to talk. They kiss.
They joke around that Michael is the king of romance. They’ve had some spectacular moments!
Flashback montage: They’re both barely dressed, playing strip poker against one another… In Michael’s office!
Next, they’re on their honeymoon.
Then, they’re at the GCAC years ago… And Lauren wants to go up to their room!
Michael says he’s going to knock her socks off and goes in for a kiss, but Lauren evades him and runs over to the blackjack table. She tells him that he’s going to have to win a kiss! He has to win all the chips in order to get that kiss. She deals a hand, and he immediately loses.
Next hand, Michael gets a blackjack right off the bat. He’s happy.
Lauren recalls telling him about her first pregnancy. Michael was thrilled, but he was worried he wouldn’t be a good father because of his “horrifying” past… Luckily, he was a good father!
Michael wins the next hand and takes all the chips.
Lauren laughs and calls him a cheater.
Michael grins. He takes her in his arms and they kiss.
Phyllis walks down into the lobby from her room and sees them in the dining room. She says hello and asks if it’s casino night in the club. She figures they rented out “her living room” for their anniversary. She says she’ll leave them be.
Michael thinks that’s a great idea. They don’t need their anniversary crashed. Phyllis is a party crasher!
Lauren tells them to take it easy… She wants peace between them for their anniversary.
Phyllis and Michael both agree that they want peace.
Lauren nods. They have an unbreakable bond!
Flashback montage: Michael and Phyllis meet up in Crimson Lights and talk about his upcoming marriage to Lauren.
Phyllis and Michael relax at his house, sitting on his sofa and eating ice cream. Phyllis thinks Lauren “sweetened” Michael up.
Phyllis brings Michael and Lauren baby clothes (sleepers) for their first baby. She tells them that they were really good friends to her, and she’s grateful for their friendship. Lauren hugs her.
Michael admits they’ve been through a lot together, but they had a lot of good times, too!
Lauren says they have made a lot of mistakes between the three of them.
Phyllis is surprised that Michael recreated his proposal to Lauren. He’s a good guy!
Michael agrees. He is a good guy!
Phyllis says she’s in awe of their 20-year relationship, and she’s proud that she got to be part of it and attend their wedding.
Lauren invites Phyllis for a group hug. She tells Phyllis they love her, and Phyllis leaves with a smile.
Michael smiles. He’s happy they made up; Phyllis annoys him sometimes, but they need her in their lives! They kiss.
A bit later, Michael and Lauren share some a piece of a recreation of their wedding cake. They know they’ve been fortunate, but they acknowledge that they’ve faced their fair share of challenges.
Flashback: Michael was at Lauren’s funeral. He tells a picture of Lauren that she changed his life; the most amazing thing is that she loved him.
Lauren shows up… She’s not dead! (Note: There was a yacht explosion, and Lauren was presumed dead, but Paul rescued her.)
Flashback: Lauren yells at Michael. They argue about how Michael treated her and her son… He shut her down and forced her to find comfort in another man’s arms!
Lauren is thankful that he forgave her for her affair, and remembers his cancer scare afterward.
Flashback: Michael tells Lauren that his treatment could make him into “a sick roommate.” All her love for him will just change to pity!
Lauren tells him that she’s in it “for better or worse.”
Michael never wants to stop fighting for what they have.
Lauren is happy they keep finding each other. She’s happy that they always make up from their fights. They hug, happy.
A bit later, Michael brings down a carry-on bag with a bow on it.
Lauren reads the card, which says, “I hope you’re feeling lucky, because the four winds of good fortune are blowing your way!”
Michael grins. They’re taking a vacation to Las Vegas, and the four winds of good fortune refer to them and their sons. After all, Michael is the king of romance!
Lauren laughs. “Ain’t that the truth!” They sweep each other into a dance as they recall another dance in their lives together.
Flashback to their wedding: Michael tells Lauren she’s so full of joy that he couldn’t help but fall in love with her.
They clink their glasses in a toast to Fenmore, their son, and Scott, Michael’s stepson, as well as the next twenty years of their marriage.
They dance slowly, all smiles. Lauren laughs and says she keeps expecting Elvis to pop out like he did at their first wedding.
Michael remembers when Lauren wondered if she’d made the right decision to marry him.
Flashback montage: Michael apologizes to Lauren for everything he’s done and promises that he’ll share his darkest fears with her.
Michael tells Lauren she’s the most important person to him. He can’t promise that he won’t make her angry, but he promises he’ll always love her and is grateful she stole his heart.
Michael tells Lauren she’s always stood by him, and he kept his promise!
Lauren smiles. “I love you. Happy Anniversary, Mr. Baldwin!”
Michael tells her he loves her, too. “Happy Anniversary, Mrs. Baldwin!” They kiss.
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