Stacy Haiduk Sets ‘Y&R’ Return as Patty Williams After 10 Years

Three-time Daytime Emmy nominee Stacy Haiduk is returning to The Young and the Restless in March as Patty Williams, a decade after her last appearance in Genoa City.

Haiduk joined the CBS show in 2009 as the unhinged Patty, later pulling double-duty as Dr. Emily Peterson, Patty’s doppelgänger. She left the soap in 2010, returned from 2011-12, and then again in 2015, before wrapping up in 2016. The actress will continue to appear on Days of Our Lives as Kristen DiMera, a role she’s played since 2018.

Patty has a long history of troublemaking that stretches back 45 years. Introduced in 1980 as the sweet younger sister of Paul Williams, the role was first played by Tammy Taylor, then Lilibet Stern. Patty quickly fell for Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman), who married her to convince his father that he had reformed his womanizing ways. The marriage unraveled when Patty discovered Jack was having an affair with Diane Jenkins. After suffering a miscarriage and overhearing Jack admit he married her for professional gain, a distraught Patty shot Jack three times before divorcing him and leaving town.

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In 1983, Patty (now played by Andrea Evans) resurfaced briefly and dated Danny Romalotti (Michael Damian) prior to his marriage to Traci Abbott. After exiting in 1984, she remained off the canvas until 2009. Disguised as Mary Jane Benson after undergoing plastic surgery financed by Victor Newman as part of a revenge scheme against Jack, Patty, now played by Haiduk, infiltrated Jabot and rekindled a relationship with her former husband.

Her instability soon became evident as she confided her secrets to a stuffed cat named “Mr. Kitty.” Patty’s obsession with Jack escalated when she discovered he was involved with Phyllis Summers. After learning that Phyllis’ daughter, Summer Newman, had a peanut allergy, Patty deliberately triggered a reaction that left the girl in a coma. Eventually, the cops found evidence of Patty’s guilt, and she went on the run.

While hiding out on Victor’s property, Patty became entangled in additional schemes involving Adam Newman, which included gaslighting Ashley Abbott. Her true identity was ultimately revealed after she took confession at church with Father Todd, her brother, who realized it was Patty. Patty’s unraveling culminated at Camp Cheveyo, where she kidnapped Colleen Carlton. During the chaos, Colleen nearly drowned in the lake while escaping, but Jack and crew arrived in time to pull her out. An increasingly disturbed Patty shot Victor three times and ran off. Paul tracked her down and urged her to turn herself in; she was institutionalized. In the aftermath, Colleen was declared brain dead, and her heart was donated to Victor, saving his life.

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Paul was determined to help Patty, bringing in Dr. Emily Peterson, a psychiatrist who was on sabbatical from the University of Minnesota med school, where she had crossed paths with Patty, who worked there as a janitor. Emily was a dead ringer for Patty and unknowingly served as the model for Patty’s surgically altered face. Jack caught feelings for Emily and the two became engaged on New Year’s Eve in 2009. When Patty heard about the union, she knocked Emily unconscious and switched places with her. At the altar, Jack said “I do” to Patty, thinking she was Emily. When the real Emily came to, she tried to prove her identity to Paul, but he assumed that his “sister” was delusional.

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Patty tried to keep up appearances that she was Emily, but Jack became suspicious and ultimately figured out the truth. Patty returned to the institution to get rid of Emily for good, drugging her and stashing her in a morgue drawer. Paul and Jack were on Patty’s heels, and Jack ultimately found Emily and had a doctor give her a shot of adrenaline to revive her. Patty was arrested and sent to a facility for the criminally insane. Emily dumped Jack for not realizing who she was for months. In an attempt to keep their past a secret, Adam helped Patty escape, and she wound up in South America

Patty continued to resurface in increasingly elaborate disguises. In 2011, Patty returned to Genoa City, under the alias Myrna Murdock, working as a housekeeper in the home of Jack’s current flame, Genevieve Atkinson. Still obsessed with Jack, Patty drugged him and Genevieve during Thanksgiving dinner so she could kiss Jack while he was passed out. Adam discovered her at the house and advised her to leave town. She said she would, but didn’t.

Jack and Genevieve got engaged, but Patty was determined to keep them from tying the knot. In time, strange things began happening at Genevieve’s house, and Paul arrived to question Myrna, who took off. Paul put the pieces together and realized Myrna may be Patty. Adam discovered Patty hiding in the garden shed and realized she planned to interrupt Jack and Genevieve’s wedding. He tried to stop her, so she threw insecticide in his face, which blinded him, then hit him in the head.

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At the wedding, Patty took Genevieve’s place and walked down the aisle to Jack. When Jack lifted her veil, Patty revealed herself and shot him. Patty escaped and sought refuge at Father Todd’s church. Her brothers discovered her there and turned her in. Patty was sent to an institution called Fairview.

Her final storyline in 2015 saw Patty escape from Fairview and return to Genoa City, where she survived an explosion that left her presumed dead. Instead, she fled with fellow baddie Ian Ward before eventually being institutionalized again.

As for what brings Patty back this time, details remain under wraps, but it will be a story filled with mystery and suspense. Executive producer and head writer Josh Griffith tells TV Insider exclusively, “Everyone at Y&R couldn’t be more excited to welcome back Stacy for this exciting storyline when trouble once again finds Patty.”

The Young and the Restless, Weekdays, CBS