How many actresses have played Phyllis on The Young and the Restless?

Phyllis Summers has been a prominent character in The Young and The Restless since her introduction in October 1994. First appearing as a groupie for rockstar Danny Romalotti, she's since had a child named Daniel Romalotti, and has had further romances with Jack Abbott, Nicholas Newman, and Jeremy Stark.

Phyllis Summers has been played by three actresses throughout her time on The Young and the Restless. The first, and current actress is Michelle Stafford, who's played Phyllis from 1994-1997, then from 2000-2013, and from 2019 to the present day.

Other actresses who have taken on the role of Phyllis Summers include Sandra Nelson, who played Phyllis from 1997-1999, and Gina Tognoni, who played Phyllis from 2014-2019.

---

Phyllis from The Young and the Restless has been played by 3 actresses

The casting for Phyllis Summers was originally done under the assumption that it would be a short-term role. Michelle Stafford debuted the role in October 1994 and stayed on for over two years before leaving The Young and the Restless in February 1997 to pursue other opportunities.

It was at this point that Sandra Nelson took over the role, and played Phyllis from March 21, 1997, to February 22, 1999.

Following this, Phyllis didn't appear onscreen for a few months before being brought back in July 2000, with head writer Kay Aiden choosing to bring original actress Michelle Stafford back into the role. When interviewed by CBS about her return, Michelle had this to say:

"[The show] had approached me before, and then when this [opportunity] came up it wasn't through agents or anything like that. It was through Jerry Birn, one of the writers..."

"...Then I talked to Kay [Alden, Head Writer]. Everybody [that I spoke with] really had a strong opinion of the character and of where she would be in the show."

Stafford would continue to play Phyllis Summers from 2000 to 2013. In May 2013, however, she announced that she was leaving The Young and The Restless again. When asked about her decision, Michelle cited the all-consuming demands of working on the soap as her reason.

The role of Phyllis would then be recast with Gina Tognoni in the role, with Gina having prior acting credits on One Life to Live and Guiding Light. Tognoni's tenure as Phyllis Summers would begin on August 11, 2014.

Gina continued in the role of Phyllis Summers until March 2019, at which point Daytime Confidential reported she'd be leaving The Young and the Restless. Tognoni made her last appearance on June 7, 2019, and 10 days later, on June 17, Michelle Stafford returned to the role.

---

Phyllis Summers has been on The Young and the Restless for nearly 20 years

Given her debut in October 1994, Phyllis Summers will be approaching 20 years on The Young and the Restless as of writing.

She was introduced as a groupie of Danny Romalotti back when he was a young rockstar. She later ended up marrying him, and had a child she claimed was Danny's, only for that to be revealed as a lie.

This would result in a vicious divorce battle, followed by Danny taking custody of Daniel and leaving town for a while. Phyllis would then develop a romance with Jack Abbott, who she also married for a while.

Her next two marriages were to Nicholas Newman and Jeremy Stark, and she's been involved in storylines concerning her son, Daniel Romalotti, and eventually her granddaughter, Lucy Romalotti.

---

The Young and The Restless airs on weekdays on CBS.