If you’ve been watching The Young and the Restless lately and felt like the camera angles were getting a little... creative, you aren't imagining things. Fans have been flooding social media with one specific question: is Christel Khalil pregnant 2025?
Honestly, the "purse-gate" phenomenon is real. For months, we’ve seen Lily Winters hiding behind massive tote bags, standing behind oversized office desks, or wearing coats that look a bit too breezy for a Genoa City indoor scene.
Well, the mystery is officially over. Christel Khalil is indeed expecting her third child.
The Reveal Everyone Saw Coming
Soap fans are basically amateur detectives. You can’t hide a baby bump from people who have watched you on screen for twenty years. While Khalil didn’t drop a massive, staged maternity photoshoot on day one, the clues were everywhere.
The "official" confirmation came in a way that felt very authentic to her. She appeared in a social media video around Halloween 2025, dancing with her Y&R castmates—including the legendary Eric Braeden. While everyone was watching Victor Newman’s dance moves, eagle-eyed fans spotted Christel’s very prominent baby bump.
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It wasn't a rumor anymore. It was a celebration.
Why Lily Winters Just Left Town
This real-life news has a direct impact on what you’re seeing (or not seeing) on CBS every day. On January 7, 2026, Lily Winters made a sudden announcement to Cane: she was leaving town to visit her daughter, Mattie, and clear her head.
This is the classic "maternity leave write-out."
In the soap world, characters don't just go on vacation; they usually have a dramatic reason to vanish for three months. For Lily, it was the perfect time to step away after the heavy storylines involving the Winters family and her complicated dynamic with Cane.
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Family Life and Sam Restagno
If you’re wondering who the lucky guy is, Christel is married to Sam Restagno. They’ve had quite a whirlwind few years. They tied the knot in a gorgeous ceremony in Puglia, Italy, back in October 2024.
This new arrival will be their second child together. Here is a quick look at Christel’s growing family:
- Michael Caden: Her eldest son (now 15) from her previous marriage to Stephen Hensley.
- Remy: Her first son with Sam, born in early 2024.
- Baby Number Three: Expected to arrive in early 2026.
It’s pretty wild to think about the timing. She basically went from welcoming Remy to planning a wedding to expecting again in a relatively short window. She's busy. Like, "how-does-she-do-it" busy.
How Y&R Covers the Bump
It’s always funny to see how production handles a lead actress’s pregnancy when the character isn’t pregnant. Since Lily is currently single (and mourning the loss of Damian), writing a pregnancy into the show would have been a massive headache for the writers.
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Instead, we got the "Big Bag Treatment."
Basically, every time Lily entered a room at Chancellor-Winters, she was clutching a folder or a designer handbag the size of a carry-on suitcase. It’s a trope as old as television itself, but it always makes the fan forums go wild.
When Will She Be Back?
The big question isn't just "is Christel Khalil pregnant 2025," but "when does she come back to Genoa City?"
Based on her previous maternity leave with Remy, we can expect her to be off-screen for about three months. Since the show films roughly six weeks in advance, her January exit suggests a return to the screen around April or May 2026.
The showrunners have been tight-lipped about what Lily will be facing when she returns. Will she finally reunite with Cane? Or will there be a new face waiting for her in the corporate corridors?
Whatever happens, Khalil has proven she can balance the intense schedule of a daily soap with a chaotic (and clearly very happy) home life.
Next Steps for Fans:
Keep an eye on Christel's official Instagram for the birth announcement, which likely won't happen until late winter or early spring 2026. In the meantime, expect The Young and the Restless to lean heavily on the remaining Winters family members to fill the void left by Lily’s temporary departure.