Who Is Mamie on THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS?

Mamie on THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS was a beloved fan-favorite character for years, but as she hasn’t been seen in a while, we’re here to offer you a brief refresher on her life in Genoa City. The character debuted on Y&R in 1980 and was played by Marguerite Ray until 1989. Veronica Redd took over in 1990 and portrayed Mamie until her final appearance in 2004. In 2023, it was announced that Redd would be reprising her role for the soap’s 50th anniversary in March, and then she came back for more in September!

Mamie Johnson was the Abbott family’s housekeeper for many years, but she also acted as a surrogate mother to John Abbott‘s three oldest children, Jack Abbott, Ashley Abbott, and Traci Abbott, since their real mother, Dina Mergeron, had divorced John and left the family to move to Paris. When John married the younger Jill Abbott, Mamie didn’t like her and was a constant thorn in her side as she interfered with Jill’s various schemes.

Mamie also took in her teenage niece, Drucilla Barber, when she ran away from home and was also close with her other niece, Olivia Barber. After John suffered a stroke, Mamie nursed him back to health and confessed her love. John returned her feelings but then fell into a coma. When Jill found out, she fired Mamie and gave her a million dollars to leave town. When John recovered, he stayed with Jill for the sake of their son, and a heartbroken Mamie took the money and left town with Trent Jordan.

Years later, Mamie returned to Genoa City and offered to use her money to help John get the family business out of debt. He declined her generous offer, but invited Mamie back into the home where she stayed on and helped out with raising kids like Colleen Carlton, Kyle Abbott, and Abby Newman, just as she had with John’s on children. And while she would occasionally cook meals, she sat with the Abbotts as a guest, not a servant.

In 2004, Mamie left to travel the world, and wasn’t seen for many years, though she was mentioned, and sent flowers for Colleen’s funeral in 2010. In March 2023, Mamie returned to Genoa City to attend the city’s bicentennial gala and caught up with the Abbott family as well as Lily Winters and Nate Hastings. When Jill asked if she was still living off her dime, Mamie proudly informed her that she’d invested her million and made ten million in return so she was living quite comfortably.

Then, in September 2023, Mamie surprised the Abbotts by coming back for another visit. While she was cagey with them about what had brought her back, Mamie was later disappointed to learn that Devon and Lily had already figured out her secret: She was the one who had bought Victor’s shares in Chancellor-Winters!

Mamie held a family gathering to announce her intention to make Chancellor-Winters a true family business, but Jill crashed the party to confront her, believing she had a secret agenda. She then phoned a secret ally to update them on the plan’s progress who was later revealed to be Tucker McCall! Mamie continued to press Nate into leaving Newman and coming back to Chancellor-Winters but he insisted that wasn’t going to happen.

However, after Ashley explained how Tucker’s abusive behavior split them up, Mamie decided to cut all ties to the guy. Devon, Lily, and Jill all agreed to let Mamie bring Nate back into the family business as long as she shared what Tucker was really up to.  She told them Tucker wanted Devon to run Chancellor-Winters by himself and without Jill, because he considered his son the real Chancellor heir. Eventually, Jill proposed a truce as she trusted Mamie slightly more than Tucker. 

In February 2024, Mamie questioned Nate about the tension in the office, and he reported Billy Abbott‘s attempt to add “Abbott” to the company name. She was happy to hear the idea was nixed, but Nate warned that Jill had brought attorney Amanda Sinclair back to town to act on her behalf. Insisting that Jill has declared war, Mamie announced her intention to ensure that Jill’s stranglehold on Chancellor-Winters ends!

Stay tuned to see what happens next!