The Young And The Restless Winters Family Tree Explained
"The Young and the Restless" has always held family as its foundation, with the Abbott family, the Newmans, and the Chancellors frequently taking center stage. Throughout the years, other families have cemented themselves as power players in the fictional town of Genoa City, too. Recently, the Rosaleses attempted to create a space for themselves in the town, but ultimately it didn't work out. However, since 1991, one family has been an integral part of the "Y&R" fabric.
The Winters family legacy was characterized first by the late Kristoff St. John, who played Neil Winters and was the second longest-running Black soap opera star behind James Reynolds from "Days of Our Lives," per The New York Times. Actor Shemar Moore also got his start as a member of the Winters family. Before appearing on hit primetime shows like "S.W.A.T." and "Criminal Minds," Moore played St. John's younger brother on the beloved daytime drama.
In the decades since the Winters first arrived in Genoa City, the family has seen quite the expansion. From children to multiple spouses and even a whole new generation of grandkids, the spirit of the family is very much alive and well. However, before any of the current crop of Winters was on the "Y&R" canvas, it all began with one man; Neil Winters, and the legacy he left for those that came after him.
Neil and his brother Malcolm were the first Winters
Viewers first met the Winters family via Kristoff St. John's patriarch Neil Winters. Neil quickly became a significant player in the Genoa City business scene, working for Jabot Cosmetics, and deftly rising through the ranks. Over the years, Neil worked for every successful corporation in town, including Newman Enterprises and Chancellor Industries. Prior to Neil Winters' death in 2019, he formed a business partnership with his son, Devon Hamilton (Bryton James), hoping to build a new legacy (via Soaps In Depth).
As Soap Central notes, in addition to his demonstrable business prowess, Neil enjoyed many memorable relationships throughout his run on the show. Neil's relationship with Hilary Curtis (Mishael Morgan) led to a love triangle involving Devon, with Neil faking blindness to catch them in the act. However, his most notable romance was with his former wife Drucilla Winters (Victoria Rowell). They were considered a power couple during this era, and their love triangle with Neil's brother, Malcolm Winters (Shemar Moore), resulted in a paternity scandal involving Dru's daughter, Lily Winters (Christel Khalil).
Malcolm's biggest impact on the show came as a result of his affair with Dru, which resulted in a pregnancy — something that wasn't actually revealed until Lily's teenage years. After spending most of her life believing Neil was her father, Lily was forced to face the truth of her paternity, upon discovering her uncle Malcolm was her real biological father (via Soaps.com).
Neil had a daughter named Lily Winters
Neil's eldest daughter Lily Winters has been a mainstay on "The Young and the Restless" since 2002, when Christel Khalil took over the role. Lily was been through the wringer over the years, both personally and professionally. Her bond with Daniel Romalotti (Michael Graziadei) resulted in an ill-fated marriage, while it was also a relationship that indirectly resulted in her mother Drucilla Winters' presumed death since she was fighting with Daniel's mother, Phyllis Summers, (Michelle Stafford) at the time of her deadly fall (via Soaps.com).
Lily's relationship with Daniel hasn't been her only rough road in romance either. Her marriage to Cane Ashby (Daniel Goddard) was doomed from the start because of his incessant lies, and despite every attempt on Lily's end to make things work, he always messed up again. More recently, Lily has been in a relationship with another perennial screw-up, Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson), with the couple growing closer together after working side by side at Chancellor.
However, Billy's need to rescue Chelsea Lawson (Melissa Claire Egan) from her personal demons put their relationship on the rocks, with Lily questioning his motives. Lily's romantic struggles aren't the only hurdles she's faced though. After a courageous battle that left her unable to have children on her own, Lily also served prison time for being at fault in an accident that caused the death of Hilary Curtis and her unborn child (via Soaps In Depth).
Neil also adopted a son, Devon Hamilton
Bryton James made his debut as Devon Hamilton in 2004 and, to date, has been the only actor to play him for the character's entire run. Devon was initially introduced as a troubled youth, entering the Winters' inner circle after developing a friendship with Lily. Eventually, Devon was adopted by Neil and Drucilla Winters, with his birth parents not being revealed until many years later. It's not all bad for Devon though, as he is Genoa City's resident billionaire, after being left an exorbitant amount of money following the death of his grandmother, Katherine Chancellor (Jeanne Cooper), per Soaps In Depth.
Devon has faced his own set of personal troubles since arriving in Genoa City as well, suffering from a severe form of meningitis that left him deaf until a cochlear implant successfully restored the hearing loss. Another massive loss for Devon came following the death of his long-time love Hilary Curtis when Devon's sister, Lily, ran a red light resulting in an automobile accident that killed Hilary and their unborn child (via Soap Central).
After Hilary's death, Devon found love with Elena Dawson (Brytni Sarpy), a relationship that showed promise until she cheated on him with his cousin, Nate Hastings (Sean Dominic). After Elena, Devon sparked a new romance with Hilary's twin sister, Amanda Sinclair (Mishael Morgan), but things ended abruptly when Devon cheated on her with close friend Abby Newman (Melissa Ordway), also the mother of his biological child (via Soaps.com).
Moses Winters was Neil's younger son
Per Soaps In Depth, Moses Winters (Jacon Aaron Gaines) is the much younger son of the late Neil Winters, stemming from his relationship with Sofia Dupre (Julia Pace Mitchell). Most of Moses' life took place off-screen, in another town, but the character did return for Neil's funeral, played by Dax Randall at the time. However, things picked up for the Moses character in 2021 when he was rapidly aged and introduced as a potential love interest for the ailing Faith Newman (Reylynn Caster).
Moses and Faith grew close after the accident that nearly killed her, and he helped ward off the bullies targeting them at their school. Things progressed gradually between the pair, but they ultimately made things official, becoming the youngest couple on the canvas at the time. However, the main reason for Moses being in Genoa City was to shadow his cousin, Nate Hastings, with the intent of attending college to become a doctor.
Moses ultimately realized that the medical field wasn't for him, instead opting to shadow his older brother, Devon Hamilton, in the music business instead. Moses appeared here and there after that, but the character was removed entirely in 2022. Both Moses and Faith were written off, so their characters could attend college away from Genoa City (via Soaps.com). Since leaving, Moses has only been mentioned in passing.
The Winters family lives on through their grandchildren
Besides his three children, Neil Winters has multiple grandchildren to carry on his legacy too. Lily and her ex-husband Cane Ashby share twins, a boy, and a girl, who were delivered via surrogate. Lily was left unable to carry children herself because of a hysterectomy performed to prevent a recurrence of ovarian cancer. Lily's close friend, Mackenzie Browning (Clementine Ford), offered to be the surrogate using her harvested eggs (via Soaps In Depth).
More recently, Neil became a grandfather once again, this time posthumously, as Devon agreed to be Abby Newman's sperm donor to help her and her husband, Chance Chancellor (Connor Floyd) become parents. After a traumatic birth incident where the surrogate mother was kidnapped prior to having the baby, Devon grew attached and more interested in becoming a father figure in his biological son's life (via Soaps.com).
After careful consideration, Chance and Abby agreed to let Devon have shared custody of Dominic, a move that led to the eventual affair between Devon and Abby too. However, despite this, Abby, Chance, and Devon appear committed to the well-being of their son and have done their best to ensure that their personal issues don't get in the way of what's best for him, which would undoubtedly make Neil proud.