It seems The Young and the Restless has brought a villain back from the dead, or at least Sharon thinks so. Matt Clark, a serial rapist who plagued her and Nick’s lives when they were young adults, is back on the daytime drama. He’d committed suicide in an attempt to frame Nick for murder in 2001, but the soap is erasing his death. Shockingly, Sharon believes the newly introduced Mitch Bacall is the man who assaulted her 31 years ago.
Key Takeaways
- Matt Clark’s history on Y&R.
- What his return means for Shick.
- How Matt could fit into the LA storyline.
Matt Clark, Regular Guy Turned “Horrific” Antagonist
When Eddie Cibrian originated the role in May 1994, Matt was a high school jock dating Sharon Collins (Sharon Case—Soap Hub‘s Performer of the Month). He didn’t have a history of sex-based crimes. Matt was simply a teen caught up in a rivalry with Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow) over Sharon’s heart. However, when Cibrian transitioned from being a recurring actor on Y&R to a three-year contracted role, that changed.
His first major storyline involved raping Sharon. It was revenge for her leaving him and losing his fight with Nick so badly that he was beaten black and blue. Matt then turned his sights to Amy Wilson (Julianne Morris), Sharon’s best friend, whom he began to date, though he continued to antagonize Sharon.
In an interview with Star-News, Cibrian spoke about the turn his character took after he described Matt as “horrific”:
I’ve never encountered anybody like him in my life nor would I ever want to. Personally, I couldn’t see anybody doing the things he does and expecting to get away with it. Unfortunately, there are people in the world like Matt. That’s why they put this in the script, so people would be aware.
A History of Violence
In pursuit of his vendetta against Sharon, Matt ruined her and Nick’s moment as King and Queen of their dance by filling Nick in on a secret Sharon had been keeping from him. Not only was she not a virgin, but she’d had a baby at 16 years old that she gave up for adoption.
However, Matt’s attempt at breaking them up didn’t work. Nick was able to move past Sharon withholding that information from him, and he proposed to her. Before their wedding, she told Nick that Matt raped her. Angry and distraught, he went looking for his former rival only to find him lying in a pool of blood in his apartment. Later, Matt claimed Nick had been the one to shoot him, which resulted in Nick being sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Thankfully, his father Victor (Eric Braeden) has never been one to let things lie; he tracked Amy down. She’d been institutionalized due to the stress and trauma of Matt raping her. Amy was the one who shot him, and her confession led to Nick’s acquittal. This was 1996. Matt left town, and Cibrian exited the soap.
How Matt Clark Died on Y&R
When the villain returned in 2000, Russell Lawrence stepped into the role before Rick Hearst took over. At first, Matt was able to fly under the radar because he’d assumed the name Carter Mills and undergone plastic surgery. He once again framed Nick, this time for selling drugs, and used the Newman’s time in jail as a means of growing closer to Sharon. But his plot to rape her was foiled by Nick, and his second attempt was stopped by Victor.
Matt wound up in the hospital after Tricia Dennison (Sabryn Genet), the woman he’d raped and then used to frame Nick, drove them both off a cliff. His survival was short-lived when he decided to make one final fraudulent claim. Recognizing that his injuries would kill him eventually, Matt pulled out his breathing tube in a last-ditch effort to frame Nick for murder. As he was dying, he told the Newman that he had raped Sharon, which was a lie.
When Sharon announced she was pregnant, Nick demanded she get a paternity test. She refused. Tragically, after the two had fought, Sharon fell, which led to her baby being born prematurely. It was a stillbirth. And the test Nick wanted showed he was the father.
An Unexpected Return
It’s been 24 years since Matt’s demise, so his appearance on Y&R is quite the surprise. However, the idea that he has assumed a new identity isn’t surprising, given his history. As for what this means for Shick, likely even more drama when their plate is already pretty full. Noah is in the hospital, and Mariah checked herself into a mental health facility.
Sharon and Nick are in LA to get to the bottom of what happened to their son, and it’s possible Matt may be involved. He now goes by Mitch Bacall (Roger Howarth), and he’s the husband of Sienna (Tamara Braun), the club owner whose connection with Noah has raised red flags for Nick.
It is highly unlikely Matt is up to anything good on Y&R, especially where Shick is concerned. Perhaps, he’s the reason Noah nearly died in a car accident. As the LA plot unfolds, we can expect to learn more about what Matt has been up to since he was last seen on the soap and how he came to be in Noah’s life. Stay tuned to Soap Hub for more coverage of this twisting story.
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