The Young and the Restless Comings & Goings: Cait Fairbanks Returns as Tessa
Cait Fairbanks is poised for a return to The Young and the Restless as Tessa Porter. On September 16, the actress posted a selfie taken in her dressing room at the Y&R studio, confirming that she has resumed filming after an on-screen absence of over five months.
Cait Fairbanks is Filming Again at Y&R
Tessa — who Fairbanks began playing in March of 2017 — made her last appearance in Genoa City on April 13, 2026. In that episode, Tessa broke the news to Daniel (Michael Graziadei) that she no longer felt comfortable traveling to Barcelona with him. The duo had been invited to Spain by Daniel’s rock star father, Danny (Michael Damian), who had overheard them singing together. Danny was set to perform at a private club there and offered to produce an album for them.
Tessa and Daniel had gotten closer when, in 2025, she began giving Daniel guitar lessons. At the time, Tessa was going through a rough patch with her wife, Mariah (Camryn Grimes), who had become distant and withdrawn, while Daniel was processing the murder of his longtime love, Heather (Vail Bloom). As Tessa’s marriage fell apart, her kinship with Daniel grew, and on New Year’s Eve, they had sex.
Early in 2026, Tessa filed for divorce. But after Mariah admitted to Daniel that she still loved Tessa, he broke things off with her, encouraging her to get clarity on where her heart truly lay.
After the April scenes that Fairbanks shared with Michael Graziadei, Tessa disappeared from view, though the character was referenced as still existing in Genoa City. Most notably, on August 3, Mariah abruptly announced that to Sharon (Sharon Case) she and Tessa had reconciled off-camera, drawing criticism from fans of the couple who were disappointed that the duo’s reunion was not shown on screen.
But now that Fairbanks is back at work at Y&R, Tessa will be seen again in the coming weeks — and “Teriah” supporters may finally get some visual insight into what Tessa and Mariah’s dynamic is like now.
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Soap Opera Digest does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.