The Young and the Restless’ Jason Thompson: Johnny & Katie’s Return ‘Means So Much to Me’ (Excl)
Billy (Jason Thompson) and Sally’s (Courtney Hope) wedding on The Young and the Restless brings two special guests home to Genoa City: Billy’s son, Johnny, and daughter, Katie, played by Paxton Mishkind and Sienna Mercuri, respectively. And Thompson couldn’t be happier to have them back.
Jason Thompson on Johnny and Katie Attending Billy’s Wedding
“It’s always great to work with them,” enthuses Thompson of Mishkind and Mercuri. The young actors appear during the two-day ceremony, which begins on Friday, October 16 and concludes on Monday, October 19. “They’re really sweet kids and they were excited to show up.”
Mercuri was cast as Katie on The Young and the Restless in 2016, two years after the character was born to Billy and his ex-wife, Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle). In 2020, Mishkind took over the role of Johnny, the biological son of Billy and Chelsea Lawson (Melissa Claire Egan), who was born in 2012 and adopted by Victoria. Prior to the wedding, they were last seen on-screen in Genoa City in December 2025.
Johnny and Katie’s absence was explained in February 2026, when Victoria decided to send the kids to boarding school amid rising tension between Billy and her father, Victor Newman (Eric Braeden), over control of Newman Enterprises.
“I know how much it means to a young actor to get the call that you’re coming back,” Thompson says. “It’s exciting for them to get to tell the story and, of course, it’s great to be around everyone. When we do weddings like this and the whole cast gets together, it’s really, really fun.”
Thompson notes that Johnny and Katie’s presence at the Y&R nuptials was also a boon to the storyline he’s playing out as Billy, who is poised to welcome a new baby with Sally. “From a character standpoint, having Billy’s other kids around, having them involved in the wedding, showing the complexities of Billy’s relationship with Victoria and their love for Billy, it just layers the story.”
Continues the actor, “Billy and Victoria talk about our kids a lot, but we don’t get to see them very often, so the fact that they were there really meant a lot to me. It’s always great when they get to come back and play around, and I love it when they’re here.”
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