Who Is Denise Tolliver on Young and Restless?

The character of Denise Tolliver has only been on Young and Restless for a handful of episodes so it’s completely understandable if some fans don’t remember her very well. Of course, they’ll likely still recognize her portrayer, Telma Hopkins, from her starring roles in hit sitcoms like Bosom Buddies, Gimme a Break!, Family Matters, and Half & Half. She made her daytime debut in the June 1, 2021, episode of Y&R to bring some crucial information to town. She returned again in August of that year, and in December 2024, it was revealed she would be back for more!

Denise Tolliver is a private investigator who came to Genoa City to meet with Amanda Sinclair about her biological father, Richard Nealon. The detective revealed that Richard had hired her to find his ex-girlfriend’s child, who he believed was his. She tracked the girl down and gave Richard the address of the foster parents, but he died before he could see her himself. Amanda was crushed to learn she was so close to meeting her father.

Later, Amanda introduced Denise to Devon Hamilton, and after handing over all her notes from the case, the P.I. admitted she’d like to find that girl now to let her know how desperate her father was to find her. A couple of weeks later, Denise met with Amanda and Devon again to share Richard’s phone records from the days before his death which led Amanda to the truth about her family’s lies and deception. 

In August, Devon called Denise to get her help locating Mariah Copeland, who went missing while carrying Devon and Abby Newman’s baby for them. Learning it was unlikely that Mariah changed her mind about being their surrogate, Denise took the case and helped Devon prove his suspicions about Ben “Stitch” Rayburn being the kidnapper.

In December 2024, Nate Hastings revealed he was hiring a P.I. recommended by Devon to track down his half-brother, Damian.