The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera, created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It debuted on March 26, 1973. The longest-running cast members are Melody Thomas Scott and Eric Braeden, who portray Nikki and Victor Newman, having joined in February 1979 and February 1980, respectively,[1] [2] making them two of the longest-tenured actors in American soap operas. Jeanne Cooper, who portrayed the soap opera's matriarch Katherine Chancellor, previously held the record for the series' longest-running cast member, airing from November 1973 until her death in May 2013.[3] Kate Linder, who has portrayed Esther Valentine since April 1982, serves as the third longest-running cast member.[4] [5] Lauralee Bell (Christine Blair) and Jess Walton (Jill Abbott) share the title of fourth and fifth longest-tenured actors on the soap. The following list is of cast members who are currently on the show: both main and recurring members, as well as those who are debuting, departing or returning to the series.
| Actor | Character | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lauralee Bell | Christine Blair Williams | 1983–2006, 2010–present | |
| Vail Bloom | Heather Stevens | 2007–2010, 2023–present | |
| Tracey E. Bregman | Lauren Fenmore Baldwin | 1983–1995, 2000–present | |
| Sarah Smythe | 2010 | ||
| Tricia Cast | Nina Webster | 1986–2001, 2008–2014, 2020–present | |
| Reylynn Caster | Faith Newman | 2021–present | |
| Christopher Cousins | Alan Laurent | 2024 | |
| Michael Damian | Danny Romalotti | 1981–1998, 2002–2004, 2008, 2012–2013, 2022–present | |
| Eileen Davidson | Ashley Abbott | 1982–1988, 1999–present | |
| Cait Fairbanks | Tessa Porter | 2017–present | |
| Jacob Aaron Gaines | Moses Winters | 2021–present | |
| Rory Gibson | Noah Newman | 2021–present | |
| Elizabeth Hendrickson | Chloe Mitchell | 2008–2017, 2019–present | |
| Judah Mackey | Connor Newman | 2019–present | |
| Beth Maitland | Traci Abbott | 1982–1996, 1999, 2001–2002, 2006–present | |
| Sienna Mercuri | Katie Abbott | 2016–present | |
| Paxton Mishkind | Johnny Abbott | 2022–present | |
| Mishael Morgan | Hilary Curtis | 2013–2019 | |
| Amanda Sinclair | 2019–present | ||
| Redding Munsell | Harrison Locke | 2024 | |
| Lily Brooks O'Briant | Lucy Romalotti | 2023–present | |
| J. Eddie Peck | Cole Howard | 1993–1999, 2023–present | |
| 1990–1995, 1999–2004, 2023–present | |||
| Greg Rikaart | Kevin Fisher | 2003–present | |
| Leigh-Anne Rose | Imani Benedict | 2020–present | |
| Jess Walton | Jill Abbott | 1987–present | |
| Kelsey Wang | Allie Nguyen | 2022–present | |
| Alex Wilson | Christian Newman | 2019–present | |
| Colleen Zenk | Jordan Howard | 2023–present |
See main article: List of previous The Young and the Restless cast members.