The Young and the Restless reunion that no one saw coming

On The Young and the Restless, Nate (Sean Dominic) has agreed to track down his half-brother, Damian, at the request of Damian's mother, Amy Lewis (Valerie Pettiford). Amy was romantically linked to Nate's father for a time in the 1980s. The two had a baby, the half-brother they are now searching for. Amy, who is terminally ill, lost contact with her son Damian many years ago and is worried that once she is gone, he’ll be all alone in this world.

Nate promised Amy that he would search for his half-brother — but only to the extent that he would contract a private investigator to conduct the search for him and report back.

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Private eyes on The Young and the Restless

The private investigator Nate hired is Denise Tolliver, and Telma Hopkins is playing the role. Many viewers will recognize Hopkins for her storied career in film and television. She is well known for roles on shows such as Roots: The Next Generations and Family Matters.

However, we have seen Telma Hopkins ply her trade in Genoa City before. Hopkins appeared on five Y&R episodes in 2021 as Denise Tolliver. At the time, she reunited with co-star Bryton James (Devon Hamilton). The actors were both on Family Matters.

You may ask, what is Hopkins' new connection to The Young and the Restless? It just so happens that the new private investigator that Nate has hired was also a co-star of Valerie Pettiford when they were on a UPN sitcom called Half & Half.

In an interview with Soap Opera Digest, Valerie and Telma talked about how this storyline on The Young and the Restless reunites them again and how much it means to them to work together on the same set.

The Young and the Restless: Heartfelt reunion

SOD said to Telma that it had been a few years since she had been on Y&R and asked her how this opportunity came about, but Hopkins had no idea. She said she just got a call asking if she could come on the show and asked who she would be working with. Upon hearing it would be with Valerie, Telma immediately said she would do it.

When SOD asked what this reunion meant to them both, this is what the two had to say:

Telma: So I was just excited to be with her, and I know what a powerhouse she is. I am just looking forward to seeing her in action. I'm hoping I get to come back when Damian shows up.

Valerie: Heaven, heaven, complete heaven. When you work with the best of the best,, you just say the lines. All I had to do was look in her eyes and feel like home and it really feels [like] home.

SOD asked Valerie what her reaction was when she learned that she would be working again with her friend Telma on the Y&R storyline. Valerie responded that she was happy that Telma let her know. All she had known about her role as Amy was that she would be working with Sean Dominic (Nate) and Zuleyka Silver (Audra). She had no idea about working with anyone else, so when Telma called her up to tell her the good news, she said, “Oh my god, who are you playing?” and then she found out that Telma's character was connected to her own. "It's awesome," said Valerie.

What does this reunion mean for the fans?

SOD tried to tease out a little information about what's to come in the Nate-Damian storyline, but the two actresses were very tight-lipped and revealed nothing. "Get ready!" Valerie said. Telma added about Valarie's acting, "She’s a master artist. You're going to see her go from giggly to ugly cry."

It's gonna be a surprise. Its a ride. Just get ready. — Valarie Pettiford to Soap Opera Digest

Stay tuned to The Young and the Restless weekdays on CBS or stream through Paramount Plus.

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