It seems the world is obsessed with influencers, and The Young and the Restless has jumped aboard the trend of hiring popular social media stars to boost a company's image. The soap has brought in fictional influencers Tallulah and Indio -- played by Briana Cuoco and Jules Aurora, respectively -- who will likely become deeply involved with the ongoing business storyline surrounding Mariah (Camryn Grimes) and Theo (Tyler Johnson).
Fans might recognize Cuoco as the real-life sister of The Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco. She briefly appeared on the CBS sitcom opposite her famous sibling back in 2013, but her other credits include The Lydia Bennet!!, The Mentalist, Mom, and Criminal Minds. However, daytime fans might recognize Cuoco from something else entirely: not only is she friends with soap alum Ashley Jones (ex-Bridget Forrester, The Bold and the Beautiful; ex-Parker Forsyth, General Hospital), but she also appeared alongside Y&R's Cait Fairbanks (Tessa Porter) in the 2016 rock musical Lizzie, which was based on notorious killer Lizzie Borden.
Aurora is known to television audiences as a singer who appeared on season ten of American Idol and season three of The X Factor. She became a major social media hit in 2016, when she began posting weekly song covers on Instagram and YouTube.
"My character...isn't too far off from my actual life," Aurora tells Asian Journal of her Y&R gig. "It was amazing to work on set with so many seasoned actors. I fell in love with it and there will definitely be more to come in all avenues of my career."
Aurora also took to social media with some photos of herself at the CBS studios, along with the caption: "Sooo excited to announce that I will be a recurring guest star on the @youngandrestlesscbs as 'Indio' starting with today's episode!! Grateful to have had the opportunity to work with everyone on set. This is just the beginning and I can't wait to see what the rest of this journey has in store. Here's to making progress!"
Watch for Cuoco and Aurora to make their next Y&R appearances on Monday, September 9.
How do you feel about Y&R incorporating social media influencers onto the canvas? What do you think about the casting of Briana Cuoco and Jules Aurora as influencers? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
