Who is Cassie Newman’s biological father on The Young and the Restless? Explained

Cassie Newman, played by Camryn Grimes on The Young and the Restless, was Sharon's daughter. Sharon became pregnant with Cassie after an affair with her high school boyfriend, Frank Barritt, in 1991. Frank refused responsibility, so Sharon put Cassie up for adoption but later took her back.

Cassie first appeared in the show in 1997 and was written off in 2005 when her character was killed. Recent viewers may have heard Cassie mentioned but may not know her full story.

As one of the longest-running American soaps on CBS, premiering in 1973, Y&R has covered characters from birth to death as with Cassie. However, in a later twist, Cassie is found to have a twin, Mariah, who arrives in Genoa City long after Cassie's death.

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The Young and the Restless: Cassie's parentage and history on the soap

Cassie's story started on The Young and the Restless with Sharon's rebellious escape from home during high school in 1991. Sharon joined her friend, Grace, and her boyfriend, Frank Barritt. At the time, Frank had forced Sharon into intimacy resulting in her pregnancy. However, presented with the information, Frank backed out of taking responsibility for the arriving baby. 17-year-old Sharon gave birth to Cassie and put her up for adoption.

In 1994, Sharon Collins, played by Sharon Case, moved to Genoa City and married Nicholas Newman. The Young and the Restless storyline of 1997 saw Sharon and Nicholas' infant son, Noah, getting ill. This prompted Grace to trace Cassie and bring her to Genoa. After keeping Cassie to herself for some time, Grace was forced to hand over the 6-year-old girl to Sharon. After adopting Cassie, Nick Newman became her legal father.

In 2003, Frank Barritt, played by Phil Dozois, came to town to reconnect with Cassie and Sharon. Sharon and Nick told Cassie that Frank was from her past, making her curious. After Frank's death, Cassie learned he was her biological father and was devastated.

Frank's death became controversial when Sharon, defending herself, hit Cameron and left him in a sewer. However, Frank's body was found there instead. Sharon was initially arrested for Frank's murder but was later proven innocent when it was revealed that Cameron had killed Frank and tried to frame her.

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The Young and the Restless: Cassie's death and beyond

In 2005, a 14-year-old Cassie, played by Camryn Grimes, tried to drive a very drunk Daniel Romallotti, her teenage crush. After crashing the car, the severely injured Cassie went to Daniel's room in the hospital to inform him about her driving and later told her parents the same before dying in Nick and Sharon's arms. She had also told her parents that they would have another daughter to love. Camryn's portrayal of Cassie won her the Daytime Emmy Award at the age of ten.

While grief from Cassie's death drove her parents apart, resulting in Nick and Phyllis's affair and the birth of Summer Newman, the couple had another daughter, Faith, in 2009. During her pregnancy with Faith, Sharon often dreamt of Cassie and also during the period Faith was stolen. Cassie also made appearances as Sharon's visions whenever the latter went off her medicines for bipolar disorder.

Camryn's portrayal of Cassie won her a Daytime Emmy at a young age (Image via Instagram/camryngrimes)

While Sharon's visions of "Cassie's apparition" later turned out to be Cassie's twin sister, Mariah, tasked by Victor Newman to manipulate Sharon, her ghost has been making appearances again recently. While Sharon has been claiming to see both Cassie and Cameron's ghosts, her bipolar disorder has returned.

In The Young and the Restless episode aired September 26, 2024, Sharon was seen presumably killing Heather instead of Daniel to avenge Cassie's death. Watch out for Cassie's mother, Sharon, as she faces justice for Heather's death on the soap, in the upcoming episodes airing on weekdays on CBS.