Who plays Tessa on The Young and the Restless? Everything you need to know

Tessa Porter is a popular character on The Young and the Restless, portrayed by actress and singer Cait Fairbanks. Tessa's storyline on the soap focuses on how she has been building a family with her longtime girlfriend (and now-wife), Mariah Copeland. They have looked for houses together to move in, are focused on raising their daughter, Aria, and hope to create a family that they never got to experience.

However, Tessa has been involved in singing and releasing music, which is very similar to the actress in real life. Cait Fairbanks, born Caitlin Elizabeth Baunoch, releases her music on YouTube and Spotify and sings snippets of it on The Young and the Restless. She has received two Daytime Emmy nominations for her portrayal of Tessa.

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Who plays Tessa Porter on The Young and the Restless?

American actress and singer Cait Fairbanks has been playing the role of Tessa Porter on The Young and the Restless since 2017. Like Fairbanks, Tessa is also a singer-songwriter. Some of Fairbanks' original compositions have also been included in a few of the episodes.

Apart from the daytime soap world, Cait Fairbanks has been a part of many off-Broadway musical theatre shows. These include her roles as Veronica in Heathers: The Musical and Lucy in 13. She has also released many of her compositions as singles under the name Ginesse.

Fairbanks has also made cameo appearances in many other television shows previously, some of which are listed here:

• Untold Stories of the E.R. (2006) as Gabby Walsh
• CSI: NY (2007) as Mindy Sanchez
• Everybody Hates Chris (2008) as Darlene
• Lincoln Heights (2008) as Kennedy
• Two and a Half Men (2010) as Joanne
• The Middle (2013) as Amanda
• K.C. Undercover (2016) as Ursula Witt

Cait Fairbanks also has another unique connection to The Young and the Restless apart from her character, Tessa. Since 2019, the actress has been in a relationship with her co-star Zach Tinker. Zach plays the role of Fenmore Baldwin on the soap.

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Tessa Porter's current storyline on the soap explored

Tessa Porter married her longtime love interest, Mariah Copeland, in 2022, making them the first gay couple to feature on the soap. Fans have followed and appreciated the sparks between the two since 2017.

Recently, the couple has been going through a difficult time. Tessa had been preparing for a tour to promote some new music. However, she had to go see a doctor about a persistent sore throat. Later, it was revealed that she had nodes in her throat and would have to be operated upon.

Worried that she might lose her singing voice, Tessa hesitated about the surgery. But Mariah and Noah helped ease her feelings and convinced her to go through with the procedure for her health. Currently, Tessa has put her tour on halt and is recuperating with Mariah and Noah's help.

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Audiences can watch Cait Fairbanks as Tessa Porter on The Young and the Restless, with episodes released via CBS on all weekdays.