Beth Maitland is considered a major part of The Young and the Restless family, but now the actress is part of the soap's opening credits, too. For the first time in over two decades, fans will today begin seeing her face during the opening theme of the CBS soap opera.
"So excited to be back after over two decades in the opening credits," Maitland shared on Instagram of the special occasion.
Maitland joined the cast of Y&R back in 1982 and although she was originally intended to be on the soap for a short arc only, she impressed the producers and quickly landed a contract. The move proved to be a good one for the soap, as the actress became a fan favorite Abbott family member and also won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 1985.
Despite her popularity, Maitland exited Y&R in 1996 and was later placed on recurring status in 2001, where she has remained since that time, popping in for short stints (like for the holidays) and occasional longer stints (like the death of Traci's daughter Colleen and the soap's emotional storyline in which the Abbott family matriarch, Dina, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's). Maitland's most recent arc on the CBS soap happened this summer, when Traci penned a book inspired by Cane Ashby (Daniel Goddard).
Though Maitland is once again back in Y&R's opening titles, she is (sadly) not back on contract with the long-running series. However, she stated on social media that she is "glad to be around more."
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