A familiar soap opera face is joining the cast of The Young and the Restless.
Tamara Braun will make her debut on the long-running CBS series this fall, People announced on Tuesday, August 26. Braun begins filming next week as the brand-new character Sienna Bacall, who is described as having “personal connections to several characters” on the show.
Braun is a veteran in the soap opera genre, having first appeared on General Hospital as Carly Corinthos in 2001. She portrayed the character through 2005 and returned in a 2014 episode to celebrate the show’s 51st anniversary.
The actress later returned to General Hospital as Dr. Kim Nero, whom she played from 2017 to 2019. During her first break from General Hospital, Braun appeared as Reese Williams on All My Children from 2008 to 2009.
Braun has also played Ava Vitali on Days of Our Lives on and off from 2008 to 2025, a role that earned her a Daytime Emmy award for Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2009. She won in the same category in 2020 for her role as Kim on General Hospital.
Braun has scored three other Daytime Emmy nominations over the years, one more for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2021 and two nods for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2004 and 2024.
Steve Fenn / ©ABC / courtesy Everett Collection
Before she begins filming The Young and the Restless, Braun took to social media to celebrate the end of production on her upcoming movie, Drifter. “This last month shooting @driftermovie with writer, director, star @sungkangsta has been one of the most special experiences of my life,” she wrote in a Tuesday Instagram post. “I’m just home and trying to decompress. Trying to process it all. I’m exhausted. I need to sleep. But boy do I already miss this incredible cast and crew and all the angel sprinkles of love that this production had all over it.”
Braun noted that she was “not ready to let go” of the project, adding, “I will carry this experience in my heart forever. Thank you, Sung. You know what this has meant to me. 🏎️💛💃🏻Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
Earlier this month, Soap Opera Network reported that Jill Farren Phelps returned to The Young and the Restless as a producer amid fan backlash over the show’s recent storylines. “What’s wrong with Y&R? Used to be so great now it’s just meh,” a Reddit user titled a recent forum.
One listed several criticisms, writing, “1. Too much focus on business without actually showing any scheming. 2. Cast is too small so it feels stale, especially when everyone is related. 3. Show skews old. The 60+ crowd is getting too much airtime at the expense of the younger characters being developed. They need to balance it. 4. Lack of drama. No backstabbing, no affairs, no love triangles, no passion. Serious lack of romance too. 5. Newmans always win. Rinse, repeat. Victor needs to take a vacation.”
Another person added, “Yeah, I still watch but I don’t look forward to watching anymore. It’s almost a chore to watch. I’m not excited about anything especially certain hookups that may be on the horizon. I feel like the characters do the same old things and have the same old conversations.”
The Young and the Restless, Weekdays, CBS, Check Local Listings