JPI
On October 1, Brytni Sarpy shared the exciting news that she is back filming on Young and Restless! She checked in from the studio in her Instagram Stories, saying, “Just popping in to say hello to the fam…” and tagging the official Y&R Instagram account. She also showed a sign on her dressing room door that said, “13,000 episodes” — a milestone Y&R will be hitting later this year — and, under that text, it said, “Brytni Sarpy, Dr. Elena Dawson, Welcome back — we miss you!!!” Sarpy’s caption contained the reply, “missed you too🥲.” She went on to share a picture of herself with Hayley Erin (Claire), saying both “9 years later” and “Is it Valerie & Kiki [the characters they played on General Hospital; Sarpy was Valerie, Erin was Kiki] or Elena & Claire?”
The Good Doctor
Sarpy made her daytime debut in 2015 on GH; her Valerie Spencer was the daughter of Patricia Spencer, the sister of Port Charles icons Luke Spencer and Bobbie Spencer. Valerie became a cop and her short-lived fling with fellow officer Dante Falconeri led to the demise of Dante’s first marriage to Val’s maternal cousin, Lulu. The show also seemed to be flirting with a potential pairing between Valerie and Kristina Corinthos-Davis; the duo shared a kiss in 2018. Sarpy last aired in the role of March 2019.
That same month, Sarpy started her run on Y&R when the show brought back Devon’s sister Ana. It was established that Elena was Ana’s cousin and the caretaker for her uncle, singer Jeff Slade, Ana’s father. Elena had given up her medical residency at the time because she didn’t get along with the chief resident.
Elena went on to have some big romances, most notably with cousins Devon and Nate. Both relationships included cheating on both with the other, fueling a rivalry between the two men that caused Nate to eventually have to give up his medical career for the business world.
In a 2023 interview Sarpy told Digest of Elena’s romantic missteps, “I think everyone makes mistakes, Elena included, but if you notice with any of her conversations with Tessa or Mariah or really anyone, she’s always been the moral compass for people. So it’s always been important for me to keep that for her because she definitely knows right from wrong.”
The character wasn’t seen much after Nate cheated on her with his then-boss Victoria Newman. In March of 2023, the doc was planning to start a medical podcast and Audra Charles suggested that she interview JT Hellstrom about how his brain tumor had affected his life. Since then, Elena hasn’t been seen on the show.
As for Sarpy, since her last appearance in Genoa City she filmed the movie For Four Fun, which was written and directed by Jason Cook (ex-Shawn Brady, Days of Our Lives; ex-Matt Hunter, GH) and co-starred Jacob Young (ex-Rick Forrester, Bold and Beautiful, et al), telling Digest of her character, Desirae, “This is actually a character I hadn’t really done anything close to before. I really had to pull from a more sensual, more grounded, older version of myself.”
There is no word yet on the length of Sarpy’s return trip to Y&R, or when she will first air.
Are you excited to see Elena back in Genoa City, and what story twists would you like to see come the character’s way? Let us know in the comments below!
