‘The Young and the Restless’: 10 Extremely Famous Guest Stars

The Young and the Restless is one of the few soap operas still on the air. Since it began in 1973, the series has attracted countless guest stars, from actors like George Takei and David Hasselhoff to musicians like Katy Perry and Trace Adkins. The show has been the highest-rated daytime drama for more than 30 years, with no end in sight.

Created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell, the series is set in the fictional Genoa City, Wisconsin – not to be confused with the real Genoa City, Wisconsin. Fans have been watching the feuds between the show’s families for 45 years now, and that will continue. The Young and the Restless is now one of just three daytime soaps still ongoing. CBS is the only network with two, as it airs The Bold and the Beautiful as well. ABC’s General Hospital is the only one not airing on CBS. NBC’s Days of Our Lives moved off the broadcast network and is now streaming exclusively on Peacock. 

During its run, Y&R has won nine Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series and remains the highest-rated daytime TV drama in the U.S. With the show’s 45th anniversary this month, here is a look at 10 of the most famous guest stars to appear on the show.

Sean Young

Sean Young joined Y&R back in 2010 as Maggie McLaine. She appeared in 45 episodes from 2010 to 2011. Young is best known for her roles in Blade Runner and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Young was recently seen on TNT’s The Alienist, an adaptation of the best-selling Caleb Carr novel. She briefly appeared as Rachel again in Blade Runner 2049.

Il Divo

At the height of their fame, the pop-opera group Il Divo appeared on Y&R in a 2006 episode. The quartet reached international fame around that time, and were promoting their album Siempre. The group is still together, touring the world. They released their latest studio album, Amor & Pasion, in 2015.

Little Richard

Music icon Little Richard stopped by Y&R in 2008 to play himself. Richard, whose real name is Richard Wayne Penniman, is one of the architects of Rock and Roll, with songs like “Tutti Frutti,” “Kansas City,” “Lucille” and “Good Golly Miss Molly.” Little Richard died in May 2020 at 87.

George Kennedy

George Kennedy, who died at 91 in 2016, was one of Hollywood’s greatest character actors. He won an Oscar for Cool Hand Luke in 1968 and made his final film appearance in the 2014 remake of The Gambler with Mark Wahlberg. Kennedy played Albert Miller in four Y&R episodes. The first three aired in 2003, but he made another appearance in 2010.

George Takei

Star Trek legend George Takei presided over the wedding of Neil (Kristoff St. John) and Drucilla (Victoria Rowell), appearing as Rev. Daniel Tanaka in 2003. Takei is best known for playing the original Sulu on Star Trek. He recently appeared in two episodes of Hawaii Five-0 and Fresh Off The Boat. Takei also has a huge social media following, with over 10 million likes on Facebook.

Smokey Robinson

Another music icon to stop by Y&R is Smokey Robinson, one of the greatest pop songwriters in music history. He played himself in a 2004 episode. Robinson continues to add accolades to his resume, as The Temptations’ “My Girl” was just added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. Robinson wrote that some, as well as other classics like “You Really Got a Hold on Me,” “I Second That Emotion,” “The Tears of a Clown” and “The Tracks of My Tears.”

Katy Perry

Today, Katy Perry is seen on television every week on ABC’s American Idol. At the start of her career, she made an appearance on a 2008 episode of Y&R. That same year, she released her breakthrough second album, One of the Boys, which included “I Kissed a Girl” and “Hot n Cold.”

Enrique Iglesias

Y&R also attracted Enrique Iglesias. He stopped by the soap opera in 2007 when he was promoting the album Insominaic. 

Iglesias and his partner of 16 years, Anna Kournikova, recently welcomed twins. “I became a father 12 weeks ago and I can absolutely tell you two things: I love my babies! I love them very much,” Iglesias said in March 2018, reports PEOPLE. “Actually three things: I love my girl and I super f—ing love you guys for being here tonight. This is for your loyalty.”

Trace Adkins

Country music star Trace Adkins also appeared on Y&R in 2008. That year, he released his 10th album, appropriately titled X. Adkins recently starred in his own series for Fox, Monarch, which lasted just one season.

David Hasselhoff

Of course, when The Hoff has extra time on his hands, David Hasselhoff never turns down an offer. He first played “Snapper” Foster in 1980, but returned to the role 30 years later for a five-episode arc. Hasselhoff is best known for his roles in Baywatch and Knight Rider. He had a cameo role in 2017’s R-rated Baywatch movie.