List of The Young and the Restless characters introduced in 2021

Meredith (Evelina Martinez), the caregiver of Chelsea Lawson (Melissa Claire Egan), debuted in January, as did specialist Lena Cavett (Dana Sparks).

Tara Locke, a woman that Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor) had had an affair with, was introduced in March, with her husband, Ashland (Richard Burgi/Robert Newman) debuting later that month.

Sutton Ames, played by Jack Landrón, debuted in April, followed by Harrison (Kellen Enriquez/Redding Munsell), the son of Tara and Kyle, in May.

Jesse Gaines (Jamison Jones) made his first appearance in September, whilst Kim Dunaway, played by Roxanne Hart, debuted in November.

[5] Adam Newman (Mark Grossman) hires Lena, a specialist doctor, to help with the recovery Chelsea Lawson (Melissa Claire Egan), who has suffered a stroke and cannot move or speak.

[8] She was introduced as the married woman that Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor) had had an affair with, which produced a son, Harrison (Kellen Enriquez).

[10] Richard Simms from Soaps She Knows put Tara on his list of the most hated soap opera characters, commenting that "Although she hit Genoa City with a legendarily malevolent husband, adorable moppet and lust-filled backstory, Elizabeth Leiner's Young & Restless alter ego was soon reduced to a Kyle-obsessed vixen who wasn't really all that vixenish.

[12] Mason and Simms named Tara as the "Biggest Waste of a Character" of 2021 in American soap operas, writing that the character had "potential to be a supervixen on par with old-school Jill or Lauren", but instead was written "with all the flair of a limp dishrag, rendering her about as interesting as a paperweight (and as likely to scheme her way out of a tight spot)" to the point that "no one even cared enough to cheer" when she was written out.

[14] The character was referred to as an "uber successful tycoon with a reputation for being a shrewd businessman", who comes to town to oversee a bidding war between the Abbotts and the Newmans.

[17] In July 2022, Newman exited the role, with the actor confirming the news on social media and thanking his fans.

[18] Prior to his introduction, Amy Mistretta from Soaps She Knows referred to the character as a "ruthless business mogul".

[19] Simms, alongside Charlie Mason, later wrote that Ashland was the "Second-Best New Character" of 2021 in American soap operas, calling him the "Locke Ness Monster", but wanted the soap to show "just how bad Richard Burgi's Big Bad is instead of merely telling us over and over again that he's powerful and scary".

[20] Following the news of the recast, Mason noted that whilst it was a "bummer" that Burgi had departed, the soap "couldn't have picked a finer successor for him than Newman".

[16] Simms referred to Burgi's departure as a "twist nobody saw coming" and noted that Burgi had joined the soap to "great fanfare", as well as noting that the "unexpected pairing" of Ashland and Victoria "almost immediately caught fire" rather than a love triangle between Tara, Kyle and Summer.

[21] Sutton is part of a powerful politician family and he forced Naya to give away her twins Hilary and Amanda.

Years later, he is accused of causing the death of the twins' father, Richard Nealon, who died in a car crash.

[9] Michelle Moro Parkerton from Soaps In Depth called Harrison a "sweet little boy" with "adorable curls" and noted that he had "certainly been a hot topic of conversation" even prior to his first appearance.

[28][29] Denise is a detective who comes to deliver "shocking information" about the past of Amanda Sinclair (Mishael Morgan).

[31][32][33] His casting was announced earlier that month by Soap Opera Digest, and it was revealed that Jesse would help give a "little insight" into the past of Ashland Locke (Richard Burgi).

[33] Amy Mistretta from Soaps She Knows questioned whether Jesse would be a "friend of foe" and whether his presence would lead to Ashland "scrambling to hide the truth".

Billy brings Jesse back to Genoa City, offering him protection and money if exposes Ashland's secret.

Jesse escapes and is found by Victoria's brother, Nicholas Newman (Joshua Morrow), who locks him in a room when he reveals everything.

[34] Hart's casting in the recurring role was announced earlier that month by Soap Opera Digest, with it being reported that Kim would "hold the key to a mystery that unfolds".

When Chance is missing, his wife, Abby Newman (Melissa Ordway) calls the couple, who have retired in Spain.

[34] Amy Mistretta from Soaps She Knows also speculated that Kim would be related to Chance or Ashland, as well as suggesting that she may be connected to Gaines, and wrote that she was looking forward to seeing how the mystery "unfolds".