The Young and the Restless: Is Bryton James really deaf?

The Young and the Restless has entered into a challenging storyline for Mariah and Tessa as they contend with their daughter, Aria, having a hearing issue. The concern is that she may be hard of hearing or deaf. They found out on Aug. 29’s episode that it’s too early to tell how much she can hear, but she can be fitted with hearing aids despite her young age and they can consider cochlear implants down the line if that’s a step they want to take in her care.

What’s helped the couple is being able to lean on Devon who lost his hearing 17 years ago after a bout with meningitis. The storyline took place in 2006 on the soap, so newcomers to the daytime program have been learning the character’s history with hearing loss and how his father, Neil (played by the late Kristoff St. John), helped him through that time in his life through caring for him, learning sign language, and talking through the decision to get a cochlear implant.

Devon would later get internal implants in a 2012 storyline but for half a decade, the actor Bryton James was shown on screen wearing a cochlear implant. As Young and the Restless delves into this storyline for baby Aria, and airs flashbacks of Devon’s past storylines, viewers are wondering if James is deaf in real life. Here’s what we know.

Is Young and the Restless’ Bryton James really deaf?

No, he is not. In an interview with Daytime Confidential, James spoke on why the 2006 deaf storyline remains his favorite:

"My favorite storyline was playing when I was deaf. As an actor, you want something thrown at you that’s difficult, and there’s nothing more difficult than experiencing not having a sense. It was just a lot of fun and especially with how long I got to do it for. I had a fan that is deaf actually come up to me and just leave a note on my table when I was out eating one time. The note talked about how they watched the show, and how my portrayal was believable. It meant the world and more than any award or anything else."

James also shared with Soap Opera Digest that St. John, Victoria Rowell (who played Devon’s mother Drucilla), and Christel Khalil (who plays his sister Lily) all learned sign language for the storyline while on set. James wasn’t required to learn, but he did take a class so he could be as involved as possible.

The actor also had a hand in the storyline about Devon getting internal implants. James was speaking to Eileen Davidson (Ashley Abbott on Y&R) in hair and make-up when she showed him an article on the advancements made with cochlear implants including an internal implant. The pair took the idea to the producers and the writers and that’s how the 2012 storyline was born.

Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more Young and the Restless news and coverage!