While the couple had a rocky start to their relationship, Mariah Copeland (Camryn Grimes) and Tessa Porter (Cait Fairbanks) have quickly become fan favorites on The Young and the Restless. However, the Mariah and Tessa pairing isn’t just a fan favorite, but it’s a historic Y&R pairing for the LGBTQ representation their relationship brings to the CBS soap.
Learn more about this historic pairing and how fans recently showed appreciation for Y&R bringing LGBTQ representation to the soap below.
Mariah’s troubled past leads to a beautiful love story with Tessa
In January 2014, Mariah Copeland found herself in Genoa City. The newcomer had been hired by the business tycoon Victor Newman to terrorize his former daughter-in-law. Victor was stunned when he came across Mariah on a business trip.
The young woman greatly resembled his adoptive granddaughter, Cassie Newman, who had died in a car crash in 2005. Cassie was Sharon Newman’s biological daughter, who was later adopted by her husband, Nick Newman.
While Nick and Sharon had split up after Cassie’s death, they were on the verge of rekindling their romance. Victor did not want to see this reunion. Therefore, he brings Mariah to town to play Cassie’s ghost in an attempt to make Sharon seem insane. Eventually, Victor’s evil plan blows up in his face, and Sharon learns the truth.
The tables are somewhat turned when Mariah learns that her entire past has been fabricated. According to Fandom, Mariah learns that she is actually Cassie’s twin sister, who was stolen and raised by cult members Helen Copeland and Ian Ward. Sharon was just a teen when she gave birth to Cassie and Mariah and never knew she had been pregnant with twins.
Mariah definitely had a rocky start upon her arrival in Genoa City. However, her character development has been immense over the last nine years. Mariah has not only built a strong relationship with her biological mother, but she has found love. According to People, Mariah actually became one-half of the first same-sex marriage in Y&R history when she tied the knot with her longtime girlfriend, Tessa, in May 2022.
‘Y&R’ fans love the LGBTQ representation that Mariah and Tessa bring to the show
According to Fandom, Tessa Porter arrived in Genoa City in March 2017 and quickly found friendship with Mariah. While there were a number of ups and downs in their relationship, many Y&R fans were thrilled when Tessa and Mariah’s relationship moved beyond platonic friendship. The couple soon became a fan favorite, earning the ship name “Teriah” by the Y&R fans.
Read Related Also: Zelensky delivered a 5 point Formula for Peace to the U.N. that begins with punishment
With Mariah and Tessa’s May 2022 wedding being the first same-sex marriage in the soap’s history, many fans have since spoken out about how happy they are for the LGBTQ representation that writers are finally bringing to the show.
As shown on Twitter, Teriah fans even recently made a grand gesture in November 2022. As a nod to Mariah, Tessa, and the Y&R showrunners, fans had a plane fly above the set with a banner that read, “Equality Matters. We [heart] Cam&Cait. #Teriah.”
Will Mariah and Tessa get their happily ever after?
It’s clear that many Y&R fans love the Mariah and Tessa pairing and the representation it brings to the show. However, as longtime soap opera fans know, happily ever afters tend to have an expiration date in the soap world. Mariah and Tessa’s latest storyline has been centered around the possibility of becoming parents through adoption. Sadly, pursuing adoption could lead to the destruction of Mariah’s family and her relationship with her wife.
According to Soaps She Knows, the baby that Mariah and Tessa may end up adopting will actually be the child of Mariah’s half-brother, Noah Newman, and his ex-girlfriend Audra. Noah is currently in a happy relationship with Allie Nguyen, Jack Abbott’s granddaughter.
However, Audra has recently returned to Genoa City to find Noah, revealing to him that she was pregnant with their child but that the pregnancy ended in a tragic miscarriage. While Noah seems convinced, It seems that not all Y&R fans are buying the story that Audra is selling. Noah recently said that had their child lived, the baby would be around nine months old right now.
Many fans are convinced that a nine-month-old baby will soon be placed with Mariah and Tessa, which will undoubtedly stir up immense drama in the family. Only time will tell if Mariah and Tessa will be able to weather the storm that is looming and come out on the other side with their marriage still intact.
