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Bryton James marked a major milestone on The Young and the Restless on June 1, celebrating 21 years since his debut as Devon Hamilton. In an interview with Soaps She Knows on May 31, 2025, Bryton James reflected on his journey from a 17-year-old actor attending multiple auditions to becoming one of the show’s longest-running cast members.
“I really wanted the [Coca-Cola] commercial,” James recalled, speaking about the day he also auditioned for the soap in 2004. “I thought, I was 17, so what did a soap opera want with a kid?”
That screen test ended up changing his life. Casting director Marnie Saitta stopped the audition midway and told him,
“Finally, someone who reads this role the way it’s meant to be read.”
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That comment gave James a surge of confidence. He also mentioned that Christel Khalil, who became his longtime scene partner as Lily, had previously appeared on Family Matters with him, making the full-circle reunion even more surreal. They performed four scenes together during the screen test.
Now, 21 years later, James says he’s still committed to honoring the show’s legacy.
“I will never stop trying to make this place proud,” he told Soaps.com.
From early storylines about foster care and deafness to eventually becoming Katherine Chancellor's grandson and a leading romantic figure, the character of Devon has evolved with James at the center. With two Daytime Emmys and over two decades of consistent work, Bryton James is now a key part of Y&R’s legacy, by his own words.
Everything about Bryton James in The Young and the Restless through the years
One of Bryton James' earliest major arcs came in 2006, when Devon contracted meningitis and lost his hearing. The character's adjustment to deafness and eventual cochlear implant surgery were based on real-life medical advances, allowing James to explore a complex shift in Devon’s identity.
The show revisited this arc in 2012 when Devon underwent a second procedure that fully restored his hearing. Another significant turn came in 2011 when it was revealed that Devon was the biological son of billionaire Tucker McCall and the grandson of Katherine Chancellor.
This plot not only tied Devon to the show’s core legacy but also sparked new tensions with his adoptive father, Neil Winters, especially as Devon struggled with his sudden wealth and the family secrets that accompanied it. This shift moved Devon out of the Winters family bubble and connected him to broader storylines, including Katherine’s will and the Hamilton-Winters business empire.
Devon’s romance with Hilary Curtis became one of his most talked-about plots. What began as an affair with his father’s wife eventually grew into a full-blown relationship, with a wedding, a pregnancy, and Hilary’s tragic death in 2018.
The affair exposed tensions within the Winters family, especially when Neil found out and revealed their betrayal during a business trip that ended in a plane crash. Even after Hilary’s death, her presence lingered through flashbacks and lookalike twin Amanda Sinclair, causing friction in Devon’s later relationships.
Devon also faced tense confrontations with family members, particularly when Lily caused the car crash that resulted in Hilary’s death. He initially pushed for her to receive the maximum sentence but later had a change of heart at the hearing. His emotional breakdowns, confrontations with Neil, and eventual forgiveness revealed another side of the character that was rarely seen before.
In recent years, Devon's decision to father a child with Abby Newman while navigating the fallout from cheating scandals involving Elena Dawson and Amanda Sinclair has kept the character relevant. Even offscreen losses, like the death of Neil Winters in 2019, were integrated into the show, giving James space to reflect real emotion on screen while continuing to advance the story.
Watch Bryton James in The Young and the Restless on CBS.
