Who Is Tessa's Sister Crystal On The Young And The Restless?
Actress Morgan Obenreder made her soap opera debut in 2017 when she originated the role of Crystal Porter on "The Young and the Restless." She had previously appeared on a few procedural shows such "NCIS" and "Bones," the Netflix original "Mascots," and the Lifetime movie "Double Mommy."
Crystal was introduced to "Y&R" viewers as the younger sister of singer/songwriter Tessa Porter (Cait Fairbanks) who first came to Genoa City to make it big as a musician. Tessa was just getting her feet under her, both professionally and personally, when Crystal followed her to town. She had run away from home in an attempt to escape their abusive father but quickly found herself in even greater danger (via Soap Central). Though Obenreder had a relatively short run on the show, her character was at the center of a very significant storyline.
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Tessa Porter saved her sister from a sex-trafficking ring
Not long after Crystal Porter's arrival in Genoa City, she was discovered to be the same girl that Sharon Newman (Sharon Case) had been trying to help through her work at a crisis hotline (via Soap Central). Unfortunately, Crystal had been forced into a sex-trafficking ring, and Alice Johnson (Tamara Clatterbuck) was acting as her pimp. Tessa Porter tracked her sister down to a shady motel but was soon scared off by the guards holding her. She publicly revealed that Crystal was her sister in hopes that she could get help to rescue her.
Tessa worked with her friend Mariah Copeland (Camryn Grimes) to locate Alice and force her to tell them where Crystal was. Alice was the adoptive mother of Mariah's twin Cassie, who had passed away, and the two women tricked Alice into believing that Mariah was her daughter's ghost. She then gave them the information they were looking for (via SoapHub). Tessa was able to reunite with Crystal and save her from the danger she'd found herself in.
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Crystal Porter killed Zack Stinnett with Nikki Newman's gun
Not long after Crystal Porter's safe return, she revealed that Zack Stinnett (Ryan Ashton) was the leader of the sex-trafficking ring and that he was using his Newman-funded DesignDate app as a front for his illegal operation (via Soaps in Depth). At a party for the app, Crystal, with support from Tessa Porter, Sharon Newman, and Scott Grainger (Daniel Hall) publicly outed Zack and his involvement in prostitution. In response, he took Scott and Abby Newman (Melissa Ordway), who he had been dating up until this point, hostage.
Later, Zack tried to get Abby to run away with him but soon became jealous and threatened to shoot both Scott and Abby. Before he was able to pull the trigger, Scott lunged for the gun. In the ensuing struggle, a gunshot was heard. It was revealed that Crystal followed Zack to the storage unit where he was keeping the hostages; before he could kill Scott and Abby, she shot him in the back with a gun that Tessa had stolen from Nikki Newman (Melody Scott Thomas), per Soap Central. Realizing what she had done and the possible consequences of her actions, Crystal quickly ran away.
Crystal Porter returned to Genoa City for Tessa Porter and Mariah Copeland's wedding
A short while later, Tessa Porter was able to locate Crystal Porter and told her now-girlfriend Mariah Copeland that she needed to leave town to help her sister (via Soap Central). Tessa returned to Genoa City after a few months and shared with Mariah that she was able to set Crystal up with a new life in Canada, but that she now owed $20k to the people that helped her. Fortunately, Tessa came across an incriminating video and was able to blackmail Nikki Newman for the money to pay off her debt.
In 2022, Crystal was finally returned to Genoa City after three years away. She did so to attend Tessa and Mariah's wedding. In preparation for the nuptials, Rey Rosales (Jordi Vilasuso) was able to get the criminal charges dropped against Crystal since she had killed Zack in self-defense. Thus, she was able to come out of hiding and go back to her old identity (via Soaps). At the wedding, Crystal and Tessa were reunited, and the sisters were thrilled to be together for the special day. Crystal caught up with some old pals, particularly Abby Newman, and even got some special attention from Noah Newman.
Now that Crystal is a free woman, will she find herself back in Genoa City permanently? According to Soaps, Obenreder is open to the idea of returning to "The Young and the Restless," so it's definitely a possibility!