Why The New Amanda Sinclair On The Young And The Restless Looks So Familiar

"The Young and the Restless" is one of the longest-running American soap operas ever, at 48 seasons and counting. Countless stars have gotten their start on the show, including Penn Badgley, Eva Longoria, Tom Selleck, and Shemar Moore, among many others. Set in a fictionalized version of Genoa City, Wisconsin, "The Young and The Restless" originally followed two families from different social classes: the rich Brooks family and the working-class Foster family. However, over the years, the focus of the show has shifted to different families, such as the Abbotts, the Williamses, the Newmans, the Barber-Winterses, and the Baldwin-Fishers.

One of the current characters on "The Young and the Restless" the mysterious lawyer Amanda Sinclair, usually played by Mishael Morgan (who also played Hilary Curtis pre-2019). When Morgan suffered a real-life eye injury in the spring of 2021, the producers had to quickly find a temporary replacement while she healed. Thankfully, they didn't have to look far: an experienced soap actor was available to fill Morgan's shoes. 

Here's where you may have seen the temporary Amanda Sinclair, Karla Mosley, before she briefly took over on "The Young and the Restless."

According to her website, Karla Mosley attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where she earned her Bachelor's degree in Drama. While in college, she was cast in her first role on the American version of the popular Australian children's show "Hi-5." The show consisted of five performers who would teach kids about a dedicated topic each episode. Mosley's segment was titled "Body Move," and she would sing, dance, and do funny skits to encourage children to be active. She also provided the voice for Chatterbox, a puppet who would join the other cast members during their segments.

After appearing on "Hi-5" from 2003 to 2006, Mosley left to try her hand at other acting projects. While she was on "Hi-5," the show was nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards (and a third in 2007, after Mosley's departure), per the series' IMDb. "Hi-5" made Mosley a household name for people with young children, and kicked off her decades-long career.

While Karla Mosley is known for her time on "Hi-5," chances are you've also seen her in one of several soap operas. In 2008, she played a pre-med student named Christina Moore Boudreau on "Guiding Light." She went on to play a transgender model named Maya Avant Forrester on "The Bold and the Beautiful," where her character was the first trans bride to be married on daytime television (via NewNowNext). On her website, Mosley noted that she has accepted three GLAAD Awards on behalf of "The Bold and the Beautiful" for her portrayal of Maya.

In October 2020, Mosley shared a heartfelt Instagram post to announce the end of her time on "The Bold and the Beautiful" after her six-year run. "An openly Trans supermodel, mother, formerly incarcerated and unhoused power player," the actress wrote. "Because of her we saw the first wedding and series regular spot for a Trans character on US TV, the first time a soap storyline became a web series spinoff (which I got to co-write, produce, and star in), and the first Black family in the history of ["The Bold and the Beautiful"]."

Aside from her time on the small screen, Karla Mosley has been in numerous short films. She played the titular character in the 2009 musical short "Zinzi" and starred as Collard Green in the 2012 sci-fi adventure short titled "Violet to Earth." A few years later, she was nominated for a Blackstar Film Festival Jury Prize for her work as the executive producer of the 2017 drama "Xin."

One of Mosley's most recent roles was in the short romance film "A Holiday Lift." She played Holly, a woman who hooks up with her work rival right after a harsh breakup — only to end up trapped in an elevator with him shortly after. Mosley appeared alongside Blake Cooper Griffin, and she gushed to Digital Journal about working with him on the holiday movie: "It was so much fun. It was great to work with Blake, I felt really safe working with him. This was my first project back to work after the pandemic hit. It was a great day of filming."

Though mainly known for her time on popular soaps, Karla Mosley has shown time and time again that she's capable of a variety of projects, from singing and dancing on a children's show to leading romantic dramas. We're excited to see what genre she tries next.