In a storyline that upends decades of Forrester family history, The Bold and the Beautiful unleashes one of its most explosive twists yet: Daphne, a previously unknown character, is revealed to be Ridge Forrester’s biological daughter, while Thomas — long believed to be Ridge’s son — is not related to him by blood at all. The seismic revelation begins not with a scandal, but a crisis. Ridge, battling a life-threatening illness, urgently needs a bone marrow transplant. None of his supposed children, including Thomas, are compatible donors. But Daphne, selflessly stepping forward, is discovered to be a perfect match — genetically too perfect to be anything but Ridge’s biological child.
The truth traces back decades, to a secret buried by Margaret Hamilton, Taylor Hayes’s mother. During Taylor’s difficult childbirth, Margaret secretly swapped the babies. Thomas, born to another woman, was passed off as Ridge and Taylor’s son, while Daphne, their real daughter, was given away and raised by another family. Margaret believed the Forrester dynasty needed a strong male heir, and manipulated fate to ensure it.
This revelation tears through the Forrester family. Ridge is devastated by the knowledge that the daughter who saved his life is someone he never knew existed, while Thomas — always desperate to prove himself — is left reeling by the discovery that he was never truly a Forrester. His entire life, identity, and career at Forrester Creations collapse under the weight of this truth. Taylor, unaware of the switch and manipulated by her own mother, is left broken, losing both the son she raised and the daughter she never knew.
As the family reels, Forrester Creations becomes a battleground. In a stunning boardroom coup, Ridge strips Thomas of his company shares, citing legal technicalities and criminal deception surrounding his birth. Daphne is quietly offered a minority stake in the company she never asked to be part of, placing her in the center of a legacy that feels more like a curse than a gift.
Thomas spirals. Humiliated, cast out, and stripped of his identity, he lashes out and vanishes — only to reemerge with a new name: Thomas Hamilton, his true identity. Whispers emerge of him joining rival fashion houses and preparing to take down the empire that discarded him. Daphne, meanwhile, is thrust into an unwanted spotlight. She tries to reach out, to make peace, but Thomas sees her as the symbol of his downfall.
Old wounds, buried secrets, and the question of what makes a family—blood or bond—explode across the canvas of this storyline. As the Forester name is tested like never before, Daphne must decide whether to uphold the legacy she was born into or walk away from it entirely. But one thing is clear: the family may never recover from this betrayal, and the war between Thomas and the Forresters is just beginning.