The Bold and the Beautiful Preview Teases the Comeback Fans Have Been Waiting For

File this under holiday surprises: The Bold and the Beautiful is pulling a familiar face back into the mix, and the preview they just dropped is basically a neon sign for drama. Yes, Thomas Forrester is stepping back into the chaos.

Thomas is back (again), and the show is not being subtle about it

Matthew Atkinson is reprising Thomas Forrester, Ridge and Taylor's layered, often combustible son. The teaser makes it pretty clear he is returning right as everyone is hanging stockings, which feels on-brand for this show. The suggestion is that he is not just visiting, either — the vibe is very much "back at Forrester Creations and ready to stir the pot."

Quick refresher on the comings and goings

• Atkinson has played Thomas since 2019, and he was a core piece of the canvas until he stepped away in March 2024, which did not go over great with viewers.
• He popped back in for short stints in June and July.
• Then came a brief September return (the timeline here gets a little funky — the show framed Thomas's next appearance as happening in September 2025). That arc followed his split from Paris and shifted his attention to Ridge and Taylor's plan to remarry.
• Of course, Ridge being Ridge, he bailed on Taylor for Brooke. Thomas lost it, blamed Brooke for blowing up the family again, and had to be talked down by his dad. He eventually apologized to Brooke and accepted the marriage was happening whether he liked it or not.
• Now, the new preview points to a holiday homecoming that looks more permanent, with Thomas sliding back into his role at Forrester Creations.

What the actor is saying

When he showed up over the summer, Atkinson told Soap Opera Digest the fan response had been loud and, honestly, kind of sweet:

"I can't speak for all the fans, but there's a wealth of people that are either really, really upset that Thomas is gone for a period or really sad. [They] reach out and they're like, 'Hey, when are you back? When are you back? When are you back?' That just speaks to their care for this character. And that means a lot to me because I would have fun doing this in a vacuum, but it's really great to have a response that shows that these people care about what you're doing. And so it's just been so much love from so many fans that comes out in so many different ways."

So what does this actually mean?

Short version: expect fireworks at Forrester HQ and around the Ridge/Brooke/Taylor triangle, because Thomas does not exactly do quiet. The last time we saw him, he blew up at Brooke, then made peace. If the preview is teeing him up as "back for good," we are probably getting a more involved, day-to-day Thomas — designs, family alliances, and choices that will have consequences five storylines from now.

One note for the diehards: the date math in the recent arcs is a bit tangled (that September 2025 tag is doing a lot), but the takeaway is simple — Thomas has been in and out all year, and the show is now positioning him as a full-fledged presence again, just in time to complicate everyone's holiday plans.