Ivy’s Exit and Ashleigh Brewer’s Explosive Return: Bold & Beautiful Updates on Soaps.com

Ashleigh Brewer, who portrays Ivy Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful, is preparing for an explosive return to the CBS soap opera following her maternity leave, which began in late April 2026. Brewer announced her pregnancy earlier this year with husband Mark Bauch, a filmmaker, and confirmed that her final scenes as Ivy aired on April 23, 2026. Her exit was marked by a dramatic storyline in which Ivy’s schemes to keep Electra away from Will Spencer were exposed, culminating in a heartfelt apology and her now-iconic line: “I’ll go, but I will be back.”

The actress has emphasized that Ivy’s return will not involve a character reset or redemption arc. In interviews, Brewer stated she does not believe Ivy needs to “turn over a new leaf,” suggesting instead that the character’s complex motivations and unresolved tensions will be further explored. She expressed interest in delving deeper into Ivy’s psyche, particularly the roots of her anger and hurt, which she attributes in part to Ivy’s history with Liam and Wyatt Spencer — the original “hot Spencer boys” who shaped her early storylines on the show.

Brewer and Bauch, who married on December 11, 2025, after getting engaged in January 2024, have kept their relationship relatively private, though they shared their pregnancy news publicly in February 2026. The couple, introduced by fellow Australian actress Phoebe Tonkin, went public with their relationship in May 2022. Brewer’s B&B castmates, including Rebecca Budig, Lawrence Saint-Victor, Kimberlin Brown, and Laneya Grace, publicly celebrated her pregnancy announcement on social media.

The Bold and the Beautiful handled Brewer’s maternity leave exit with what fans and critics have described as graceful writing, allowing Ivy to depart with dignity while leaving the door open for a powerful comeback. Brewer has indicated that her return will likely coincide with the conclusion of her maternity leave, though no exact date has been confirmed. When she does return, Ivy is expected to re-enter the Forrester Creations world with the same intensity that defined her earlier portrayals, potentially reigniting long-standing conflicts and introducing new layers to her character.

As of April 24, 2026, Brewer remains on maternity leave, awaiting the arrival of her first child with Bauch. Her departure from the show has been framed not as an end, but as a pause — one that sets the stage for what she describes as an “explosive return” to one of daytime television’s most enduring characters.