Thomas Forrester’s time at his family’s company has come to an end on The Bold and the Beautiful, at least for now. On the Wednesday, June 24 episode, Ridge made a decision that he admitted was hard for him. But he and Steffy were in agreement: they thought it was time for Zende to step up to the plate as Hope For The Future’s sole lead designer.
Zende was moved by the promotion and their faith in him. However, his rise does mean that Thomas is once again out of a job. He and Zende had been splitting duties as co-leads. It was a partnership that demanded negotiating time zones and Zoom calls. Noticeably, it didn’t require trips back to LA for Thomas, hence the change for the Forresters and the story.
Key Takeaways
- Why Zende becoming the lead designer makes sense for the company.
- The reason Thomas has likely been written out.
Zende Finally Gets the Promotion He Deserves
While he hasn’t exactly been waiting patiently for HFTF’s return, Zende (Delon de Metz) has been a team player at Forrester Creations. Working at his family’s fashion house has come with swallowing his pride more than once.
When Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) paused HFTF’s production just when the collection was complete, he tried to take it on the chin. Zende has always played his part for his family, stepping in when needed, even when it’s cost him.
Now it’s his turn to shine. His promotion to lead designer over Thomas (Matthew Atkinson) isn’t just a show of faith. It’s the boost in morale that Zende has needed from his loved ones. Seeing that his hard work has not only been acknowledged but rewarded is certain to go a long way with him.
Zende’s Gain Is Thomas’ Loss
It’s unfortunate that Thomas has been displaced at FC, but the writing was on the wall. Hope (Annika Noelle) spoke to how difficult it was to coordinate schedules to effectively design the new collection.
Powering through having a team member on another continent, in a different time zone, was a feat she and Zende were proud of. So Steffy pulling the plug after all their hard work stung even more.
However, it seems Steffy took the note. Remote designing doesn’t work at the company. With Thomas living in Paris with no interest in returning to LA, that’s left the Forresters in a tricky position. Either they continue to strain to include Thomas, or they cut him loose and let Zende take the reins.
They’ve opted for the latter since Zende has the talent, skill, and experience to handle a line on his own. Though he may need to develop a new one if Forrester doesn’t rebrand HFTF once they learn Hope has gone to work at Logan.
Potential Real World Reason Thomas Isn’t on B&B
Matthew Atkinson, who’s played Thomas since 2019, was last seen on B&B back in December 2025. He’d made a brief return when Forrester had decided they weren’t going to renew Deke’s (Harrison Cone) contract. Steffy and Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) opted instead to pair Zende and Thomas as co-lead designers to produce HFTF’s new collection.
At the time, none of Deke’s designs were considered production-ready, and it was putting the fashion house behind schedule. They felt two seasoned professionals, who also happened to be Forresters, would be a better fit.
Thomas confirmed he would work from Paris, but would drop in when needed. To the audience, this seemed to signal that we’d see him on and off. That’s not what happened. Six months have passed since the cousins took over HFTF, with Atkinson making no appearance. He’s not contracted as a series regular, nor does it seem he has a recurring role.
The possibility of a recast came to mind when Drew Tyler Bell, who played Thomas from 2004-2010, visited the set with his family. But so far, there’s been no indication that a recast is in the cards. The latest writing move to sunset Thomas’ position on HFTF points to a full backburn of the character for the time being.
