Thom Bierdz's gay storyline on the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless will begin on August 26, according to CBS Soaps in Depth.

“Sources report that Bierdz was on the Y&R set on August 5, and Soaps in Depth hears that he will appear in a handful of episodes,” the website reported.

The 48-year-old Bierdz, who is openly gay, plays Phillip Chancellor III, a closeted gay man who faked his death to live his life openly elsewhere. The character returned last summer and came out to the family he left behind, including his son Phillip Chancellor IV, played by John Driscoll.

The news of Bierdz's return was cheered by Driscoll.

“My father's coming back,” he told Greg Hernandez at GregInHollywood.com. “I'm happy to hear that.”

Driscoll said last year's coming out storyline was interesting because it reversed the dynamics of the story.

“Most of the time, it's the son coming out to the father and in this case, it was the father coming out to the son,” he said.