‘Young And Restless’ Cast News: Burgess Jenkins Confirms Departure From Role As Billy Abbott
There is yet another big change on the way for fans of The Young and the Restless. Spoilers had teased that Burgess Jenkins might be leaving the role of Billy Abbott, and now this departure has been confirmed. While Y&R fans will have to wait a bit yet, it seems, for confirmation on what happens next, the actor himself has revealed he is leaving the show.
The Young and the Restless fans have already been through a lot when it comes to the character of Billy Abbot. In the character’s younger days, David Tom played the role. A couple of other actors stepped into the role for short periods of time, but then Billy Miller was cast and made the role his own.
Miller departed Y&R about a year ago, and later took on the role of Jason Morgan/Jake Doe at General Hospital. As much as fans still clamor to have Miller return to Young and Restless, it doesn’t look like that’s going to be happening. When Miller left, the show brought back David Tom, but that just wasn’t a fit.
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It didn’t take long for the show to send Tom packing and bring in Burgess Jenkins. Unfortunately, this casting also never seemed to be a big hit. Though Jenkins has won over some Y&R viewers, many fans just never took to him in the role. Now, it seems, the show is betting that another change could do the trick.
As Michael Fairman shares via On Air On Soaps, Jenkins has released a statement confirming his Young and Restless departure. Burgess indicates that he gave it great thought and had a terrific time on the soap, but he has decided to leave the show.
Jenkins notes the difficulty of commuting for the gig, as his family and the show are on opposite coasts. Burgess thanks those with the show, as well as the fans, and says he will miss the cast and crew tremendously.
Now, of course, the question is, what comes next? Officially, the show has not revealed plans for what happens to Billy Abbott. However, there have been plenty of Young and Restless spoilers and rumors floating around on this front already.
Burgess Jenkins OUT at The Young and the Restless? #YRhttps://t.co/cYqLNqmeql pic.twitter.com/OnssUuzeUs
— Daytime Confidential (@dcconfidential) October 31, 2015
According to Daytime Confidential, those behind the scenes at Young and Restless really want to snag General Hospital star Jason Thompson for the role of Billy Abbott. After months of speculation by GH fans, Thompson has just confirmed that he is indeed leaving the role of Dr. Patrick Drake after a decade on the show.
Obviously, moving Thompson into the role would be a big shift for fans. Would they accept this recasting? The word right now is that Y&R may go with another plastic surgery storyline to explain the shift from Jenkins to Thompson in the role, if indeed that is how this plays out. Fans likely won’t be too excited about that aspect, if it does happen in that manner.
However, nothing regarding that potential arc has been detailed by the show as of yet. Some worry that Billy could end up killed in the fire instead, as the show has teased that there are casualties ahead.
What do you think about the news that Burgess Jenkins is out as Billy Abbott at Y&R? Would the show consider killing off such a central character? Could Jason Thompson be a fit to come into the role if indeed The Young and the Restless can snag him?
[Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images]
