INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Jason Thompson’s ‘General Hospital’ And Burgess Jenkins’ ‘Young And Restless’ Departure Scoops Revealed: What’s Known So Far?

By Stacy Carey
Published on: 10:00 PST, Dec 10, 2015

Big changes are ahead on both The Young and the Restless and General Hospital. Actors Burgess Jenkins and Jason Thompson are both leaving their respective roles as Billy Abbott and Dr. Patrick Drake, and Thompson is actually heading to Y&R to take over the role of Billy. Just when are these big changes coming and how will they happen?

Both Burgess Jenkins and Jason Thompson have confirmed their exits from their current roles. These departures came after months of speculation, and there had been a lot of buzz that Thompson would step into Jenkins’ role on Young and Restless. That buzz became a confirmed reality not long ago. Until now, both Y&R and General Hospital have been pretty quiet about these changes. Now, however, some details are emerging.

According to Celebrity Dirty Laundry, Jenkins’ final air date as Billy Abbott on Young and Restless will be Friday, January 8. So far, however, neither Jenkins nor Y&R have confirmed that to be the case. CDL details that Burgess filmed his last scenes as Billy on December 5. Insiders tease that these Billy scenes bidding farewell to Jenkins in the role are quite heartbreaking.

As for the storyline that paves the way for Jenkins’ departure and a new look for Billy, the buzz for some time now has been that Billy will end up with some kind of grave injury that leads to the need for plastic surgery. Some had initially suspected this would happen during the Newman fire, or the recent car accident Billy had, but he came out from both of those unscathed.

There has been a lot of tension surrounding Billy as his quest for revenge against Victor escalates, and it seems this will be key in what comes next. Will Billy’s drinking lead to a serious accident that leaves his life hanging in the balance, or will his injuries come in some other way?

Young and Restless spoilers tease that a big showdown involving Billy, Victor, and Adam takes place soon, and whatever happens leaves Jack, Ashley, and the rest of the family gathering by his side urging him to fight for survival. Things have been rough for Billy and Victoria in the wake of this new Newman and Abbott battle, and a serious accident for Billy will certainly force her to make some difficult decisions.

As for Jason Thompson’s General Hospital exit, he shared not long ago that he had also filmed his final scenes. Viewers have watched this week as Sam pushed for the truth regarding what Elizabeth knew about Jason’s identity, and this led Patrick to make some very tough decisions.

ABC executive Nathan Varni chatted with Cody and Emily of the radio show Weekdays with Murphy recently, and he did reveal a few General Hospital spoilers on the Patrick Drake front. Varni dished that there is a big story that paves the way for Drake’s departure, and it would seem that is kicking off right now.

Patrick has faced the heartbreaking truth that Sam is too attached to Jason to really build a future with him. He’s broken the news of the split to Emma, and viewers have seen that Jerry Jacks is responsible for Robin’s captivity. Emma’s connecting with Robin this week is said to set the stage for a big adventure ahead.

During the week of December 14, Robert Scorpio comes into the mix of things regarding Patrick, Emma, Robin, and Anna. General Hospital spoilers tease that the crew will be racing to rescue Robin, and this is seemingly the last that viewers will see of Thompson in the role of Patrick.

According to Celeb Dirty Laundry, eventually Anna and Emma will make their way back to Port Charles together. However, when they return, they will be without Patrick, Robin, and Robert. Viewers will have to tune in to see how the show explains that Emma is now going to be without both her mother and her father. GH fans will be relieved, however, to know that Brooklyn Rae Silzer is sticking around, as she is definitely a fan favorite.

There has been some talk of a recast for the role of Patrick, with some supposed frontrunners detailed. However, the show seemingly has not made any firm decisions as of yet regarding recasting the role. It sounds as if the door will be left open for the doctor to return to Port Charles, but that viewers won’t be seeing Patrick in the mix of things for now.

TVLine details that Thompson will begin appearing in the Y&R role of Billy Abbott sometime in January. A more specific starting date has not yet been revealed, so fans will have to stay tuned on that front. Will General Hospital viewers accept that both Patrick and Robin will stay out of town and leave Emma with Anna? Will The Young and the Restless viewers embrace Jason Thompson in the role of Billy Abbott after Burges Jenkins’ departure?

[Photos by Paul A. Hebert/Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]

Share this article: Jason Thompson’s ‘General Hospital’ And Burgess Jenkins’ ‘Young And Restless’ Departure Scoops Revealed: What’s Known So Far?
Entertainment tv Soap Opera the young and the restless Jason Thompson General Hospital
More from Inquisitr