The speculation is over: Michael Mealor's time on The Young and the Restless has come to an end. The actor confirmed the news on social media -- and even included a little bit of Y&R-related humor.
"[M]y time as we know it on The Young and the Restless is coming to a close," Mealor wrote in a message to his fans. "The last three and a half years has been a truly humbling and life changing experience. I wouldn’t have been here this long without your love!"
In true Chanccomm fashion, Uncle Billy broke the news first…..my time as we know it on The Young and the Restless is coming to a close. The last three and a half years has been a truly humbling and life changing experience. I wouldn’t have been here this long without your love! pic.twitter.com/FY3xZBllGl
— Michael Mealor (@Michael_Mealor) July 13, 2021
Mealor also referenced that "In true ChancComm fashion, Uncle Billy broke the news first," an allusion to Jason Thompson (Billy Abbott) accidentally confirming Mealor's exit over the weekend.
In an exchange with a fan who expressed their disappointment that Mealor had made a then-unconfirmed exit from Y&R, Thompson replied, "Me too!! Michael Mealor is a gem. We will miss him."
Thompson's tweet has since been deleted.
In addition to the fans -- and Mealor made sure to name drop the smooshed names of both of his popular pairings in his tweet -- Mealor also thanked CBS and Sony for "trusting [him] with this incredible character."
From every engagement and every heart break, whether you were #KOLA or #SKYLE, y’all were along for the rollercoaster. Thank you @youngandrestlesscbs, @cbstv and @sony for trusting me with this incredible character. Thank you for allowing me to be your Kyle Abbott. So much love! pic.twitter.com/zHGrWHPX3g
— Michael Mealor (@Michael_Mealor) July 13, 2021
News of Mealor's exit surfaced last month when sources said that both he and Hunter King (Summer Newman) had reached impasses in their respective contract negotiations.
There is currently no update on King's status, but her character has already been written out of Genoa City.
Fans have already taken to social media to offer the various other soap powers that be reasons to hire Mealor. A popular suggestion has Mealor joining ABC's General Hospital.
Michael Mealor took over the role of Kyle Abbott on March 29, 2018. Prior to joining the CBS soap, he had starred on series like Supergirl, Roadies, and Chasing Life. The Georgia native has a modeling background that includes work with Coca-Cola and Abercrombie & Fitch, and he has appeared in music videos for Lady Gaga and Britney Spears.
What do you think about Michael Mealor exiting The Young and the Restless? Is there another soap role you'd like to see him tackle? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
