It's news that will more than likely surprise quite a few fans of The Young and the Restless. Richard Burgi has announced that his time playing Ashland Locke on the CBS soap has come to an end.
“I want to say thank you to all of you wonderful folks who have been so kind and generous and supportive with your words,” Burgi said in an Instagram story. "I have such gratitude for the support. I’m moving on from the show. I’ve had a great year on Y&R and I’ve just thoroughly enjoyed the great cast and crew. Such wonderful people.”
Burgi's exit seems oddly timed. The actor made his debut on Y&R in March 2021, so it's not quite a year since the actor first appeared. In story, Burgi's character, Ashland, just received word that an experimental treatment seemed to be working in his battle against small-cell lung carcinoma.
Will the treatment stop working? Will Ashland simply leave town? That latter is slightly more difficult to imagine, since Ashland and Victoria are still happily married newlyweds. Burgi gave no indication about how his character will be written out, nor did he indicate if the decision to move on from the show was his own decision or one made by show executives.
“And I wish you all a good start to 2022 — luck, health, love, joy. God bless,” Burgi said in concluding his message to fans.
— Tara (@girl_gonerad) January 9, 2022
Burgi might be best known to primetime soap fans for his role as Karl Mayer on ABC's Desperate Housewives. From 2014 to 2016, Burgi was tapped to take over the role of Paul Hornsby on General Hospital.
A final airdate for Burgi was not immediately available. Soap Central has reached out to Y&R for comment on Burgi's exit.
UPDATE (January 11, 2022): The Young and the Restless has confirmed that the role of Ashland will be recast. For more on that, continue reading here.
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