Jordi Vilasuso Speaks Out About The Young And The Restless Exit
Jordi Vilasuso has been bringing top cop Rey Rosales to life on "The Young and the Restless" since 2018, marrying one of the soap's longtime favorite heroines, Sharon Collins (Sharon Case). Before Vilasuso landed in Genoa City, he spent time on several other soaps, including "Days of Our Lives" as Dario Hernandez, and "Guiding Light" as Tony Santos, so he knows that actors come and go on soaps like a revolving door.
Now, Vilasuso will be leaving the soap, according to Soap Opera Digest, with his last airdate being later this spring. How Rey will be written off the soap remains to be seen, but he has been growing pretty chummy with Chelsea Lawson (Melissa Claire Egan) of late (via Soaps In Depth), which can put a crimp in his marriage to Sharon. If Sharon and Rey are on the outs, Rey might just decide to leave town and return to his native Florida.
Despite enjoying his time on the CBS soap, Vilasuso remains pragmatic about his exit and grateful for the people he met along the way.
Jordi Vilasuso explains his The Young and the Restless exit
After news broke that Jordi Vilasuso would be leaving "The Young and the Restless," the actor took to Twitter to talk to his fans and let them know they could learn more by listening to the latest episode of his podcast he just released. "Thank you @YandR_CBS 4 always welcoming me & giving me the opportunity 2 tell stories that impacted millions," Vilasuso wrote. "As this door closes, others will and have opened. If you're interested in hearing a little more about my story."
On his podcast, "Making it Work," which he hosts with his wife Kaitlin, Vilasuso explained that it wasn't his choice to go and that he even signed a new contract late in 2021. However, he has already finished taping, as his last week working on the soap was earlier in March. "It's been a process," Vilasuso said. "I had re-signed back in October for another three years, but in these contracts, there are these six-month intervals where the show can decide not to re-sign you for the next six months."
Vilasuso went on to wonder if he should have seen this coming as his character had not been doing much in the last few months and was not involved with any major storylines.
Jordi Vilasuso gives thanks for his time on Y&R
Jordi Vilasuso reflected on his time playing Rey Rosales on "The Young and the Restless" in an exit statement to Soap Opera Digest that illustrated his appreciation for the time he spent creating a new character on the CBS soap.
"Playing Rey Rosales on The Young and the Restless for the past 4 years has been an incredible experience that has brought me immense joy as an actor," Vilasuso said, while also thanking the soap's executive producer, Tony Morina before adding, "Thank you to Sharon Case [Sharon] and the rest of the cast for their craft, support, and professionalism ... The show has been number one and continues to be because of the incredible work ethic and passion from its leadership, cast, production, and crew. I will miss it, remember it fondly, and look forward to what the next chapter will be!"
Rey and Sharon only got married on New Year's Eve in 2020 (via TV Insider), and it looks like that union will be over soon. Now that Rey will no longer be a part of Sharon's life on "Y&R," fans wonder what this means for her already complicated relationship history and if she will reconnect with her first love, Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow), once again?