‘The Young And The Restless’ Alum, Burgess Jenkins, Reveals The Real Reason He Left The Show, Asks Fans To Pray For His Family


Burgess Jenkins left the role of Billy Abbott on The Young and the Restless in December. Jenkins announced that he didn’t plan on renewing his contract with the soap opera. For many fans his departure was abrupt; they felt that Jenkins had just settled in the role. Burgess revealed in an interview with Winston-Salem Journal that he left the soap opera after learning that his wife, Ashlee Payne, had breast cancer.

Burgess Jenkins took over the role of Billy Abbott in 2014 when David Tom didn’t work out as Billy Miller’s replacement. For many fans, they thought his portrayal was stiff and unlike Billy’s character. He faced many critics and continued to grow into the role. Just when he began to make the role his own and received praise for his acting, he announced that he was leaving. At the time, he told the press his choice was because he no longer wanted to commute from the West Coast to the East Coast every week and desired to work in film, SoapShows reported. He explained on Twitter that he felt it was time to move on. It appears now that he was not 100 percent truthful about his reasons to leave the show.

“I departed the show because my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer back in November, and continuing to travel back-and-forth from the East Coast to the West Coast every week would have made it impossible for me to take care of her.”

Burgess explained that his wife asked him not to make any public announcement about her diagnosis until they got an idea of what her treatment plan would entail. Right now, he knows she will be okay; however, it could be a little while before she is cancer free. Jenkins explained that she will have a pretty long battle with cancer treatment, but in the end, she will be healthy, and that’s all that matters to him.

“At this point, however, we know that she is going to be okay. She is in for a long and grueling battle with chemotherapy and radiation. Which stinks, but it’s a real blessing just knowing when we wake up in the morning that she’s not fighting for her life…. It’s great to see her back to normal.”

Jenkins said that it was hard to leave the show, but in the end, he had to do what was best for his family. He needed to be there for his wife, Ashlee, and help take care of their daughter, Harper. The former The Young and the Restless star explained that he couldn’t be there for his family the way he needed to if he was busy with the CBS daytime drama.

Since Jenkins left The Young and the Restless, he stated the fans have reached out to him and touched him with their kindness. Burgess said that the fans had no idea what his wife was going through, so their kind words were appreciated. He feels good about his work on the soap opera and felt he left his mark on the character’s history.

“The fans have been tremendous, a great outpouring of folks either asking me to stay or wishing me well, which is appreciated. It’s nice to know that you’ve told a good story and left an indelible mark.”

Burgess is back working with Actors School, an acting group Jenkins started nine years ago. He explained he helped launch the group in Winston-Salem, and it feels good to give back to students trying to break into television or movies. And, it helped keep his acting skills sharp while taking care of his family.

“It’s a studio I’ve had going for nine years and something that I love dearly, so it is good to be back in the saddle with my other instructors and students. Frankly, nothing is more thrilling than watching the students grow and succeed and book work.”

As for his future right now, Burgess stated that he’s had to pass on film projects while his wife recuperates, and he’s okay with that, too. After all, family comes first; and work can always wait until his wife feels better. Come back to Inquisitr later for more The Young and the Restless spoilers, news, and updates.

[Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images]

Share this article: ‘The Young And The Restless’ Alum, Burgess Jenkins, Reveals The Real Reason He Left The Show, Asks Fans To Pray For His Family
More from Inquisitr