Is Eileen Davidson leaving ‘The Young and the Restless’?

Decades before becoming part of the Real Housewives franchise on Bravo, Eileen Davidson was a beloved The Young and the Restless star. After watching her in so many episodes, we don’t want to hear she’s going to leave.

Eileen Davidson has been the most famous actress who has portrayed Ashley Abbott on The Young and the Restless since 1982, and it’s sad to imagine her departing the cast. Although she may be a recognizable former Real Housewife, she only appeared on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills for a brief time, and she’s a much bigger soap than reality star. Is it true? Did Eileen Davidson leave Y&R?

Will Eileen Davidson leave ‘The Young and the Restless’?

Eileen Davidson has left The Young and the Restless twice, but as of June 2024, she is still a regular cast member in the soap opera. Fans can never get enough of watching Ashley Abbott, Christel Khalil’s character Lily, or any of the other over-the-top Genoa City residents.

In 2006, she was abruptly fired, according to Soapcentral.com, and then everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief that she came back to play Ashley Abbott a short while later. Then, in 2012, Davidson learned she was being fired – again.

According to Soaps.sheknows.com, Davidson tweeted on May 9, 2012 that she was attempting to look on the bright side. She said that since she didn’t have childcare any longer, it was okay that she wasn’t returning to the Y&R set. Then, on May 10th, 2012, Davidson wrote on Facebook, “It’s official. I’ve been let go from Y&R. Not really sure exactly why but in the big picture I guess it doesn’t really matter!”

While it must have felt terrible to be fired from the job she seems to love, Ashley Abbott is way too important to The Young and the Restless to be gone for good. Although Eileen Davidson quit in 2018, she has been playing Ashley again for several years, and it seems like she just can’t stay away – which is great news for fans.

While Ashley Abbott was also a character on The Bold and the Beautiful (with Davidson playing her on that soap opera, too), she is of course one of the most famous Y&R characters. Ashley has experienced more than most in their character arcs, from living in France for a time to her many bad marriages, and she continues to surprise fans.