Jess Walton Takes Sabbatical From The Young and The Restless
Bad news for Jill Abbott fans! Veteran soap actress Jess Walton is taking a six-month leave of absence from The Young and the Restless. The news was originally broken by Nelson Branco on Twitter.
According to Soap Opera Digest, Walton will be exiting the show to spend more time her son and daughter-in-law, who are expecting a baby. Walton's publicist Charles Sherman stated:
The reason she is taking a break is because her son and his wife and are expecting a baby and Jess wants to be around for the birth of her first grandchild," states her publicist. There are a lot of false rumors going around that she is gone for good but Jess is absolutely coming back. She talked it out with Maria Bell and Maria is fine with this arrangement. Jess's last day of working on the set is on April 3 but she will be back.
No word on how Jill will depart Genoa City, but fans are starting to wonder if Tristan Rogers' return as Colin will play a part in it.
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1 July 2008
28 min 42 sec
Brenda Dickson (Original Jill Foster Abbott) for the Interim! Maria, PLEASE make it happen!
28 November 2008
8 hours 55 min
I hope she enjoys her time with the family. I am guessing the fact Jill has been misused for a great while now also played a part in her decision. I hope when Jess does return, it is to a quality story for Jill.
2 December 2011
1 day 7 hours
Can you blame her? It's either take some time off and see what else life may have to offer or stay and bang her head against the proverbial wall wondering how she can best make that boulder-dash that is written for her character into sense.
I took some time off from this show about 2 years ago (and running).
12 February 2010
3 days 2 hours
Maria Bell needs to be the one leaving, not Jess. Though I do commend Jess for putting family first.
As far as Brenda Dickson taking over, while I did find her enjoyable during the 80s, if her acting hasn't improved since then, it won't work.
6 July 2010
1 hour 40 min
Hmmm.....will Katherine even notice she's gone? LOL
She may as well take a break. The writers haven't given her anything to do in over 2 years. They use her like the Chancellor mansion set, as a backdrop to others, every once in awhile.
There's a question on some message board from a new viewer wondering why those 2 old ladies live in the house together. HA! If that doesn't say MABs a failure I don't know what does. The oldest, longest running, and most unique relationship, not only on Y&R, but in all of daytime has never been explained to any new Y&R viewer, going on three years now.
I'm glad I know JW is off for awhile, I can stop tuning in to see if somethings going to happen. Instead of watching Y&R for the 6 months, I may use that hour to pray for new Y&R writers so she can have a decent story upon return. It would nice to see the Katherine Chancellor I know and love re-appear again too, and that can't happen without Jill (and probably new writers).
The present writing regime can't understand the Jill/Katherine relationship. How could a family form, last, and be interesting, without a living old crusty white man to at the helm, so they have snuffed it out. .....But only on-screen....us viewers aren't forgetting over 35 years and the 1000s of entertaining 7 meaningful episodes,and it explains why nothing they write in place of it makes any sense or has any value.
30 March 2009
6 days 6 hours
Hell to the NO with the Brenda Dickson suggestion. What a VILE CREATURE!
I will miss Jess Walton. I hope they explain her absence by having her run off with Colin. That would be too funny! (as long as it's not on a crime spree...)
30 March 2009
6 hours 11 min
DEBORAH ADAIR....NUFF SAID
22 January 2011
3 hours 38 min
Why recast if there is no story?
I'm guessing this is an unpaid leave of absence, so TPTB probably see it as a money-saving measure.
30 March 2009
6 days 6 hours
I doubt they will recast Jill. They don't even bother using her now. HECK, they probably won't even explain her absence. They'll probably just have her say she's going to Crimson Lights for some coffee and she'll show up again in December.
Here's the statement Jess Walton made via Nelson Branco:
“I asked (Y&R executive producer and head writer) Maria Arena Bell permission if I could take a short break after working non-stop in daytime for the past 28 years. I’m expecting a grandchild and settling in Oregon for eventual retirement. Maria agreed —and was fine to give me that short time off. I will be back. I wouldn’t leave without Maria’s approval; she’s been very gracious to give me this time off.”
26 July 2011
2 days 7 hours
Deborah Adair seem too dry, I say bring Brenda Dickson back....Something about her playing Jill made the viewer crave insanity....However I always wonder if Brenda &Melody got along behind the scenes.. Louise Sorrell could play Jill for a hot mintue, but I wish Jess the best and can't wait for her return....
22 December 2011
3 hours 40 min
I couldn't agree more, Alstonboy!!
I do wish Jess the best with her sabbatical and becoming a gramma!!
12 February 2010
3 days 2 hours
Instead of saving money, Bell will hire another slew of irrelevant D-listers and/or talent-impaired hair models to take even MORE airtime away from the vets on this show that truly deserve it.
6 July 2010
1 hour 40 min
LOL-Exactly. Maria was probably scrolling through the TV channels looking for the next new (but old)actor she can hire to play her next new character creation in Jill's absence before JW was even finished asking for the time off. And the Y&R co-writers may be doing a jig in celebration of not having to figure out how to use Jill's episodes up by shoe-horning her into the stories they've written for others.
Don't need a temp if you don't have a story.
15 January 2009
3 hours 3 min
Soap vets are dropping like flies. Damn.
30 March 2009
6 days 6 hours
That statement almost sounds like something MAB wrote herself than FORCED Walton to read it. LOL!
It's also starting to sound like Jill and Colin don't even cross paths. So her leaving and him coming back have nothing to do with each other. Which really BLOWS chunks. And makes it painfully obvious that TPTB had no CLUE they had a potential "it" couple on their hands. But screw all that. Apparently Cane & Lily and Jack & Genevieve are must see TV!
This show sucks.
15 January 2009
3 hours 3 min
@coffee_Junkie: Obviously Cane & Lily are not doing anything for the demos nor do the actors provide compelling drama. The week of their wedding Y&R still lost 11,000 viewers and the couple was married on 2/14/12 guess what happened to the ratings on that day. They went from a 3.6 on 2/13 to a 3.5 on 2/14 in the day to day ratings when they were married. Humm.....
12 February 2010
3 days 2 hours
Coffee_Junkie-- Don't forget Kevin and Chloe.....who are to me, daytime's version of Liza Minnelli and David Gest.
Only half as realistic.
30 March 2009
6 days 6 hours
.
LMAO!! Yeah, they need to just pair Kevin with Rafe and call it a day (though I actually liked him with Jana until Bell had to write another "psycho" storyline, and ruin the Jana character).
17 June 2009
16 hours 28 min
it's time for the Jill character to leave the show permanently.
for the past 10-20 years she's had zero storylines and all her men always either end up in prison or dead.
send her off with some dignity for petes sake!
19 May 2011
41 min 1 sec
alstonboy -- You're hilarious about Kevin & Chloe. Although I think that Greg Rikaart is a great actor, and can pull off any role. Not sure why he wants Kevin is non-serious story-lines.
I like Kevin, wish he could be developed into a major player. MAB missed out in making him a mobster-in-training with Angelo, but that's MAB.
17 August 2009
56 min 27 sec
alstonboy4315 ... do I detect some hidden meaning in your comparison of Chloe and Kevin with Liza and David? Of course Greg Rikaart is very much one of my "types" but I really do wish he'd be given something better to do than to be the Genoa City scapegoat and buffoon. Also ... maybe he will finally see the light when Chloe inevitably starts falling for Carmine.
Regarding this main topic ... bad news! I think we need Jill in some form or another (preferably Jess Walton). If she is temporarily replaced hopefully it will be by someone who can fill her shoes dramatically and not comically. It is getting increasingly annoying to be losing true characters for the useless and pointless ones we are being force fed these days.
20 September 2010
19 weeks 5 days
oops
17 August 2009
56 min 27 sec
I think Ms. Walton recently took that route if you take a close look.