The Young and the Restless leading lady Michelle Stafford has confirmed E! News' shocking report of her exit from television's top daytime soap.The actress, who has played Phyllis Summers for the better part of 16 years, gave her official statement to Soap Opera Digest. Said The Staff:

"I would like to personally confirm to the fans that yes, I have decided to leave THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS. It has been a glorious 16 years and one of the greatest rides of my life. The constant support and love from the fans is not lost on me. I think I'll miss you the most." READ MORE

On today's Super-sized Daytime Confidential podcast Luke Kerr, Jamey Giddens, Jillian Bowe, Regan Cellura and Melodie Aikels dish the latest All My Children, The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of Our Lives, One Life to Live and The Young and the Restless headlines and storylines, including:

Prospect Park cuts All My Children and One Life to Live’s weekly episodes from four to two. One of the reasons given was that fans were watching one show or the other, but not both. AMC and OLTL are dropped from FX Canada. Do fans of the shows have reason to worry? Michael Nader returns to Pine Valley as Dimitri Marick.

The Bold and the Beautiful had a busy week of casting news. Hunter Tylo says she's off contract. Jacqueline MacInnes Wood is taking a hiatus. Former Days of Our Lives star Darin Brooks joins the soap and his character will be involved with Hope. Rena Sofer joins B&B as the mother of Brooks' character. Brooke tries to steal one of Taylor’s men, yet again.

Rafe is attacked on Days of Our Lives. Sami, EJ and Stefano find out about Kate and Rafe’s relationship. Is JJ the voice of DAYS viewers?

General Hospital debuts a slew of new characters, portrayed by Maura West, Kristen Alderson, Roger Howarth and Michael Easton. The DC gang weighs in on the arrivals with their First Impressions. Did GH miss a beat by not pairing Morgan with Ava Jerome in a "Mrs. Robinson" storyline? Did lightning strike a third time for Kelly Monaco and Michael Easton?

GH casts Samantha Logan as a sister for Felix. Is TJ being written as a stereotypical “angry black man?” Jane Elliot needs to submit Monday’s scenes opposite of Anthony Geary for an Emmy nomination next year. The DC crew gives thumbs up or thumbs down to The Chew and General Hospital’s crossover.

Michelle Stafford is leaving The Young and the Restless as Phyllis. Find out who the DC gang thinks would make a good recast. Y&R casts Mishael Morgan as a character who will interact with Cane and Lily. Why do Y&R regimes INSIST on making Cane the heir apparent to the Chancellor empire ,when fans so vocally oppose it?

Should Traci be there for Michael and revive her rivalry with Lauren? Not a single member of the DC gang believes Kevin or Chloe would steal from Katherine. Y&R is reviving the question about Summer’s paternity. Michael learns about Lauren and Carmine.

All this and MUCH more on today’s Daytime Confidential podcast. 
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Okay, let's be real. Michelle Stafford is damn near irreplaceable. I still have nightmares about that Sandra chick who played Phyllis for a time. However, The Young and the Restless is at the beginning of a RED-hot paternity story almost a decade in the making. Said story requires the character of Phyllis Summers Romalotti Abbott Newman to be present and accounted for in Genoa City. Therefore, the soap has GOTS to recast!

While names like As The World Turns' Martha Byrne and Guiding Light's Liz Keifer are already being bandied about by fans on Twitter as potential Phyllis recasts, I think one of daytime's most famous redheads would provide a sophisticated air to the bitch-nasty role. What about multi-soap vet Robin Christopher as NuPhyllis? READ MORE

So much for it being a slow news day! E! Online is reporting The Young and the Restless powerhouse Michelle Stafford is exiting the show. So far, both Stafford and the show are keeping mum on the two-time Daytime Emmy winner's alleged exit from the serial. READ MORE

Baby Sister Abbott is doing everything she can to convince Jack (Peter Bergman) to ditch Red on The Young and the Restless! Watch a sneak peek of Traci (Beth Maitland) ripping Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) to her brother, after the jump! READ MORE

 

Oh Nicholas (Joshua Morrow), how could you? On today's episode of The Young and the Restless, viewers learn Genoa City's hottest scion has been keeping one whopper of a secret — Summer (Hunter King) may not be his daughter!

While the rumor mill has been churning about Jack (Peter Bergman) possibly having fathered Phyllis' (Michelle Stafford) child for awhile now, TV Guide Magazine's Michael Logan got to the bottom of the paternity pickle in a new interview with Morrow himself.

Here's an excerpt:

TV Guide Magazine: Great story twist, but this is so not Nick. How can he justify what he's done?

Morrow: It really worried me when I heard they were taking my character in a direction that was potentially evil. Nick takes being a father very seriously. It means the world to him. How could he deny another man the right to parent his own child? All those lost years! I expressed my concern about that but [head writer] Josh Griffith and [exec producer] Jill Phelps said, "We have a way of telling this story that won't make it as dastardly as it seems." READ MORE