‘Young and the Restless’ LEAK: Cast Cuts Ahead – Who’s at Risk? CBS Insider Spills Names

A Young and the Restless leaker revealed a list of names they say are in danger of being cut from the CBS soap. With its parent company Paramount reporting big losses two quarters in a row, there are budget cuts coming to the network. Will they impact the cast of Y&R?

Young and the Restless LEAK: Cast Cuts Coming after Big Losses in Q2 and Q3

Everyone knows that soap operas are costly to produce compared to other daytime content such as talk shows and game shows. And the news coming out of Paramount/CBS about profits should have soap fans worried.

In the second quarter, Paramount suffered a one-third downturn in income. This could affect the budget at The Young and the Restless. The network blamed high inflation for marketers cutting their ad spending, lowering revenues for its programs.

Then, in the third quarter, revenue fell again for its TV segment. Now, according to Deadline, CBS/Paramount plans “meaningful and sizeable” cost cuts. Will these cost cuts extend to Y&R? According to a CBS insider, they will. And they said cast cuts are coming.

CBS Insider Leaks Who’s at Risk on Y&R?

According to a CBS daytime insider, there are several cast cuts coming to Young and the Restless. The first two shouldn’t be too surprising since news about them already broke two weeks ago.

Y&R dropped Rory Gibson, who plays Noah Newman, and Kelsey Wang, who plays Allie Nguyen, from contract to recurring. Viewers know Noah’s not had a decent storyline since the recast, and their story’s pretty lukewarm.

Young and the Restless: Rory Gibson (Noah Newman) - Kelsey Wang (Allie Nguyen)
Rory Gibson (Noah Newman) & Kelsey Wang (Allie Nguyen)

The insider dropped two other names that are more surprising as they’re in front burner plots on Young and the Restless. And the leaker blamed a high-dollar new hire as part of the reason for the alleged budget cuts. But CBS’s income dip has to share the blame.

Young and the Restless Source Blames Trevor St. John – Diane & Chance Leaving?

The CBS daytime source said Y&R is making budget cuts partly because they paid so much to hire Trevor St. John as the Tucker McCall recast. But there’s a bigger financial picture with Paramount that’s likely much more to blame than a new hire.

And even if St. John’s contract was high dollar, he’s not the one making budget or cast decisions at The Young and the Restless. The two other names leaked are Susan Walters and Conner Floyd — AKA Diane Jenkins and Chance Chancellor.

Already, people are asking if Chance Chancellor’s leaving Y&R. What could be a compelling story about Chance finding new love after Abby Newman (Melissa Ordway) cheated might just turn into an exit story — if this leak is accurate…

Y&R - Conner Floyd (Chance Chancellor)
Y&R – Conner Floyd (Chance Chancellor)

As for Diane, she’s the target of rivals determined to drive her out of town. We know that James Hyde is back as Jeremy Stark soon. Will he be the reason Diane Jenkins leaves Young and the Restless? Again, this is a leak that’s not confirmed by CBS.

Other Young and the Restless Comings and Goings Rumored

The source said that Chance and Diane “may exit,” so they’re speculating with this Y&R casting leak. But given that Paramount promised “sizable” budget cuts, it’s probably safe to assume that no show is safe from what’s coming.

The leaker said to look for a visit from Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown), who’s currently wreaking havoc on Bold and the Beautiful. They also said we may have some scenes from four dead characters tied to legacy families on The Young and the Restless.

Who might make a ghostly comeback? One name given was John Abbott (but this seems improbably given that Jerry Douglas died a year ago on November 9, 2021). Another spectral comeback hinted is Dina Mergeron.

Marla Adams’ character died on October 16, 2020, but the 84-year-old actress is still in top form, so it’s possible she could film new scenes. Two other names listed as possible Y&R ghost-cameos are Delia Abbott (Sophia Pollono) and Cassie Newman (Camryn Grimes).

One last tidbit is that the leaker said Young and the Restless is talking to other past cast members about return arcs. And one of them on the list is Doug Davidson as Paul Williams. Many fans would be thrilled to see Genoa City’s top cop return.

The facts here are that Paramount/CBS revealed they’ll slash spending, but they didn’t go into detail. And these casting leaks are interesting to consider but completely unverified. Y&R rarely comments on casting leaks or rumors, so take it with a grain of salt!

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