Thad Luckinbill exiting Y&R -- but was it his decision?
by Dan J Kroll
Posted Sunday, September 26, 2010 5:27:57 PM
by Dan J Kroll
Updated Friday, November 05, 2010 1:24:27 AM


Thad Luckinbill will be exiting The Young and the Restless later this year. It is unclear, however, if it was the actor who opted out of the show -- or if he was let go. Luckinbill joined the Y&R cast in 1999 as a recurring player. He was put on contract in 2002.


The Young and the Restless will soon be losing one of its younger stars -- with possibly more to follow. Though unconfirmed by the show, soapcentral.com has learned that Thad Luckinbill (J.T. Hellstrom) will be exiting the show in November.


According to a Luckibill's wife and co-star Amelia Heinle (Victoria Newman), Luckinbill opted not to renew his contract with the show. That decision comes as the actor has seen increased interest from primetime series. In fact, Luckinbill will be seen in the October 9 edition of CBS's CSI.


"It's a blessing in disguise," Heinle shared with Soaps In Depth. "He's never been in this position before. [He] is going to grow as a person and as an actor. [...] Now that he has nothing holding him back, you just wait -- he's going to [succeed even more]. I know it. He's going to be so happy that this has happened."


Though Heinle intimates that it was Luckinbill's decision to leave The Young and the Restless, her remarks seem to draw that statement into question.


The Young and the Restless does not comment on contracts, so the show neither confirms nor denies Luckinbill's exit -- or the circumstances of an exit.


In real life, Luckinbill met Heinle on the Y&R set, and the pair was married in March 2007. In November of that same year, the couple welcomed their first child, Thaddeus.


Luckinbill joined the cast of The Young and the Restless in 1999 on a recurring basis. Three years later, the actor was offered a contract.


In October, a spokesperson for The Young and the Restless confirmed that Luckinbill had been let go, along with his on-screen love interest, Clementine Ford (Mackenzie Browning).


Luckinbill filmed his final scenes on September 29. He will last air on November 5.


Photo: Cliff Lipson/CBS

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RELATED STORYClementine Ford out as Y&R's Mackenzie. [Sep 29, 2010]
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