The Young and the Restless star Mishael Morgan has revealed the very personal reason she chose to drop to recurring status on the hit soap opera.
Last month Mishael broke the news that she was taking a step by from playing Amanda on Y&R.
While the talented actress isn’t leaving the show, Mishael admitted she decided not to renew her contract.
Viewers won’t say goodbye to Amanda but will just see her less.
The news came hot on the heels of Amanda making history as the first Black woman to win the Lead Actress Award at the Daytime Emmy Awards.
However, her decision wasn’t quite what it may have seemed to The Young and the Restless fans.
Mishael Morgan reveals the personal reason she didn’t renew her contract
In a new interview on Soap Opera Digest’s podcast, Mishael got candid regarding her decision to drop to recurring status on the hit daytime drama. The actress knew the show would be part of her journey, which meant so much to her considering she grew up watching it.
Despite her love for Y&R, Mishael decided last December that for the sake of her family, she would not remain on contract. The reason was that Mishael wanted to be closer to her family in Toronto and felt it was the perfect time to move back home.
“In light of the pandemic and being away from my family. Literally feeling trapped in L.A. All of my family was in Toronto, and just crossing the border was a nightmare,” she explained on the podcast. “When we had that family tragedy,” she recalls, “it just kind of reminded me that this is the right decision for me right now.”
Mishael didn’t go into details regarding the family tragedy, but last spring, she broke the sad news her husband’s brother, his wife, and three kids died in a fire.
The Young and the Restless star Mishael Morgan talks other projects
While her family moving to Toronto remains the number one reason, Mishael chose to become recurring on Y&R there is another reason. The actress wants to see what other stories she can tell that will impact her.
“I wanted to tell more cutting-edge stories. Just in light of Black Lives Matter and seeing what else is out there that I can be connected to,” Mishael expressed.
She again reiterated her love for The Young and the Restless and those she worked with on the show.
Now that Mishael Morgan won’t be a regular on Y&R, fans can’t help but wonder what that means for Amanda and Devon (Bryton James).
Amanda remains off-screen to be with her ailing mother, Naya (Ptosha Storey). That can’t last forever, though, as Devon needs someone by his side as he deals with his latest work and family chaos.
The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS.