'The Young and the Restless': The Real Reason David Tom Was Replaced as Billy Abbott

Melissa Claire Egan and Burgess Jenkins as Chelsea and Billy

Actor Burgess Jenkins recently debuted as the new Billy Abbott on the CBS Daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless. Jenkins replaced David Tom, who replaced Billy Miller in the role earlier this year. On Monday's Y&R, Billy and Chelsea Newman (Melissa Claire Egan) had sex. Both Jenkins and Egan were on full display showcasing their toned bodies. Would Y&R have shot that scene in a similar way with David Tom in the role? Is Burgess Jenkins' chest more important than the character he is playing?

New Billy on 'The Young and the Restless' Again: From Billy Miller to David Tom to Burgess Jenkins

A new Billy Abbott debuted on CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless this week. Burgess Jenkins is playing a Billy that suddenly looks older, with a very deep voice. Jenkins replaced David Tom, who replaced Billy Miller in the role earlier this year.

Whether you liked David Tom in the role or not this latest recast may be even more jarring than Tom talking over from Miller a role in the middle of the Delia story fallout.

'The Young and the Restless' in Pictures: Tuesday June 10, 2014 (recap)

 What really happened on the Tuesday, June 10th episode of The Young and the Restless?

"Talk to the hand! I refuse to believe I'm too young for the role I created."

"I know our story isn't working, but we have to keep trying."

David Tom: 'Too Young' to Play Billy Abbott Again?

David Tom

David Tom returned to The Young and the Restless in February as Billy Abbott, a role for which he won an Emmy Award in 2000. Now he is being replaced by Burgess Jenkins as Billy, in a move that was a surprise to Tom.

"I think I was definitely well-liked there," Tom told CBS Soaps in Depth. "As far as I knew, nobody knew about this. Not even the cast." Was he given a reason for his termination? "One of the reasons they said they let me go is that I obviously looked too young when they placed me with [the new] Kelly. Well, she was hired after I was. I don't understand why they didn't think about that [when they were casting her]. We don't really have a storyline [anyway]; She's with Jack. I thought I looked fine with Missy [Claire Egan, Chelsea]. I really loved working with her."

Despite his unexpected exit, Tom is grateful for his return trip to Genoa City.

"It was such a great experience to have been a part of the Y&R family again," Tom added. "It was wonderful to see so many old friends and people I know that I used to work with and enjoy so much like Jess Walton (Jill) and Peter Bergman (Jack). I got to do some scenes with Eric Braeden (Victor), finally."

Other Stories Recommended by Our Editors:
* 'The Young and Restless' Casting Carousel Continues (Gina Tognoni & Burgess Jenkins In, David Tom Out): Why David Tom Deserved a Better Chance at Success
* Burgess Jenkins on Joining 'The Young and the Restless' as the New Billy Abbott: "This Was a Wonderful Character with Interesting Layers"

'The Young and Restless' Casting Carousel Continues (Gina Tognoni & Burgess Jenkins In, David Tom Out): Why David Tom Deserved a Better Chance at Success

What a week this has been for The Young and the Restless fans. Before anyone had a chance to digest the news that Gina Tognoni had been cast as a younger Phyllis Summers, David Tom had been fired from his role as Billy Abbott. Three and a half months after Tom replaced Billy Miller, the role was recast again, with Burgess Jenkins.

Y&R wanted to take the character in a different direction. If you've watched soaps as long as many viewers have, you've heard that old chestnut time and again.

David Tom played Billy as a young adult from 1999-2002, winning a Daytime Emmy Award in 2000. He was very popular in the role and his departure was a blow to the show. Ryan Brown replaced Tom as Billy from 2002-2003 but never quite caught on. The character was brought back in 2006, played by Scott Seymour, but he was let go after 3 months. In 2008, Billy Miller landed the role and, as with many soap characters played by the same actor for several years, the writers began to incorporate Miller's personality into the character. By the time Miller's departure was announced in 2013, he had won two Daytime Emmys for his work and become a favorite among fans. The Billy Abbott that David Tom returned to was a drastically different character than the one he played so brilliantly before.