It's official: Billy Miller has exited his role as Drew Cain on General Hospital.
Whispers of Miller's impending exit have been growing louder over the past several weeks -- and the Emmy-winning actor's status was also a topic of much discussion at this past weekend's General Hospital Fan Club event. The rumors were put to rest in a rare official statement from Miller to his fans.
"With a slight air of sadness, it is time to ponder what 'Goodbye' means. However, instead of dwelling on what is gone and sure to be missed, there is another way," Miller shared in a letter released by his agent, Marnie Sparer. "Maybe our goodbye is really a remembrance of love felt, an appreciation for lives shared, and the lifelong reminisces that come from embraces and received. Maybe our goodbye is an earnest hope for the brightest path forward for us all. Now, instead of sadness, I am filled with gratitude for all your support, encouragement, and every emotion shared. I cherish the journey we have taken together. Thank you for allowing me into your home and lives. With every ounce of myself, I thank you for being you. I would be remiss in this crazy, unpredictable world we all love so much if I did not hold out the possibility that maybe our goodbye is really...UNTIL NEXT TIME."
Officially. Billy. Miller.
— Marnie Sparer (@TalktoMarn) July 29, 2019
.....#GH #GH56 pic.twitter.com/0U6CxbNHKe
Miller began his daytime career in August 2007 as Richie Novak on All My Children. Miller was a part of the AMC cast for a year before he jumped to CBS's The Young and the Restless to play Billy Abbott. Miller's five-year run on Y&R earned him three Daytime Emmy wins -- 2010 and 2013's wins for Supporting Actor, and a win in 2014 as Lead Actor -- and five total nominations.
Miller joined General Hospital in October 2014, though his addition to the ABC soap had been rumored for nearly a year by the time it was officially announced. Miller originally played the role of Jason Morgan, but when Steve Burton returned to GH, Miller was revealed to be Jason's twin, Drew. The character swap resulted in a wave of Internet rumors that Miller was unhappy at GH. In December 2017, the media-shy actor released a statement denying the rumors. The following year, Miller earned a Lead Actor nomination for his work on GH.
Fans are already clamoring for Miller to return to the role of Billy Abbott on The Young and the Restless -- but the role is currently being played by GH alum Jason Thompson (ex-Patrick Drake). That doesn't necessarily preclude the CBS soap from making a recast. Y&R recently dropped Emmy winner Gina Tognoni from the role of Phyllis Abbott when the role's original Michelle Stafford (ex-Nina Reeves) became available.
It's unclear how Miller's character will be written out. However, a show source tells Soap Central that Miller worked heavily with Roger Howarth (Franco Baldwin) in his final days. Miller's final GH appearance -- which was reported filmed on Friday, July 26 -- will air in late August
As for the "until next time" that Miller spoke of in his message, the actor already has a new role booked -- but it's not in daytime. He will appear as Alex Dunn on the upcoming NBC primetime series Truth Be Told.
How do you feel about Billy Miller exiting General Hospital? Would you like him to return to Y&R? Would you be interested in seeing him join one of the other two remaining soaps? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
