The Young and the Restless News: Greg Rikaart Will Be Sorely Missed – Outstanding Cast Member For Decade-Plus

Greg Rikaart (Kevin) first joined the cast of ‘The Young and the Restless’ in 2003. Sadly, his decade-plus run is coming to an end as this consistently terrific actor’s contract apparently hasn’t been renewed. Rikaart’s final episode is expected to air in August.

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The Kevin character was originally created to extend Michael Baldwin’s (Christian Le Blanc) backstory. Both Baldwin brothers came from troubled backgrounds. Kevin was abused as a child by his father ‘Terrible Tom’ (Roscoe Born), facing routine punishments in a locked closet, as Gloria (Judith Chapman) stood idly by. That trauma damaged his psyche, resulting in criminal behavior during his early days in Genoa City. Today, he’s a valued member of the GC Police Department.

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Longtime viewers still associate the haunting work Rikaart delivered during the mid-2000’s. He was rightfully awarded with a 2005 Daytime Emmy, winning in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category. Rikaart’s efforts earned nominations during the next four consecutive years (2006-2009). Based on his collaborative work with Elizabeth Hendrickson (Chloe), who recently departed the cast herself, Y&R devotees must feel that Rikaart has already produced Emmy nomination worthy, or Award-winning worthy turns this year.

Chloe is Kevin’s soul mate. So with that character having been forced to leave Wisconsin, due to the Adam (Justin Hartley) murder rap, the only other unresolved issue on Kevin’s plate was Bella (Cali May Kinder). However, that portion of storyline history was settled recently, as letters received from Chloe enabled two paternity tests to be conducted.

Kevin beat Billy (Jason Thompson) to become Bella’s dad. That result was unexpected, as Kevin had seemingly failed the same test last summer. However, a majority of audience members appeared to favor Sally Sussman’s decision to re-imagine this portion of the script.

It’s easy to speculate about Y&R’s likely Kevin endgame. So will Kevin and Bella relocate to wherever Chloe is, or will some other scenario end Rikaart’s character’s run? With whatever plays out, this actor has earned a solid write-out arc and a full retrospective reel as well.

Related: WATCH: The Young and The Restless Preview Video Friday, May 5

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