Rumors have been swirling that former All My Children star Walt Willey (ex-Jackson Montgomery) has joined the cast of The Young and the Restless as Sharon Newman's (Sharon Case) father, and while the casting news would undoubtedly make millions of soap opera fans happy as 2017 kicks off, it doesn't look like the rumor is true.
Willey took to social media to clear up any confusion about his future in Genoa City. After pointing out that the casting news is merely a rumor, he posted a poll fans can participate in to voice their opinions on whether or not they'd like to see him on the CBS soap.
"Although I'm not one to start or perpetuate rumors -- at your (and you know who you are!) requests, my media manager, Bonnie Vent, has set up a chance for you to remark on the rumor that I'll be joining the cast of Y&R as Sharon's 'long-lost father,'" he wrote. "Have fun and 'pass it along...'"
Despite Willey personally shutting down the rumor that he's joined Y&R, the poll had fans continuing to buzz about the possibility, prompting him to take to social media again to be absolutely clear that the Y&R gossip is just that -- gossip.
First, he wrote, "Thanks so much for responding to the poll based on the RUMOR that I'll be joining the cast of Y&R! I have a lot of friends on that show and would be only too happy to spend some time there."
He then followed up with, "Hey Folks...just want to make clear that I HAVE NOT been cast on Y&R. Many of you seem to think that I'm 'sandbagging' for some reason, keeping it quiet that I've been cast. That IS NOT the fact! So your VOTE is very important to us and perhaps puts some power back into YOUR -- the soap fans -- hands! Here's the link to our poll -- you never know who's watching!"
Willey -- who played AMC's legal eagle Jack from 1987 to 2011 -- currently stars in the online soap Tainted Dreams and often appears in stage productions that benefit his children's charity, Willey World Endowment Fund. His most recent credit is the role of the Commissioner in a comedy/horror film titled Butcher the Bakers, which is currently in post-production and scheduled for release later this year.
What do you think about the rumor that Willey has joined Y&R? Would you like to see him in Genoa City as Sharon's father? 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.
