Billy Flynn Exits Days of Our Lives for The Young and the Restless

Billy Flynn is saying goodbye to Days of Our Lives, but he’s not leaving the world of soaps just yet.

“I love acting, and I love stories, and I never imagined I would just tell one story for the rest of my life,” Flynn, 39, said of his time on Days in a Thursday, March 13, interview with Variety. “The fact that I’ve been here 10 years and it’s gone by in the blink of an eye is amazing to me. I wasn’t a baby when I started here; I was 30. I didn’t start acting until I was 26. So it’s gone by really fast.”

After playing Chad DiMera for the past decade, Flynn has decided to say goodbye and take on a new role on a different soap opera: The Young the Restless.

“I think with this character, I’ve done everything I can with it,” he reflected of his role as DiMera. “I’m looking forward to doing something new. I’m about to start a new journey and tell another story. It really is just that simple.”

In addition to a new change of scenery, Flynn is looking forward to a new workflow structure that differs from the one he was accustomed to.

“We do the best work we can despite the obstacles that we’ve faced as a show. Part of that move I’m excited about is [that] they move slower and there’s more time to do stuff. But I was trained like a warrior here,” he told the outlet. “There’s a different pace [here], but it’s made me the actor and the person I am today.”

While Flynn is excited about the new opportunity, he confessed it is “bittersweet” to say goodbye to Days of Our Lives and its loyal fans.

“The outpouring of well wishes and love since this came out has been humbling,” he shared. “It’s been incredibly moving to me, and I’m gonna take that with me. I hope [fans] continue to watch Days and support Days and support whoever might come in and play Chad, if there ever is that case. I hope they do that and give somebody the same love they gave me. And I hope that they come with me on this journey that I’m on and support me doing that too.”

Due to the Days of Our Lives filming schedule, Flynn will remain on the soap opera until 2026 while working on The Young and the Restless simultaneously.

Details of Flynn’s Young and the Restless character remain under wraps. Young and the Restless head writer Josh Griffith, who previously worked alongside Flynn on Days of Our Lives, shared a statement to Variety welcoming Flynn to the cast.

“On behalf of the entire company of The Young and the Restless, we look forward to welcoming Billy to the show,” the statement read. “He will be a wonderful addition to Y&R’s stellar cast.”

Flynn made his Days of Our Lives debut in 2014. While on the series, he received three Daytime Emmy nominations.