Jill is back on “The Young and the Restless,” but the character isn’t being played by fan favorite Jess Walton. Instead, a beloved “Days of Our Lives” star has stepped into the legendary role. The switch-up has some fans wondering why the sudden change, especially as Walton just marked a major anniversary with the CBS soap.
‘Days of Our Lives’ Lauren Koslow Is The New Jill On ‘The Young and the Restless’
“The Young and the Restless” Jill has returned to Genoa City to have a hard conversation with her son, Billy (Jason Thompson), about Cane (Billy Flynn). However, Jill looks different this time around as beloved soap legend Walton isn’t in the role.
In May, it was announced that the “Days of Our Lives” vet Lauren Koslow (Kate) would be taking over the role of Jill for a handful of episodes. “The Young and the Restless” head writer Josh Griffith revealed to Soap Opera Digest that Walton was unable to film in person due to scheduling conflicts.
“When we got the sad news that Jess wouldn’t be able to make it down here for this, we were just so close to when we needed to do it, and [Y&R’s publicist] and I just sat and brainstormed for two seconds,” he shared.
Griffith then came up with the idea to see if Koslow was available. Since “The Young and the Restless and “Days of Our Lives” are both under the Sony umbrella, it would make sharing Koslow and scheduling easy. Plus, Koslow got her start on “The Young and the Restless,” and Griffith felt a sense of nostalgia having her fill in for Walton.
“It all just aligned. When it airs, you’ll see. It works very well,” Griffith expressed to the outlet.
A spokesperson for the Peacock soap confirmed to TV Insider that the show was happy to lend Koslow out and that she remains a vital part of the “Days of Our Lives” family.
Although Koslow has been playing Kate on “Days of Our Lives” for 30 years, she got her soap start on “The Young and the Restless”. The actress played Lindsey Wells, a blackmailing vixen from 1984 to 1986, a decade before she joined the hit Peacock soap.
Jess Walton Is Not Leaving ‘The Young and the Restless’
Although it was necessary to recast Jill for the episodes, Griffith and “The Young and the Restless” executive producer Sally McDonald promised that Walton isn’t going anywhere.
“We love her. She is Jill to the masses. I hope that as we move forward there will be opportunity [to see more of Walton’s Jill] based on her availability,” they said in an interview with TV Insider.
In 2011, after nearly 25 years on the CBS soap, Walton moved to Oregon and opted for a recurring role on “The Young and the Restless”. Jill has been seen off and on since then, with Walton making a slew of appearances via video and a few in person for special Genoa City occasions.
McDonald and Griffith further proved that Walton is still Jill by stating that they were already working on her 40th anniversary, which is in 2027.
“We look forward to welcoming her back to Genoa City as her schedule permits and celebrating her extraordinary 40th anniversary as the iconic Jill Abbott,” they stated to TV Insider.
Ironically, Koslow taking over as Jill happened days after Walton celebrated her 39th anniversary as Jill on “The Young and the Restless” on June 19.
The last time Jill was in town was last year, when Cane resurfaced and wreaked havoc on the good people of Genoa City. Jill was front and center for the fallout of Cane being Aristotle Dumas and his hosting half the town in France last summer. She was caught in the middle of Cane and Billy while facing the wrath of Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) for not speaking up about Cane sooner.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that Jill was having heart issues and was seeking treatment from her brother Snapper. Jill’s health crisis happened off-screen but impacted her, Billy, Cane, and others in the Abbott family on-screen.
Following the Jill recast change-up, it was announced that Griffith had stepped down as head writer of the CBS soap. However, that doesn’t change the fact that Walton is beloved by the powers that be on the show and will continue to be Jill if her schedule allows.
