In a shocking backstage shakeup at Days of Our Lives, Billy Flynn will be exiting the soap as Chad DiMera and moving over to Young and Restless, where he will debut later this spring in a newly created role.
A Big Move
Speaking to TV Insider, who reported the casting coup, Flynn stated, “I am grateful for my years at DAYS; it changed my life in the best ways. I’ve always said these stories we tell are like doing a play, and I’ve spent the last 10-plus years playing this amazing character and telling one of the all-time great love stories.” Looking ahead to his future on the Y&R canvas, he added, “And now I’m excited for this opportunity and to test myself in a new way.”
Flynn started on DAYS in 2014 when, as a daytime newcomer, he was brought in as a recast of Stefano’s son, taking over the role when Casey Deidrick exited in 2013. He quickly became a fan favorite as Chad and Abigail’s love story — first opposite Kate Mansi (now Kristina, General Hospital) then Marci Miller — captivated the audience. Over the past 10 years, Flynn made the character his own, cementing his place as one of the soap’s leading men and earning Daytime Emmy nominations in 2017, 2019 and 2023.
Speaking to Soap Opera Digest after his most recent nomination, Flynn explained that the nod held a different weight than his first two had. “It’s extra special for the end of the Chad and Abigail story and for where I’m at in my life,” he said, adding that he felt like his first two acknowledgements were “followed by anxiety and fear and not really being present in the moment. Just immediately thinking, ‘If I don’t win does it mean I’m not good? If I do win, what am I going to say?’ It was clouded by my head.”
With maturity, Flynn noted, he was more settled. “As I’ve gotten older, all that’s gone. So, I was really able to just enjoy the moment and the nomination,” he noted. “I have a son now and a wife, and it’s been almost 10 years since I’ve been on the show. Ultimately, this nomination was just enjoyment, and I’m not worried about the results or anything that happens next.”
Flynn’s exit from DAYS comes with the blessing of his boss at the soap, Executive Producer Ken Corday. “We support Billy as an actor and friend, and wish him nothing but continued success and happiness, personally and professionally,” Corday stated to TV Insider. “He will certainly be missed in Salem.”
Meanwhile, Y&R Executive Producer and Head Writer Josh Griffith also shared a statement with the reporting website, “On behalf of the entire company of The Young and the Restless, we look forward to welcoming Billy to the show. He will be a wonderful addition to Y&R’s stellar cast.”
Due to DAYS’s accelerated shooting schedule, Flynn will continue to air into 2026.
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