Fans of Greg Rikaart were delivered a crushing blow this week: the actor took to Twitter to announce that his time as Days of our Lives' Leo Stark has officially come an end.
Shortly after Tuesday's episode of DAYS -- which saw Leo sign annulment papers to end his marriage to Sonny Kiriakis (Freddie Smith) and then curse Will Horton (Chandler Massey) with bad luck -- Rikaart shared that he is exiting the canvas.
"That's a wrap on Leo. Thanks for all the love," he tweeted. "Playing this role has been a gift. An absurdly fun and delicious gift."
That's a wrap on Leo. Thanks for all the love. Playing this role has been a gift. An absurdly fun and delicious gift. #DAYS
— Greg Rikaart (@gregrikaart) March 26, 2019
New DAYS star Brandon Barash (Stefan DiMera; ex-Johnny Zacchara, General Hospital) responded with a message that makes it seem like Rikaart's exit may be open-ended: "So much fun playing pretend w you, albeit briefly. Look forward to the next time!"
Kassie DePaiva (Eve Donovan) also responded to Rikaart's tweet, sharing: "Dang it!! I wanted to play in your sand box! Love you! You will be missed on and off camera! Congrats on your nomination!"
While many DAYS fans are crushed to hear that Rikaart is leaving, fans of The Young and the Restless are hoping that his exit news means he might be returning as his Genoa City alter ego, Kevin Fisher, which he played from 2003 until being let go in May 2017. Y&R is under new leadership, and the current powers that be listened to fans and recently brought back ousted actor Doug Davidson (Paul Williams). Could Rikaart be next?
According to Chrishell Hartley (Jordan Ridgeway), Y&R would be smart to snatch the actor back while the getting is good.
"You are amazing!!! I am sure we will all be seeing you again very soon," she wrote in response to Rikaart's exit tweet. "Where just depends on who is the smartest and the fastest."
In addition to soap operas, Rikaart has several primetime television credits. He recently landed a guest-starring role on Modern Family and has been on shows like Major Crimes, Bones, CSI: Miami, and Dawson's Creek.
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