Sean Kanan (Deacon Sharpe) will again exit The Young and the Restless, just a short time after the actor returned to viewers' television screens. "Well, it's just two weeks before Xmas and [The Powers that Be] have just let me know that I will be gone from [Genoa City] in five more shows. Merry Xmas," Kanan posted on Twitter. Kanan debuted on The Young and the Restless in July 2009. He'd originally created the role of Deacon on Y&R's sister soap, The Bold and the Beautiful, in 2000. He remained with B&B through 2005.

Kanan also appeared for four years as in the mid-1990s as AJ Quartermaine on ABC's General Hospital. In 1999, he appeared on NBC's short-lived Sunset Beach.

In January 2010, Kanan's successful run on Y&R was tarnished by unsubstantiated claims that he'd been fired over performance issues. Kanan vehemently denied those claims as "libelous and not true," and a Y&R executive confirmed that Kanan's run had been envisioned as a short-term gig. It was, however, said that the door would be left open for Deacon to show up again at a later time.

Since his initial Twitter post, Kanan has gone on to reveal that he's received assurances that he'll be back on-screen in 2012.

"Apparently Y&R has not seen the last of Deacon. MAB [Maria Arena Bell, Y&R's executive producer and head writer] says she plans on bringing Deacon back in the Spring," Kanan noted. "Thanks 2 all of your 4 everything."

A "final" airdate has not yet been announced, nor has an approximate date for his return.