The Young and The Restless’s Jason Thompson Recalls Billy Miller Encouraging Him to Play Billy Abbott
January 14, 2026 marked Jason Thompson’s 10th anniversary playing Billy Abbott on Young and Restless, a job he took after a decade spent playing Dr. Patrick Drake on General Hospital. Jill Farren Phelps, who had hired the actor to play Patrick while she was executive producer of GH, had subsequently assumed that same position at Y&R, and wanted to bring Thompson over to the CBS soap as its new Billy. In a new interview with TV Insider, he reflected on making the move to Genoa City — and the role the late Billy Miller, who had played the character from 2008-14, played in his decision to sign on to play Billy.
Taking Over
When the actor began discussing the possibility of a move to Y&R with Farren Phelps, “I did not know that it was for Billy,” Thompson shared. “I thought it would be a new character, but then I found out that it was going to be Billy, and I was instantly a lot more nervous. Big character, big shoes, and I was actually working with the great Billy Miller at General Hospital at the same time. I knew what he brought to that character.”
Miller, who died by suicide in 2023, made his daytime debut playing Richie Novak on All My Children from 2007-08. Before joining GH in 2014 as a recast of Jason Morgan — who was later revealed to actually be Jason’s twin brother, Drew Cain — Miller had spent six memorable years playing Billy Abbott on Y&R, earning two Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor and one for Outstanding Lead Actor for his work.
As he pondered his decision about moving to Y&R, Thompson spoke with Miller about the possibility of leaving Port Charles for Genoa City. “He said, ‘Hey, are you going to take over Billy?’” Thompson recalled. “And I was confiding in him as a friend when I said, ‘I don’t know what’s going on, man.'” That was in part, he explained, because his boss at GH, Executive Producer Frank Valentini, had asked him to extend his time at the show by another month and a half, which Thompson agreed to do, allowing the show to script a proper happily-ever-after and feel-good sendoff for Patrick and his true love, Robin (Kimberly McCullough).
“I wasn’t really sure what was happening,” Thompson continued, “but he said, ‘Look, if somebody’s going to take that character over, you can do it.’ And it meant a lot because I know how much that character meant to him and always had. He made that character what it was. We caught up a little bit more after I made the change, and stayed friendly throughout that time.”
Thompson took over the role of Billy on Y&R in 2016 and has put his own stamp on the character over the past decade, earning three Daytime Emmy Award nominations for his performances and taking home the trophy in 2020.
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