Melissa Ordway On Young And Restless Status: ‘They Have Not Asked Me To Come Back’

Daddy's Girl: Melissa Ordway on the Y&R set with on-screen father Eric Braeden (Victor).

It was back in November 2024 that Melissa Ordway confirmed that she had been taken off contract at Young and Restless, where she had begun playing Abby Newman back in 2013. At the time, she made clear that her change in status was “not something I wanted but I love and respect my YR family and appreciate any time they ask me back.”

Looking Back

The news drew such massive headlines that Ordway made a video on her Instagram to elaborate that as a recurring player, “I’m still on Young and Restless, I’m still playing Abby, it’s just in a different capacity.” She added, “I hope that Abby and Devon have an amazing love story with Dominic and more babies [and that] I hope I am there as much as I possibly can be. I hope that they continue to write for Abby. I hope and pray for all of that. I’m here for it. I love Abby. I love playing her. I want to be there.”

Since then, Ordway — who is based in Nashville, where she resides with husband Justin Gaston (who originated the role of Ben Weston on Days of Our Lives and briefly appeared on Y&R as Chance) and their two daughters, Olivia and Sophie — has made the commute to Los Angeles on multiple occasions to pop into the Genoa City mix as Abby. Her most recent comeback is airing now, as Abby joined Devon at “Dumas’s” (really, Cane’s) compound in France.

With Abby back on screen, it’s no surprise that when the actress took to her Instagram Stories (which are only visible for 24 hours and have now expired) to invite fans to send her questions for an impromptu Q&A session, she was peppered with inquiries about where things stood between her and Y&R. “Lots of YR questions,” Ordway acknowledged in her response. She went on to write, “I went back for a few episodes in May that have begun to air now but they have not asked me to come back for anymore [sic]. Love to play Abby and would love to come back if they ask me.” She punctuated her message with a winking emoji and a red heart emoji.

So, for now, it looks like Abby’s presence on the canvas will be short-lived, and when the Parisian storyline is over, the character will revert to living happily ever after with Devon off screen. Until Ordway’s next visit, that is!

Would you like to see Ordway on Y&R more regularly? Let us know in the comments below!