Jason Thompson recently marked his 10th anniversary playing the role of Billy Abbott on The Young and the Restless. As longtime soap fans know, after his 10-year run as Dr. Patrick Drake on General Hospital, Thompson made his Y&R debut in January 2016.
Arriving at this milestone, Thompson is filled with nothing but gratitude. After receiving an overwhelming amount of support and love, he took to his Instagram account with a reel to extend his appreciation. In it, he said, “This is an appreciation post for anyone that follows me because of my work on The Young and the Restless or the 10 years prior at General Hospital.”
“I Never Would Have Dreamed This”
Thompson continued, “You might know that this is my 10 year anniversary at The Young and the Restless and I just want to say how incredibly grateful I am to be a part of this amazing group.”
He admitted, “You know, if I’m thinking back to the beginning, I never really would dream that I would be this grateful and have this much appreciation for the show itself. The people that work there are incredible, the cast, the crew, the hair and makeup, our wardrobe, our production team, our PR, our writers, obviously our producers, directors, and our executive team at The Young and the Restless, and of course at Sony and CBS.”
“They’re just incredible people,” Thompson said. “You know, we can put on a great show, but if it doesn’t have a studio to pay for it and a network to air it on, it kind of goes away. So I just have so much appreciation for all those people. They’re just fantastic people. And the cast that said nice things about me on my anniversary today.”
Thompson made it clear, “Of course I take it with a grain of salt, but that’s also just because I know this business can be fleeting, and I’m glad to be kicking it still. Ten years of Y&R feels awesome. It feels awesome to be a part of it all.”
Ten Years Down… and Many More to Go
“Most importantly, to the fans that support our show, that watch us, it’s literally not possible without you,” he shared. “And there’s three plus million people that watch us five days a week, and that’s only in America, let alone Canada, Australia, France, everywhere. It’s just an incredible thing.”
In closing, Thompson said, “So thank you from the bottom of my heart for watching our show, for supporting us, and for me personally, just allowing me to play an amazing character that continues to grow and surprise me. He’s so fun to play. Billy Abbott is a little shitster, disturbed sometimes, but I love him. I love his edge. I love everything about him, and I’m so grateful to put that wardrobe on every day and step into his shoes.”
“So thank you for the ten years, and here’s to 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, why not?” Thompson concluded. “All the best. Thank you. Bye bye.”
The Love Comes Pouring In
Of course, his post did not go unseen by his colleagues. They were quick to jump into the comment section with their congratulations. Courtney Hope, who plays his leading lady Sally Spectra, wrote, “I feel so lucky to be a small part of your journey and to be able to witness you work every week! I’m a huge fan and honored to call you a friend! Congratulations!”
Susan Walters, who plays his onscreen sister-in-law Diane Jenkins Abbott, said, “I don’t mind admitting I’m a fan girl!!! You’re awesome and it’s such a pleasure when I get to work with you!!”
Zuleyka Silver, aka Audra Charles, said, “Congrats, Jason! You’re incredible.”
Tracey E. Bregman, aka Lauren Baldwin, wrote, “Happy 10th Anniversary!! You are amazing!”
Paxton Mishkind, who plays his onscreen son Johnny Abbott, penned, “Such an honor to work with you and couldn’t ask for a better daytime dad! Congratulations!!!”
Even his former General Hospital leading lady, Kimberly McCullough, aka Robin Scorpio Drake, chimed in with a simple, “Congratulations.”
Your Turn, Y&R Fans
Congrats to Jason Thompson on ten years as Billy Abbott. What has been your favorite JT scene as Billy so far? Let us know in the comments section below.
Photo Credit: JPI Studios.
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