In a surprising -- and oddly low-key -- casting shake up, Adrianne Leon (Brook Lynn Ashton) has exited General Hospital and joined the cast of CBS's The Young and the Restless.
CBS issued a statement announcing Leon's addition to the Y&R cast, which presumably thwarted any plans ABC may have had to keep Leon's exit and her characters' future a secret. In making the statement, CBS also revealed that Leon has, in fact, already left the General Hospital set.
"Adrianne Leon (formerly of General Hospital) joins the Y&R cast as Colleen Carlton, daughter of Traci Abbott and Brad Carlton," CBS said in a statement. "Her start date is December 9th."
What is your reaction to the news that Adrianne Leon is Y&R's new Colleen?
Poll Posted: December 12, 2005
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
With Leon having already reported for work at CBS and under contract to the network, her days at General Hospital have obviously come to an end. Her final scenes for the ABC soap should air sometime in early January.
"We wish her the best and we'll miss her," a General Hospital spokesperson said of Leon's departure. Leon was under contract to the show, but was granted a request to be let out of her contract. There is no word on when Leon will last air or what GH execs plan to do with the character of Brook Lynn.
Colleen Carlton was most recently played by actress Lyndsy Fonseca. Fonseca was a regular member of the Y&R cast from 2001 through June 2004 and returned for a special short-term engagement between Christmas 2004 and Valentine's Day 2005. It is unclear if Fonseca was asked to reprise the role.
Leon earned a Daytime Emmy nomination in March 2005 in the Outstanding Younger Actress field. In addition to her acting work, Leon also wrote and performed songs on General Hospital.
Leon makes her first on-screen appearance on The Young and the Restless on January 18th.
