Melissa Claire Egan confirms her exit from Y&R

Popular Emmy-nominated star of The Young and the Restless Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea Lawson) has decided to exit Genoa City.

Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea Lawson) has confirmed that she will be exiting The Young and the Restless in the weeks ahead to try her luck outside of daytime.

In a heartfelt post on her social media sites, Egan expressed her gratitude to the cast and crew of Y&R as well as to the show's fans.

"After much thought and six wonderful years, I have decided to leave The Young & the Restless," Egan wrote. "This cast, crew, and everyone behind the scenes at Sony and CBS are truly the best at what they do and are my family. To you incredible fans, thank you for EVERYTHING."

Melissa Claire Egan made her daytime debut as Annie McDermott Lavery Chandler on ABC's All My Children, originating the role in July 2006. An immediate hit with fans, Egan also was quick to earn critical acclaim. She snagged Daytime Emmy nominations in the Outstanding Supporting Actress category in 2009, 2011, and 2012.

After All My Children ended in 2011, Egan joined the cast of The Young and the Restless, where she originated another role, that of Chelsea Lawson. She picked up two more Emmy nominations in 2013 and 2014. Egan received a pre-nomination in the Outstanding Lead Actress category earlier this year.

Egan vows that her forthcoming Y&R exit "isn't goodbye. Truly. Just goodbye for now." Her exact post-Y&R plans aren't yet known, but Daytime Confidential reports that Egan supposedly wants to focus on auditioning for primetime and film roles full-time. In fact, the publication states she was inspired by her former Y&R costar Justin Hartley (ex-Adam Newman) to leave daytime.

"Missy sees how much success Justin is having with [his primetime series] This is Us, and she wants to get out there and see what can happen for her," an insider told DC.

Prior to joining AMC, Egan had roles in primetime on Dawson's Creek and One Tree Hill.

A final airdate for Egan has yet to be announced. The show reportedly has no plans to recast the role and will be leaving the door wide open for Egan to return at some point in the future.

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