Doug Davidson returns to Y&R -- to clear out his dressing room

Emmy-winner Doug Davidson returned to the Y&R studio earlier this month -- but not to film scenes. The actor said he was there to clear out his dressing room.

It's been several years since Doug Davidson (Paul Williams) last appeared on-screen on The Young and the Restless. His absence has left fans wondering if he'd ever appear on the CBS soap again.

On social media, Davidson seemed to wonder the same thing. The Emmy-winning actor has been very vocal about his lack of airtime and his feelings that, after more than 40 years with Y&R, he'd been "treated like a day player."

Davidson recently cleaned out his dressing room at The Young and the Restless, something that took many fans by surprise, since it has been so long since the actor made his last appearance on the show.

Davidson joined The Young and the Restless in May 1978. In 2013, Davidson took home his very first Daytime Emmy. Shortly after he marked his 40th anniversary in 2018, Davidson informed fans that he'd been dropped to recurring status.

"It does hurt, to be honest," Davidson said at the time.

As the calendar turned to 2019, and after substantial pushback from fans about the decision to bump Davidson, the actor took to social media to announce that he'd be back in Genoa City. The return was short-lived.

Davidson shared the events that led to his departure from Y&R. After he finished a scene, then-executive producer Mal Young summoned Davidson to his office to inform him that he'd been taken off contract.

"Mal told me he was taking me off contract and that he preferred no one knew because it wouldn't do me or them any good. He'd rather use me [in a recurring capacity] than hiring somebody nobody knows," Davidson recounted. "I thought that was the nicest take it or leave it I ever heard. And if I didn't agree they would probably kill me off or something like that. I did agree to go on recurring."

Davidson reflected on his time as Y&R and how his character had changed over the years.

"I was brought on to be a bad influence to Nikki [Melody Thomas Scott]," the actor pointed out. "Then [co-creator, the late] Bill Bell transformed the character into a hero." He shared that the early character change led to 42 years of memorable storylines, many of which the actor recalls in a photo spread.

On Sunday, July 23, Davidson made a post on Twitter, announcing that he'd recently gone to the Y&R studio at CBS's Television City and packed up all that was left of his time as Paul Williams.

"Well, I cleaned out my dressing room a week ago Saturday. Yes, it was sad for several reasons. 1. It was my home for over 40 years and it was like a ghost town. [The Price Is Right] has left, and the new owner of TV City isn't really keeping it up. The sets were all small and a bit tired."

As Soap Central previously reported, CBS sold its sprawling Television City studio complex to Los Angeles real estate developer Hackman Capital Partners for $750 million. Now, as Hackman begins to put its vision for the property into place, The Price is Right has wrapped production at the famed Bob Barker Studio and packed up for a new state-of-the-art facility in Glendale, California. Let's Make A Deal will soon follow suit. The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful will also reportedly move to new studios at some point in the near future.

What does the future hold for the character of Paul Williams? That remains very much unknown. Earlier this year, Paul was revealed to be visiting daughter Heather in Portugal. Then, in April, Christine confided that her marriage to Paul was over.

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