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60 September 14th, 2012 Daytime Fave Debbie Morgan OUT at The Young and the Restless!

Debbi Morgan dress

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

Jill Farren Phelps and Josh Griffith are cleaning house at The Young and the Restless! First, came word yesterday of Genie Francis, then Marcy Rylan, being shown the front door at the number one soap, but last evening came the news that Daytime Emmy winner, Debbi Morgan has also lost her daytime gig.

Morgan tweeted the news first to her fans stating, “To all my twitter fans wanted to B the first to tell you the new regime has let me go from Y&R. Will tape my last show Oct. 5th & I move on! Have a lot of moving & reorganizing to do after being let go from Y&R so wanted you all to know won’t be on twitter but only 4 short while.”

Debbi, who was so well-known for her role as the beloved Angie Hubbard on All My Children, took on the role of Harmony at Y&R even before the final episodes of the legacy ABC soap aired. Although she was enthusiastic, as were many of her fans, at the start of her time in Genoa City, over the last several months her storyline never took hold.

What do you think about the axing of Debbi Morgan? And, who’s next? Weigh-in!

Tags: All My Children, debbi morgan, jill farren phelps, josh griffith, The Young and the Restless

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Scott says:

September 14, 2012 at 8:08 am

Now this to me is a shock. I loved Debbi as Harmony, and will dearly miss her as part of the cast. The role was a refreshing change for her. But I guess this is JFP getting rid of most of the ABC cast-offs. I see Darnell being next to go, and if he isn’t, then I call a misjudgment on her behalf. I will miss Debbi Morgan with all of my heart!

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Christine replied September 14th, 2012 at 9:23 am
It will be interesting if they let Darnell go as they had a casting call for his son or nephew or something. I don’t remember if that was before Bell was fired or not.

But I see him going as well. He really isn’t needed anymore now that Jack is better, though they could write for him if they wanted to.

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Scott replied September 14th, 2012 at 9:44 am
If they aren’t going to write for Debbi, who has a solid storyline and connection to Genoa City, I fail to see how they could write one for Darnell who has ZERO connection to the show.

jenni replied September 14th, 2012 at 11:55 pm
Im so sick and tired of Tommy Lightfoot Garrett bashing only Jill F. writer. He is so up Maria Bells butt he is bashing in all his columns Jill so un classy when Jill IS NOT the only one to make these cast cutting decisions! Get A Life Tommy. I like Michaels articles much better!

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SZima replied September 15th, 2012 at 4:00 pm
Huh? Who the hell is Tommy Lightfoot Garrett ?
Matt says:

September 14, 2012 at 8:11 am

Would love to see Angie Hubbard on GH!

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Phil replied September 14th, 2012 at 7:30 pm
Yep, was thinking the same thing.

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Rob says:

September 14, 2012 at 8:23 am

The writngs on the wall people.

JFP was brought in to pull the plug on a show thats been on life support for some time.

Look for General Hospital to knock this crapfest out off the #1 spot!

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Phil replied September 14th, 2012 at 7:30 pm
I wouldn’t be at all surprised, GH is rocking at tbis point!

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Liz replied September 16th, 2012 at 9:36 pm
They would have kept MAB if they wanted to pull plug of the show. She was doing fine at butchering the show.
Jules says:

September 14, 2012 at 8:42 am

The losing streak for Neil Winters in the love department continues.

Debbie needs to start going outside daytime for work. It won’t be easy but she’s so talented, it would be a crime for her not to try.

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David Larsson says:

September 14, 2012 at 8:45 am

Morgan is a wonderful actress but the role of Harmony was not for her. Watching her scenes was awkward rather than captivating and interesting.

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Mary Fergen replied September 15th, 2012 at 2:26 pm
I wish there was still a Pine Valley that Debbie Morgan could come back to……

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Peaches replied September 16th, 2012 at 12:59 pm
I agree with you David. The role Harmony played was a boring role, even though she is a good actor.

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Michael says:

September 14, 2012 at 8:46 am

This will not be the last of the firings. JFP needs to get rid of MAB’s stunt castings, pare this cast down, get the show under budget and concentrate on the core families on Y&R. I don’t see this as a bad move. As excellent of an actress Debbi Morgan is, her character never caught on with fans, myself included. So, her being let go did not surprise me!

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Bart replied September 14th, 2012 at 9:20 am
I agree with you 100%! News of the four (so far) cast reductions announced over the past day have been music to my ears, especially since none of these characters work in the “Y & R” world.

Genevieve, Sofia and Yolanda/Harmony were typical MAB-created characters: One-note, shrill and just plain annoying. However, SORAS’ing the character of Abby to the alleged age she is not (late 20s…??) was wrong from the get-go – that “Naked Heiress” thing was just awful and that is why nobody likes this whiny character.

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jenny says:

September 14, 2012 at 8:50 am

How come I am not in the least bit surprised? I hope GH grabs up at least Genie Francis. It just as well Debbi, Genie and Marcy are outta there since Y&R wasted them big time in order to keep giving up all the airtime to Victor and his family big whoop. Just what I want to see-more of Prictor choosing his next child bride LOL!

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Liz replied September 16th, 2012 at 9:38 pm
Harmony and Genevieve were a bunch of bores. They needed to trim the cast.

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jenny replied September 17th, 2012 at 1:20 am
ITA they were poorly written characters and I won’t miss them. I hope Genie Francis is back on GH by Thanksgiving.

As for Y&R, lately it is Sucksville-stories that drag on forever such as Paul killing his son (good lord it hasn’t even gone to trial yet and I am bored to death of it), Phyllis being in trouble over ancient history for running over Paul and Christine (a story which keeps bring Christine an annoying character back) and now this dumb Tim fiasco. And lord knows how long we will be subjected to Victor’s amnesia and Sharon acting like an idiot on a power trip.

And meanwhile the rest of the cast is wasted like Ronan and Nina who were brought back and I was so happy to hear that but I never see them. Nina has had a handful of scenes and I was hoping to see her and Ronan finally bond but instead Ronan has his head up Phyllis’ ass UGH!

I barely watch Y&R these days and when I do turn it on I get bored fast cause the show is dragging like a pig stuck in the mud with stories I stopped caring about weeks ago.

And JFP hardly gives me hope-I have seen her butchery before. From what I hear, GF, DM and MR are just the first few heads to roll-how soon til someone we CARE about, like a vet of the show gets the axe?

I ain’t sticking around to find out. I watch on GH now!
aria says:

September 14, 2012 at 8:50 am

wow, JFP isn’t messing around, Debbie, Genie, only thing they both have in common is that their superstars and most cost alot but still, wow, hope Genie gets back to GH AND debbie can visit GH too.

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Robert says:

September 14, 2012 at 9:03 am

Yes, bring Angie and David Hayward to GH, that Hospita needs some drama!

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Sheryl Postin says:

September 14, 2012 at 9:10 am

Looks like a another soap opera is going to be gone soon, I don’t understand why, I hope someone will step up and save this one before all the others will be gone too. Don’t let them take our soaps away for good.

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Mary replied September 14th, 2012 at 4:54 pm
Soaps are dying because they forgotten what they were. A soap’s bread and butter was romance. But they don’t know how to tell good romance stories anymore. They are too quick; a couple meets, hooks up, marries, and divorces in one week. Okay maybe not that fast, but you get the point. Or else, they try to rehash old romances like Nikki and Victor, but you can only break up and reunite a couple so many times before the audience loses interest. Perhaps soaps adapting the mini series format will be better, where the storyline for characters have a beginning, middle and end would work better. I hope this show survives because it use to tell the best love stories and if they can get back to business that might bring audiences back.

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ethel replied September 15th, 2012 at 3:40 am
excellent post & i totally agree!

Rona replied September 17th, 2012 at 6:19 pm
I totally agree with you Mary!

Liz replied September 16th, 2012 at 9:40 pm
They will be gone soon too because FF which ruins the ratings and because people watch online for faster access and people are interested in “reality” shows.

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Michael (not Fairman) replied September 17th, 2012 at 6:02 pm
None of which would be enough to kill the soaps if the writing were good. There’s still an audience out there that craves what soaps used to provide.

Liz replied September 17th, 2012 at 11:32 pm
That is why they are making budget costs to keep the show alive
Brian says:

September 14, 2012 at 9:22 am

The world has changed, but i hope the soaps survive.

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Iakovos says:

September 14, 2012 at 9:35 am

I may have to stop commenting. Three departures this week alone! Surely more to come. Wow! Genoa City’s U-Haul lots will be busy as everyone picks up and goes.

It is a shame so many talented actors, fan favorites all, are left scrambling. Sadly, Port Charles, Salem, and Los Angeles (OK, the Forrester Creations campus) are not big enough to accommodate the refugees. Oh, I wish daytime drama was as it once was, thriving and exciting and embraced by the webs… or cable even! TVLand is finding success with its retro-style sitcoms (HOT IN CLEVELAND, THE EXES). What about a daytime block of half hour serials?!

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Ces replied September 14th, 2012 at 1:23 pm
I agree! GH, Days and B&B have full casts, we simply can’t keep adding more because great talent like Debbi Morgan becomes available.

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Mickey says:

September 14, 2012 at 9:50 am

Like GF, I’m not surprised! Harmony wasn’t really for DM. Love her to death and she will be missed!

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Robert in Jersey City says:

September 14, 2012 at 10:05 am

No surprise here. She was fired by the same woman who killed off Alan Quartmaine.

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toscanti says:

September 14, 2012 at 10:25 am

MAB hired amazing talent and often, too bad she did not know how to write for them. Just like Maura West, amazing with no story. Hoping Josh Griffith gets back to the core family and great story. Anxious on word of other departues, excited for new material.

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kalamaty says:

September 14, 2012 at 10:59 am

Wishing Debbie well. She did a stellar job in her role!

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Ces says:

September 14, 2012 at 1:21 pm

Not surprised that JFP is cleaning house, it’s what she does. No disrespect to Ms. Morgan is a fine actress and I enjoyed her for many years on AMC as Angie but, GH is full enough and favorites are already pushed aside for the likes of this stupid Christina/Trey/Joe Jr. storyline that I don’t think anyone cares about ??? Genie is another story altogether. I would welcome her back to GH with open arms given the right storyline. I grew up with Laura and would love to see another L&L reunion. Face it, the whole Anna/Luke relationship is a bit forced. I’d rather see Luke with Tracy if Genie doesn’t get come back.
I think what GH has done with Starr, Todd and John is fine but again, it’s a full cast and bringing both Michael Easton and especially Roger Howarth to the show have been great additions —- but no more!

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Anne says:

September 14, 2012 at 2:08 pm

I am sorry to see Debbie go. I never watched YR but followed Debbie from AMC. She is an amazing. actress and I wish her well

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Darlene Bell says:

September 14, 2012 at 3:52 pm

Well I think that there could be room for Debbie at GH. What about a new chief of staff who would be a prominent resident of Port Charles . . . then we could bring on Darnell to mix things up too.

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Michael (not Fairman) says:

September 14, 2012 at 4:59 pm

I agree wholeheartedly that the show is a big mess and badly needs refocusing, but when you have talent around like Marcy Rylan, Genie Francis, and Debbi Morgan, I do think it makes sense to try to write something compelling for them before you just give up and decide they can’t contribute anything. Harmony is sort of a pointless character, but that’s not Morgan’s fault, and I would have made an effort to reshape the character and give Morgan a chance to show what she can do before just deciding to get rid of her. Ditto Marcy Rylan. (Genie was a lost cause from the minute JFP was hired; no was JFP would let her stick around.)

Sigh. I’m not sure I’m ready to agree that there’s a hidden agenda on Sony’s part to kill the show, but it’s certainly true that JFP is a perfect choice for that kind of role.

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Carol says:

September 14, 2012 at 6:09 pm

This is to make room for Steve Burton who makes a seven figure salary.Why do you think they were axed. I read it on Daytime Confidential

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JustSaying says:

September 14, 2012 at 6:28 pm

Wow! This week is more exciting than the soaps itself. Can’t wait to see what will happen next week.

I’m looking forward to letting go of Tucker, Kyle and Eden. And a couple of others that I can’t think of right now.

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jenni replied September 14th, 2012 at 11:56 pm
I don’t like Kyle Chelsea Nikki or Victor they should go Phyllis needs jail

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TnT 2.0 Forever says:

September 14, 2012 at 6:30 pm

I love Debbie Morgan and wish her all the best. She is an amazing talent!

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Jared says:

September 14, 2012 at 8:09 pm

Great actress and a beautiful woman. She just didn’t fit in on Y&R. Y&R has its own stable of stars, and MAB did a disservice to talented displaced abc actors by bloating the cast of Y&R and not providing them with good material. Our beloved legacy Y&R characters and stars suffered as well. I’m hoping all of these firings indicate the new regime’s focus on traditional Y&R.

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lew s says:

September 14, 2012 at 8:34 pm

This ain’t going to be pretty

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Elhu says:

September 14, 2012 at 8:43 pm

Sorry to hear this. I loved Debbie on AMC, she and Darnell were an iconic couple (that is Angie and Jessie), and always will be. I am a huge ABC Soap Fan, but started watching Y & R to see her work there, and I truly liked how she played the role of Harmony and really thought she and Kristoff St. John’s character looked good together. Then when Darnell came over, I really thought eventually they would migrate together at some point after their new characters fell into their own on Y&R. I am sure she will find work quickly, as she is quite talented. I wish her all the best. Maybe she can make her way to GH at some point!!!!

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Donna Sawyer says:

September 14, 2012 at 9:55 pm

I think this is a horrible decision!! They finally put her and Neil together and now are not even going to give them a chance.
The stupid powers that be don’t even give viewers time to get really invested in a character before they dump them!!

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Logan replied September 16th, 2012 at 5:52 pm
Neil+Harmony=zzzzzz
MAB had enough time to write Harmony better and she failed to do so.

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jenni says:

September 14, 2012 at 11:57 pm

Id love to see Drucilla back

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ethel says:

September 15, 2012 at 3:48 am

jfp is doing what she does best & that is getting rid of characters – i knew this would happen when she became in charge – i wonder who will be next………….

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Logan replied September 16th, 2012 at 5:49 pm
She’s only getting rid of useless characters so it’s all good.

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Molly says:

September 15, 2012 at 6:44 pm

It’s sad but daytime Tv is not what it used to be. There are so many wonderful actors I have grown to love. I STILL MISS All My Children, One Life To Live, Guiding Light, and As The World Turns. I hope Y&R does more than continue to be the NineWives of Victor Newman.

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Chaz says:

September 15, 2012 at 9:36 pm

Just how many bullets does JFP have in her gun? More than the usual 6 shooter? Betting on Neil, Lauren & Katherine as the next targets ……

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Liz replied September 16th, 2012 at 9:43 pm
They only got rid of MAB’s castings and characters so far which is a good thing.

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Nikki says:

September 15, 2012 at 9:38 pm

Oh thank god! I was hoping they’d get rid of the character of Harmony. She was useless and boring, and it was honestly awaste of Debbi Morgan’s incredible talents. I believe she’ll find a TV show (be it daytime or primetime) that can really put her skills to use in a manner that is productive for story and character.

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Tiffany says:

September 16, 2012 at 2:19 am

Thank god they are getting rid of older newbies that were written so terribly

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Nikki replied September 16th, 2012 at 5:59 pm
Agreed!

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Les_In_Co says:

September 17, 2012 at 3:55 pm

I still watch soaps but I’ve gotten to helping writing online style soap boards. It’s been the most fun I’ve had in a long time.

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Tad says:

September 25, 2012 at 1:40 pm

I am not surprised about the “firings” or rather writing off. I have never found Genie Francis a particular great actress or even charismatic. Debbi M is great but sometimes I find her a bit grating. Harmony was not a good match and boring. Debbie and Darnell should be apart; that was a once in a life time pairing and it is time to let it go. I would rather see Susan Lucci or David Canary on General Hospital. Lucci especially could bring some comedy to GH and maybe make some interesting comments to Tracey Q and the gang. And while we are at it, maybe Y and R should stop the nepotism. Melody Thomas Scott, Lauralee Bell, MAB, Bradley Bell all these people involved with Y and R wo had family links or at least at the time of being hired the odds are some of them aren’t going to be that good when you rely upon nepotism to get the door open and in some cases held open wide with red carpeting. Personally I would love a moving funeral of Nikki and Victor. Eric Braedon is so tiring as Victor Newman. He should marry someone more his age. IT seems like they write for him to always be on top; its time to show him losingmore often.

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Genesis says:

November 21, 2012 at 7:26 am

I have watched Y&R since ’73. It amazes me that there are only a few characters of color in 2012. I have concluded that this is not happenstance. Victoria Rowell and Debbie Morgan are excellent actresses. It appears to me that Y&R is very much like the U.S.A.. Not ready for characters of color to blossom on this particular soap. I see demise in the future for this now boring weekly melodrama. Nia Peoples did a great job, and the actress who portrayed, Carmen was fun to watch as well. There are several veteran and new actors/actresses who cannot bring their characters meaning. I enjoyed Abby and Sarge. Sad to see another daytime drama fall into the same category as the now minority.

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