‘General Hospital’ Alum Jason Thompson Confirmed To Join ‘The Young And The Restless’ In 2016, What Character Will The Actor Play?

Jason Thompson To Star In "The Young And The Restless" — Former "General Hospital" star Jason Thompson, pictured at the 2012 Summer TCA Tour in Beverly Hills, California, will make his debut on "The Young and the Restless" in January 2016. Getty Images

Good news, soap fans! Jason Thompson is returning to the small screen … but on a different channel. After wrapping up his 10-year stint as the beloved Dr. Patrick Drake on “General Hospital” in November, it was revealed that the former ABC star will be resurfacing on a competing soap opera: “The Young and the Restless.”

According to TVLine, Thompson will make his Genoa City debut in January 2016, taking on the role of Billy Abbott -- a character that was played by Burgess Jenkins since 2014. (Jenkins recently revealed he was exiting the soap in November due to the stress of traveling from the East Coast, where his family resides, to the “YR” set across the country.)

“Jason Thompson is an incredibly gifted actor, and we are thrilled to welcome him,” Angelica McDaniel, CBS’ head of daytime, told Entertainment Weekly. “Playing the pivotal role of Billy Abbott, Jason joins the talented cast of ‘The Young and the Restless’ as the show celebrates an unprecedented 27 consecutive years as daytime’s No. 1 drama.”

Thank you! Excited and grateful for the opportunity. https://t.co/u7cFbqszjW
— Jason Thompson (@MyJasonThompson) December 4, 2015

Thompson, who earned five Emmy nominations for his role on the ABC sudser, will reunite with former “General Hospital” executive producer Jill Farren Phelps on the CBS program.

“I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to work with Jason again,” Phelps said. “He’s an exceptional actor and a wonderful human being. He will bring so much to the character and we’re thrilled to welcome him to ‘The Young and Restless’ family.”

After making the difficult decision to hang up his “General Hospital” scrubs, Thompson reached out to his fans in an Instagram post to share his gratitude for all their support throughout the years.

“’General Hospital’ changed my life, and I have you to thank for that,” the actor said. “I mean those words from the bottom of my heart: ‘GH’ is family to me, and I will miss you all dearly.”

Thompson urged audiences on Twitter to follow his new journey on "The Young and the Restless."