“The Young and the Restless’” Michelle Stafford (Phyllis Newman) hasn’t even left Genoa City yet, but there are already fans crossing their fingers in anticipation of a future return. But is it possible? Angelica McDaniel, Senior Vice President of CBS Daytime, thinks so! “She is an icon,” the exec tells Soap Opera Network of Stafford, who began playing George and Lydia Summers’ daughter back in 1994. “She’s an amazingly talented woman… and she brings so much as Phyllis to the show. But we have to respect her decision, and [leaving] was her choice.”
That being said, McDaniel would like to assure fans that if the situation presented itself, Stafford would be welcomed back in a heartbeat: “We wish her the best, and hopefully, as I’ve told her… she’ll be back!”