Young & Restless’ James Hyde Opens Up About His Exit as Jeremy: ‘It’s Unfortunate the Way It Happened… ‘

Only hours after his character had what appeared to be a fatal confrontation with Phyllis, James Hyde did an Instagram live in which he confirmed that both he and Jeremy were done at The Young and the Restless… at least for the moment.

“I loved the character,” Hyde admitted. “It’s unfortunate the way it happened, but that’s the way it goes.” Of course, being no stranger to soaps — having also appeared on Another World, As the World Turns and Passions — Hyde knows that sometimes, death proves to be less fatal than it tends to be in real life..

As fan after fan asked if Jeremy was really dead, Hyde confirmed that, “This is the end for him.” Only seconds later, however, he added, “We’re doing a soap, so you never know.”

More: Young & Restless cheating scandal set to explode!

He suggested that if viewers truly wanted to see him back on their screen, they should reach out to the show. “Whatever you guys want to happen, join forces and let them know,” he urged. Fans had plenty of ideas as to what they’d like to see, with several hoping he might return as a Jeremy’s never-mentioned, better-natured twin.

His own storyline wish? Hyde admitted that on behalf of his vengeance-seeking alter ego, he’d been hoping to see Diane arrested. “I’m not sure how that’s going to play out, but… ”

As for his experience at Young & Restless, the actor said that from day one, “I was welcomed by everyone on the show”, with Peter Bergman (Jack) being the first to step forward and help him to feel at home.

At one point, the live chat saw several unexpected “guest stars” showing up in the fast-moving comments. Rory Gibson (Noah, Young & Restless) popped in to say he regretted not having had the opportunity to work more with Hyde. And longtime pal Greg Vaughan (Eric, Days of Our Lives) showed up to mock his friend’s sports picks.

More: Did Phyllis *really* kill Jeremy?

But perhaps the most intriguing portion of the chat came with Hyde’s responses to a fan who shared that seeing Jeremy’s body wrapped in a sheet after Phyllis seemingly murdered him left them sad. “Did you see me wrapped in that sheet?” he teased, referencing the fact we didn’t actually lay eyes on Jeremy’s body. “No! No one saw me wrapped in that sheet! So you never know… ”

Want the latest on which actors have left (or are leaving) Young & Restless? Check out this gallery for the scoop!