The Young and the Restless’ Michelle Stafford Shares Emotional News: ‘I Will Be Disappearing for a While’

The Daytime Emmy winner is sick and tired of being attacked — and who can blame her?
Social media has begun to feel more antisocial to Michelle Stafford lately. So “I am going to be posting this, and then I will be disappearing for a while,” she Instagrammed on August 13. “I’ll tell you why, in a nutshell.
“I post something, I get attacked for wearing a mask,” continued the actress, who plays Phyllis on The Young and the Restless. “I get attacked for not wearing it or wearing it wrong… or whatever. I don’t post enough and get attacked. I don’t use the right hashtag and get attacked. I don’t respond to somebody in a timely manner, I get attacked. Hell, I’ll probably get attacked for this post.”
You can see where Stafford is going with this. “Frankly, [Instagram] isn’t really so much fun anymore. The majority of you lovely folks have been filled with beauty during this incredibly challenging time, and I love you,” she wrote. “It’s been challenging for every single one of us. I have been met with some new challenges in the last couple days, and… ya know, family first.”
The fan favorite, who also originated the role of Nina on General Hospital, didn’t elaborate on what her “new challenges” were. But sufficeth to say, “I am just a bit vulnerable at the moment and really don’t understand attacks of any kind to somebody one doesn’t know,” she said. “In the words of Robin [Williams]… be kind always.”
Upon seeing Stafford’s post, she received a wellspring of support not just from her followers but from friends and castmates, including Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea), Doug Davidson (Paul), Christian Jules LeBlanc (Michael) and Days of our Lives stars Kristian Alfonso (Hope) and Melissa Reeves (Jennifer). Bummed as we are to know we’ll soon be missing Stafford’s Instagram posts, we wish her every success in rising to meet the new challenges she is facing.
Need some cheering up after reading this? Perhaps a review of the romance of The Young and the Restless’ Phyllis and Nick will do the trick. Just click on the photo gallery below, and away you go!