The CBS soap opera television show "The Young and the Restless" will be letting go of one of its most beloved characters, Chelsea Lawson, who is portrayed by Melissa Claire Egan. As it turns out, Egan has decided to part ways with the long-running series for good, which means that her character will be departing from the fictional Wisconsin town of Genoa in the near future. 

After six years of playing the evil character who eventually became good, Lawson decides to leave the show -- which seems like a sudden decision on her part. In her official tweet, she stated that she is indebted to the crew and cast members of "The Young and the Restless," and even gave a special shout-out to Joshua Morrow, who plays Nick on the show. Egan did not forget to thank her adoring fans, for their support and patronage. 

Also in her tweet, she stated that her departure does not necessarily mean she will not be returning to the show, which is unsurprising since it is fairly common for past cast members to return after a certain period of time. It is still unclear if Chelsea will depart after Egan leaves the show, but there is also the possibility that Egan will be recast to ensure that Chelsea's character would still be present in the main plot. 

In the storyline of next week's episodes, J.T., played by Thad Luckinbill, will finally discover the truth behind Alexandra West -- which is an alias used by Chelsea to steal significant sums of money from the Fenmore website. After the discovery, J.T. will confront Chelsea about this, which will lead her to threaten him if he decides to pursue the matter further. However, Chelsea will be stricken with fear, and will decide to take the money she stole and leave Genoa. 

"The Young and the Restless" airs weekdays at 12:30 pm EST on CBS.