Here’s Why Tonya Lee Williams Will Never Return To Young And The Restless

One Young and the Restless fan favorite who hasn’t made the Genoa City scene in quite some time is Tonya Lee Williams. The Daytime Emmy-nominated actress for her role as Dr. Olivia Hastings Winters is now talking about whether or not we’ll ever see her on Y&R again.

The Doctor Is Out

Williams recently sat down with Soaps She Knows’ Kristyn Burtt where she talked about whether or not we’ll ever seen Olivia, played by her, ever again. “The show is fantastic,” Williams said, adding that she left the program on great terms.

“I try to explain it like this: Have you ever dated someone for a long time?” she says about her reasons for leaving Olivia behind. “And then you don’t want to date them anymore and you have broken up with them. And like, 10-15 years have passed. And people are [still] saying, ‘Would you go back with that guy?’ No, You’re a different person now.”

Williams last appeared on Y&R in 2015. She has remained busy up in her native Canada in the film world. Williams started the Reelworld Screen Institute nearly 25 years ago when she was on Y&R. Recently, she was honored with the 2024 Changemaker Award from the Canadian Academy.

Williams reveals she was on Y&R’s list of actors who came back for the show’s 50th anniversary last year. But her answer was no. “Honestly, it would have been lovely to do,” she says. “But I could not imagine doing the role. I go through a lot of process into who that character is, and that character was someone from 20 years ago. I said to them, ‘I don’t want to do it a disservice. I really feel I left Olivia on a high note, and everyone has a great memory.’ It would stress me out to think of the weeks I would need to shut down the other things I’m doing to focus only on this.”