His character has been involved in some big medical discoveries on The Young and the Restless, but Michael E. Knight won't be sticking around as Dr. Simon Neville.

According to TV Guide's Michael Logan, Knight, a three-time Emmy winner, was let go from the soap before Executive Producer Jill Farren Phelps was let go, with no other reasons given for the character's departure. It is unclear if new EP, Mal Young, is trying to find some way to get him back onto the show.

Knight initially joined the soap in October for what was supposed to be a few-episode run, but he quickly wound up being brought into more of the storyline, and was even eyed as a potential romantic partner for Eileen Davidson's Ashley Abbott, though a romance between the two characters has never fully developed. Knight's character was also a big part of bringing Ashley back to health after she suffered from a brain tumor, and bringing Hillary (Mishael Morgan) back from a coma.

Most recently he has seen signs that some of his patients however are suffering from relapses, specifically Hillary, which could upset all of the research he has done.

Back in November, Knight did an interview with Soapcentral where he expressed that he was grateful for what he was being given on Y&R, but he also admitted then that he didn't see a whole lot of long-term potential for his character.

"I see it lasting into the New Year, but I'm not sure if it has legs for [permanency]...but then again, in soaps, you never really know!" He said at the time. "You never know what's going to hit. They have a very full roster at Y&R. They've been doing this a long, long time. And they've done a really good job of keeping it the Abbotts and the Newmans, that ongoing story that they have. So when it comes to the niche, you never really know how it's going to move forward. So I'm very, very happy to be part of the show."

The Young and the Restless airs Monday-Friday at 12:30 p.m. on CBS.

Tags: The Young and the Restless CBS Soap Operas