There's been rumors for a while about his possibly leaving The Young and the Restless since he has joined the ensemble cast of the widely-buzzed about new primetime series This Is Us, and now, Justin Hartley has gone on the record about his plans for the daytime soap.

This Is Us was positively received by audiences when the trailer debuted during upfronts earlier this year and has had a lot of buzz surrounding it, and since Hartley is involved as one of the central characters, many Y&R fans are wondering if they should soon prepare to say goodbye to the character, who is currently in jail for a crime he didn't commit.

In an interview, Harley addressed his status with the show, and while he hasn't made any plans to leave yet, he does admit it may be something he needs to consider in the future due to the busy shooting schedule he will have.

"U'm going to have to do this for a little bit here. There's definitely a break [at Y&R]," he admitted. "I don't know if I can [do both shows]. I try to stay out of that, and gladly don't wear that hat. I'm on all three networks...I think if I remember correctly, when I talked to CBS about doing Y&R, they agreed to let me do [ABC'S] Mistresses. When this came down the pike, my friend, Michael Rady, gave me the script and said, 'You've got to read this thing.' I knew I had to do it. I knew I needed to do everything I could possibly do to try and get this part. This show is so special. The episodes I've read are getting better, if that's possible. I'm in love with it, so I knew I had to do it."

The news of his departure would also be upsetting for fans as the actor's girlfriend, Chrishell Stause, has recently also become his fiancee, and she recently scored a recurring role on the soap as Bethany, the woman Billy (Jason Thompson) has sued as a cover for his affair with Phyllis (Gina Tognoni).

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

Tags: The Young and the Restless CBS Soap Operas