In a shocking twist, Steve Burton has decided to exit The Young and the Restless after joining the show in 2012 as Dylan McAvoy.

The actor made his announcement on Twitter this week, stating that he has opted not to renew his contract after it expires at the end of this year, because he thinks the time is right to pursue new adventures in his life.

"Hey everyone, with lots of reflection, I have decided to move on from @YandR_CBS at the end of my contract in Dec. I've had an amazing time, but it feels right to move on to new adventures in my life. I can't say enough about the AWESOME cast and crew. Much respect! Much luv to @CBSDaytime for the great ride. Great peeps. And thank YOU all for your support. Always! #positivityrules," he wrote in a series of Tweets.

It's currently unclear if the soap would recast the role, or if Dylan would be written off entirely.

This isn't the first time Burton has stunned fans with an announcement that he would be leaving behind one of his soap characters. A few months before joining Young and the Restless, he had announced that he was leaving his role as Jason Morgan on General Hospital-one he had played for 21 years.

At that time the role was left vacant and Jason appeared to be killed off. It remained that way until later 2014, when Billy Miller, who previously portrayed Billy Abbott on Y&R, took over the role.

There have been some rumors since Burton's announcement that he could return to GH and oust Miller in the role, but there has been no evidence that such a move would be made.

The two soaps have made a habit of switching actors around in the last few years. Not only did Burton exit GH for Y&R and Miller Y&R for GH, but Jason Thompson exited General Hospital and his long-time role of Patrick Drake earlier this year, and was quickly snatched up by Y&R to be the latest actor to take over the role of Billy.

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

Tags: The Young and the Restless CBS Soap Operas