Jermaine Rivers Confirms He’s Out At Young And Restless As Damian: ‘It’s Been an Honor’

Hot on the heels of Damian Kane getting brutally stabbed in the back on Young and Restless, his portrayer, Jermaine Rivers, has confirmed his exit from the show. The actor first joined the CBS soap back in the February 3, 2025 episode, revealing himself to be the actual Damian after another man (Holden, played by Nathan Owens) had spent a month pretending to be him. “Feeling extremely grateful for the opportunity to bring Damian Kane to life,” the actor shared on Twitter/X shortly after the episode featuring the stabbing aired. “Thank you to [Y&R Head Writer and Executive Producer] Josh Griffith and the rest of the producers at Y&R and CBS for giving me this amazing opportunity to be a part of such an iconic show. Huge Thank You to fans who tuned in and showed love. You guys are Awesome! The work continues…”

Saying Goodbye

Damian had gotten off to a rough start in Genoa City with his secrets and deceptions, but soon reconnected with his mother, Amy, and forged a relationship with his newly discovered half brother, Nate. He even found romance with Lily. Unfortunately, that all came to a tragic end when he and Cane found themselves drugged, and a mysterious person threw a knife that lodged in Damian’s back!

“Damian Kane has met an untimely demise,” Rivers said in the video he shared on social media. “We shot this back in May, and I actually knew about Damian Kane’s… what his fate was before we even went to France [within the storyline].”

As his time on the soap came to an end, the actor wanted to express his gratitude for everyone involved in the experience. “First off, I gotta say thank you to Josh Griffith for giving me this opportunity to bring Damian Kane to life,” he enthused. “It has been an amazing ride. It’s been an honor to not only be a part of the cast but to bring a character like Damian to life. The last seven, eight months, I got to play a multitude of emotions to really flesh out who this person was, with all his complexities, with his relationship with his mom, with his half brother, his best friend, and potential love interest And we got to go on a ride and really play into these moments truthfully.”

Rivers also acknowledged that Damian didn’t make the best first impression. “Early on, I know there was a lot of mixed emotions about who Damian Kane was,” he said with a chuckle. “Based off how he came into Genoa City — you know, the mystery, the air, the arrogance… which was very intentional. As an actor, my prime objective is to do three things. To be of service to the scripts; to the text that’s actually written for the character and his relationships with other characters on the show. To be of service to my fellow actors, to not phone anything in, and to really engage and be honest and truthful and make a genuine connection; bring out the best of that person that’s in front of me or around me, to be of service to the overall story. And the task that I had coming in, the reason I was cast, to do service to the storyline. Because at the end of the day, guys, it’s not about me. It’s not about one person on the show; it’s about the collective.

“Bearing that in mind,” he continued, “I’m just grateful to have been able to play a role on the show, to be a part of the cast. And no matter how long or how brief it is, at the end of the day, as an actor, that’s my job to come in and play the role that I was cast. And when it’s time to go, it’s time to go. And it’s time to go do something somewhere else.”

 

Rivers also singled out Y&R Casting Director Greg Salmon for helping bring him to Genoa City. “I know with our conversations early on, he told me how grueling that process was of trying to find the right Damian,” he said. “I believe you said that process started last July, and I got a chance to swing at that role in November. So from July to November, they still hadn’t nailed it down.  And when I got that last-minute request to read for the role — on a Sunday — and apparently, you guys saw something in me that resonated. So thank you.”

While this marks the end of his time on Y&R, his career continues. “Right now, there’s a whole lot of stuff that has my name on it,” Rivers declared. “And there are other projects that I’m currently attached to, and I’m physically, mentally getting ready to do something super fun in the sci-fi genre. But I’ll tell you, I loved every minute of showing up to CBS studios on soundstage 41 and 43, getting to play alongside some incredible, talented actors.”

For his Y&R fans, Rivers offered: “Thank you for the fans who tuned in, who’s always committed and invested in the storyline that’s being played out day after day. So yeah, I’m gonna close this one out, with light, love, and gratitude in my heart. I’ll see y’all on the next one. The show must go on. Peace and love.”

Hot on the heels of Damian Kane getting brutally stabbed in the back on Young and Restless, his portrayer, Jermaine Rivers, has confirmed his exit from the show. The actor first joined the CBS soap back in the February 3, 2025 episode, revealing himself to be the actual Damian after another man (Holden, played by Nathan Owens) had…