Nearly three years since he last appeared on “The Young and the Restless” as Paul Williams, actor Doug Davidson has formally cleaned out his dressing room, officially marking the end of his time on the daytime drama series.
In a tweet published on Sunday, July 23, Davidson said, “Well, I cleaned out my dressing room a week ago Saturday. Yes it was sad for several reasons. 1. It was my home for over 40 years and it was like a ghost town. ‘Price’ has left, and the new owner of TV City isn’t really keeping it up. The sets were all small and a bit tired.”
For context, Davidson himself noted he went to the studio on a Saturday, hence why it would be a “ghost town” as most people, including the show’s cast and crew, would be home with their loved ones. Secondly, “The Price is Right” ended production on Season 51 months ago and will begin taping new episodes later this week at Haven Studios, its new studio home in Glendale, CA, due to Television City undergoing renovations over the next couple of years as part of a $1.25 Billion expansion by new owner Hackmen Capital. So, saying the “new owner of TV City isn’t really keeping it up” is untrue. As for his opinion on the sets, they are just that: his opinions.
When a Twitter user commented, “Sour grapes much?” in response to Davidson’s tweet, the actor noted, “Not at all. I owe everything to the Bells.”
In a follow-up tweet, Davidson said, “Thank you all for all the kind messages! Sending lots of love right back to you all!! And of course I’m eternally grateful to Bill and Lee Bell and CBS for EVERYTHING!”
In a tweet from October 2021, Davidson told followers, “I don’t see me going back, but all of you are so incredibly wonderful. Thank you.” He added, “It’s the state of television. I find it remarkable that after 42.5 years I haven’t heard from the network at all. No thank you for your service, a phone call. Many gifts from the first 25 years…not a peep from this group. I don’t think it’s personal. New era. Still grateful.”
In March, Davidson was asked why he didn’t attend the show’s 50th anniversary party. He stated, “Well, after the way I was treated, I had no interest.” By comparison, Davidson’s former co-star, Victoria Rowell (ex-Drucilla Winters), did attend the event and talked about her time on the series on the red carpet with the press. In 2015, Rowell famously sued CBS and series producer Sony Pictures Television over claims that she was “impoverished and blackballed because she had chosen to speak out against the discrimination and injustice that she had endured and witnessed happen to other African Americans [on the show].” The case was later dismissed.
Davidson joined the show’s cast in May 1978 and won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2013 for his work as Genoa City’s chief of police.
Last appearing on “The Young and the Restless” in a November 2020 episode alongside Jordi Vilasuso (ex-Rey Rosales) and Jason Thompson (Billy Abbott), wherein Billy was being looked at as a suspect in the shooting of Chance Chancellor (then played by Donny Boaz), it was revealed earlier this year in a conversation between Christine (Lauralee Bell) and Lauren (Tracey E. Bregman) that Christine’s marriage to Paul was over and that a newly retired Paul had gone to Portugal to visit his daughter, Heather (Vail Bloom), who ironically has made a few appearances in Genoa City this year, including as recently as last week.
Despite removing his things from his dressing room, Davidson is still listed as a “current” cast member on the official website for the series.