Curious about why J. Eddie Peck, who plays Cole, had to leave The Young and the Restless? He has played the role since 1992. With Cole now written off the CBS soap opera, fans are wondering what Peck said about his emotional departure.

Here’s what J. Eddie Peck said about leaving The Young and the Restless.

J. Eddie Peck reflects on Cole’s death and his exit from The Young and the Restless

In the latest storyline, Cole battles Legionnaires’ disease, a severe form of pneumonia. When antibiotics fail to help, he returns to Genoa City for treatment. Unfortunately, his condition deteriorates, and he dies surrounded by loved ones. In conversation with Soap Opera Digest, J. Eddie Peck revealed that he didn’t expect Cole’s serious cough to lead to the end of his storyline on The Young and the Restless, as fans had speculated early on.

“I wasn’t worried at all. I thought, ‘Ah, now this is a way in which they’re going to use Cole’s cough, and his illness is going to take a turn. He’s going to be living in the tack house, and Victoria’s likely going to nurse him back to health, and this is a way in which they’re going to accelerate their relationship quickly and deepen it quickly,” he added.

Peck also shared his thoughts on rehearsing his final scenes. He noted that it was emotionally challenging for him. “I’m glad that he was given the opportunity to do that on screen, to say goodbye,” Peck notes. And in a weird way, I enjoyed doing the scenes. I enjoyed the work. Emotionally, it was hard for me. Even when we were doing the rehearsals, it was very hard for me, emotionally, to keep it together.”

He revealed that the hardest thing for him was not just leaving the show, but that his character would be gone forever.

Peck further explained, “He has lived in my heart for a long time, not just [during] the return, but over the years. It was really the loss of Cole and knowing, too, all of the fans and the viewers that love the character, they are going to not see the character anymore. This role meant so much to me.”