Justin Hartley confirms departure from 'The Young and the Restless'

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Justin Hartley has confirmed via Facebook that he is leaving The Young and the Restless.

The actor has played Adam Newman on the CBS daytime soap since 2014.

"After many weeks of having to keep quiet in order not to spoil storylines for all of you, the time has finally come that I'm able to write you this letter," his Friday post reads.

"Although I am saying goodbye to Y&R, this is not a goodbye letter. I felt it was more important to write a thank you note. Each and every one of you helped make my time on the show enjoyable. I always loved hearing about how excited all of you were for certain characters, how disgusted you were with others, at times even mine, or how we were able to help you escape from a hectic day. You are some of the most loyal and dedicated fans I've ever encountered. You are truly the heart of the show. It simply does not work without you. I wanted to thank you for that. Thank you for tuning in; thank you for letting me entertain you; thanks for entertaining me, and thank you for caring," he continued.

Hartley went on to joke that fans "haven't gotten rid of me" and can still watch him on the small screen on his new series, This is Us, which will debut Sept. 20 on NBC.