News

Jon Prescott to Leave As The World Turns!! Wednesday, July 30 2008

Rumors have been floating around for weeks that big casting changes were coming to Oakdale. Now one actor has confirmed his exit - Jon Prescott (Mike) said on his website that he is leaving the show! The message on Jon's website lists budget constraints as the reason for Mike Kasnoff's exit from the show.

"I'd like to express my gratitude to the entire cast, crew and production team who have made this an irreplaceable experience. Most importantly, thank you to the fans who have been energetic supporters of both Mike Kasnoff and the show as a whole," wrote Jon. You can read the rest of his statement by clicking here.

Jon joined the cast as the third Mike Kasnoff in the spring.

In the beginning, his storyline was hot and heavy with both Katie, who was marrying Brad, and Meg, who was trying to get over Paul. Fans had hopes to see a new love triangle come about but that didn't happen. Since Katie married Brad and Meg decided she loved Paul, however, Mike's storyline seemed to stall. He became a little bit of a buttinsky by siding with Sofie and having Paul arrested for rape - and then murder! - but still his time on-screen was limited to a few lines each day, which led to the rumors that he was likely headed out.

Although it took only the first day on-screen for fans to notice the reverse-SORAS that ATWT did with the character - the old Mike was late-30s and nuMike was obviously late-20s to early-30s - most were eager to see more of him. Mike quickly became a fan-favorite again.

Jon was the third Mike to hit Oakdale. Shawn Christian originated the character in 1994 and then Mark Collier took on the role in 2002; he left the show in 2007. Jon Prescott joined the cast on April 2, 2008.

According to Jon's statement, the character will be gone from the show by the end of August; Soaps.com will keep you updated on an official exit date for the character.

Soaps.com wishes Jon to best of luck with his career!