Melissa Claire Egan To Depart 'All My Children'

Melissa Claire Egan has announced she will leave ABC’s All My Children at the end of her contract.

Voluntary Exit for Melissa Claire Egan

Melissa Claire Egan has announced she will leave ABC’s All My Children at the end of her contract. In a post on her official message board, the actress wrote, “After four and a half incredible years as a member of the All My Children cast, I have made the extremely difficult decision to leave the Pine Valley family that I have come to love and respect so much.”

Egan joined All My Children in 2006 as runaway mother Annie Novak. After much confusion regarding the parentage of her daughter Emma (which turned out to be Ryan’s kid), Annie stuck around Pine Valley and become an important character in many of the series’ main storylines. Whether it was suffering from a mental breakdown, battling Greenlee for Ryan’s affections, falling in love with Adam Chandler and into bed with his son JR (and nephew Scott), Egan’s played a pivotal role on the series over the last four years. In 2009, she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress.

Egan writes: “It has been an amazing 4 and a half years for me! I have had the privilege and honor of working with the most talented and fun cast, crew, producers and directors imaginable. I have learned so much from them and am forever indebted. To wake up each morning and love going to work is a true blessing for which I am unbelievably grateful! But after much soul-searching, I feel that it is time to spread my wings and open myself up to new challenges and adventures.”

She goes on to express her gratitude and appreciate for the fans who have supported her throughout her tenure on AMC. To read more from Egan, click the link above.

Editor’s POV: This will surely put a kink in AMC’s plans. The show has already recast the roles of Scott and Marissa, adding another to the mix could be a bit much. It’s unclear whether the show will write out Annie or recast the role. Egan is a terrific actress and will certainly find more work.

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