Jermaine Rivers bid goodbye to his character, Damian, in the July 14, 2025, episode of The Young and the Restless. This was an unexpected development for most fans, and it left them gasping. The murder of Damian is going to play a big role in the story going forward, especially with Cane involved. But could Damian staying alive have also been just as interesting? Rivers thinks there was a huge prospect for the character if he had stayed alive.
Jermaine Rivers wanted Damian to have ‘more scenes with Cane’ in The Young and the Restless
The way Jermaine Rivers’ run came to an end left little dissatisfaction. From a brilliant arc involving Lily and a rivalry with Cane to a sudden murder that could still have large implications, Damian went out with a bang and will be remembered on The Young and the Restless for a long time to come.
But Jermaine Rivers, who played the iconic role, believes that there was more to explore if Damian were alive, including a potential rivalry with Cane. He discussed this in a recent interview with Soap Opera Digest after his exit from the show.
“It probably would’ve been very interesting to have more scenes with Cane, because now we’re rivals,” the actor said, addressing the big what-if of Damian staying alive. He added, “In this juncture of the storytelling, Lily chose Damian. So that would have been interesting to go back to Genoa City and play to that tension.”
The actor continued, “That chess game could have been played out with me and Cane. And also, continuing building a relationship with my mom [Amy] and strengthening the relationship with Nate, and trying to salvage the friendship with Holden. I think there’s a multitude of things that probably would’ve been interesting to see and play.”
Fans of The Young and the Restless can very well imagine that this would have been something exciting to witness. But the show chose a different path that may also yield great results.
Jermaine Rivers further acknowledged his exit in this interview and said that the best part of the show was the cast and crew, whom he’s going to “miss.” Fans can hope to see Rivers popping up in another show soon.
Meanwhile, Damian’s death will continue to drive the story forward in Young and Restless.
