What Happened to Josh Griffith?
Josh Griffith is a veteran American soap opera writer and producer with a long and intermittent history with CBS's "The Young and the Restless" (Y&R). After serving in various capacities, including multiple stints as head writer and executive producer, he recently stepped down as executive producer in May 2026 to focus on writing, and then announced his departure as head writer in June 2026.
Quick Answer
As of June 26, 2026, Josh Griffith is stepping down from his role as head writer for "The Young and the Restless." This follows an earlier announcement in May 2026 where he relinquished his executive producer duties to focus solely on writing, with Sally McDonald taking over as sole executive producer. Griffith's resignation as head writer is not immediately effective, and a successor has not yet been named.
📊Key Facts
📅Complete Timeline13 events
Begins Soap Opera Career
Josh Griffith starts his career in daytime television as a writer for 'Santa Barbara'.
Co-creates 'Sunset Beach'
Griffith co-creates the NBC daytime soap opera 'Sunset Beach' with Robert Guza Jr., which ran for nearly three years.
First Joins 'The Young and the Restless'
Josh Griffith joins 'The Young and the Restless' as a creative consultant and breakdown writer, quickly being promoted to co-executive producer.
Serves as Head Writer during WGA Strike
During the Writers Guild of America strike, Griffith serves as head writer for Y&R, adopting financial core status to continue working.
Fired from Y&R Executive Producer Role
Griffith is fired from his executive producer duties at 'The Young and the Restless'.
Returns as Y&R Head Writer
Griffith is rehired as the sole head writer for 'The Young and the Restless', remaining in the position until 2013.
Hired as Co-Head Writer for 'Days of Our Lives'
Griffith joins 'Days of Our Lives' as co-head writer, a role he holds until February 2016.
Returns to Y&R as Supervising Producer
Griffith once again returns to 'The Young and the Restless', this time as a supervising producer.
Becomes Y&R Head Writer and Co-Executive Producer
Following Mal Young's departure, Josh Griffith becomes the head writer and co-executive producer for 'The Young and the Restless'.
Becomes Sole Y&R Executive Producer
After Anthony Morina's departure, Griffith becomes the sole executive producer of 'The Young and the Restless' while retaining his head writer role.
Sally McDonald Promoted to Co-Executive Producer
Sally McDonald is promoted to co-executive producer of 'The Young and the Restless', working alongside Josh Griffith.
Steps Down as Y&R Executive Producer
Josh Griffith relinquishes his title as executive producer of 'The Young and the Restless' to focus solely on his head writing duties. Sally McDonald becomes the sole executive producer.
Announces Departure as Y&R Head Writer
Josh Griffith announces he is stepping down from his role as head writer for 'The Young and the Restless'. His resignation is not immediately effective, and a successor has not yet been named.
🔍Deep Dive Analysis
Josh Griffith has had a complex and extensive career within the world of daytime soap operas, most notably with "The Young and the Restless" (Y&R). His journey with the top-rated CBS drama began in 2006 as a creative consultant and breakdown writer, quickly ascending to co-executive producer within three months. A significant turning point came during the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike, where Griffith served as head writer, adopting financial core status to continue working. He was later fired from his executive producer duties in August 2008.
Griffith returned to Y&R in July 2012 as the sole head writer, a role he held until 2013. His subsequent return in August 2018 as a supervising producer set the stage for his most prominent recent tenure. Following the departure of Mal Young in 2019, Griffith became both head writer and co-executive producer alongside Anthony Morina. By 2023, with Morina's exit, Griffith assumed the role of sole executive producer while maintaining his head writer responsibilities.
The year 2026 marked a significant shift in Griffith's involvement with Y&R. In May 2026, it was announced that he would be stepping down as executive producer to concentrate exclusively on his writing duties. Sally McDonald, who had been promoted to co-executive producer in 2025, took over as the show's sole executive producer. This decision was reportedly made by Griffith himself to allow him to focus more directly on the creative aspects of the show.
However, this focus on writing proved to be a temporary arrangement. On June 26, 2026, news broke that Griffith would be departing from his role as head writer for "The Young and the Restless." While his resignation is not effective immediately, and the exact timeline for his final episodes is unclear, this marks a complete exit from his leadership positions at the soap. The reasons for this latest departure were reported as his own choice. Fan reactions to his writing during this period have been mixed, with some expressing frustration over storyline directions. Griffith is a seven-time Daytime Emmy Award winner, with a career spanning nearly four decades across various daytime dramas including "Santa Barbara," "One Life to Live," "Days of Our Lives," and co-creating "Sunset Beach."
What If...?
Explore alternate histories. What if Josh Griffith made different choices?