It was March 3 back in 1997 that The Young and the Restless’ Sharon gave birth to her and then-husband Nick’s son, Noah. But there will be no parties thrown for him on the show today — he’s not even on the show. The question is… why?

Noah Has Been Hard to Cast

Over the years, Young & Restless has struggled to cast the ideal Noah. Kevin Schmidt SORAS’d the character into a teenager but was replaced by future FBI: International star Luke Kleintank, who was then succeeded by… Schmidt. After he was let go, Robert Adamson tackled the part, but did Noah ever have a storyline that really grabbed people? Do you even remember any? We only barely do.

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We had high hopes that Noah would finally get his due when Rory Gibson stepped into the role in 2021. But those hopes were quickly dashed as Noah was plunged into a world of manpain and tasked with planning the wedding of his ex, Tessa. His romance with Jack’s newfound granddaughter Allie started nowhere and went nowhere. And his hot-’n’-heavy past with Audra? Had zero impact in the present.

Why Was Noah Written Off?

Gibson made his last appearance as Noah back in 2023, meaning that Sharon and Nick’s son was absent for Cameron’s reign of terror, Faith’s abduction and Mom’s kidnapping by Ian and Jordan. Why hasn’t he been brought back for a real storyline, one with more conflict than his relationship with Allie ever had?

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It’s not because Gibson isn’t a fine actor. He even has a fan in Joshua Morrow, who had this to say about him. It’s not because Noah isn’t well-connected to the canvas — he’s a Newman, for Pete’s sake. So what’s the problem? Our theory is that Young & Restless doesn’t know how to write for actual young characters, certainly not if they aren’t baby-faced CEOs.

Will Noah Return?

Eventually, Noah is sure to be returned to the canvas. But will he finally get the storyline that he deserves? Debatable. More likely, he will be moved into a corner office a la Summer and Kyle. The show has tried that with Noah already. Maybe if it sticks this time, at least, he’ll be deemed worthy of a sudsy, tumultuous love affair.

If we had our druthers, though, Noah would come back like a real twentysomething, someone who’s more interested in hanging out and having fun than closing deals and getting promoted. His aimlessness could even drive grandpa Victor crazy; in his eyes, Noah is wasting his life if he isn’t working in the family business. But the only thing Noah is really keen on is flirting his way across Genoa City!