Coronation Street Star Quits Show Shockingly Soon After ITV Debut

It looks like the chaos on Coronation Street is about to dial down a notch, as Joe Layton, who plays the troublemaking Mick Michaelis, is reportedly heading out of Weatherfield already—just months after he arrived.

Joe only joined the ITV soap in February, but it seems his time on the cobbles was always meant to be short and sweet. According to The Sun, he signed on for a fixed-term contract and is now set to film his final scenes in April, with his exit playing out over the summer. And if the rumors are true, it’s going to be one to watch.

“There was a lot of excitement when Joe joined the soap as Mick, but his time is going to be very short and sweet,” a source told The Sun. “He’s already caused a real stir and his exit over the summer is going to be great telly. He only ever signed a fixed date contract, but fans were really hoping he would be kept on.”

Mick and his wife Lou, played by Farrel Hegarty, arrived in Weatherfield not too long ago and were quickly branded the “neighbors from Hell” by both characters and some viewers. Their rowdy antics and confrontational vibe didn’t go down well with everyone, with social media posts slating the pair as “odious” and questioning why they were brought into the show in the first place, reported Daily Star.

One fed-up fan on X even said, “He’s like a Pound Shop Jack Duckworth with none of the charm! Mick & Lou neighbours from Hell!!” Others weren’t much kinder, with calls for the characters to be written out sooner rather than later.

But not everyone was against them. Some viewers reckoned Mick and Lou brought back a kind of old-school Corrie chaos that had been missing. “They’ve brought a kind of chaos to the street Les and Abysmal Janice brought years ago,” one fan said. Another added, “I actually like Mick and Lou, they actually seem very real life to me.”

Soap boss Kate Brooks had teased that Mick and Lou were set to shake things up when they arrived, calling them “chaotic and loud” with a “volatile” relationship. And while they’ve certainly delivered drama, it now looks like Mick’s reign of madness will be short-lived. Whether you loved him or loathed him, Mick’s upcoming exit promises to be full of fireworks—and true to form, it’ll be “great telly.”