Curious why Beyond The Gates star Karla Mosley decided to leave her role as Maya Avant on The Bold and the Beautiful? Her departure after six years on the show raised questions among fans, especially given Maya’s groundbreaking storyline as one of daytime TV’s first transgender characters.
Here’s what we know about Mosley’s exit, her reasons for stepping away, and what she’s working on now.
Why did Karla Mosley leave The Bold and the Beautiful’s Maya Avant role?
Karla Mosley left the show because after a time it became “truly inappropriate” for her.
Karla Mosley played Maya Avant on The Bold and the Beautiful from 2013 to 2019. In a 2015 episode, the show revealed Maya as transgender, making her one of the first transgender characters in daytime television.
Mosley, who identifies as queer but not transgender, stated in an interview with People, “When my boss asked me if I would do this story, I first was going to say no because it felt inappropriate for me to play that role as a cis woman.” She ultimately agreed after seeking advice from friends who told her, “If you don’t accept this story, this story won’t be told.”
Mosley said the storyline coincided with Caitlyn Jenner’s public coming out as transgender. “It was crazy weird, literally at the same time. It was wild the way that it panned out. So it was a very specific time,” she recalled. After Maya’s coming-out episode aired, Mosley engaged with viewers on social media. “I just fielded questions for hours. I was like, ‘Here’s a resource, here’s what this means.’ It was such a powerful moment,” she said.
Mosley said, “I am so grateful for that character because people who loved Maya and then had issues with what she said. ‘Well, if I loved her yesterday, why don’t I love her today?’” She later felt playing a transgender role was inappropriate. “That’s why I stepped away from it. So no, I will not be playing another trans role.”
Actor Scott Turner Schofield later joined the show as Nick, Maya’s transgender mentor. Mosley, now starring in CBS’s Beyond the Gates, said, “I would love to play a role with the kind of gravitas and importance that Maya had for sure.”
