Former Neighbours star Ryan Moloney gives update on life after surprise exit from show ‘My life just got a little bit harder’

Seeing Ryan Moloney, known for the past 29 years as Toadie in Neighbours, tending hives in a beekeepers outfit is not the first thing you’d expect from the actor’s new life away from the show. The 44-year-old left the soap on September 24 after almost three decades on the job.

Moloney played Jarrod ‘Toadfish’ Rebecchi, better known as ‘Toadie’ from 1995, making him the third-longest running character after Karl and Susan Kennedy. The popular actor announced the news on the Neighbours Instagram account earlier this year, posting a video message to his fans

“After 30 years of playing Toadie, I will be leaving Ramsay Street,” he said. “Now, I can’t tell you what is going to happen to the character, whether or not we are going to see him again. Maybe I could be the next Jim Robinson. Or maybe I’ll be the next Harold Bishop and just keep popping back over the years.”

The decision to make such a huge change after several decades has given Moloney a chance to pursue new interests, with bees and sustainability at the top of that list.

The actor explained that, in part, being a dad had inspired the big shift to a more simple and eco-conscious life, telling Yahoo Lifestyle, “I started thinking seriously about sustainability when my kids were born.”

The actor has two children Erin, 17, and Jack, 16, with wife Alison.

“I wanted to make sure their future was brighter, and it made me think about how I was living and what kind of world they’d inherit.”

It led the family to a new off-grid lifestyle in the Mornington Peninsula and Dandenong ranges where they generate their own power, manage their water supply, and live as self-sufficiently as possible.

It also led to Moloney discovering a passion for beekeeping and making his honey.

“The bees started as a hobby and quickly turned into a small business,” he said.

“I love how in tune you have to be when working with them, and the puzzles they give you on each inspection.”

Surprising new project for Moloney

His sustainable outlook and newfound free time have led to a new mini-series called Good Neighbours, which saw Moloney go on a road trip around Australia to meet the coal miners, farmers, and communities welcoming sun and wind energy to their neighbourhoods.

The series, produced by The New Joneses, shows how the transition to renewables isn’t just about technology but about people.

“You hear so much negativity [about renewables] but when you meet people face to face, you see how they’re embracing the future with wind and solar,” he said of the project. “The farmers, the workers all play such a huge role in making this work.”