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50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Telecast: The Moments That Moved Us to Tears

By Michael Fairman

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Photos: NATAS

The 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Telecast was more often than not, about acknowledging those who are no longer with us, while acknowledging the accomplishments of the daytime community.

The broadcast which aired on Friday night, December 15th on CBS and streamed on Paramount +, was already facing a challenging time with the show being postponed for months due to the Hollywood strikes, and trying to get the awards handed out before the end of the year and prior to the start of the 2024 competition.

In an 18-month period since the last Emmys, the producers had the task of how to address the loss of so many beloved daytime stars and beloved behind the scenes personnel in a heartbreaking year. While the telecast may have lacked in some of the overall production elements, it more than made up for in heart. The heart came from the often emotional speeches, and testimonials, and the In Memoriam segment within the ceremony.

Photo: NATAS

The first award of the evening was for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and its recipient was the late Sonya Eddy (ex-Epiphany, General Hospital). Accepting on behalf of Eddy was her dear friend and business partner, Tyler Ford. With a heavy heart, Ford read from his phone the following statement. “Well, accepting these flowers is bittersweet, but I know that Sonya would only relish in the sweet. I want to thank Frank Valentini (EP, GH) more than anything … for being a faithful friend, and Disney/ABC, and the cast and crew of General Hospital for embracing her for 16 years.  I want to thank the Academy for acknowledging her contribution and craft. Sonya never aspired to be an actor, and while her talent was undeniable, I’m sure that she’s more overjoyed by being remembered for how she made people feel onscreen and off. Thank you.”

Photo: NATAS

The second award of the night was for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, which went to General Hospital’s Robert Gossett, who plays Marshall Ashford, and played opposite the late Sonya Eddy. Taking to the stage to receive his Emmy, Gossett addressed the overwhelming loss at GH this past year and in his own personal life.

Gossett shared, “We had loss in our family at GH. We lost my leading lady, Sonya Eddy, and our beloved producer Nneka Garland, and I lost my son. My son, who I know is up there watching and yelling and jumping and screaming. I miss you Lukey. I miss you every day. But, I have my other son here, Caleb, and I love you son.”

Photo: NATAS

The Young and the Restless took home the Writing Team award for a Drama Series for their storyline on suicide prevention, which featured at its epicenter critically-acclaimed performances by Emmy nominees: Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea) and Jason Thompson (Billy). Accepting the award was Y&R’s EP and head writer, Josh Griffith. In his acceptance speech, Josh noted: “This is a wonderful honor. We felt it was a very timely and important story to tell. I’m thrilled we were able to pull it off. I’d like to thank Dr. Dan Reidenberg for helping guide us through it.”

Josh concluded by sharing, “Thanks to our terrific writing team, especially my awesome co-head writer, Amanda Beall. Thanks to the magnificent actors, directors, producers, and crew and staff that make magic every day, you are the best in the business. Lastly, thank you to our fans. We would not be here without you.”

Photo: NATAS

General Hospital’s Eden McCoy (Josslyn) took home the gold for the Outstanding Younger Performer in a Drama Series, and when she took the stage for her acceptance speech, it comes just over a month after her beloved mother, Natasha, passed away.

Eden shared: “I am indebted to the GH, writers, producers, directors, Mark Teschner (casting director) … you started this journey for me. You’re forever a friend.  Frank Valentini (EP, GH), you took a chance and you changed my life. I love you more than you know. My wonderful cast and crew, thank you for always elevating my work. You know who you are. Laura Wright (Carly, GH), you are so much more than a mother and so much more than a mentor. You give new meaning to the word friend. Dad, I love you. I’m so happy you’re here. This is for, and because of my mother. I just wanna say it’s not lost on me what an absolute privilege it is to be able to do something that not only I like to do, but love to do for a living, and I love what I do. So, it’s really easy to be grateful on nights like this, but I am grateful every day.”

Courtesy/CBS

Later in the telecast, Entertainment Tonight’s Nischelle Turner (who was co-hosting the Daytime Emmys with Kevin Frazier) walked down into the crowd and to the table where Days of our Lives star, Stephen Nichols (Steve)m was seated. Nichols stood up to speak about one of the most memorable moments in Daytime Emmy history. That would be back in 2016 when the late Tyler Christopher took home the Lead Actor in a Drama Series Emmy for his work on General Hospital. Together, Nichols and Christopher shared many a scene on GH as Stefan and Nikolas Cassadine, and formed a bond which they would share for several decades.

Through his tears, Stephen expressed: “My moment is about my good friend, my dear friend, Tyler Christopher. I met Tyler at his audition and I knew instantly that though he was young, he really had something. So, I took the liberty of giving him a book on acting that helped me when I was first starting out. It was, The Actor by Michael Chekhov.  Well, 2016 Daytime Emmys, Tyler wins for Outstanding Lead Actor. What did he do then? He wanted to thank everybody who got him there, and the next thing he did was, he scanned the audience and he said, “Where’s Stephen? Stephen Nichols? Where are you brother?” We caught each other’s eyes, and then he held up that very same now dog-eared copy of the book that I had given him, and he thanked me. And that was a moment, and I miss you, Tyler, and I love you. We all love you.”

Alley Mills, who so many people remember as the mom in the sitcom The Wonder Years, and then years later as Pam Douglas on The Bold and the Beautiful, took home the gold for her work as Heather Webber on General Hospital in the Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series category.  In previous interviews with Michael Fairman TV, Mills discussed how landing the role as a recast Heather came at a time following the loss of her beloved husband, actor and comedian, Orson Bean.

Photo: NATAS

On stage at the Daytime Emmys, Mills addressed the room with Emmy in hand: “I just have to say, I’m honored to be in this family, this daytime family. It’s the hardest working group of people I’ve ever seen in show business.” After acknowledging her B&B family, Mills added, “I really have to thank Chris Van Etten (co-head writer, GH) for writing this crazy character. Bless your heart, boy, and Frank Valentini … I feel like I was seen the first second that I was chained to the bed and met you. Like you, you look right into people’s souls and it makes you feel like you’re in the theater. It’s amazing. But mostly, at this moment in my life, I have to thank God because it happened at a very tender moment for me. I just lost my beloved husband. It was pretty traumatic, and then I get asked to play a seriously traumatized person who kills a lot of people, but she’s got a heart of gold.  I promise you, and she’s barreling towards the light all the time. And it gave me that ability to keep going and barrel towards the light. The world is so screwed up right now that all I can say is to all you traumatized people out there, and I’m the head of the homeless committee in Venice … just keep barreling towards the light. I love you all. Thank you so much.”

Photo: NATAS

Connie Chung was on hand to introduce the In Memoriam Segment. She made specific remarks about the loss of TV pioneer, Barbara Walters.  Chung shared: “Barbara Walters revolutionized the face of Daytime television with her groundbreaking show The View. Barbara was the creator, the producer, the star – the engine behind it. And this was on top of her pioneering career in news and interviews. She was the icon who paved the way for all women in television news, especially me. She mom-ed me. And although they would never admit it, she taught the men a thing or two, I can’t fathom she is gone. We remember her and all the others who passed, for their contributions to television.”

Photo: NATAS

Next, the In Memoriam Segment featured a performance by Grammy Award-winner, Jennifer Nettles as one by one so many members of the daytime community were recognized including: Billy Miller, Anne Heche, Tyler Christopher, Sonya Eddy, Nneka Garland, Jackie Zeman, Andrea Evans, and others. It should be noted that Evans’ leading role as Tina Lord on One Life to Live was not mentioned under her credit, but she was noted for another role she played within her daytime career, that of, Rebecca Hotchkiss on Passions. For those in the community who has suffered such loss in 2023, it was a startling reminder of just how many talented people we had to say goodbye to that are forever in our hearts.

Susan Lucci (ex-Erica, All My Children) was on hand to receive her Lifetime Achievement Award from Shemar Moore (ex-Malcolm, Y&R). Years earlier in 1999, it was Moore who famously shouted from the stage, “The streak is over!”  Finally after 19 tries, Susan won her first and only Lead Actress Daytime Emmy.  Now in 2023, Lucci was honored for her iconic contributions to the genre.  As with other 2023 honorees, Lucci was being acknowledged without her beloved husband and manager, Helmut Huber by her side. Huber passed away suddenly in March of 2022. However, Susan was accompanied to the ceremony by their son, Andreas.

Photo: NATAS

Taking to the stage, Lucci, expressed: “How lucky was I to be put in the hands of Agnes Nixon. Agnes was the trailblazer. She was the visionary storyteller who gave me the part of a lifetime. The fabulously flawed Erica Kane.  I am so proud to be part of this community. This community of storytellers, in such a collaborative genre of writers, directors, producers, actors, design teams and crew. We get to do what we love to do. We get to entertain, and we tell stories. And in that, we illuminate our human condition. And sometimes on our best days. Even make a little magic.”

Susan closed by saying, “The icing on the cake for me tonight is that my son Andreas is with me. It means so much to me to have you here with me. Thank you so much for being with me tonight. And you know what else? I feel your dad’s presence here tonight with us, too. I thank my husband, Helmut Huber, because he has everything to do with my standing up here tonight, and receiving this incredible award.”

Photo: NATAS

At the conclusion of the telecast, and in the final award of the evening for Outstanding Drama Series, ABC’s General Hospital took the prize for the 16th time. On-stage, GH executive producer Frank Valentini closed the night’s awards by mentioning the tremendous loss of GH family members, Sonya Eddy and Nneka Garland.

So, which moment tugged at your heart the most during the 50th annual Daytime Emmy Awards? Tyler Ford’s speech accepting on behalf of the late Sonya Eddy? Robert Gossett mourning the loss of Sonya, Nneka and his real-life son? Eden McCoy winning the Emmy just after her beloved mother passed away? Alley Mills and Susan Lucci both acknowledging the loss of their longtime husbands? The In Memoriam Segment? Stephen Nichols telling the story of Tyler Christopher’s Daytime Emmy-winning speech and the book he had given him to read to help him become a better actor? Let us know via the comment section below.

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All of the moments mentioned tugged at the heartstrings. It was nice to see Daytime celebrated. I appreciate seeing all the stars from the various soaps. Hope the remaining ones last but I still miss AMC and OLTL. Also missing the printed weekly Soap Opera Digest.

The Tyler Christopher and Mr Gossett ones.

As I look at the list of those who passed this year, it is a startling reminder 2023 will be remembered as the year I lost too many from my childhood and my soap watching days through the years. John Aniston’s death last year was painful, although it wasn’t a shock. This year, Tyler Christopher was hurtful because of the promise he had as an actor. It is hard to believe it has only been seven years since he won Best Actor at the Emmys. Jackie Zeman’s death hurt as well because of the years I watched and loved her. RIP to all of those we have loved and lost.

Stephen’s tribute to Tyler was so beautiful.

It looks like they chose to list only an actor’s first, or most memorable, credit. It was odd to see Elizabeth Hubbard mentioned for her award winning role as Althea Davis on “The Doctors” with no mention of her iconic role as Lucinda on “As The World Turns”. Every year it is inevitable that someone worthy is left out. This year it was Marnie Schulenberg, Alison Stewart from “As The World Turns” She died at 37, just a few weeks before the 2022 Daytime Emmy ceremony. She wasn’t remembered in either the 2022 or 2023 In Memorium reel.

Agreed. It seems they had plenty of room next to the pics to list at least two credits. Glad you mentioned Marnie

All in all, I thought it was an entertaining, respectful show. Having the previous winners was a classy touch. During the in memoriam, thankfully the camera stayed on the screen rather than roaming around. Jennifer Nettles sounded fabulous!

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‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

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Dominic Zamprogna

General Hospital’s Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri) opened up about the burgeoning love triangle forming between his Port Charles alter-go, Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst) after recently aired scenes, plus his hopes for the future of a Dante and Liz pairing, during his appearance on the Sunday, April 23 edition of the That’s Awesome podcast with Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli).

On last week’s episodes of GH, Ric has made the decision that he wanted to propose to his ex-wife, only when he showed up at Elizabeth’s front door, he misread the scenario he walked in with Liz tending to Dante’s injured leg from the softball game. From there, the legal eagle’s jealous streak is reemerging which may cause him to act out and do something unforgivable, or will he take the high road? Stay tuned.

Speaking with Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson about where Elizabeth stands in the annals of the long-running soap, Zamprogna said, “She’s up there with Steve and Maurice (Maurice Benard) as one of the most legacy-filled people on the show.”

Courtesy/ABC

HOW DANTE AND ELIZABETH CAME ABOUT

Dominic jokes it’s a far cry for where Dante and Elizabeth previously, recalling, “We had some scenes together years ago and we were both laughing. Becky’s like, ‘Well, I guess we’re not going be paired up anytime soon.’ I remember we laughed immediately after they yelled ‘cut,”‘and said to each other, ‘Well, so much for that!'”

Fast-forward to early 2025 and as Zamprogna remembered it, “Elizabeth Korte (co-head writer, GH) came up to me at the General Hospital Christmas party, and I think it was a year and a half ago and she said, ‘We’re going to have you in scenes with Elizabeth,’ My internal monologue is going, ‘I’m not with Lulu (Alexa Havins) anymore and Sam’s (Kelly Monaco) gone, so maybe they want to see if this works.’ I didn’t want to get scenes with Becky and try to find the chemistry. I just wanted to play whatever honestly was written and came across for both of us and hope it was what people liked, and I don’t know if it is … or not.”

Knowing how beloved Elizabeth is to the GH faithfuls, Zamprogna added, “She got a big fan base with Ric … and a big fan base with with Jason … and you know, you’re going to piss somebody off. But, didn’t Ric drug Elizabeth and put Carly in a panic room?”

Dom and Liz

Photo: ABC

DANTE AND ELIZABETH PAIRING COULD STIR UP STORY FOR OTHERS IN PORT CHARLES

In closing, Dominic felt that the wide-reaching tentacles of a Dante and Elizabeth relationship is something he is 100% down for. “The triangle thing; I was happy to hear it was with Ric and her, because I felt it’s important to have her the top of it as opposed to Dante, Lulu and Elizabeth.”

Zamprogna added, “When you get into relationships on a soap, things seem to fizzle out a little bit, The buildup is what’s the fun part, and the getting to know each other, and the people who are affected by this coming together. When with this case it’s going to affect: Ric, Sonny, Lulu. There’s so much more story here. To me, it’s going to be a fun story to play.”

You can check out Dominic’s visit to That’s Awesome with Steve and Bradford below.

Now weigh-in: Are you rooting for Dante and Liz, or Dante and Ric at this juncture of the story, or neither guy  for Elizabeth? Let us know your thoughts and picks via the comment section.

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GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

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Patrick J. Gibbons

At the conclusion of today’s August 21 episode of General Hospital, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) sings a lullaby to baby Dez, that went into a montage to close out the episode as her father Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) reports to Pentonville and winds up in his jail cell.

However, in a fun fact, the song entitled, “A Lonely Heart To Give” was actually written by none other than former One Life to Live and General Hospital actor, Patrick J. Gibbons.

Daytime fans first met Gibbons as Sam Manning on One Life to Live. At the time, when he started on the soap, he was just 5-years-old. Gibbons played the part from 2010-2013 on ABC and Prospect Park’s editions of the show. Fast-forward to 2018, Gibbons shows up on General Hospital as Wyatt Hoover, the scout who seemed always be injured, but in the thick of the drama. Patrick had appeared on GH multiple times as Wyatt including: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.

Photo: ABC

FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER’S DEATH CAME THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS SONG

Now in 2026, General Hospital fans are getting to learn about another side of Gibbons’ talent as a songwriter and guitar player after “A Lonely Heart to Give” debuted today! Michael Fairman TV caught up with Patrick, who is now a senior at Penn State entering his final year as a finance major, to get the back-story of how his song wound up on GH!

Gibbons explained he wrote the song in honor of his grandmother who passed away a few years ago with whom he was, very, very close with. “Randomly, my grandmother had a downfall and passed away during the second semester of my sophomore year. I was in my dorm a lot and I was just playing with my guitar. And at the time, I was really into finger-style playing. I wrote the lyric and music to it (with a little help from my guitar teacher Lou), and my mom showed the rough demo to Frank Valentini (EP, General Hospital). He’s like an uncle to me. Frank loved it so much he said, “Finish that up. I want to hear the whole thing, and I want it on the show.”

MAKING MUSIC FOR GENERAL HOSPITAL

Gibbons and his parents took the next steps! “So now, all we needed was a female voice, because I thought that would fit the song well,” Patrick shared. “At the golf club we go to my parents were at a dinner. They liked the singer that was performing and spoke to her about the song, and she says she would like to bring it to her ‘boss’ who ended up being Eric Bazilian of the Hooters fame!” (Bazilian also wrote the smash hit song “One of Us” for Joan Osborne).

Next, “We went in the studio and recorded it and the song came together and it was beautiful. We loved it. They loved it at General Hospital and now they’re putting it the show and they are coming in with a piano, instead of a guitar. Paul Glass, the GH musical director, has been keeping us updated over the last six months of how it was coming along, and when it would air, and how GH put their own arrangement to it. I can’t wait to see and hear what they did with it.”

Photo: JPI

PATRICK’S ONE LIFE TO LIVE FAMILY

Everyone knows that the One Life to Live extended family share a very tight bond, and Patrick said he does stay in touch with a few of his former One Life to Live co-stars, especially those from the Manning family! “I stayed in touch with Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair) and sent her little videos here and there. She was like my second mom for five years. We keep in contact with Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) over X the most, and she can’t believe how big I’ve gotten. Like, none of them can! (laughs). I also loved working with Roger Howarth (ex-Todd) and Trevor St. John (ex-Todd and Victor Jr.), and to me since I was so young, they were just my friends, ‘Roger and Trevor,’ not Todd Manning or Victor Jr.”

It was a trip to California and a visit to Port Charles that ultimately led to Gibbons second soap role of Wyatt Hoover. Patrick explains, “In 2016, Frank Valentini invited us out to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital. I think he heard me say, ‘This is so much fun. I miss being on the set.’ He goes, ‘You should come out. I’ll bring you on the show. We can make you a character.'”

A few years later, Patrick’s dream became a reality! “Then, by the summer of 2018, I was playing Wyatt, the scout, and shared scenes with Wes Ramsey (Peter August), and the best was when I shared a scene with Roger Howarth and Michael Easton (ex-John, OLTL and ex-Silas, Finn et al, GH), it was like chemistry from the old days.”

Photo: PGibbons

IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS

As to his future aspirations, it’s a career in the finance game that has piqued Gibbons’ real-life interest. But never say never to a return to acting. Patrick explained, “I’ve always enjoyed numbers. And on top of that, one of the biggest parts of finance is being personable and outgoing.”

He continued, “That’s one of the greatest skills I developed growing up. I really love the markets. I’m super interested. I’m never going to close the door to acting. I’m always open to that because I just love it so much. It’s such a great art.”

Take note! If there are any investment bankers or private equity folks among the GH faithful looking for a young analyst next year, Patrick’s DMs are open. You can find him on X at @PatrickJGibbons.

So, what did you think of the song sung by Trina on today’s GH that was written by Patrick J. Gibbons? Did you enjoy Patrick’s performances as One Life’s Sam and GH’s Wyatt? Would you like to see him back on GH at some point? Let us know via the comment section.

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‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Admits That He Didn’t Expect the Role of Michael Corinthos to be Recast, and Would Consider Working on Another Soap (Exclusive)

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Chad Duell, the Daytime Emmy-winning actor, who stepped away from the pivotal role of Michael Corinthos on General Hospital, opened up about: his previous decision to leave the series after nearly 15 years, where’s he’s at now after time away from the demands of a daytime soap opera, and took a stroll down memory lane with some of Michael’s most-acclaimed storyline during his run, during a livestream chat on August 19 on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel.

Viewers last saw Duell on-screen as Michael in January of 2025, and with his successor in the role, Rory Gibson making his debut at the GH Nurses’ Ball in episodes that aired later in May. It was clear that during the conversation, Chad was a bit surprised that the GH brass decided to recast him when he thought he was just taking some much needed time off.

Burn-out of the daily grind of being on a soap was definitely a part of Chad’s decision to take a break. Duell explained “People know when you’re doing something for so long or your character is kind of in the same place for so long or doing the same stuff over and over again, you do get a a little burnt out, you get a little stiff, stale, a little stiff at times. I didn’t want that to be any sort of lasting impression. I have 15 years of a body of work of I’ve done on that show, which is fantastic.”

Chad Duell

Photo: ABC

WHILE CHAD WAS AWAY GH RECAST MICHAEL CORINTHOS WITH RORY GIBSON

Chad shared, his mindset when leaving GH was, “I’m taking some time away, we’ll see what happens.” Then he added, “Obviously, they decided to go in a different direction with Michael when I was gone. I didn’t think they were going to bring somebody back in my place. But you know, it’s the business. You never know what can happen.”

Duell also shared he has not watched a single episode of General Hospital since he left the series, but now feels he reenergized following the loss of his father and stepping away from the GH, “I’m in a place now mentally, where I’m ready to sink my teeth into it again.”

Courtesy/ABC

Even though he is no longer Michael on GH, Chad was very happy with his final storyline where Michael was set on fire when a bomb exploded at Sonny’s (Maurice Benard) penthouse. “It was fun to put him in a dangerous situation, because I was wanting Michael to be in something scary instead of trying to be a hero character or just things happening around him, but to be the center point of tragedy happening to him. (I always saw) Michael as the heart of the (Corinthos) family.”

When Michael was badly burned the show chose not burn his face, which normally a soap does when they are recasting role and switching actors. Chad weighed-in, “They didn’t burn my face because I told Frank Valentini (EP, GH) I’m willing to come back. It was just a little bit of a break. So, I assumed that if they would have burned my face, they could have brought somebody back looking different than me… if that’s what their plan was.”

Courtesy/ABC

MEMORABLE MICHAEL STORYLINES

One of Chad’s most memorable performances was the in the storyline of Michael’s rape while he was sentenced to prison in 2010 and the confession of it in 2011. “It was so well-written and I was very nervous,” recalled Chad. “When I get really nervous about something, it ends up being really good when I do it, because it just means I care a lot about it”

“I have to put a lot of effort and work into it, and I really want it to be good.  I was working with Dominic  Zamprogna (Dante) and Steve Burton (Jason) a lot during those scenes, and Laura Wright (Carly). It was great working with Steve and Dominic, especially, during that storyline.

A NEW SOAP ROLE FOR CHAD?

As to a future soap opera role, Chad is open to the idea and would love to jump back in to a juicy role, “I know people over at The Bold and the Beautiful, and The Young and the Restless. They know that if they’re interested, I would love to come in for a screen test or something, and they can see what I’m doing.”

Meanwhile, Chad has been busy putting out new music under the moniker Duelly and during the interview he explains how he creates his EDM tracks and much more. You can stream his latest single, Static in the Quiet Room on Spotify, Apple Music and You Tube Music.

You can check out the full conversation with Chad Duell below.

Now let us know: what show would you like to see Chad cast on down the line? BTG, DAYS, B&B, Y&R, or a new role on GH? What did you think of his thoughts on the casting switch while he was away in the role of Michael? What was your favorite Michael storyline during Chad’s 15-year run on the ABC soap opera? Let us know via the comment section.

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