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AMC's Debbi Morgan Interview: As Angie is at a crossroad in her life, Emmy winner wraps up life in Pine Valley & heads to Genoa City!

Courtesy/ABC

Courtesy/ABC

It has been a remarkable 29-year run for Debbi Morgan as Dr Angie Hubbard on All My Children. And in two weeks time we, the audience, will not only have to say our farewell to Dr. Angie permanently, but goodbye to the network television run of the series featuring Angie and her friends and loved ones in Pine Valley.

A few months back, Debbi decided to get a new lease on her soap life and signed a contract with The Young and the Restless. While details of her new role are shrouded in secrecy, she will first hit the air in her latest incarnation on October 7th. But for now, over at AMC, Dr. Angie is trying to get her eyesight back, dealing with the cover-up by her husband Jesse, and loss of her baby girl, and handing back the little one she believed to be her own to Maya, the birth mom! And who else could play all this and hit it out of the park time and time again, but Daytime Emmy winner, Morgan?

On-Air On-Soaps recently caught up with Debbi at the final All My Children press junket to get her thoughts on the ending of the 41-year-old soap, Angie’s plight, her new digs, and turning off the lights in P.V.!  Here’s our “quickie” chat with Debbbi M.!

How did everyone feel over at All My Children, when you told them you were (in a way) jumping ship to head to the number one soap, The Young and the Restless?

DEBBI: Julie Hanan Carruthers our executive producer; just gave a brunch the other weekend for AMC creator, Agnes Nixon, and Agnes said, “I can’t believe it.  How long is your contract for over there?” And I said, “Well, I signed a two year contract over at Y&R Agnes.” And she said, “I’ll be dead by then.”  I said, “Please, Agnes.  Don’t say that!” And so her daughter to lighten the moment said, “Mom, whatever you have to write for her, you better write for her now.”

Are you now ready to put down Dr. Angie’s stethoscope and put it away, and move on to Genoa City?

DEBBI: I am. As much as Angie has meant to me, as an actress I am definitely ready for another challenge. I will say this; she won’t have any traces of Angie… that is much as I can say about her. 

Courtesy/ABC

On AMC, poor Angie has suffered so for months! Total Blindness, losing her child, a baby-switch! I mean, if they are going to throw an actress everything but the kitchen sink and make it work, they probably went, “Let’s give it to Morgan!  She can handle it!” (Laughs) But that being said, how was navigating through the constant blindness, the pregnancy, the emotions of her situation on a daily basis?

DEBBI: You know what? I am so exhausted with it! I had no idea it would last this long. Well, I got sick last year which is part of the reason since I was gone for three months, and that I think stretched it out some more. But the thing I think that has been the most difficult is that when you act, the eyes are the windows to the world. You express so much with your eyes, and not being able to utilize that has just been torture for me.  I went, “Guys! I am so ready for this to be over!” But yet with that being said, it had been some great story to play in combination with losing her child, Ellie and giving up her chance to see so she can have this child, and then in the end she still winds up losing this child anyway. So it had been a great story.

Having made Dr. Angie Hubbard such a identifiable staple of the fabric of Pine Valley and All My Children, what are you feeling as the show is about to air its final few weeks of episodes?

Courtesy/ABC

DEBBI: I feel like everybody, there is sadness, and coupled with the sadness is a huge disappointment.  We were told we were being taken off the air because of low ratings. And for me, I don’t know anybody, who knows anybody, who knows anybody with a Nielsen Box. We know there are so many loyal fans who watch this show who are just not accounted for.  I just can’t believe with all the technology advances that they are making, that we have not come up with a better way to do a ratings system, then the Nielsen Ratings. So it’s a huge disappointment for me to see how terribly saddened our fans are. And it’s like telling them, that they don’t matter! That has bothered me more than anything.

As this part of your soap career comes to end and you look back body at your body of work as Angie, and all the storylines and the enormously popularity of the Jesse and Angie love story, what is your takeaway from it?

DEBBI: I have said this many times, because of this character, I have probably logged more hours than any other African American television performer. And being a woman of color, great parts like this don’t come along, and for that, this role has meant so much to me. To have a job, and to be someplace where I was happy to be, and to get to play so many different things has been unbelievable. It’s like when you do a primetime series it’s usually seeing a character at their career, but in this job in daytime you get to see her characters home life, her career, and the trials and tribulations with her children. There have been so many different avenues I have gotten to go with this Angie and that is what has meant a lot to me.

Courtesy/ABC

So even though you will not be staying with AMC with its projected move to the web early next year, and having been one of the genres most powerhouse performers, what do you think about the future of soaps on the Internet and on daytime television?

DEBBI: I think the All My Children move to the web with Prospect Park is going to happen and there will be this huge transition overall in our business to web series.  It happened with radio went series migrated to television, and eventually they will start creating more new soaps for the web.  And as far as daytime television soap operas, I definitely feel The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful will be the last two standing.

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This is a very nice interview. I along with everyone else who is a fan of AMC hate to see Debbie leave. We have wanted her back for so many years. Finally get what we want and this happens. What she says about the rating system is true. There are thousands of fans out there who are not being counted. Had they been, ratings would have been much higher. However, I do NOT believe this was the reason for cancellation. The viewers were there, it is just the much less expensive shows they want today, and that would be reality shows. So I give my favorite spot on ABC to The Chew (unhappily) and await AMC online for which I will be as faithful as I was when it was on ABC. However, ABC is off my TV forever as of 9/23 after AMC is finished.

Personally I wish she would stay with AMC my gosh we don’t need anymore new faces at Y&R!!! We have Genie Francis, Tristan Rogers, Maura West, before she was fired the list goes on and on but MAB & Sony cannot afford MTS who we have loved for 32 years on Y&R. It is like musical chairs and personally I don’t give a dam how good an actress they are stay off of Y&R!!! Sick of it ! Bill Bell would never have done this!

Yeah i’ll be done with ABC for good when OLTL goes off in January.

I know exactly how you feel…I refuse to watch any of those new shows.

Dear soap opera goddesses out there,

Please let Miss Debbi have a long-running visible character to play on Y&R when she begins airing in October. Thanks! 🙂

I think she’s gonna be Devon’s mother.

I thought Devon’s mama was Yolanda? That was an entire s/l for a good while that invovled the Winters crew.

In regard to Ms. Morgan who I think is one of the best actresses around, signed a deal with Y&R before anyone was even aware of any dealings with PP. At the end of the day this is business and she has been nothing but loyal to ABC (playing Angie Hubbard for years in and outside of Pine Valley and as Ellen on Port Charles), I think we can say ABC has NOT been the same to their employees or fans. If I knew my company was shutting down, there is no way I would sit by idling hoping they would change their minds. I would be on the grind trying to find other employment and that is what she did. So best wishes to her and I will follow her right over to Y&R and hope that they treat her well for the 2 yrs she has signed on for.

what a trader, she could of waited a while, but as far as her comment on Y&R AND BB being the last two soap standing, i think she is wrong. and if they are, thats sad, cause their really nothing special about these two soaps…

Aria,very unrealistic for you to say Ms Morgan should wait,good things dont always come to those who wait. If you lost a job and another great company offered you, a just as good or better job, would you wait on, well we may hire you back later ,the venue will be smaller,the money may be less ?As of this writing, no one for AMC has been hired by Prospect Park and yet 4 people from OLTL have been.Her bills are not going to wait,life is not going to wait.AMC’s future seems to be questionable,she made the right move for her(as did Jacob “JR Chandler”Young going to the Bold and Beautiful)I,which is what a smart person does. Good luck Ms Morgan in your new role and thanks for the great work especially at AMC.

debbie morgan is not a traitor – debbie signed with y&r way before prospect park even got involved with saving amc

I couldn’t have said it any better, Ethel.

Nice article! And congratulations on your new gig Ms. Morgan!!

Unless the networks get behind their soaps, I am afraid Ms. Morgan is right about Y&R & BB being the only soaps left. ABC is just waiting to dump GH and DOOL is a year by year thing. I truly miss the old days of soaps, when it was about good storytelling, characters and actors who could act.

You got that right, Lew. Tell me, what’s so great about GH? I think ABC favors them over AMC and OLTL.

I just now caught the part Y&R & B&B the last 2 standing so let’s run over there and ruin those two. Tell me does anyone care if she is coming to Y&R? MAB bring back MTS &VR and stop this now or are you trying to destroy your father-in-laws legacy?

The demos fro Y and R are equal to other shows in 18-34. Y and R fans are older, eventually their lead will be slim to none as they are not generating younger fans. The CBS shows are currently the strongest in total viewers, and B+B makes tons of money internationally. Y and R was able to keep their loyal viewers by not having such drastic turnover in producers and writers. The ABC shows changed direction wildly every time something wasn’t working. Fans got frustrated as their shows became unrecognizable. NBC had the same problem. From that perspective I also believe CBS will have the final 2 shows on. Days is giving itself a huge push right now…..and I hope they benefit from AMC’s cancellation. They would be smart to pick up an Alicia Minshew or Rebecca Budig.

While I am saddened that my soaps are going off of tv and hope they will be a huge success on the web or cable stations I knew it would be a matter of time before they did this. I wonder why the tv execs cannot come up with something new besides being copycats of the other stations. Remember the westerns,comedies, and variety shows? When they put the soaps on the web stations I will not watch ABC, CBS, or NBC except for local news. TV is becoming a wasteland.

It saddens me so to see AMC leave the airways. I’ve been a devoted fan for 41 years and I feel like I’m loosing a member of my family. I’m hoping Prospect Park can work a miracle and bring back to life a good part of the cast of AMC. For those who are moving on, I wll miss you dearly.

All My Children

Carol Burnett Talks About Being a Superfan of ‘All My Children’ on ‘Live with Kelly and Mark’

In a heartfelt reunion, of sorts, the one and only Carol Burnett appeared on Monday March 25th episode of Live with Kelly and Mark.

Burnett had first met Kelly Ripa (Hayley) and Mark Consuelos (ex-Mateo) back when they all appeared on All My Children together. Carol played Verla Grubbs first in 1983 and then again in the 90’s.

Host Kelly Ripa (ex-Hayley, AMC) noted to Burnett that “we go back a long time”. She also described Burnett’s character of Verla Grubbs, “extraordinary in every way.”

Carol’s love for All My Children is well-documented, hence legendary soap creator, Agnes Nixon, created the role of Verla for Burnett.

Photo: ABC

Speaking on how her passion for All My Children began, Carol told Kelly and Mark, “It started with my kids. They would watch at noon. I said, ‘What are you guys doing?’ I sat down and I started to watch and I got hooked!”

When Carol’s family decided to travel through Europe during one summer, the comedic legend recalled thinking, “How am I going to last if I don’t know what’s going on in Pine Valley?” She revealed she had a friend, “who sent me a telegram to the (different hotels) on Fridays to bring me up to date.”

Photo: ABC

In a hilarious moment from the segment, Carol recalled receiving a late night telegram while in Lake Cuomo when there was a knock at her hotel room door from the hotel manager who was shaking.

Carol related what it said, “Erica is still in a coma. Mark slipped again and ran away from rehab.” As Kelly and Mark broke into laughter, Burnett continued, “Chuck has learned that Donna is carrying his baby, who was once a hooker.”

Check out Carol explaining how she became an AMC Superfan below.

Now, let us know, did you enjoy Carol as Verla Grubbs? What show do you consider yourself a Superfan of? Tell us in the comment section.

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All My Children

Malachy McCourt, ‘Ryan’s Hope’ and ‘All My Children’ Actor, Dead at 92

If you watched Ryan’s Hope through its 14-year-run, you know that Kevin the bartender became a beloved “member’ of the Ryan clan on the defunct ABC daytime drama series. The character of Kevin MacGuiness became so loved by the fans because of the actor who portrayed him, Malachy McCourt.

Sadly, according to his wife Diana McCourt to The New York Times, Malachy passed away on Monday from a heart condition and battling cancer. The actor was 92-years-old.

Playing Kevin on Ryan’s Hope was not much of a stretch for McCourt, because in his lifetime, he was the owner of 1950s Irish pub Malachy’s on Third Avenue in Manhattan. Known as one of the city’s great story-tellers, patrons from longshoremen to the actor Richard Harris would stop in and talk all things Irish with . On Ryan’s Hope, Kevin was best friends to “Ryan’s Bar” owner, Johnny Ryan (Bernie Barrow) and he tried to keep Delia (Ilene Kristen) on the straight and narrow.

Photo: ABC

In his soap opera career, McCourt also was widely-known for his role of Father Clarence McCourt on All My Children especially come Christmastime. Was Clarence, actually St. Nick? That was always the proverbial question. McCourt also appeared on the New York soaps: One Life To Live, Search For Tomorrow and Another World. Other roles included: Devil’s Own, Brewster’s Millions, The Molly Maguires, and Starman, to name 

Later in 2006, Malachy ran for governor of the state of New York as a Green Party candidate. He tackled social issues of the time including being an advocate for gay and lesbian groups to march in the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Photo: ABC

McCourt’s childhood was recounted within his brother Frank McCourt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir Angela’s Ashes, which detailed their mother’s attempt to raise the four of their surviving seven children in poverty in Limerick, Ireland. Later, Malachy wrote his own memoirs: 1998’s Monk Swimming, and 2000’s Singing My Him Song.

Malachy is survived by his aforementioned wife, Diana, daughter Siobhan McCourt; sons Malachy Jr., Conor and Cormac; stepdaughter Nina Galin; nine grandchildren; and one great-grandson.

Share you remembrances and condolences for Malachy McCourt via the comment section, but first check out this scene from a 1983 episode of “Ryan’s Hope” featuring the late actor with Ilene Kristen.

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All My Children

‘Live with Kelly and Mark’s’ Annual ‘After the Oscars’ Show Brings Backstage Interviews, Fashion Review and Red Carpet Arrivals from Movie’s Biggest Night

Monday morning, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos took to the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood for the talk show’s annual Oscar post show.

However, this time it would be Consuelos’ first time as the co-host of ‘Live’ for an Oscars episode. Mark took over the gig from Ryan Seacrest to team with his wife back in April of 2023 and since then the show has seen a ratings spike hitting several all-time highs.

The After the Oscars show opened with a tribute to the movies were the former All My Children stars took on iconic roles from: Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct to Barbie and Ken in Barbie, to the Cameron Diaz and Ben Stiller role’s in the romantic comedy Something About Mary and more.

Courtesy/DisneyABC

During After the Oscars, Kelly and Mark were shown in clips backstage as the first stop for the newly-anointed Academy Award winners including: Finneas and Billie Eilish and Da’Vine Joy Randolph. The Bachelor host, Jesse Palmer was the talk show’s guest correspondent who spoke to the nominees, and celebrities as they were entering the Dolby Theatre on Sunday night.

Singer Andy Grammar took to the stage and performed on Live’s  After the Oscars show as well, and Project Runaway’s Elaine Welteroth shared her thoughts on the night’s Oscar fashion.

You can watch the full ‘Live with Kelly and Mark After the Oscars’ show below, plus the full movie parody below that. Now let us know, what do you think of Kelly and Mark’s first post-Oscar show together on ‘Live’? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

 

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