All My Children
AMC's Francesca James At Center Of Bizarre Allegations From The Late Julie Harris' Former Employees and Friends!
Photo Credit: Sue Coflin/Max Photos
Daytime Emmy winner, Francesca James (Evelyn Johnson/Kitty and Kelly Shea) of All My Children, and one of the most talented people we know in front of the camera, or behind the scenes, somehow is in the middle of this controversy over the will of the late five-time Tony Award winning actress and film and television star, Julie Harris in a report from the New York Post!
Julie Harris died of congestive heart failure August 24 at age 87. She’d suffered two strokes and was seldom seen in the last several years. And as we know, Francesca James was extremely close and cared very much for the legendary Harris, who she has said in the past was a great influence on her life.
According to the NY Post: “Several friends and longtime employees, who were fired by Francesca Rubino (James) including a housekeeper, a gardener and Harris’ lawyer, Herbert Nass — say she “wormed” her way into Harris’ life, took control of her medical and business affairs, and “isolated” Harris from her son, Peter Gurian.”
Rubino and Harris’ attorney dismiss these allegations as sour grapes. Reached at her home in New York, Rubino said: “There is no truth to any of these accusations. They are being made by disgruntled, fired employees.”
Isaac Peres, who replaced Herbert Nass as Harris’ attorney and is also an executor of her estate, said in a statement: “We are aware of the rumors that have been circulated by discharged employees of Miss Harris and all of the unfounded accusations circulating about Miss Harris’ will and codicil and about access to her toward the end of her life . . . We categorically deny any such rumors and accusations.”
According to the disgruntled people in Harris life, Harris named Francesca co-executor of her estate, which sources say could be worth as much as $10 million. In that capacity, she stands to earn commissions of up to $200,000. She also inherits $50,000 outright, and is permitted to select 10 items of Harris’ “tangible personal property of every kind,” including her Tonys.
The bulk of Harris’ estate was left to her son Peter. But there is an unusual codicil to the will: “In the event that . . . my son . . . physically assaults, threatens to assault, or otherwise harms, harasses, or intimidates myself or any of my friends . . . including Francesca R. Rubino . . . my trustees shall treat him as if he had predeceased me.” Rubino took out a harassment prevention order against Gurian three years ago after he “made a threatening gesture” at her, a source says.
But at the end of all of this accusatory drama towards Francesca is that: “The new attorney, Peres, said he is aware that Nass “has filed an objection to the will” but he claims Gurian wants Nass to “withdraw” it.” Gurian declined to comment.”
So, what do you think about these allegations brought up by the friends and former employees of Julie Harris towards Francesca? Is this just all about the battle for the will and the money of Harris’? It is hard for us to imagine James being painted in this light! Comment below!
Money makes people do strange things………I don’t know Francesca personally…so I wouldn’t venture to comment either way.
Where theres,smoke, theres fire.. Why were these employees,fired? Notice Francesca didnt deny she fired them, just called them disgruntled.
You’ve got to be kidding me! You say you don’t know Her? Wow. She has an excellent reputation and those people weren’t fired without cause. Did they challenge being fired prior to this?
I totally and wholeheartedly support Ms James. Sometimes you have to have faith in your friends.
I concur
This is not uncommon for acquaintances to take control of financial and medical decisions of wealthy and ill elderly people. They isolate the elderly from family and friends and long-time household help in order to gain control of them and their wealth. This is a matter for the courts to decide and hopefully get to the truth. If they find that the will and codicils were filed when the deceased was not of healthy mind ad body, it could be voided and the estate would go to the heirs from a previous will.
I knew there was something about her.
I am SO glad I live in Canada where fame and greed and lawsuits are not a way of life!
How wealthy could the woman have been?
Hard to tell much from the story; could be that it’s exactly as the lawsuit claims, or it could also be that Francesca James came in and “cleaned house” of people who themselves were not acting in Julie Harris’s best interest, and now they’re POed about it and suing her. That’s also not uncommon with elderly people–they become dependent on people who are around them and either ignorant of or are unaware of their ulterior motives, and someone stronger and more clear-sighted has to come in and do damage control. Not knowing any of the people involved personally, it’s tough to make the call, in the absence of anything more than the “he said, she said” kinds of information we get in the article. Francesca projects great warmth and likability on screen; we tend to assume that that reflects something inherent (and I think in most instances, it does), but I suppose one has to allow that it could also be nothing more than very good acting. I do *hope* it’s not true, though. I’d prefer to think of Ms. Harris’s final few years as being spent with someone who truly cared about her looking after her interests. Everybody deserves that, and I would particularly want it for someone whose performances gave so many people so much enjoyment through the years.
I live in Chatham and know the whole story. The housekeeper was a horrible woman who treated Julie very poorly – the whole Town loathed her. The attorney, Nass, protected the housekeeper and refused to do anything about her. She was his “eyes and ears” on the Cape. He overbilled Julie for his “services” many years and made a bundle of money off of her. He’s angry because Francesca James shut the money spigot off! These people cared little about Julie and Francesca did the right thing getting of these leeches. I know for a fact that Julie’s last days were spent in peace in her own home, thanks to Francesca.
Joe, who lives in Chatham, is correct. I was the person who Julie’s doctor called after her first stroke when Julie asked me to come to Cape Cod to be with her. ( I live in Camarillo, California. My husband, actor Eric Christmas, was a long-time friend of Julie’s.) The housekeeper, Kathy, who claimed she was Julie’s nurse, was mean to all of Julie’s long-time friends. I told Julie that Kathy was mean to me. Julie said she would tell Kathy to change. Kathy never changed. She had even gone through my luggage on the day I arrived! And the lawyer, Nass, was a real piece of work. It was obvious that he and Kathy had an agenda. They kept isolating Julie. Each trip I made to visit her the situation was worse. Her son lived in the guest house a few feet from her door but never visited her–she had to put his Christmas presents outside his door. When he did lower himself to enter his mother’s house he expected her to treat him like the Czar of Russia and make meals for him, etc. (he was 50 years old) I do not know Francesca–all I can say is that I applauded when I read what she did. When I arrived at Chatham these minor employees were circling the wagons in 2003. These people so disturbed to me that I could only fly in to visit her on week-ends when they weren’t around. If anyone can pass this along to Francesca I’d like to speak to her. My number is in the phone book. Marcy Mattox Christmas
I hate anyone taking advantage of the aged.
WOW! That is a soap opera!
Death makes for strange bedfellows – I’ve seen it happen too many times in my own family.
Oh, the DRAMA!!!!!
All I know for sure, is my experience after my father died. Those who were fair and kind before, acted in similar fashion; while those who worried only for themselves before, acted even more selfishly.
My heart goes out to all who are grieving.
Same with my father. The ‘daughter’ who wanted nothing to do with anything but MY father’s money, turned out to be one of my mother’s married boyfriend’s. Always felt badly for her, but wondered why she was so homely. She’s a con, just as my neglectful mother always was. I refer to her as ‘mini-mom’.
My dad died not knowing I was his only child, but he was quite aware I was the only one who loved him.
Why can’t the current writers of the soaps give us this type of storyline? It would be far more interesting that the stuff they typically give us.
Imagine a storyline like this on Y&R with Nikki taking on the role of meddling into an elderly, dying Kay’s affairs while Jill, Brock, Tucker, Esther, and Nina challenge the subsequent will and bequests to her. Would be far better than seeing another scene of Dylan or Cane.
Ridiculous- complete hatchet job from the Post (shocking!). Anyone who knows Francesca knows what a kind and generous person she is, and only has the best interests of her friends and loved ones in mind. Total junk, with allegations from disgruntled former employees and unnamed “sources.” Don’t believe it.
I worked for Julie for over 10 years, everything about Francessca James is true, and she knows it. What goes around comes around bitch
The thing that bothers me is the clause that states that if Julie Harris’s son threatens anybody – specifically mentioning Francesca, the will must be interpreted as if he had predeceased his mother, in other words, he would be disinherited. And then Francesca files a report that he made a “threatening gesture” toward her?
I don’t know any elderly person in his/her right mind who would put a clause in their will like that, to jeopardize their only child’s inheritance of their estate. By all accounts Julie Harris doted on her son, she even built a house next door to her for him to live in.
Easy enough to google the son’s name and see that he was charged with assault on an elderly person at Julie Harris’ address in Chatham. This was several years ago. I would think that is why the son will lose everything if he harms Francesa in any way.
I attended Fitzgerald High School in Warren Michigan with Franceska Jaimes then known as chichi Rubino. She was the valedictorian of her class and was the most idolized student in the high school.I had a chance to know her for several years and she came from an extremely ethical and religious Catholic family. Everyone who knew her would say the same thing. Also Francesca has never mentioned Fitzgerald high school in any of her biographical information or did she lived in Warren Michigan for several years and graduated from Fitzgerald high school her reputation was above reproach. I knew her personally when we worked on the Wizard of Oz together as a touring play and I was the choreographer.chichi was known for her waist length hair, for 4.0 grade point average her dedication to both study and her s letic ability and dramatic talent.Francesca dated very little in high school and was a year behind me. She was the most famous student we ever had and no one ever dream she would have accomplished what she has in New York. She was always skeptical, polite, focused with a reputation above board. None of these allegations can possibly be true. I know that because I knew her personally many years ago
Francesca is one of the most trustworthy people I know. She is also one of the most generous souls one can encounter. Dame Harris knew exactly what she was doing!
I have known Francesca since we were kids in Caseville, Mi. I worked at her parents restaurant in Caseville for several years and our families were good friends. I will always remember Mary and Joe as the people who gave me a chance when nobody else would. Francesca, like her parents, would not and could not be as ruthless as these disgruntled people have claimed. This apple didn’t fall far from the tree her parents established. Those who think otherwise are merely projecting their own selfish personalities into this situation. Francesca is a good human being, period!
Sounds quite typical of MANY who appear the last years of the lives of the wealthy. Isolation from friends, doctors, family, firing long-time employees is all you need to see.
Ms. Harris’s ONLY CHILD was not allowed to see his mother the last 3 years, post debilitating stroke, of her life! That the judge would issue such a paper and have it enforced screams ‘he’s in on it’ too.
All My Children
‘All My Children’ Movie Writers for Lifetime Revealed: Ron Carlivati, Jamey Giddens and Leo Richardson
This week began and as reported with a spotlight article on Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos and how their production entity, Milojo, has been teeing up the All My Children reboot with Lifetime.
The L.A. Times featured the married couple, co-hosts of Live with Kelly and Mark, and former All My Children cast members (where they met and fell in love) about their plans to bring two All My Children movies to Lifetime and how they are working with the Agnes Nixon estate to make it come to fruition,
On Wednesday, it was revealed by Daytime Confidential, that All My Children reboot producer, Andrew Stearn handpicked none other than Ron Carlivati (ex-head writer, One Life to Live, General Hospital and Days of our Lives) and Jamey Giddens (who is the new co-head writer of The Young and the Restless, following his tenures on the writing teams of Beyond the Gates and Days of Our Lives), as the two scribes who will bring the first of two of Kelly and Mark’s All My Children movies to the page.
Photo: IMDb
RON CARLIVATI AND JAMEY GIDDENS CONFIRM THEIR BOARDING THE ALL MY CHILDREN MOVIE PROJECT
The second installment is said to be written by primetime writer Leo Richardson whose credits include: Star, Katy Keene and more recently the Penn Badgley (ex-Phillip Chancellor IV, The Young and the Restless) starring series, You.
Richardson also wrote for three years on the U.K.’s long-running soap, EastEnders. All My Children revival fans will recall Richardson’s name was attached as the writer for the first incarnation of the All My Children movies, entitled, Pine Valley.
Ron Carlivati took to X and confirmed he is indeed boarding the All My Children movie project. Carlivati shared, “So excited to share this news! Thanks to Andrew Stearn, Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos, Albert Bianchini and the Agnes Nixon estate for entrusting Jamey Giddens and me with the first of two planned All My Children movies for Lifetime! Stay tuned!”
Photo: Jeremy Smith/imageSPACE
Jamey Giddens confirmed DC’s announcement by taking to his account on X and expressing, “I’ve been booked and busy in 2026. Thanks to Andrew Stearn, the Agnes Nixon estate, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos for entrusting Ron Carlivati, and me with the first of two planned All My Children movies for Lifetime!”
Some fans seemed to question how Giddens could be writing for the first All My Children movie at Lifetime, when he is the new co-head writer at The Young and the Restless with Dan O’Connor. Jamey answered that head on via X and explained, “We turned in our All My Children script months ago. My sole focus as of this past Monday, is Genoa City, Wisconsin! #YR”
ERICA KANE, MARIA SANTOS AND HAYLEY AND MATEO SANTOS TO APPEAR IN THE ALL MY CHILDREN MOVIE REVIVAL?
In the planned stories, Susan Lucci’s Erica Kane and Eva LaRue’s Maria Santos will be two characters whose lives we will get to see for the first time since the series was canceled by ABC back in 2011 after 41 years on the air. As well, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos confirmed they will make brief appearances on-screen; one could assume as Hayley and Mateo Santos.
“It’d be wonderful to give the fans something that they’ve been yearning for so many years,” shared Mark Consuelos to the LA Times. “All My Children gave me my family. I met my wife there. It gave me my start in the business. It gave us so much. It would be a dream to be able to give back.”
So, what do you think of Ron Carlivati and Jamey Giddens getting nod to write the All My Children movie #1 script and Leo Richardson #2? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
All My Children
‘All My Children’ Revival Updates: Lifetime EVP Speaks on Why Proposed Movies are Great Fit, Mark Consuelos Wants To ‘Give Back’ to Fans
The All My Children revival via movies at Lifetime is still in the works from former series stars and marrieds, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, through their production company, Milojo.
The co-hosts of Live with Kelly and Mark were featured this week in a Los Angeles Times article which detailed their efforts to bring some of the citizens of Pine Valley back to your screens.
As previously reported, and reaffirmed by the L.A. Times, the All My Children movies will be set in the present day and focus on what beloved characters such as Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) and Maria Santos Gray (Eva LaRue) are doing now. In addition, Kelly Ripa confirmed that she and Mark Consuelos will also appear on screen briefly most likely appearing in their signature soap roles as Hayley and Mateo Santos.
Photo: ABC
ALL MY CHILDREN MOVIES BRING NOSTALGIA THAT CAN BE MADE TO FEEL NEW AGAIN
Elaine Frontain Bryant, executive vice president and head of programming for A&E, Lifetime, and Lifetime Movie Network said of the All My Children reboot, “Lifetime is always interested in shows that kind of tap into a powerful nostalgia that can be made fresh for today’s audience. There’s a whole generation of women that have missed these stories and these characters.”
As for working with Kelly and Mark on the Lifetime movie versions of the soap, “They’re exactly the kind of partners you want at a brand,” expressed Bryant. “They’re trusted voices because every day they’re talking to their audience, which, a lot of times, is our audience. They bring a real credibility and have an authentic point of view. You meet Kelly and Mark and kind of what you see is what you get, and I think they bring that same authenticity to their development standards.”
Albert Bianchini, executive producer for Milojo, says he knows All My Children is so wildly popular with the fans of daytime. That was punctuated when seeing it in person, and how the energy was off the charts back in January of 2025 when Kelly participated along with Susan Lucci, former head writer, Lorraine Broderick and casting director, Judy Blye Wilson in a conversation with Andy Cohen at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.
© Steven Bergman/AFF-USA.COM Credit: AFF/Alamy Live News
“I’ve never seen a crowd like that in my life. People were lined up around the block, recalled the Bianchini. “Everyone wanted to know, ‘When is (All My Children) coming back? We want more.’ We got to see that in real life and Kelly got to feel it in real life, and it made so much sense. I just know that the minute it gets out in the world, people will want more and more and more. There’s just a love there.”
Kelly Ripa added that they are, “working closely with the estate of Agnes Nixon (the legendary creator of All My Children). She recalled, “She (Agnes) was so far ahead of her time. She covered topics that weren’t being covered. It was extraordinary the audiences that the show drew, and she served them real stories that were affecting Americans across the country but weren’t necessarily being represented anywhere.”
“It’d be wonderful to give the fans something that they’ve been yearning for so many years,” shared Mark Consuelos. “All My Children gave me my family. I met my wife there. It gave me my start in the business. It gave us so much. It would be a dream to be able to give back.”
THE CANCELLATION AND STOPS AND STARTS OF ALL MY CHILDREN REBOOTS
All My Children aired on ABC from 1970 to 2011. It got a second chance at life when Prospect Park resurrected the show and brought it to The OnLine Network and Hulu for one season in 2013.
Recently, the series made a return through the estate of Agnes Nixon and is streaming internationally on BEONDTV and through their partnership with PlutoTV Canada with episodes starting in 1995. Fans hope original episodes will some day soon be available in the U.S. as well, but that could prove more difficult since ABC owns the rights to the episodes stateside.
Now 13 years later, while there is no word yet on a definitive production start date to the two movies at Lifetime, all the people involved seemed determined to make it come to life.
So, what do you think of the executive vice-president of Lifetime and LMN being enthusiastic about Kelly and Mark’s All My Children movie revivals? Are you wanting to see this come to fruition? Kelly and Mark seem to have made this a very high priority. Do you hope that by 2027 we might be able to get this to the finish the line and into production? Weigh-in via the comment section.
Starting on May 1, All My Children fans in Canada will be able to see classic episodes of the beloved former ABC soap opera when they stream on Pluto TV Canada.
Pluto TV picked-up the All My Children Channel that the Nixon family has created in partnership with BEONDTV +. The show which aired for 41 years on ABC and ended on the network in 2011, had so many memorable storylines and characters; the least of which is the enduring run of Erica Kane played by soap icon, Susan Lucci.
As previously reported, starting with episodes from the year 1995, which was the 25th anniversary of the soap. Pluto TV Canada viewers will be able to catch 8 episodes on repeat per day. With the success of the venture, the Nixons are hopeful that they will bring viewers many more years of the show to come.
Photo: ABC
Sarah Nixon, producer, shared with Michael Fairman TV exclusively, “We are thrilled that Pluto TV has launched All My Children in Canada! Let’s hope the engagement from our incredibly loyal fans across the border will encourage ABC to bring it to the U.S.! We share what Aggie (Agnes Nixon) always felt, that it is the enthusiasm and love from the fans that has kept this legacy beloved and relevant – to this day!”
In addition, 0ne week ago, during Susan Lucci’s visit to Los Angeles promoting her book La Lucci, she was joined by her former Pine Valley castmates, Rebecca Budig (ex-Greenlee, AMC, now Taylor, B&B) and Eva LaRue (ex-Maria, AMC) and the trio posed for a pic. At that time, LaRue shared via Instagram, “NEW All My Children channel streaming classic episodes 24/7 now on Pluto TV Canada! Fingers crossed to watch soon on Pluto US.”
That was also confirmed this week by TV Watercooler’s Jeevan Brar who took to X and expressed, “The All My Children channel begins streaming this Friday, May 1 on Pluto TV Canada.
So, Canadian viewers, excited about Pluto TV’s All My Children channel? United States fans, hopeful from Sarah’s message that perhaps soon, we can see the beloved soap once again as well? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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