News
B&B Writers: Brad Bell, Patrick Mulcahey & Tracey Ann Kelley Chat On First GLAAD Media Award Nomination!
Courtesy/CBS
The Bold and the Beautiful’s executive producer and head writer, Brad Bell, and two members of his writing team, who are part of the LGBT community, Patrick Mulcahey and Tracey Ann Kelly, spoke with On-Air On-Soaps Michael Fairman for an exclusive interview at FrontiersLA.com about their GLAAD Media Award nomination for the writing and the portrayal of the “My Two Moms” storyline, a first for the soap in its 26-year history!
Creating the story of same-sex parents Karen and Dani, played by Joanna Johnson and Crystal Chappell, and their accepting daughter, Caroline played by Linsey Godfrey, and the lack of LGBT representation on network soap operas, are just some of the topics covered in the interview.
B&B will be competing with Days of our Lives in the Outstanding Daily Drama Series category which will be handed out in ceremonies in Los Angeles on April 20th. Here now are some excerpts from the interview with Brad, Patrick, and Tracey, as we take a look at how writers construct an important story of our time and raise awareness for the masses at home.
Courtesy/CBS
Patrick on how the storyline of “My Two Moms” came into being: “This all came from Brad, although we talked about, ‘Is this the time?’ I don’t know about anybody else, but we would bring in gay characters on the soaps in the 80’s and 90’s and they would come in for five days and weep and then someone would love and accept them, and then they would go away forever. I am sick of that, and I never wanted to do that. Brad seemed to never want to do that, either. So the trick was to find the right core family member – so it’s a familial story, yet a social story. I do remember nagging Brad going, ‘Why is Caroline’s name ‘Spencer’? Where is her father? If her mother’s name is ‘Spencer’? Finally Brad said, ‘She’s got two mothers!'”
Brad on if it bothered him that a soap about the fashion industry never had a gay character on the canvas: ” I think it bothered all of us and it bothers me, and it still does. There are certainly, as you point out in fashion, room for more gay characters. It’s something I really look forward to doing, especially with Joanna who is so talented in many ways, but she really has been unavailable to us for much of this story, which at times is frustrating, but she is hard at work producing the new primetime series, The Fosters!”
Courtesy/CBS
Patrick and Tracey if they are frustrated not seeing more gay characters represented on daytime soaps: “I identify with the characters we have on our canvas … with Taylor, Brooke with Eric, for example. To me, it’s about what we say all the time. I honestly believe it, ‘Love is love.’ When we are in the middle of writing people’s relationships and their tangled defenses, fears, and desires to belong, I feel right at home in that milieu. Also, there is an awareness of our audience. The pedigree of soap operas is about heterosexual romance, and that is what the audience sort of clamors for. If we had a different dial of audience, we might choose to show the characters differently, but we have the audience we have. We like to keep them happy, and have fun with them.” TRACEY: “I was personally thrilled to see my life portrayed on the show that I worked for. I was deeply gratified to see my life, and my daughter’s life, portrayed on daytime television.”
Brad’s initial reaction to the writing team receiving their first GLAAD Media Award Nomination: “It was great and so exciting! I was so happy for everyone involved. I am proud of the story. I felt we built the story to Bill Spencer Jr’s (Don Diamont’s) reaction of his sister’s sexuality. We knew that Bill’s father was ignorant and oppressive. So we wondered if Don Diamont’s next generation Bill would feel the same way? As it turns out, he was mature and evolved enough that if you fight nature it’s no good for anyone. It seems with Bill readily accepting his sister, and her relationship with another woman, we were trying to lead by example for any of the viewers who are not on board, and hopefully change their way of thinking by watching Bill and how he dealt with the situation.”
Courtesy/CBS
Patrick on if there might ever be an evolution of a daytime gay soap: “I wonder if there is another evolution to come? Remember back in the days when the interracial romance was taboo? You could have black characters, and you could have white characters, but the audience wasn’t ready for it and all the b**s. I wonder if that is going to happen with gay characters on daytime right now, because they will only be able to interact romantically with each other. Can you imagine three main gay characters on one show on maybe an hour soap? I can’t! So there is going to be this ghetto, until somebody breaks convention and creates the genre of Gay Soap.”
Make sure to read the entire interview and candid conversation at FrontiersLA.com. What do you think about Brad, Patrick, and Tracey’s comments? What are your thoughts on the “My Two Moms” storyline? Do you think there might ever come a time when we see a daytime network television gay soap opera? What do you feel about the representation of the LGBT community in daytime? Weigh-in!
News
Susan Flannery and Ian Buchanan Visit the Set of ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’; Daytime Emmy Winners Reflect on Show Then and Now
The one and only Susan Flannery (ex-Stephanie Forrester) dropped in to see her former co-stars on The Bold and the Beautiful at their Sunset Las Palmas Studio in Hollywood, along with her good friend and another B&B co-star Ian Buchanan (ex-James Warwick) on Tuesday October 20.
It was the first time in a very long time that The four-time Daytime Emmy winning actress was reunited with Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke), Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (Steffy), executive producer and head writer, Brad Bell, Jennifer Gareis and even her TV sister, Alley Mills (Pam, B&B now Heather, GH) showed up for the day too!
Flannery played the Forrester matriarch from 1987 until 2012. It was then that after playing the part of Stephanie for 25 years that Susan made the decision to retire from acting and in one of the most heartbreaking sendoffs, passes away from lung cancer in Brooke’s arms in November of 2012. During her B&B tenure, Flannery won 3 of her 4 Daytime Emmys, the other being for her first soap role as Laura Horton on Days of our Lives back in 1975.
Photo: Bell-Phillip TV
As for Ian Buchanan, he played Dr. Warwick, psychiatrist, from 1993 to 1999. He returned for other runs in 2014 and 2017. Buchanan took home his Daytime Emmy in 1997 for his work as James. Soap fans also remember, Ian as mobster Duke Lavery on General Hospital, and Dr. Greg Madden on All My Children,
Both Susan and Ian shared their thoughts on coming back to The Bold and the Beautiful, for Susan 14 years later since he exited and for Ian close to 9 years since his last appearance below.
Susan said, “It’s definitely like coming home in a way, even though it’s not the same studio. It’s really lovely to see old faces and old faces with new faces. It takes you back mentally. You start remembering what it was like back then, even things like how much your feet would ache at the end of the day from wearing six-inch heels. It was just lovely to be back and see everybody.”
Photo: Bell-Phillip TV
Ian expressed, “It’s a mind trip, you know. When I was sitting looking at the big Forrester set, it was like stepping back in time, almost. It takes you back mentally, and you start remembering what it was like when you were here before.”
“It’s lovely to see all these people again, even if you don’t know everybody,” explained soap vet Buchanan. “There’s something really special about coming back and seeing the show and the people who have been part of it for so long.”
So, happy to see Susan and Ian with some of their former castmates? Do you think Stephanie and Brooke is one of the greatest frenemy stories in daytime history? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
Beyond the Gates
Tabitha Brown and Kandi Burruss Guest Star on ‘Beyond the Gates’ for Dani’s ‘Welcome to Your Life’ TV Special; What Could Go Wrong?
As previously announced, Beyond the Gates is bringing chef, author and actress Tabitha Brown and Grammy Award-winning songwriter, singer and actress Kandi Burruss to Fairmont Crest in a special episode of the CBS daytime drama airing Thursday, October 22.
In the episode, Dani’s (Karla Mosley) best friend Pamela Curtis (Cady McClain), arranges a “Welcome to Your Life” television special for her. As it turns out, Brown will play the show’s host, Tia Allen, while Burruss takes on the role of Dani’s first modeling agent, Kalista Kilroy, who turns the celebration of her life into a bad trip down memory lane.
Dani’s parents Anita and Vernon (Tamara Tunie, Clifton Davis), sister Nicole (Daphnee Duplaix), and daughters Chelsea (RhonniRose Mantilla) and Naomi (Arielle Prepetit) all join the show to celebrate and support her but also witness how things so south. Also appearing in the episode are Molly Figueroa as Tatum Stewart and fan-favorite Anita Williams (Tunie) impersonator Jackie Tyree!
PhotoL JPI
THE 411 ON TIA AND KALISTA
Speaking with TV Insider, about their soapy experience in Fairmont Crest, Tabitha Brown previewed about her host with the most, “Tia is very professional, but she’s a girl’s girl. She is a protector of women and wants to tell their stories in a beautiful way, but she also wants to make sure they’re seen in a very good light.”
However, Burruss previews that Kalista arrives with a score to settle. “She’s spicy,” shared the recording artist. “I always love playing somebody that has come to start trouble. It’s always fun to play a villain of sorts, but Kalista feels like she’s been done wrong and she’s hurt by what she feels has been done to her. So Kalista is stirring up trouble, but she feels justified putting Dani on blast. Kalista is ready for some payback.”
Beyond the Gates is produced by CBS Studios, as part of the CBS Studios/NAACP Venture, in partnership with P&G Studios, a division of Procter & Gamble. Created by head writer Michele Val Jean, executive producers include Val Jean, Sheila Ducksworth, Julie Carruthers, Tracey Thomson, Leon W. Russell, Derrick Johnson, Anna Saalfeld and Lela Coffey.
Beyond the Gates is broadcast weekdays on CBS (2:00-3:00 PM, ET/1:00-2:00 PM, PT) and is available to stream on Paramount+**.
So, looking forward to this special episode of Beyond the Gates when Dani is put on a blast during a blast from her past and Welcome to Your Life TV special? Share your thoughts via the comment section.
For months now, Days of our Lives has teased the character of Dominic Marino. In recent weeks, viewers learned that Marino is on the down low working with Sami Brady’s (Alison Sweeney) apparent fiancé ‘Dante Vitali (Franco LoPresti), and that he is the never-before-heard-of child of Stefano DiMera (the late Joseph Mascolo) and Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall)!
Up until now, the Peacock streaming soap opera has never revealed his face, but that all seemed to change on the Tuesday, October 2o episode of DAYS. In story, Dante met Sami’s parents for the first time, Roman (Josh Taylor) and Marlena.
He shows them a photo of Dominic, which he happened to have on his own phone and even commented he kind of looked like he could be Marlena’s son. The photo, which has quickly made it around Soap Twitter/X, revealed that British-born actor Kyle Pryor is the man in the photo and eagle-eyed viewers actually located said photo on Pryor’s Instagram.
Photo: Peacock
Deadline revealed Pryor started taping at the end of 2025 and will first be seen in the role, on air Monday, November 2. In addition, Days will celebrate its 61st Anniversary with two special episodes featuring Dominic’s arrival, as well the returns of Tony and Anna DiMera, played respectively by Thaao Penghlis and Leann Hunley, on Friday, November 6 and Monday, November 9.
Those in the know, are are that Pryor previously held series regular roles on Australia’s Home and Away, and the UK’s Hollyoaks and guest starred on Emmerdale. In an ironic twist, Pryor appeared in the series Spartacus: Blood and Sand which is the same action series his apparent TV brother, Dan Feuerriegel (EJ DiMera), once appeared in before coming to DAYS.
So excited to see Kyle Pryor take on the role of Dominic Marino as Days of our Lives sets its anniversary story to kick-off with is arrival in Salem? Share your thoughts in the comment section. And in case you missed our latest conversation with Conner Floyd (Chad DiMera) he weighs-in on how Dominic’s appearance will shake things up in Salem. You can check that out below.
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Very good interview.
The storyline on B&B is a complete joke now you see them now you don’t good excuse Brad for the actress Joanna Johnson not being available then don’t start something you can’t finish but typical of B&B. I do not watch Days but I hear from others for B&B to even be in the running against Days is another big joke.
I would feel better about this recognition and cheer loudly if the My Two Moms story was even close to the front burner. Points for trying, Mr. Bell.
There should be some consistency on the show, when it comes to the two moms. I think Brad Bell
had the right idea !
Nominated for what? This storyline quickly was pushed to the backburner. If they are aware that this soap takes place in the fashion world and in LA then maybe they need to add more gay characters. Complete joke to be nominated for a soap that has no gay characters.
It does not appear to be organic whenever hollywood creates majority of its lgbt storylines. It feels like it’s written for publicity and awards from lgbt groups. It would be organic if those lesbian chars from b&b were from the fashion business. But they’re not. Wasn’t joana’s background what made brad bell write the lesbian chars? Doesn’t joana have an adopted African american child and other adopted children who are racial minorities? They really should have cast caroline w/ a racial minority actress if joana’s background was used to create this storyline. But the old caroline was always described as the classy char. At least she was classy for soap standards. There has never been a classy and rich racial minority char on b&b. That’s one of the many aspects of b&b w/c made me quit watching it. There are gay and lesbian chars on gh and amc and b&b and days who are majority white. Yet there is still such a lack of racial minorities who are leading chars. There are no Asian american chars on any of the day soaps! b&b already has lesbian chars and yet there are still no Asian american cast members. Yet the population of l.a. has more Asian americans than African americans according to pew research. Most lgbt storylines from hollywood are very preachy and screaming tolerance for gays. The lgbt storylines from hollywood feel very politicized and forced. There’s a romantic storyline on”carrie diaries” for 2 white gay guys of course. Ratings flop “carrie diaries” showrunner mentioned that she wrote
a romantic storyline between 2 gay guys who are white precisely bec of
issue of same gender marriage. Yet that tv show is set during a period where same gender marriage between 1.7% of american population is not even a political issue. That flop show is set during the 80s! How much more obviously political can hollywood get? Giggles.
I am very happy to see LGBT representation on B&B and I think it is fabulous to see a child that has two moms or two dads and it be a normal situation. I am also glad Bill was accepting of the relationship and did not go ape shit. I would love to see more of Danielle too!