News
B&B's Brad Bell on Emmy noms, Stephen and Pam's tryst and more!
Photo Credit: JPI Studios
On-Air On-Soaps caught up with Daytime Emmy nominee for both Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series, the head honcho of The Bold and the Beautiful, Brad Bell. Yesterday, Brad and his team were honored by the Guinness Book of World Records as the Most Popular TV Soap in the World.
We asked Brad about his choice of submitting Ann’s death, the resurgence of Betty White, why the decision to have Pam sleep with Stephen, and what’s next. Here are some excerpts:
Bell on what B&B submitted to garner them the Emmy nod for show and writing and why: “We submitted for Drama Series, the Betty White die with dignity story. We were thrilled with the performances, and they were our favorite episodes of the year. It included a location shoot, an issue, great humor, and a brave heartbeat. So it felt like we had all the right ingredients. For us these really stood out. In the years past, we would have difficulty choosing, but these were some of my favorite episodes of the whole series of all-time.”
Even though Bell is the head writer, how much was he involved in the actual day to day of the heralded story ,and series of episodes: ” I was very involved in the creation of the scenes, and the dialog, and the editing. But, certainly it’s a group effort with the writing team comprised of Kay Alden and Patrick Mulcahey and Michael Minnis. Our team pulled all together on this one, and they all really shined.”
Bell on the Betty White success story in 2010: “I think it’s wonderful! In soap opera, we have found actors throughout who are brilliant and who have “it”, and so many of them are not being recognized. We have had the wonderful chance to employ some of these great actors, and Betty White is a standout. She can do comedy, and drama. Who knew? She is a wonderful human being, and I am happy she is having this remarkable and unprecedented resurgence.”
Bell on if it were to be two in a row for B&B, and they were to win Drama Series, what would he do if he was unceremoniously cut off during his acceptance speech again, a la the American Airlines promo, that was seen instead of his speech on last year’s telecast! “We joke that we are not flying American Airlines to Vegas either!”
Bell on the honor by Guinness Book of World Records: “It’s very exciting, and we didn’t really know, but they have a wonderful comprehensive entertainment section in the Guinness Book of World Records, and we have really stood out with our numbers and viewership around the world. We are definitely and by far, the most popular soap or telenovela in the world. And, it’s wonderful to have this acknowledgment especially when soaps are being canceled, and not having much good news these days. We had the Emmy nominees last week, the Guinness Book of World this week, and I can’t wait for next week! ” (Laughs)
Bell on the big sex scandal when poor crazy Pam gets deflowered by Stephen Logan as part of his revenge sex plot to destroy Stephanie! “I think it goes back to the core battle between the Logans and the Forresters. I think at this point in time it’s never been more interesting. We have a great group of actors: Patrick Duffy (Stephen), Alley Mills (Pam), Susan Flannery (Stephanie) battling against each other, and the Logan sisters are hot, and ready for action…. Always! I think this a man who is still mourning the love of his life, Beth Logan. Yes, he is rebounding from that, and this is a darker time. He is having very dark thoughts, and in his mind, because of Stephanie. She had emotionally and physically abused his daughters over these years, and he has done nothing about it. This is a man at a breaking point who has to do something, and believes he has come up with the perfect crime, and the perfect redemption. ”
Bell on if this will be a quickie B&B story beat or have some major fallout: “Yes, this is a story with some legs. Its going to be fun, action-packed, and with some very dark moments, and some unexpected twists as well.”
General Hospital
Blythe Howard Joins the Cast of ‘General Hospital’ as Monet: Who is She Connected to in Port Charles?
General Hospital continues to add new characters to the canvas. Now comes word of the arrival of Monet, a savvy lawyer played by Blythe Howard. Look for Monet to debut in Port Charles next week on the Wednesday, September 23 episode.
According to TV Insider, “Monet arrives in town as a litigator who recently joined Miller & Davis, the firm run by Diane Miller (Carolyn Hennesy) and Alexis Davis (Nancy Lee Grahn), and meets with a Port Charles resident in need of legal counsel.”
In a statement, General Hospital’s executive producer, Frank Valentini shared, “I am very excited to welcome Blythe Howard to the cast of General Hospital. Look for her to have an unexpected connection to a beloved Port Charles resident.”
FROM TELEVISION TO CANCER SURVIVOR TO GIVING BACK
If Howard looks familiar you may have seen her on several television series including: Yellowstone, Power Book IV: Force, Walker, 9-1-1: Lone Star, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, CW’s Dynasty, Silicon Valley plus David Fincher‘s Mindhunter.
Photo: ChemoQueens
Blythe is also a cancer survivor having cofounded Chemo Queens with her sister Kelsey Howard. The company creates products for people undergoing cancer treatment, including a patent-pending cold cap design.
In recent months, General Hospital has brought in several new actors for brand new roles or recasts. They include: Alimi Ballard (William Baines), Jonathan Bennett (Joe Fitzpatrick), Kearran Giovanni (Dr. Nichols), Dean Geyer (Tristan Roberts), Kelly Kruger (Serena Baldwin), Kayden Brennan Tokarski (Scout Cain) and Troy Lennon Appel (Hudson Parker). You can now add Blythe Howard to this list.
So, who do you think Monet has an unexpected connection to that is a “beloved” Port Charles resident as teased by Frank Valentini? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section below.
While Finn (Tanner Novlan) is unaware that his wife Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) is pregnant and that she is supposedly carrying Carter Walton’s (Lawrence Saint-Victor) child on The Bold and the Beautiful, Tanner Novlan is keeping busy, not only on the CBS soap, but in an upcoming new feature for the streamer Roku entitled Cowboy Hearts.
Laguna Beach star Kristen Cavallari is the lead opposite Novlan. The log lines of the story tease, “When a no-nonsense reality TV producer (Cavallari) is sent to Georgia to oversee the reboot of the hit dating show ‘Cowboy Hearts,’ she expects chaos behind the scenes, not romantic sparks with the cowboy himself (Novlan). Now, with the cameras rolling and her job on the line, she’ll have to decide if love is worth going off script.”
Taking to his Instagram to confirm his casting, Tanner Novlan shared, “Cowboy Hearts coming to @therokuchannel early ‘27!” The caption was posted alongside two photos of Tanner in the film wearing a cowboy hat, and a video with Tanner shirtless in said cowboy hat, but riding a horse. Tanner’s wife, former B&B actress, Kayla Ewell (ex-Caitlin Ramirez) joked in the comment thread, “Can you bring the cowboy hat home?”
Photo: JPI
KRISTEN CAVALLARI RETURNS TO ACTING AFTER 15 YEARS
Cavallari also recently starred as herself in an episode of ABC’s 9-1-1: Nashville, but Cowboy Hearts marks her first acting role in 15 years since she appeared in an episode of ABC comedy series, The Middle. Earlier in her career, Kristen appeared in the Laguna Beach spinoff, The Hills (as herself), plus episodes of Veronica Mars and CSI: NY.
The partnership of Roku and Cavallari comes from her having the biggest unscripted launch ever on the Roku platform with The Reunion: Laguna Beach. Now, Cowboy Hearts will launch sometime next year with Cavallari saying in a statement to Deadline, “I’m so excited to be stepping back into acting and getting to do something completely different with a rom-com. After such a great experience working with Roku on The Reunion: Laguna Beach, it feels especially exciting to be working with their team again — but this time for a scripted film. I can’t wait for everyone to see it.”
MORE THAN JUST BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL
As for Tanner Novlan, he has been playing Dr. John Finn Finnegan since July of 2020 on the CBS daytime drama series. He’s also well known for his role as the bad actor/ spokesperson in the Liberty Biberty commercial spots for Liberty Mutual, and his recurring role on Roswell, New Mexico.
Novlan is no stranger as a leading man in rom-coms, too. He previously appeared in 2019’s My Best Friend’s Christmas, 2022’s Christmas Class Reunion, and 2024’s Debbie Macomber’s Joyful Mrs. Miracle.
So, intrigued to see Tanner in Cowboy Hearts when it comes out next year? On B&B, do you think Finn is really the baby-daddy to Steffy’s unborn baby that will be revealed later down the road? Let us know via the comment section.
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Tonight on September 15, R. J. Decker’s returns for its second season immediately following the season 35 premiere of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. In the season premiere, as previously reported Lucas Adams (ex-Noah Newman, The Young and the Restless, and ex-Tripp Dalton, Days of our Lives) is one of the guest stars.
The season 2 premiere will also server as a crossover event with cameos from Dancing with the Stars pros Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy, as well as The Bachelor’s Joey Graziadei, who won the Mirror Ball Trophy in season 33.
In the logline for tonight’s episode pf R.J. Decker (10 pm ET/PT) entitled, The Point of Us Breaking, a reunion with an old prison acquaintance pulls R.J. into a string of daring bank heists as the fallout from Victor Ochoa’s death deepens.
Photo: ABC
WHO IS LUCAS ADAMS PLAYING ON R.J. DECKER?
Taking to his Instagram story from the set of R. J. Decker, Lucas Adams, in what looks like prison garb, explains a bit about the character he plays in the crime series. ‘What’s up? It’s Lucas Adams, and I play Liam Jansen. I’ve got myself into a sticky situation, hopefully me and my little dog can get out of there safely!”
R.J, Decker stars Scott Speedman in the leading role as the private investigator. The series is inspired by Carl Hiaasen’s 1987 novel Double Whammy, the popular, comedic ABC crime drama follows disgraced newspaper photographer and ex-con R.J. Decker as he reinvents himself as a P.I. in South Florida.
Photo: JPI
HOW DID NOAH NEWMAN LEAVE GENOA CITY?
Lucas Adams departed The Young and the Restless on-screen back on the August 3, 2026 episode when Noah and Sienna Bacall (Tamara Braun) decided to leave Genoa City and head back to Los Angeles to get away from Matt Clark (Roger Howarth).
Adams had portrayed Nick (Joshua Morrow) and Sharon’s (Sharon Case) son for a little under a year having debuted on November 4, 2025. Previously, Adams played Tripp Dalton on Days of Our Lives from 2017-2024 with multiple runs on the soap opera.
R.J. Decker airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC and be released on Hulu the following day with some major rebroadcasts of new episodes including tonight’s which can also be seen next Sunday on September 20 at 8pm ET.
So, will you be checking out Lucas Adams in the season two premiere of R.J. Decker? Let us know via the comment section below.
Blythe Howard Joins the Cast of ‘General Hospital’ as Monet: Who is She Connected to in Port Charles?
‘The Bold and the Beautiful’s’ Tanner Novlan Set to Star in Roku Rom-Com ‘Cowboy Hearts’
DANCING WITH THE STARS Season 35 Premiere: Which Male Impressed on Night One? Who Was Sent Home?
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Carter Has a Way Out and Implores Steffy, “Say You’ll Be Our Donor and Surrogate!”
TUNE-IN: ‘R. J. Decker’ Season 2 Premiere: Y&R and DAYS Alum Lucas Adams Guest Stars
‘General Hospital’s’ Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson to Star in New Holiday Movie
Jess Walton Memoir ‘The Young and the Rest of Us’ Set for Release in 2027
RATINGS: ‘General Hospital’ Shows Most Gains in Total Viewers Week-Over-Week and Up in Key Demo
Y&R’s Co-Head Writer Jamey Giddens, Ahead of November Stories and Scripts Debut with Dan O’Connor, Explains How Fall Tees Up Their Plans for Genoa City
‘General Hospital’s’ Bluesy Burke Marks 1 Year as Charlotte Cassadine: ‘It’s The Best Gift I’ve Ever Received’
DANCING WITH THE STARS Season 35 Premiere: Which Male Impressed on Night One? Who Was Sent Home?
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Carter Has a Way Out and Implores Steffy, “Say You’ll Be Our Donor and Surrogate!”
Soap Alums Remembered During In Memoriam Segment at 78th Emmy Awards; Patrick Muldoon Omitted
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason and Britt Break Up After Realizing They Can’t Trust Each Other
Franco LoPresti and Sydney Malakeh Makes Their ‘Days of our Lives’ Debuts: What Were Your First Impressions?
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They should not have won for that maudlin ep w/ Storm’s suicide. Its repercussions, as expected of brad bell, are never utilized. Katie’s heart surgery scar has disappeared, and no one even mentions Storm’s death, even when Steph had a part in Beth’s death. The sad part is Brad bell actually thinks the guiness record equals a reflection of quality on B&B, which it doesn’t. B&B hasn’t been any good since Taylor/Rick thanks in no part to hammy, over enunciating Lowder, and thanks only to Tylo and KKL. B&B is like McDonald’s. LOL! B&B is a global brand. McDonald’s is omnipresent. It doesn’t mean B&B is a quality show or McDonald’s serves good food. They just happen to be everywhere. No one can deny B&B’s global ratings. But it doesn’t mean it’s a good show. It used to be good, but it’s been crappy for years.
LOL on Brad bell’s quote: “He is having very dark thoughts, and in his mind, because of Stephanie.” Where would Stephen have thoughts other than his mind? Hahahahahaha! Bell says the same things abt his storylines. It’s going to have a lasting impact/repercussions/etc. But the only thing consistent abt B&B is that its history is always rewritten. So nothing really makes an impact and everything is plot driven.
Instead of killing off Storm, Brooke should have been the shooter. She could have gone bonkers after the rape and Brooke has a history of mental instability. It would have been more dramatic, and the show needs male Logans to balance all the women. Storm would have been a good pairing w/ Felicia, and Devry is a decent actor (except when Storm was revealed as the shooter). All killing off Storm did was give Katie a heart transplant, yet Heather Tom didn’t garner an Emmy nom, Katie lost her baby w/ Nick and her scar is never an issue.
A storyline for Mills is great. Pam needs to drive more storylines. Maybe Pam ends up going bonkers and kills Rick! Fire Kyle Lowder! he’s an awful actor. Stephen’s revenge storyline has potential, but the real revenge storyline should be from Brooke. She needs to go nuts and try to kill Stephanie for her role in Storm’s suicide and Beth’s death and brooke’s rape. However, that ain’t happening since Bell writes Brooke in such a boring way. Brooke needs to get into a catfight w/ and win in that catfight against Amber and Tawney. Bell needs to rehire Andrea Evans as trashy Tawney. And once ATWT wraps up, Lesli Kay’s Felicia should return, along w/ John Hensely as Zach Hamilton, Felicia’s ex and let it be revealed that he’s Felicia’s donor.
I think Brad Bell and his writers are very smart in creating B&B and its stories.This one of Pam and Stephen is a hoot. She literally is getting hers after all the viscious things she has pulled and got away with.. I am not so hapy with the Bridget and Owen story. I would like to see Nick realize what the heck is going on behind his back. And yes, the Betty White death scene was done extremely well.She’s a comer……
They never should have killed off Betty White’s character doe, but then it’s odd for her to portray SF’s mother and Moss’s grandmother since Moss is in his 60s. How hilarious for Brad bell to label that storyline the “Betty White die w/ dignity story” LOL! Such a ridiculous label!
Everyone hates that Bridget/HOwen/Jackie/Nick storyline. It’s 1 soap cliche after the next. It began w/ Bridget and Nick having 1 of their babies die yet again, then Bridget has grief sex w/ slutty HOwen, then they had a who’s the daddy arc, now the 3 whores Jackie, HOwen and Bridget are lying to skanky Nick. B&B has done this kind of storyline so many times. And the most hilarious part is that Bridget couldn’t have any babies. She has a surrogate, and now that she’s older, she gets preggers! LOL!
Pam’s upcoming storyline is the only good part of B&B. The more Pam, the better!