News
B&B's Jack Wagner discusses 6,000th episode & his hope's for Nick's future!
Photo Credit: JPI Studios
Today, The Bold and the Beautiful aired it’s milestone 6,000th episode. And to mark the occasion, the daytime series that of late has been doing an extraordinary job of tackling socially relevant issues of the human condition, added another thought-provoking and informative episode on lung cancer. If you missed it, you can view it here at CBS.com. At its center is Susan Flannery whose Stephanie Forrester has been dealing with stage four lung cancer, and Jack Wagner as Nick Marone, who recently found out he had a spot on his lung. Throughout the episode real life cancer patients and survivors are brought into the mix as sort of an intervention for Nick, and we hear about the emotional and physical toll this disease takes on people from all walk’s of life.
On-Air On-Soaps was at CBS this morning on the set of B&B for their 6,000th episode celebration which was streamed live on the Internet, and had the opportunity to speak with Jack Wagner regarding this important story and where he would like to see Nick head in the future. Here is our “quickie” interview with Jack!
When they said they were going to give your character Nick possible lung cancer, and thus making Nick and you a big part of the 6,000th episode, what went through your mind?
JACK: That my two sons and I have to go out and apply for jobs at Carl’s Jr.! Because when you get a spot on your lung on a soap opera, it’s kind of curtains (laughs). So we are now all working at Carl’s Jr’s… kidding!
Were you given much of a heads up by B&B head honcho, Brad Bell that this was going to be the story he was planning on telling for Nick?
JACK: I did get a heads up about it, but I did not know where they were going to go with it, of course. I was really grateful to be selected to drive this storyline with Susan Flannery. Today’s episode, episode 6,000, had no script. So it was really ground-breaking in that Susan and I were in character, but the people who were interviewed with cancer for our group therapy session that we were trying to put together, they were themselves, and we were in character with no scripted show at all!
It was really a Nick intervention spurred on by Stephanie that seemed to drive the show…
JACK: Exactly, but it wasn’t really set up for that. Ultimately, it turned out to be that and it was a nice bond between the Stephanie character and the Nick character. They really meet at this level of; from the heart and are kind of there for each other. It was very different from what I have done on this show previously, in terms of babies behind my back, or a whose baby is it type of storyline.
Do you feel the 6,000th episode, and Nick having a spot on his lung, showed or allowed a more sensitive side to Nick’s character?

Photo Credit: JPI Studios
JACK: I think what it showed and what I was happy about was the part about the process of recovery. I have been around that for quite a few years now and the dynamic that people face; the real tough battle of trying to quit something you know is legal. It’s not like you are drinking walking around the streets. So this is smoking, which gives you some relief for three or four minutes, and it kills you. And when you try to quit anything that is an addiction it’s hard. You know, Nick was able to go through all the different phases which were (1) This isn’t happening to me (2) The denial of, “Well I don’t have a problem” (3) “Wow, this is really a possible problem” (4) The reality and acceptance of, “You know what? My kid could get sick.” And, by the end of it, acceptance.
And the cigar smoking, do you Jack smoke cigars?
JACK: I will smoke one cigar a month or something like that, and maybe one or two cigarettes a month. And even after I do it, I still have that taste of going, “Well, that wasn’t quite as good as I thought it was going to be.” But it still kind of lingers there, you know.
Was Nick’s cigar smoking just brought in at this point for the purpose of this story?
JACK: No, he actually smoked from the beginning of his time on the B&B canvas. When Nick came on the show, he was a drinker, smoker, with a beard and all of that, and then slowly tapered off and went into the fashion world where they cleaned him up a little bit. Then CBS Standard and Practices did not want the smoking anymore, but then when this story came along they wanted him to start smoking again. Nick has always been very clear that he was a cigar guy on his boat.
What would you like to see happen to Nick in the next phase of his life on B&B?
JACK: You know, I have got to be honest. There is always that unanswered question with Nick and Brooke and it really was hit upon with the last baby and the insemination and all of that. I think to revisit that somehow for the Brooke/Nick fans would be great.
There is something electric and fun to watch with you and Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke) on-screen together. You are both very strong, sexy performers!
JACK: That is kind of it, to revisit something with Brooke and Nick, where it’s something that has some real sexual energy to it, not just a small story arc. But it would need to be something to bring back that chemistry that people seem to love. Maybe that will be down the road.

Photo Credit: JPI Studios
With all your amazing list of television credits and that you’re a household name, why have you continued to stay with B&B all these years?
JACK: One of the reasons I came back to daytime was that my boys were where they were in their lives, and I was going through a divorce. You know I was married once, now divorced once. I really made a commitment that I would put my boys in a lifestyle that is the best for them. So I did kind of make that commitment. So, I am not going to now start to jump out of it and start auditioning. I like having security in my life. So it really was about my family. I have a boy who has two more years in high school, so I will be here for sure at least that long, I hope. And that was my commitment, to do the best I could to make this role as interesting as possible, and really fulfill my commitment as a father.
What makes Susan Flannery so amazing to work with, and what made this episode so special that aired today? She was so real in it.
JACK: You know that is the best part of Susan, she is really very real. It is a kind of a developed quality from a mature actress, and it is spontaneous. But yet, she is well rehearsed and at the same time you feel like you are challenged. I feel like I am challenged with Susan. Lesley-Anne Down (Jackie M), same thing.
And speaking of Lesley-Anne Down, that mother/son bond between the two of you has gone on for years and is still so interesting and enjoyable to watch because of the dynamic you bring together on-screen.
JACK: Thank you. It’s weird to have someone so close to my age, maybe five or six years older than me, and you would never guess that. I sort of revert back to this child or boy when she is around. (Imitating Lesley-Anne as Jackie) “You know, Nicky.” And then it kind of gets to that banter that tends to work with us and you take the dramatic license and believe we are truly mother and son, at least I think.
Coming up in a few months is your fifth Annual Jack Wagner Celebrity Golf Classic. What can you tell us about it?
JACK: It’s going to be held this year on Monday April 18th. It’s a one day event for Leukemia Lymphoma, and that will be at the Valencia Country Club, in Valencia, California. We are hoping to break the million dollar mark. That is what we are looking to do!
PROGRAMMING NOTE TO SEE MORE JACK! Make sure to also catch Jack this Wednesday, February 9th when he is the guest on an all-new episode of the hit TV Land comedy series, Hot in Cleveland! It all happens at 10PM EST/9CST!
General Hospital
Paige Herschell Exits ‘General Hospital’ as Jacinda Bracken

As suspected, Jacinda Bracken got a one way ticket out of Port Charles, thus ending the run of Paige Herschell as the escort-turned-girlfriend of Michael Corinthos (Rory Gibson). The story turn took place on the Tuesday, August 11 episode of General Hospital.
After Jacinda drugged Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) by spiking her iced coffee, and Michael finding Willow drugged out in front of their kids, Amelia and Wiley, he knew he had to break things off with her.
Michael gave Jacinda enough money to get out of town and start a new life for herself, because given these recent developments, Willow will use this against him to gain full custody of his children. In their final scenes, Michael and Jacinda said a heartfelt goodbye to one another.

Courtesy/ABC
THE HISTORY OF JACINDA BRACKEN
According to Soap Opera Digest, a GH rep confirmed that today marked Paige Herschell’s final appearance in the role and that her exit was indeed, storyline-dictated. Herschell had originally auditioned for the role of Blaze a few years back. That part went to Jacqueline Grace Lopez.
Later, Herschell was brought in for a short stint beginning in April 2025, as the escort hired by Nina (Cynthia Watros) and Portia (Brook Kerr) to paint Drew (Cameron Mathison) in a bad light. So with Nina and Portia supplying her with ketamine, she drugged Drew. Next, Jacinda was able to get the then congressman to do liquor shots off her body in front of everyone at the Savoy Nightclub. After Drew made a public spectacle of himself, Nina paid Jacinda to leave town and she wound up in Australia.
However, by September of 2025, Jacinda was back in town, where she agreed to pretend to be Michael’s girlfriend for appearances sake and to give him an alibi on the night Drew Cain was shot. The arrangement eventually turned into genuine feelings for one another.
Back in April of 2026, Paige celebrated her one-year anniversary with GH as Jacinda and posted on Instagram,”Holy smokes! It’s been one year since Jacinda was introduced on Genera Hospital. I’m so grateful to this show for the work! Thank you to the amazing fans and the awesome cast and crew! One year! Holy moly! Jacinda- you continue to surprise me.” Fast-forward and now by August, Herschell has wrapped her run.
So, with the news of Jacinda’s departure on GH, are you glad Michael sent her packing. or were you hoping that Michael and Jacinda would wind up a bonafide couple that would go on for quite some time? Let us know via the comment section below.
Days Of Our Lives
‘Days of Our Lives’ Exec Explains How They Fit John Oliver’s Guest Stint into Production When They Tape Almost a Year in Advance

If you caught today’s Tuesday, August 11 episode of Days of Our Lives streaming on Peacock, you caught the debut of John Oliver in his Salem role as the chief water inspector in town named Devlin St. John.
The ‘Last Week Tonight’ host has been on a jaunt through the soaps over the past few months, first on General Hospital, where he played the WSB head named Z, to now the man who has got the goods on EJ DiMera.
In his first of three appearances (the remaining two stream August 12 and 14), Devlin meets up with Paulina Price (Jackée Harry), Julie Williams (Susan Seaforth Hayes), Rita Lesley (who takes a liking to Mr. St. Jonn), played by Maggie Carney, and EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel). When Oliver arrives on the scene there is the wig, the quipping dialog, and a few soap stares and such along the way.

Courtesy/Peacock
Days of Our Lives is the only American soap opera in production to tape so far advance, often 10 to 11 months, that it makes it difficult to get out of any storyline that is not clicking with the fans, or if the writers want to change course.
In addition, casting announcement of exciting returns or new characters while initially exciting, finds the viewers having to wait a very long time to see them on their screens. On the flip side, without this production model the soap opera, which will turn 61 in November, wouldn’t remain and that would be a serious blow to the fans, to the soap genre and all that it employs.
DAYS OF OUR LIVES EP KEN CORDAY ON THE PROCESS OF ADDING JOHN OLIVER INTO PREVIOUSLY TAPED EPISODES
When John Oliver made his pronouncement on his late night talk show back in March that he desired to be on a soap opera. DAYS executive producer, Ken Corday was going to make it happen. He explained to Vulture, how they were able weave in Oliver’s request and take him up on it, while making it look seamless into episodes taped so long ago.
Both Corday and co-executive producer and showrunner, Noel Maxam, intially went back and looked at previously taped episodes and story outlines to search for a potential story thread where they could place the character to be played by Oliver.
Corday shared, “We didn’t want to wait until next year for these shows to air, so we lifted (already produced) show and put him in. We basically had to shoehorn him into our schedule because we were so far ahead.” The longtime EP also expressed its challenges stating it, “was somewhat complex. It was basically, ‘We have to do this; let’s get it done.’ And we did. He was too good to pass up.”
THE CREATION OF DEVLIN ST. JOHN
In terms of the scripting and creation of Oliver’s character of Devlin St. John, it was a two-team effort. Corday explained that Oliver’s overall storyline was scripted by DAYS writers, but John Oliver’s team punched up some of the dialog.
“John and his producer had a lot of input in making the words fit the way he talks,” the EP recalled. “He’s (Oliver) very machine-gun in how he speaks, so that took a little work. But in the end, we both got what we wanted.”
In terms of the look of his DAYS character of the Salem chief water inspector, Oliver brought the wig he wears in his scenes to the set, and the DAYS hair and make-up team refined it for the cameras.
You can check out more behind the scenes moments of Oliver’s appearance on Days of Our Lives in the newly released video package from Access Hollywood that dropped last night below.
So, what did you think of John Oliver’s debut as Devlin St. John on today’s Days of Our Lives? Ken Corday sharing how the soap opera was able to shoehorn in Oliver’s scenes in previous shot episodes from months ago? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
Days Of Our Lives
‘Last Week Tonight’ Host John Oliver’s Role on ‘Days of Our Lives’ Revealed

After a few months of speculation, it has finally been revealed who John Oliver will be playing when he kicks-off his three episode guest stint on Tuesday, August 11 on Peacock’s Days of Our Lives.
According to a rep for the soap opera, Oliver will be taking on the role of Salem’s Chief Water Inspector who opens an investigation into the local water supply. As previously reported, Oliver will share scenes with EJ (Dan Feuerriegel) and Rita (Maggie Carney), and Mayor Paulina Price (Jackée Harry).
In addition, Soaps.com spoke with Dan Feuerriegel who shared that Oliver’s character name is none other than “Devlin St. John.” Feuerriegel also explained what the late night talk show wanted out of his Days of Our Lives experience noting, “He wanted the whole thing. From my recollection, he wanted a wig. He wanted a ridiculous name, and he wanted to slap or be slapped.” Feuerriegel then coyly admitted, “We did all the things. Everything you would think cliché in a soap, we did. I got slapped. I slapped.”
Jackée Harry previewed her scenes with Oliver to TV Insider, noting, “He is the water commissioner and coming to her with some scheme. He is trying to get one over on the city of Salem and she is not having it. And then he’s onto the next victim.”

Photo: Peacock
JOHN OLIVER’S TOUR OF SOAP DUTY CONCLUDES IN SALEM
After his initial entrance on Tuesday, look for Oliver on the Wednesday, August 12 and Friday, August 14 of the soap streamer. Last month, John Oliver appeared on General Hospital in the role of the head of the WSB named Z for three episodes, as well which was more of a dramatic turn for the late night talk show host.
DAYS and GH both came calling after Oliver put the word out an episode of his HBO series back in March, that he is aiming to be on a soap! John shared, “To all the soap operas out there, let me say this: I’m officially offering myself to you. Write me a role, and I will be on your set so fast, it will make your head spin!”
Days of Our Lives executive producer, Ken Corday previously said in a statement, “When John Oliver said, ‘Call me, soaps, I’m available and willing to travel. I want to be a part of that world,’ our world, we had to heed the call!”
So, looking forward to tuning-in to see John Oliver as Salem’s Chief Water Inspector, Devlin St. John on this week on Days of Our Lives? Let us know via the comment section. But first, in case you missed it, check out this week’s Days of Our Lives promo below with Oliver as Devlin St. John asking to see Mayor Paulina Price in its final moments.
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Great article on one of daytime’s enduring legends. Hopefully try will let Jack Wagner sing on the show soon!
It is a great article, thanks you very much!
Oh boy! Where is RJ? Who is Baby jacks actual Mother? Continuity Brad!
I really like Jack Wagner. He truly seems like a great person. It is great that you had this interview with him, Michael. Telling the new story about him becoming sick from a smoking addiction is being done effectively. Having Stephanie the person that he has turned to and her willingness to help him is very good. We saw him taking a cigar and starting to hide it and as luck would have it ,Stephanie saw him and stopped him. His life with women has not gone well,though. But smoking addiction is another topic I’m happy the show is doing. I hope they don’t kill him off, though. Nice article, MIchael.
I’ve started to watch B&B now and then since i don’t have my beloved ATWT anymore..I’m not crazy about some of the actors but i am starting to really appreciate Jack Wagner .He has a special charm without being over the top.I like watching him he’s so real.And he’s a handsome guy too.I would not like to see him back with Brooke.I hope this show keeps him for a very long time because he’s now one of the good guys!