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B&B's Stephanie Dies As Katherine Kelly Lang & Susan Flannery Share Final Scenes!

By Michael Fairman

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Courtesy/CBS

Courtesy/CBS

In a real tearjerker on today’s episode of The Bold and the Beautiful, soap fans witnessed the last breaths of Stephanie Forrester and the final performance of Susan Flannery (Stephanie)!

As Stephanie’s life faded, it was Brooke, her long time nemesis turned best friend, who was with her, comforting her, and resolving their over 25 year relationship to the bitter end.  In magnificently acted scenes, Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke) delivered some of the finest work of her career, and as for Flannery, even in Stephanie’s final moments, she proved that she is one of the genres all time greatest performers and a true icon.  (IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE EPISODE YET, SPOILER ALERT YOU MAY NOT WANT TO READ FURTHER, IF YOU HAVE, CONTINUE ON…)

For many, they can see why Brad Bell, (B&B’s executive producer and head writer) chose to have it be Brooke that was with Stephanie in the end.  After all, they were the true super couple of the show, and the circle of life is often about forgiveness, and both of these characters had a lot to forgive one another.   In addition, it seemed that it was Brooke who Stephanie probably thought could be the one to help her best pass through this life, as she has often told Brooke that she is stronger than she thinks.

When Katherine Kelly Lang as Brooke told the parallel tale of Brooke’s life with the Forrester clan to a dying Stephanie, Brooke admitted she was so ashamed of the things she had done to Stephanie and her family.   While earlier, Stephanie admitted to Brooke how much she hurt her by sleeping and stealing with all the Forrester men.  And when Stephanie asks Brooke to “sing to me, baby girl”, the tears flowed as Brooke sang Eric’s tune to Stephanie, “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” as Stephanie passed away.

Over the past several hours, it appears a debate has arisen amongst fans of B&B that Eric Forrester (John McCook) should have been there with his beloved Stephanie at the end, not Brooke.  Or if Brooke, then with Eric there too, and maybe even, Stephanie’s sister, Pam, as well.

What are your thoughts on today’s final moments between Brooke and Stephanie?  Hankie-filled for you?  Should Eric have not watched the DVD of the Forrester family and friends sharing their sentiments about Stephanie (he did so to make sure Stephanie could handle seeing it), and instead hightailed it back to a dying Stephanie instead?   Did you understand why B&B chose to end Stephanie’s life in key and emotional scenes between Stephanie and Brooke?  We did!  Weigh-in.

In case you missed it, or want to see today’s episode of The Bold and the Beautiful, head on over to CBS. com and grab some Kleenex before you sit down at your computer! And for more … check out our brand new interview with John McCook for his thoughts on Eric’s life-post Stephanie and his final scenes with Susan Flannery!

 

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Beautiful episode!
SF will be missed!

I thought having Brooke and Stephanie in the final scenes was how it should be. There was so much tenderness in those scenes. I was blown away by the performances of Katherine Kelly Lang and Susan Flannery. Excellent send-off for such a great character.

I get what Brad was trying to do, but in the end I still think Eric should have been there at his wife’s passing. I am not sure I like those videotape messages since we know Stephanie would never see them. I might have like it better if instead of the characters speaking about Stephanie, if the cast had spoken about Susan, and she didn’t know about it until it aired–that would have been way cool. But with all that said, it was a touching and moving episode, done with dignity and care.

Well in a matter of one episode B/Bell did what I knew he would do. Brooke at it in less then 2 hours ruined it for me. Two daughters men now her sisters and Stephanie left her in charge of the family.

I know it like Brad Bell doesn’t know when to leave well enough alone. He did all this work to show how much Brooke has grown and how Stephanie’s illness and death will change her and then boom, Stephanie is not gone a day and she is kissing her brother -in-law. Who’s next Donna’s son Marcus or did she already go there and I missed it? But I don’t think anyone was surprised by this, disappointed maybe, but not surprise.

It was as it should have been, with one notable exception. Brad Bell shoyld have swallowed his anger and pride and had Ronn Moss back for a goodbye scene with his mother. Fans were owed this and for the good if the show, Brad should have seen that they got it. Ronn issued a statement that he was NEVER asked to return for s goodbye.

At first I was mad that Eric was wasting time at the office but when Stephanie said “oh he’s never around when you need him!” that is classic Eric & Stephanie & I got it. Very fitting that Brooke would be with her at the end. Katherine Kelly Lang just absolutely broke my heart. IT WAS SO REAL I had to remind myself I was watching tv for God’s sake. I really felt Brooke’s sorrow & pain & the way Stephanie just passed away . . . really well done then when it was over I am like but wait no more Stephanie! I don’t like her being off the show at all. There will be a huge, huge void. I wish nothing but the best for Susan Flannery in her next chapter of her life but boy will she be missed.

At first I was upset but we have went full circle so I will go on with it what i do beg of you Brad Bell is make this mean something to Brooke she is now at a crossroads as you will please move forward and not with a man be a better person if you want us to forget how trampy Brooke was then let us move forward and let this woman grow. KKL nailed it! Now be the woman you say you are and go on without a man please or I will believe what I always have believed that bb can not write Brooke without a man.

I might add Brooke, Eric & Thorne should run Forrester and kick the snot nose kids to the curb!!!!

OMG I watch it today and I was bawling my eyes out. I totally got why they had Brooke be with Stephaine when she pass away and not eric its like u said they were the supercouple of the show. I’m sadden SF retire but happy they had her character pass away instead of recast or be mention but not seeming just like they were doing for the late DC character Sally. It was very moving that’s for sure

This is absolutely ridiculous. Bill Bell’s vision for these characters was for there to be an all consuming hatred. Therein was the drama. This nonsensical sentiment of Stephanie asking Brooke to “sing to my baby girl”- the same woman she encouraged to shoot herself in the head when Taylor returned – is frankly ludicrous.
I get that Flannery and Kelly are saying goodbye to each other in this scene but their real life relationship has nothing to do with the characters they have played so excellently over the years. Brooke was the victim of psychological abuse from Stephanie – the very worst kind – because Stephanie terrorized the girl under the facade of a civilized and morally upstanding matriach. She destroyed this girl’s life only for Brooke to turn the tables in the definitive storyline of B&B’s history – the fight for BELIEF.
Bill Bell would not approve of today’s episode – it was a sordid desecration of his vision and Bradley Bell should be ashamed of himself for such unqualified sentiment between characters who destroyed one another’s lives, personally and professionally.

No wonder soap is going to the gutter. Bell sr would not dare write this. Nor would Marland or Lemay.

I could not disagree with you more, I thought it was one of the best and well written send offs to date. The acting alone was superb and the lesson that these two women taught one another was magical. We will have to agree to disagree on this one.

I agree completely. It was a great send off.

I haven’t seen it yet, but I was caught up as of Thanksgiving.

You just kind of knew that when Eric left to go back to Los Angeles, the way that he said goodbye to Stephanie, that he would not make it back before she passed. I knew for sure when she wanted to go outside – it was, not to be crass because I have no human death to compare it to – but it was like when a dog goes somewhere to die. I just knew she didn’t have long left once she and Brooke made it outside.

All that being said, WOW! I commend Susan Flannery on an amazing job. It could not be easy to be coughing all the time and acting like you need the oxygen. She will definitely be missed.

Very sad… well done… will miss Stephanie/Susan… understand why Brad used Brooke with Stephanie… but wish it could have been Pam or Eric. The show will not be the same without Susan Flannery! I am not a fan of the character Brooke, but after this I really hope she changes and grows up and has some discretion with men… if she goes back to being with any and all… this will have been for naught.

I thought is was god awful to subject the fans watch a loved a love one die for month..
Who really thought it nice/cool/really great to watch the woman suffer and die.
There were so many other ways / to inflect the pain us the a death watch..

((poor fans had to cry their way through the month and become sad, depressed and overly distraught..

Shameful to infect on fans, IMO ..

I’m sorry you did not like it. I thought it was a fitting tribute to a legacy character.

Sometimes art needs to imitate life. At least there was no murder mystery, no coming back from the dead.

For people who have lost loved ones, and those who have not, I thought it was nice to have the flashbacks, to celebrate life when you knew you did not have long. I only wish I could have said the same for my aunt with her cancer, but she chose to treat it and still died within a year. Not everyone tries to fight it.

What is so bad about fans crying? It is a part of life. Some people really need a good cry now and then.

suooo actually it was kinda of a rewrite of the cancer death of Caroline in 1990 she found out she had cancer they threw a party but she died in Ridge’s arms. She went around saying her goodbyes etc. Ridge even read scriptures from the Bible to her we now know that is Taboo in 2012. Anyway it was tough for me to watch the Brooke love fest but I will buy it if they make her finally grow up.

This story was beautifully written, well-paced, compassionately acted. Perfection.

And this final episode so well balanced – the grief of losing Stephanie in counterpoint to the joy of Katie realizing she wants her son. An episode to cherish.

I liked the endng tday with Brooke and Stephanie. I thought it played out very real .I think Kelly did the best acting of her career in those final scenes. Susan will be sorely missed because she was the queen of all around her. I kmow that Susan will be directing now and continue to be a part of soaps in some capacity. But I believe there shouldn’t be a contoversy of why Eric was not with Stehanie when she passed. These two actresses played those scenes with grace and heart and I for one was greatly moved and shed a few tears. Excellant….

Perfect.

Brooke and Stephanie have been and will always be B&B’s best “supercouple”.

Although I have to agree, Ridge should have been there at some point.

With the 2 mature, larger than life actresses- Matriarch Stephanie and Diva Sally gone, now what?

Even tho KKL is now older than SF was when they went on the air, she does not have it ( though I would marry her if I was straight!). Even though Sally’s character is still alive, there is no replacing DC.

The show has been good for the last 2 months now that someone realized that there are more than 3 characters, but it still needs more. It needs the glamour, the fashion, and new over the top characters LIKE IT WAS!

Some scenes were touching… but like classic B&B, most was ludicrously overwritten. Simplicity is often more effective and goes a lot further.

Loved it cried my lost a friend the same day with cancer super sad day for me.

Brooke was Stephanie’s most important relationship for the last 25 years. She sacrificed everything to get rid of Brooke. This is how it should be. SF and KKL were amazing.

General Hospital

‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Announces Upcoming Release of His First Single, ‘If You Need Me’

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In a surprise move, Daytime Emmy winner, Chad Duell (ex-Michael Corinthos, GH) is getting ready to unveil a new chapter of his career in music.

The former GH star, where he played the son of Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and Carly Spencer (Laura Wright) for 15 years, has announced his new single, “If You Need Me” will drop on Friday, June 26. The single is now available for pre-order on Spotify and major music streaming platforms and is distributed by DistroKid.

Taking to his Instagram story over the weekend, to announce the pre-save of his new single, Chad expressed, “I’ll make a full post about what I’ve been up to and my music once it goes live next week, but you can pre-save my first single so it goes straight to your Spotify once it drops next week.”

Photo: CDuellIG

SINCE LEAVING GENERAL HOSPITAL

Previously, since his departure from the ABC soap opera. Chad starred alongside Zach Mendez in the world premiere of of Yum Yum at Annapolis, a new play written by Bruce Reisman. Duell last appeared on General Hospital on the January 21, 2025 episode.

The part was recast with Rory Gibson who debuted as the new Michael in May of 2025 during the Nurses’ Ball episodes and who has remained in the role since that time.

In an interview earlier this year on The Able Show, Duell said on his decision to exit the soap opera, “I was blessed to be part of that (show) for as long as I have, but what happens sometimes is if you’re doing the same thing, especially in a creative field for such a long time, you can get a little burnt out in a way. It can make you a little depressed, so that’s kind of what happened. On top of that, I had other things going on in my life at the time. My father passed away recently and I just needed a reset. So, I stepped away. A lot of times you have to go through some stuff to really step into that next level. I needed to kind of feel uncomfortable.”

So, what type of musical genre will Chad’s new song be? Country? Pop? Rock? Dance/Club? Something else? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below, and if you are eager to hear the new single next week via the comment section below.

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Reflects on Dante’s Guilt for the ‘Atrocity’ That Happened to Michael Which Kept Everyone From Telling Him the Truth About Rocco (Exclusive)

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On recent episodes of General Hospital, acting PCPD commissioner, Dante Falconeri (Dominic Zamprogna) was the last to know when his ex-wife Lulu (Alexa Havins), his cop/friend “Nathan,” (Ryan Paevey) and his son, Rocco (Finn Carr) kept him in the dark from learning that Rocco actually shot WSB director, Ross Cullum (Andrew Hawkes). That, set off a chain of events leading to Rocco joining Britt Westbourne (Kelly Thiebaud) and going on the run from Port Charles.

However, what led to everyone being so secretive and keeping the truth from Dante stems, in part, to what happened back in 2010. In story, Michael Corinthos (then played by Chad Duell) was brutally assaulted and rape by his prison inmate, Carter (Josh Wingate). Michael went to prison when his brother, Dante, then a PCPD detective, forced Michael to testify in court about killing his stepmother, Claudia Zacchara (Sarah Brown). That testimony resulted in Michael being sentenced to prison for manslaughter.

In early 2011, Michael admitted out loud to Jason (Steve Burton) for the first time that he was raped. The guilt of that situation has plagued Dante for years, and fast-forward 16 years later, it’s still very much alive in Dante’s character life as explained by Dominic Zamprogna in his recent interview on the Michael Fairman Channel.

Courtesy/ABC

RORY GIBSON RECAST WAS PERFECT TIME TO BRING BACK THE STORY POINT

Zamprogna spoke of Dante’s son current plight, and how it dovetails into the past for the acting police commissioner. “The situation with Rocco is just this awful scenario that this kid is in and wanting to try and do the best for him. The other thing I liked too was from the other people’s perspectives of Dante in the past, he kind of did right by the law, not by the people, or put too much faith in the law, and expected it to work out for the people he loved, and it didn’t. So, it gave them a reason for keeping things from him as well.”

The five-time Daytime Emmy nominee shared it’s important to remember things in the history of the character you play. When GH decided to recast the role of Michael Corinthos with Rory Gibson on-screen in May of 2025, it was the perfect time to remind viewers of what happened all those years ago.

“The idea that when you’re on a show this long, I do think about those elements because there’s so much story. The scenes that I think of immediately with the Michael situation was with Chad gone, and then Rory came in. They (the writers) chose that moment to kind of literally say in the dialogue when we were at the Quartermaines, ‘You’ve changed since you came back from Europe, and you’re a different guy and you’re darker.’ I think I said all these things. Frank Valentini (executive producer, GH) calls (Rory’s version) ‘Dark Michael.’ It’s true.”

Courtesy/ABC

DANTE’S GUILT OVER MICHAEL’S BRUTAL PRISON ASSAULT LINGERS

“That was the first time my character brought that up in what had happened to Michael so long ago. I’d love to play those beats more often. You can’t beat that to death, because it was 16 years ago, but you also can’t act like it never happened. Sometimes in the world that we live in, the soap world, you do act like things don’t happen because how could people carry on with that kind of guilt, you know? Every time I looked at Michael, Dante would feel responsible for the atrocity that happened to him. So, there’s a balance. You can’t think about it every time, but you definitely have to acknowledge it. This was the perfect time to acknowledge it with the character of Michael because of the recast.”

Now over the last several months, Dante was kept from the truth all stemming back to that moment. Zamprogna recalled, “It was the first kind of domino that fell in bringing back that history. Then, you had Britt coming back and that brought back that history of the embryo with Dante and Lulu. It was fun to be able to play pissed-off with these people who I love. So, you got to play the love underneath and the anger on top, and it was all because of his past. So, it all kind of brought things back and it completed something.”

CAN LULU AND DANTE FIND ROCCO AND BRITT IN TIME?

At the end of Friday’s June 19 cliffhanger, Dante and Lulu learned from “Nathan” where Rocco and Britt are hiding out and take off to find their son. How will that go? Can the execs get along for the sake of their son? Stay tuned.

In case you missed our conversation with Dominic Zamprogna  you can check it out in full below.

Do you believe, given what happened with Michael Corinthos in the past, everyone had the right to hide what happened to Rocco from Dante? What do you remember from the harrowing story of Michael’s rape in prison by Carter? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

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Beyond the Gates

RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Scores Third Most-Watched Week Since Its Premiere With ‘The Young and the Restless’ Crossover Event

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The tornado that ripped through Fairmont Crest and put the lives of the characters of Beyond the Gates and several from The Young and the Restless in jeopardy had viewers tuning-in for the week of June 8-12.

The highly-publicized crossover event kicked off on the Tuesday, June 9 episode of Beyond the Gates where six residents of Genoa City came to to visit the D.C./Maryland country club for a fundraiser for Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon), only no one expected a twister to tear into the proceedings, leading to several storylines intersecting as people were trapped with one another with Eva Thomas (Ambyr Michelle) being the most severely injured and now requiring a liver transplant to survive.

According to the ratings report from CBS and Nielsen ratings and as supplied to Variety, Beyond the Gates brought in on average 1.8 million viewers throughout the wee. That is up 11% from its season-to-date numbers and it makes the crossover/tornado episodes its third most-watched week for the soap since Beyond the Gates premiered back on February 24, 2025.

Photo: CBS

A GENOA CITY TOUCHDOWN

With the strength of the story, its special effects and bringing over cast of the top-rated, The Young and the Restless which included: Eric Braeden (Victor Newman), Michael Mealor (Kyle Abbott), Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott), Susan Walters (Diane Jenkins), Melissa Ordway (Abby Newman) and Bryton James (Devon Hamilton), the Thursday, June 11 episode was the week’s most-watched.

According to the numbers, the Wednesday June 10 episode brought in the most total viewers for the week with 1.87 million (up 17% week-to-week), followed closely by the Friday, June 12 episodes which had 1.84 million watching.

Photo: JPI

Over on The Young and the Restless, the week of June 8-12, also saw an increase based on the early return that week of Shemar Moore as Malcolm Winters wrapping up his leg of the story where viewers learned he had a son Holden Novak (Nathan Owens) with Stephanie Simmons (Vivica A. Fox), and survived his bone marrow transplant surgery thanks to Cane Ashby (Billy Flynn).

Y&R scored 3.11 million viewers for the week up 2% from its season average with the June 8 and June 9 episodes featuring Moore averaging 3.2 million viewers and up 9% year-over-year.

So, did you enjoy the tornado episodes of Beyond the Gates and seeing the residents of Genoa City crossover to Fairmont Crest? Share your thoughts via the comment section on the latest ratings for the two CBS daytime soaps.

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Video Du Jour

Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

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Finn Carr & Dominic Zamprogna as Rocco & Dante

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