All My Children
BREAKING NEWS: SOAPnet to go off the air and turned into Disney Pre-School Channel!
In another devestating blow to the soap genre, it was announced today that In 2012, Disney Junior will take the place of SOAPnet, the 10-year-old channel devoted to soap opera reruns that is available in about 75 million homes, according to Anne Sweeney, co-chairwoman of Disney Media Networks. Disney’s current preschool operation — a block of programming on Disney Channel and about two dozen Playhouse Disney international channels — will be rebranded Disney Junior starting next year.
Ms. Sweeney called the decision to unplug SOAPnet “a tough one,” but one that made business sense because the original purpose of the channel, shifting soap operas from day to night, had grown obsolete with the rise of digital video recorders.
In terms of why do move SOAPnet to a kiddie channel, Sweeney added,“This represents the next step in a global preschool strategy that started 10 years ago with the introduction of dedicated channels overseas,” Ms. Sweeney said. Disney Junior will not feature advertising. It will be geared to a slightly wider demographic, ages 2 to 7, than other preschool offerings like Sprout and “Sesame Street,” which typically are aimed at ages 2 to 5.
Disney, which is trying to secure long-term advertising commitments for SOAPNet, emphasized that the channel would not go dark for 18 months or so. The company is in the final stages of obtaining approval for the new format from cable affiliates that carry SOAPnet. Although ABC remains committed to its soap operas, including General Hospital and All My Children,other broadcasters have been moving away from the genre, limiting the amount of content available for SOAPnet.
Alan Dysert, who played Sean Cudahy on ABC’s All My Children has died. He was 75-years-old. The news of his passing came from his wife Michele who shared via a Facebook post that Dysert died back on October 23.
“My heart is broken as I share that my beloved husband, Alan, passed away on October 23, 2026. While I am struggling to imagine life without him, I am forever grateful to have experienced what so many people spend their lives searching for — the love of a lifetime,” Michele expressed.
While a cause of death was not made public at this time, Michele admitted that Alan, “faced more than his share of health challenges over the years, yet he continued to approach life with determination, humor, and gratitude.”
Photo: ABC
Dysert wrote about his battle with a rare, aggressive and incurable cancer in his 2023 autobiography, Lights, Camera, Cancer! He spoke of having undergone four major cancer-related surgeries, and many rounds of chemotherapy and CT scans.
SEAN CUDAHY WAS ‘BAD GUY’ PERSONFIED
On All My Children, Dysert played Sean Cudahy, the con man villain to his brother, good guy, Tom Cudahy played by Richard Shoberg. Dysert played the role between 1980 and 1990 returning for multiple story arcs, which included being revealed to be the murderer of Sybil Thorne. He was also involved in several affairs including with the impressionable Devon McFadden (Tricia Pursley).
THE LIVES HE TOUCHED
Alan’s longtime agent Melinda Eisnagule told PEOPLE his death is a “loss to our community and to the acting community at large. He touched so many lives and made the industry and the world a better place every day with his positive energy and kindness.”
Dysert leaves behind his wife, Michele and his two sons Cody and Cooper and will be remembered by those who knew him for a career that spanned the theatre, film, TV and performance coaching, and of course being a part of the legacy of All My Children.
Share your remembrances and condolences on the passing of Alan Dysert, All My Children’s Sean Cudahy, via the comment section below.
All My Children
Mark Consuelos Celebrates Kelly Ripa’s 56th Birthday on ‘Live,’ But Remember When Wendy Williams Outed the Couple as Married Before Anyone at ‘All My Children’ Knew?
On the Friday, October 2 episode of Live with Kelly and Mark, the morning talk show marked the 56th birthday of Kelly Ripa (ex-Hayley Vaughan Santos, All My Children).
During the opening segment, Mark Consuelos (ex-Mateo Santos, All My Children) humorously comparing his wife to both Gandhi and Groucho Marx, reflecting on both her comedic ability and peaceful ways.
Later, they went on to discuss the origins of her name and the most popular picks to name babies back in the year she was born, 1970. They were Kimberly, Lisa, and Jennifer for girls and Michael, David, and James for the boys.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Ripa recalled that she learned she was almost named Kim. However, their neighbors at the time had two daughters Kelly and Kim, which is what her parents wanted to call them, but they settled on Kelly and and her younger sister, Linda.
At the conclusion of the episode, Mark rolled out a huge cake for his wife. It was, “Happy birthday from all of us here at Live and at home.” Next, he cut the cake, and Ripa grabbed his face and gave him a “thank you” kiss.
Photo: JPI
KELLY AND MARK TRIED TO KEEP THEIR VEGAS WEDDING ON THE DOWN LOW
All of this brings back memories of how Kelly and Mark’s Las Vegas wedding ceremony went public in 1996 while the two were still on All My Children playing Mateo Santos and Hayley Vaughan. In essence, they were outed by then radio host Wendy Williams! They discussed it on the talk show back in 2024.
In fact, the duo hid their marriage from their All My Children castmates for months, until they found out Williams got wind of the nuptials and spread the intel on the airwaves.
The two recalled their secret wedding on a 2024 episode of Live! “We’d eloped. It’d been a few months at that point. We’d been married for three months, nobody at All My Children knew we were even dating, much less married to each other. We’re brushing our teeth and we’ve got Wendy Williams’ radio show on. We’re listening, and she’s like, ‘I’ve got celebrity dish!”
EYEWITNESS
Next Ripa continued, “The celebrities,’ I guess they had a broad use of the term back then, was the fact that ‘two soap stars from All My Children, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos eloped in Las Vegas.’ There was this eyewitness that worked in the Clark County courthouse that said we eloped, and the news broke, and we had to tell everybody we were married.”
Live With Kelly and Mark airs weekdays in syndication. Check your local listings for times in your area.
Share your birthday wishes for Kelly in the comment section, and let us know your thoughts on how Wendy Williams broadcast the news, unbeknownst to the All My Children newlyweds, that they tied the knot in Vegas? Check out Mark and the ‘Live’ studio audience singing ‘happy birthday’ to Kelly in the post below.
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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.
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Very disappointing news about Soap Net…Is there any chance for Soap Net to stay on air?
SoapNet should not go off the air. Not everyone has, or can afford, dvr’s or has computer access to watch soaps on-line. This is just so unfair.
It Was nice to be able to catch an episode of your favorite soap that you may have missed on Soap Net. But I think instead of showing reruns of today’s shows, they should’ve showed older shows, maybe ones that have been cancelled and from the beginning. They were showing Another World at one point, but starting in the 80’s or 90’s. I would’ve LOVED to have seen it and Days of Our Lives from the very beginning. How awesome would that have been. Also, I had missed the first few yrs. of Passions…. What will happen to Being Erica when it is taken off the air? I LOVE that show. Will another network hopefully pick it up??? I sure hope so and I hope they let us know!
JUST WHAT WE NEED, ANOTHER KIDDIE CHANNEL!! WAY TO GO DISNEY!…….”IDIOTS”
First of all they have ripped passions soap off and now they are taking soapnet which means that the women or people who work and miss them . Televison today is getting where its not worth watching anyway they are putting on stupid commercials , gay pornography on live shows I dont think its getting safe for the kids to be watching anymore anyway . Less money for viewers to pay they can cancel some of there extended packaging off dish satillite or even just disconnect it all and just watch regular free tv . Thats what Ill probaly do ,
Lynn Smith is right. The only reason I have this cable pkg is because it includes soapnet. I guess I can cancel that when the time comes. Who needs another childrens channel babysitter.
do not want 2 loose soap net channel. i love watching all my children on soap net. i work all day.do not have a dvr. it not fair. i pay extra for cable 2 get soap net. bad news 2 me
this is bad news. i work all day every day . i look forward 2 watching all my children at 8:00 every week night on soap net. very sad!!!!!!!
I can’t beleive it. You are going to take soapnet off to Its bad enough to take the soaps off at day time. alittle along at night 8:oo pm You know I don’t mean no hard fellings. but I hope ABC and Brian Frons will loose these dome talk shows and food shows. This is so stupid.
ABC One more thing I hope it will you all happy I’am sorry
my wife and i ejoyed watching all channel 6 soaps we did that together for years and her for 35. it is very very upsetting and we will no longer watch 6 or soapnet .she has spread the word to all of her friends to stop also. for 35 plus years people watched now to put stupid food shows and kid shows on when we already have to many of them. this is awful what you are doing.
MAYBE VERIZON OR DISH WILL TAKE THE SOAP NET….I’LL DROP CABLE AND MOVE FOR SOAP NET AND OUR SOAPS!
I really hate this decision. There are so many kids programs on television but not one for soaps. This is a really bad decision ABC.
I’m so upset with soap net off the air I always watched days of our lives at night it was so awesome the way they would give different times cuz I work during the day and I think u should have not taken it off. We honestly don’t need any more kid shows there is more than enough of them . I will never watch ur shows unless u put the soap net back on. And I know a lot of people watched that channel.
This just gives me a good reason to no longer pay for DISH or any other satellite supplier. My bill just keeps going up a few cents every month then this month it jumped $5.00. Goodbye DISH you no longer carry channels that my husband and I enjoy watching together.