Two-time Daytime Emmy winning star, Eileen Davidson shared many tidbits about her life on and off screen in the latest edition of Soapy Hosted by Rebecca Budig and Greg Rikaart that dropped today on Tuesday, May 5.

Davidson best-known for her enduring role as Ashley Abbott on The Young and the Restless, the OG Kristen DiMera and Susan Banks of Days of our Lives, has also been featured in the cast of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, played Ashley on Y&R’s sister soap, The Bold and the Beautiful and was a recast Kelly Capwell on the critically-acclaimed Santa Barbara. All that, plus numerous other TV, motion picture and book projects along the way.

Doing a deep-dive on Eileen, with Eileen, Budig and Rikaart hit upon some interesting moments in her career and upbringing. First, as it turns out, Eileen had a favorite soap opera growing up … and it was none other than ABC’s Ryan’s Hope.

Photo: CBS

Davidson shared, “I moved in with my sister when I was 16, 17. I was her nanny when she had her kids, and she was in love with Ryan’s Hope. So, she got me hooked on Ryan’s Hope, and by the way, Ryan’s Hope was brilliant. The whole cast was incredible and the writing. That was the show my sister watched. I would come home from school because I would be done by noon and we’d watch that together.

GENERAL HOSPITAL MIGHT HAVE BEEN SOAP HOME

Before becoming Ashley Abbott on The Young and the Restless in 1982, Davidson professed she was going out for many roles on ABC’s General Hospital. Eileen explained, “I had been auditioning for General Hospital, constantly. Marvin Paige was the casting director at the time. He was an incredible casting person, the kind that would call you at home and tell you to come in the day before and he’d work on (the audition) with you. He was very gruff. He was very scary, but he would work on it with me. He really wanted me on that show.”

“It was during the whole Luke (Tony Geary) and Laura (Genie Francis) thing,” Eileen recalled. “I believe right before Demi Moore (ex-Jackie Templeton) came on, or right around that time, and he was really trying to get me on that show.” Davidson clarified that she believes the roles she did audition for at GH, are not characters that are currently still on the show, but back when she auditioned were, “big ones at the time.” Next, Eileen shared she landed the role of Y&R’s Ashley.

Photo: JPI

KATHERINE KELLY LANG – THE QUEEN OF B&B

Back in 2006, Eileen exited The Young and the Restless, only for Brad Bell (executive producer and head writer, B&B) to bring the character of Ashley Abbott from Genoa City to Los Angeles and the world of The Bold and the Beautiful. While, there, Ashley shared a story with Ridge (then Ronn Moss) and worked with original star series star, Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke).

“When I went over there, that show was so terrific. It’s a dream to work on,” recalled Davidson. “It’s a beautifully produced show. I worked with Kelly, who was lovely. She’s a lovely person to represent her show.  She’s amazing, she really is. I don’t know if everybody knows that about her. She handles that mantle beautifully. She’s very welcoming. (One time) she invited all the actresses to do a cooking thing at the Four Seasons in Westlake, and we made butternut squash soup!”

Now below, watch Eileen’s sit-down chat with Rebecca Budig (Taylor, B&B) and Greg Rikaart (Leo, DAYS) on the latest edition of Soapy.

Then let us know, would you have loved to see Eileen on GH? If so, what role? What do you think Eileen being a big fan of the critically-lauded Ryan’s Hope? Did you enjoy Ashley’s jaunt to The Bold and the Beautiful? Let us know in the comment section.

Add Carson Boatman to the list of celebrities and actors would who like to have the the opportunity of a role on ABC’s General Hospital.

The Days of our Lives alum, where he wrapped up his run as EJ (Dan Feuerriegel) and Sami’s (Alison Sweeney) son, Johnny DiMera early in 2026, and who will still air on the Peacock streamer through the end of this year or early 2027, shared his thoughts on his departure and his hopes for the future, during a stop of the Day Players tour in New Jersey.

The Day Players band consists of Boatman, Scott Reeves (ex-DAYS, GH, Y&R), Brandon Barash (ex-DAYS, GH), and Eric Martsolf (currently Brady Black DAYS).  You can catch the guys on the East Coast on tour this April and May.

In a report filed first by SoapHub Boatman shared on his exit, “I will forever be grateful for the time that I got to spend on Days of Our Lives. It truly is a special place.“He added, “I hope to grace Salem with Johnny’s presence again in the future if they’ll have me.”

Carson was one of four actors shockingly pink-slipped after the December 2025 holiday break of taping Days of our Lives. He, along with on-screen love interest Raven Bowens (Chanel), Leo Howard (Tate) and Ashley Puzemis (Holly) were all written off the show. Boatman had been with the soap since August of 2021.

While Carson is currently focusing on his music career, and especially after releasing his current single, “Wild Thing,” he teases another soap is not out of the question.

“I would love a jump to GH as well. I’m absolutely open to seeing what life is like in Port Charles,” expressed Boatman. If GH were to come knocking it might be a good fit for the talented actor/singer/songwriter.

So the question becomes, would you like to see Carson join General Hospital? If so, what role would be a good fit for him, or should the soap create a new one for him …. or would you like to see DAYS bring him back as Johnny DiMera in 2027? Share your thoughts via the comment section below and check out Boatman’s music video for “Wild Thing.”

Fans of The Young and the Restless were excited to learn the news that Shemar Moore (Malcolm Winters) along with Vivica A. Fox (Dr. Stephanie Simmons) are returning to the soap opera for a multi-episode story arc which begins to reveal itself next month in April.

While Moore has made more return visits since the 90s, this marks Fox’s first jaunt back to Genoa City since 1995. In the original story, Malcolm had dated Stephanie before she left town.

Speaking on her upcoming return with Woman’s World, Fox gave some inside intel as to what viewers can expect for Malcolm and Stephanie in 2026, “There’s going to be a flashback scene with me and the amazing and handsome Shemar Moore. It was like getting back on the bike. I love it, because that’s where I started.”

Photo: CBS

Teasing the storyline, Fox share, “I usually play the head chick in charge, and my character, Dr. Stephanie Simmons, is going to come in and take charge of a situation that you’ll be very happy to watch. Look out for a lot of surprises, a lot of hidden secrets that will be spilled and a lot of great fashions.”

As soap fans know, before The Young and the Restless, she appeared on Generations and it marked the first time she would work with the late Kristoff St. John. He played Adam Marshall and she played Maya Reubens. Later, St. John came to Y&R as Neil Winters.

Photo: NBC

Remembering her time with the Daytime Emmy-winning star, Vivica shared, “Kristoff was basically my first acting partner. When I walked to the office to meet all the executives for The Young and the Restless recently, there was a huge portrait of him on the wall, and I burst into tears because we did A Christmas Cruise, a Lifetime film that I executive produced, in 2017, and we were going to do a sequel, but he passed, so it brought back a flood of emotions. You have to enjoy life and enjoy your costars, because you never know what a person’s going through, and you never know how long they’ll be here.”

So, what medical drama do you think somehow involves, Dr. Stephanie Simmons when she returns to Genoa City? Will Stephanie and Malcolm already be a couple when they return? Weigh-in via the comment section below.