TV Guide Canada’s Soap Opera Spirit Award winner for Outstanding Actor in a Recurring Role or Guest Star Role, Eric Sheffer-Stevens, has landed a role in the upcoming primetime comedy pilot, I Hate My Teenage Daughter, playing the ex-husband of Annie played by Jaime Pressly, according to an item out from Deadline.com!
The former star of As the World Turns where he played snarky neurosurgeon, Dr. Reid Oliver, has been out in Los Angeles during pilot season and looks to have landed this primo spot!
In case you missed our On-Air On-Soaps Podcast interview with Eric Sheffer-Stevens from earlier this week, make sure to listen to our special SOS Award edition, and hear what he had to say. Great news for a great actor!
Congratulations to ESS…we are all thrilled that we will get to see him on our screens again.
Colleen
12 years ago
As always Michael, so nice to see your gracious support of Eric. Knowing the pilot process, know it can be a challenge to make it to a series. Would be terrific for ESS fans to get to see his talent showcased on a regular basis once again. Let’s hope the show wil lget a boost from having “Emmy winner, Eric Sheffer-Stevens” as past of the ensemble:-)
Nicole
12 years ago
Very excited that the team who brought us “The New Adventures of Old Christine” have chosen ESS for their new show! It’s wonderful that those who are creating quality television recognize the talent in ESS that we all know and love.
HUGE congratulations to him!
gwennylou
12 years ago
Congratulations, Eric! Cannot wait to see you on my screen again!
Traci (traciamc)
12 years ago
I am absolutely thrilled that I will be able to see Eric on my TV screen regularly again. I knew as talented as he is, it would only be a matter of time before he found something. As the mother of 2 teenage daughters, I love the premise, and Jamie Pressley is so funny. Eric had acting chemistry with everyone on ATWT, and I imagine he and Jamie together will be gold! Can’t wait!
Laura
12 years ago
Wonderful news- congratulations Eric!
Teri
12 years ago
YAY! Looking forward to seeing ESS on screen and even more exited that it happens to be a comedy. Can’t wait to see it.
mepariseau
12 years ago
Thanks Michael for your continued support of ESS. I am so happy that Eric has been cast in a pilot. Now even more people will come to see what a truly talented actor Eric is. Absolutely can’t wait to see it.
Mary
Colleen
12 years ago
Oh, should have mentioned that fans of LuRe are gathering in NYC at the end of June. It is a celebration of the incredible friendships formed among folks from all over the world. Folks are on their own for accomodations and travel plans but many group events are being planned/coordinated. Details can be found on Eric’s fan run website @ http://s1.zetaboards.com/ESS_Fan_Forum/topic/3748578/1/#new. It’s a terrific celebration of friendships formed over shared love of Eric’s work.
Ripley
12 years ago
Thank you so much, Michael, for sharing this! You have always been such a fantastic supporter of Eric and the rest of his fans definitely appreciate it! This is very exciting news for ESS — we all hope the show is successful! Congrats to Eric, and thanks again for sharing the news!
<3
limeybird2 (Karen)
12 years ago
I am so happy that Eric has landed a pilot & it sounds like it will be a great show.
He has chemistry with everyone & we all know he can do comedy with all the great lines he had on ATWT & that we all still use to this day.
Carol
12 years ago
Congratulations, Eric! We’re so looking forward to seeing you in your new roles!
Feli
12 years ago
Thank you, Michael, for bringing that. I so totally love to hear that, and I´m so looking forward to see Eric again.
Sandy
12 years ago
Wonderful, can not wait to see him again. He is so talented. WTG Eric.
Inga Dóra
12 years ago
This is wonderful news! Can´t wait seen him in this show!!! Eric is wonderful actor!!! I am big fan of his. Congratulations, Eric.
Karen
12 years ago
Great news about Eric landing this role. I can’t wait to see him on TV again.
Best of luck Eric and congratulations!
Why does that matter? Gay, straight, bisexual. It’s a role. I’m just hoping the show is picked up. I would really like to have the opportunity to see him weekly. I think he’s very talented.
I agree 100% with zippy2825. It does not matter what is the sexual orientation or preference of a character; infact that should not be even an issue of judgement for any individual in RL.
Nicky
12 years ago
I’m so thrilled for Eric. He really deserves good roles, because he is a great actor, and i adore him so much. Best of luck Eric. XOXOXO
Michelle
12 years ago
I am so happy for Eric. He is definitely good at comedy because he gave us plenty of smiles and laughs on ATWT. I hope this show is a big success and I wish him the best.
Can’t wait to see it. 🙂
Michelle
12 years ago
I am so happy for Eric. He will be very good in this comedy because he sure gave us plenty of smiles and laughs on ATWT. I hope this show is a big success, and I can’t wait to watch it. I wish Eric nothing but the best. 🙂
John Wesley Shipp, best known to daytime fans for his roles on As the World Turns, Guiding Light, One Life to Live et al, and primetime fans for his role in The Flash, shared a heartfelt health update via his Instagram.
While Shipp did not go into specifics, he did say he underwent surgery earlier in September for an urgent medical issue.
In his post, accompanying by his photo, John expressed: “Hello out there! Friends and contacts have written recently, like, “where are you? are you ok?” Well, here’s the deal: I had surgery early this month for a health issue that had to be dealt with immediately. All went well, but I’ve had to postpone a theatre production and personal appearances as the recoup will take some weeks. I do read and appreciate what you share with me, that you entrust me with your thoughts and feelings. You are ever on my mind and in my heart, and I look forward to getting active and out there again as soon as possible. Until then, remember to play nice, be kind, and stay engaged! Our futures depend on it.”
Photo: JPI
John’s soap resume is quite impressive having portrayed: Dr. Kelly Nelson/Victor Laszlo on Guiding Light, Doug Cummings on As the World Turns, Martin Ellis on Santa Barbara, Carter Jones on All My Children and Eddie Ford on One Life to Live. Shipp won two Daytime Emmys along the way.
More recently, John has appeared in primetime’s, Arrow, The Flash, Stargirl and countless other TV appearances.
Share your well-wishes for a speedy recovering to John via the comment section below.
‘As the World Turns’ Alum Martha Byrne Speaks Out On Conviction Against Her Husband, Michael McMahon: “We are Fighting Till the End”
June 26, 2023
If you have been following two-time Daytime Emmy-winning actress, Martha Byrne’s (ex-Lily, As the World Turns) social media accounts or have been following news reports, Byrne is adamantly speaking out about charges and a conviction levied against her husband, former decorated NYPD sergeant-turned-licensed private investigator, Michael McMahon.
The couple share three children together and have been married for over 30 years. Last week, McMahon was preparing to go back to work. However, Michael was blindsided when a Brooklyn federal court convicted him and two others accused of stalking a New Jersey couple on behalf of China.
McMahon told the New York Post, that he felt betrayed by the Department of Justice (DOJ). Clarifying further, Michael felt he and his family with Martha Byrne where being made scapegoats in the DOJ’s first case against Operation Fox Hunt, which is the Chinese Communist Party’s anti-corruption campaign that targets Chinese nationals abroad. It also targets former government officials and others suspected of economic crimes against China.
In the case against McMahon, he was hired in fall of 2016 by what he believed was a translation company from New Jersey to do surveillance on a luxury New Jersey home occupied by a relative of Xu Jin and Liu Fang, and to use public records to find companies and other assets registered to the couple. He was then informed that Xu and Liu had had stolen money from a construction company, and the people who hired him wanted to find where the cash had gone. However, McMahon says what he was not told was that Xu was a former official in Wuhan, who had fled China amid allegations of corruption.
McMahon said that when he conducted surveillance as he had done on numerous other cases. However, what he did not know was that his work was used in a civil suit in New Jersey in 2018 against Xu and others by a Chinese construction group that alleged that they had embezzled millions from that company.
Things took a bad turn in October of 2020 when 12 federal agents surrounded McMahon and Byrne’s home. Michael was arrested, but it wasn’t your normal arrest, he detailed. McMahon didn’t think he needed a lawyer so he spoke to the FBI agents. He had wanted to help the government.
Photo: MBryneFacebook
Byrne shared, “He was being as transparent as he possibly could. Instead, they turned everything against him and made him look like the devil in court. I’ve never seen such dark forces trying to portray him as an unlawful person.”
McMahon was charged with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act by working for the Chinese government without telling the State Department, and with conspiracy to commit interstate stalking.
Byrne answered one soap fan’s inquiry to clarify what exactly happened to her husband in a Facebook post. She expressed: “He was hired to find assets on a civil matter. never asked to do ANYTHING illegal. The FBI let the Chinese agents flee, who were operating some scheme separately and unbeknownst to my husband, so the FBI turned their attention to an innocent man to save face. They took legal work as a PI and deemed it criminal for their own purposes. This is VERY VERY scary for every US citizen.”
In the NY Post account, it details that the DOJ shifted its focus to Operation Fox Hunt, targeting private investigators across the country, including McMahon.
Currently Michael is not allowed to be a private detective until this case is overturned. He shared: “I didn’t harass or stalk anyone, and if I had been asked to do so, or if I had suspected that my clients worked for the Chinese Communist Party, I would have contacted the FBI right away and not proceeded with the job.”
Byrne expressed: “The DOJ knew this problem existed, that private investigators were being used, they knew the patterns well, but they communicated none of this until after Mike’s arrest … We are fighting to the end.”
McMahon’s lawyer will file a post-trial motion next month to overturn the conviction.
Photo: NATAS
On her Twitter account, Martha shared their lawyer’s, Lawrence Lustberg’s statement: “We are obviously very disappointed with today’s verdict and feel strongly that it is not consistent with the evidence in the case but more importantly, is not consistent with the truth. That truth is that Michael McMahon never had any idea that he was working for the Chinese Government. If he had, he would not have taken the job or done the work he did. His work in this case was the normal every day work of a private investigator and Mike’s conviction on the stalking counts, as a practical matter, criminalizes the work of private investigators in every case. We will file post-trial motions and, if necessary appeal, until all possible appeals and lawful avenues to challenge this verdict have been exhausted. And I believe that we will ultimately prevail because this conviction is a terrible injustice, one that I do not believe our legal system will allow to stand.”
What do you think about the conviction of Martha Bryne’s husband, Michael McMahon and by all accounts how he has been wrongly convicted? Comment below.
Pride Month Celebrating LGBTQ+ Soap Supercouples: Nuke, Kish, Otalia & WilSon … Which Stands the Test of Time?
June 2, 2023
June is Pride Month, the time when across the U.S and the world there are celebrations and commemorations to recognize all who identify as LGBTQ and their allies.
Daytime soap operas have had a rocky road when it comes to the representation of same-sex couples. The soaps have been at one time leaders in portraying key social issues of our time, as well as treading lightly on other subjects, as to its concerns to ‘turn-off’ its core audiences.
When you look back at the groundbreaking first same-sex weddings, and the first gay kiss, the soaps have come far in some ways in their representations of gay characters, but there is always work to be done to serve and to shed light on the under-represented.
As we reflect back to the then and the now, which LGBTQ soap supercouple remains your favorite and had made a lasting impact? Let’s take a look at four duos who captivated many viewers.
Nuke – Luke Snyder and Noah Mayer – As the World Turns
Van Hansis (Luke) and Jake Silbermann (Noah) were a key part of the evolution of, and representation of LGBTQ character on the soaps. ‘Nuke’, as they were known as, became the first gay male soap couple to share an on-screen kiss back in 2007. ATWT also became known as the first soap to depict a fully realized romantic male couple as an integral part of the show. There was plenty of backlash along the way for the long-awaited kiss to happen, but when it did, the show moved forward to tell their love story.
When Crystal Chappell (Olivia) and Jessica Leccia (Natalia) began to play the love story of Otalia, they had to show their affection by a kiss on the head, or holding hands. It took quite some time for GL to move forward to have two women, two moms, no less, share a lip lock. The complicated love story featured Natalia being conflicted to face her true romantic feelings for Olivia, because of her value system and religions upbringing, and that made this all the more riveting and frustrating at the same time. In the end, the rabid fan base for this duo was so great that Chappell wound up creating her own series, Venice, to honor and serve them, remaining one of the LGBTQ communities greatest allies.
Kish – Kyle Lewis and Oliver Fish – One Life to Live
In 2009, One Life to Live’s Kyle Lewis (Brett Claywell) was an out lab tech in Llanview, who back in college had a relationship with Officer Oliver Fish (Scott Evans). It imploded when Oliver denied he was gay. For years, Oliver remained in the closet, before finally coming out to himself and Kyle.
Kish had been a big success with the media and One Life’s gay audience. LGBTQ-advocacy groups honored the couple and the story. However, Kish was cut short when the network felt that the data showed that the storyline was not resonating with the show’s core audience.
WilSon – Will Horton and Sonny Kiriakis – Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives delivered daytime’s first-ever gay male wedding in 2014, between Will (then played by Guy Wilson) and Sonny (then played by Freddie Smith).
In an interview with EW, Days of our Lives executive producer, Ken Corday shared on the union, “Will and Sonny have been together for a while and it was the natural progression of their love story. We didn’t feel like there was anything we could or couldn’t do, we treated them like any other couple on the canvas and continued to grow their romance as such.”
In addition, the coming out story of Will Horton was critically praised and noteworthy for the performances of Chandler Massey, who won three Daytime Emmys for his work in the Outstanding Younger Actor category 2012, 2013 and 2014. Freddie Smith also won in the same category in 2015. Will has been played over the years by Chandler Massey and Guy Wilson, while Sonny has been portrayed by Freddie Smith and Zach Tinker.
There have been several other key LGBTQ couples throughout the course of daytime history including All My Children’s Bianca (Eden Riegel) and Reese (Tamara Braun). These two characters were involved in the first same-sex lesbian wedding on daytime. Problem was … Reese kissed Zach (Thorsten Kaye) before the wedding, making this infuriating for viewers at home.
Other notable LGBTQ couples through the years have included: Bianca and Maggie on All My Children, Mariah and Tessa of The Young and the Restless played bv Camryn Grimes and Cait Fairbanks, Maya and Rick on The Bold and the Beautiful, Lucas and Brad on General Hospital and others.
Which couple do you think has had the most lasting impact on the history of LGBTQ representation on daytime soap operas? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Congratulations to ESS…we are all thrilled that we will get to see him on our screens again.
As always Michael, so nice to see your gracious support of Eric. Knowing the pilot process, know it can be a challenge to make it to a series. Would be terrific for ESS fans to get to see his talent showcased on a regular basis once again. Let’s hope the show wil lget a boost from having “Emmy winner, Eric Sheffer-Stevens” as past of the ensemble:-)
Very excited that the team who brought us “The New Adventures of Old Christine” have chosen ESS for their new show! It’s wonderful that those who are creating quality television recognize the talent in ESS that we all know and love.
HUGE congratulations to him!
Congratulations, Eric! Cannot wait to see you on my screen again!
I am absolutely thrilled that I will be able to see Eric on my TV screen regularly again. I knew as talented as he is, it would only be a matter of time before he found something. As the mother of 2 teenage daughters, I love the premise, and Jamie Pressley is so funny. Eric had acting chemistry with everyone on ATWT, and I imagine he and Jamie together will be gold! Can’t wait!
Wonderful news- congratulations Eric!
YAY! Looking forward to seeing ESS on screen and even more exited that it happens to be a comedy. Can’t wait to see it.
Thanks Michael for your continued support of ESS. I am so happy that Eric has been cast in a pilot. Now even more people will come to see what a truly talented actor Eric is. Absolutely can’t wait to see it.
Mary
Oh, should have mentioned that fans of LuRe are gathering in NYC at the end of June. It is a celebration of the incredible friendships formed among folks from all over the world. Folks are on their own for accomodations and travel plans but many group events are being planned/coordinated. Details can be found on Eric’s fan run website @ http://s1.zetaboards.com/ESS_Fan_Forum/topic/3748578/1/#new. It’s a terrific celebration of friendships formed over shared love of Eric’s work.
Thank you so much, Michael, for sharing this! You have always been such a fantastic supporter of Eric and the rest of his fans definitely appreciate it! This is very exciting news for ESS — we all hope the show is successful! Congrats to Eric, and thanks again for sharing the news!
<3
I am so happy that Eric has landed a pilot & it sounds like it will be a great show.
He has chemistry with everyone & we all know he can do comedy with all the great lines he had on ATWT & that we all still use to this day.
Congratulations, Eric! We’re so looking forward to seeing you in your new roles!
Thank you, Michael, for bringing that. I so totally love to hear that, and I´m so looking forward to see Eric again.
Wonderful, can not wait to see him again. He is so talented. WTG Eric.
This is wonderful news! Can´t wait seen him in this show!!! Eric is wonderful actor!!! I am big fan of his. Congratulations, Eric.
Great news about Eric landing this role. I can’t wait to see him on TV again.
Best of luck Eric and congratulations!
do you guys know when it will air on tv so happy for him
He just taped the pilot episode on 3/31/11.
I don’t know if there is any word yet on when it will actually air.
I can’t wait to see it!
I hope his character is straight. Ex-husband????, ya never know.
Why does that matter? Gay, straight, bisexual. It’s a role. I’m just hoping the show is picked up. I would really like to have the opportunity to see him weekly. I think he’s very talented.
I agree 100% with zippy2825. It does not matter what is the sexual orientation or preference of a character; infact that should not be even an issue of judgement for any individual in RL.
I’m so thrilled for Eric. He really deserves good roles, because he is a great actor, and i adore him so much. Best of luck Eric. XOXOXO
I am so happy for Eric. He is definitely good at comedy because he gave us plenty of smiles and laughs on ATWT. I hope this show is a big success and I wish him the best.
Can’t wait to see it. 🙂
I am so happy for Eric. He will be very good in this comedy because he sure gave us plenty of smiles and laughs on ATWT. I hope this show is a big success, and I can’t wait to watch it. I wish Eric nothing but the best. 🙂