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Fred Willard and John McCook Discuss The Arrival of John Forrester On The Bold and the Beautiful!

By Michael Fairman

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Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

This week, perennial funny man and character actor, Fred Willard makes his debut on CBS’ The Bold and the Beautiful as John Forrester … the never-before-seen brother of Eric Forrester (John McCook).  John is also the dad to the beautiful Ivy (Ashleigh Brewer). So what brought this talented man, remembered for a myriad of roles including in the motion picture Best In Show, and for guest spots on Modern Family to the daytime soap opera?

On-Air On-Soaps caught up with Willard and his on-screen bro John McCook for a dishy discussion on just what is a “John Forrester” and what to expect when he hits the airwaves in episodes beginning this week on Thursday, October 2nd and Friday, October 3rd, and continuing next week on Monday, October 6th! Here are some excerpts below from these gents on the latest addition to the Forrester clan!

Willard on what brought him to B&B: “They asked me to do it, and I said ‘yes’, and then they sent me the script, and then when I got the script, I loved it.  I loved the character.  I wasn’t sure what it was going to be.  First they said, ‘Would you like to come in and work with us on a character?’ And I couldn’t do it at first.  I’d done a pilot earlier for NBC and I was under contract. So then when I called I talked to B&B executive producer and head writer, Brad Bell, and he said, ‘Oh, this is a perfect time, because we’re writing in Ivy’s (Ashleigh Brewer) father, who’s come over from Australia, and it might be a two or three show arc.‘  I said, ‘That sounds wonderful.’ And they explained the character to me, and I said, ‘That sounds great.’ And they said, ‘Slowly, we’ll move John McCook out of the picture!’ (Laughs) They told you that  … didn’t they John?  Oh, I’m sorry!” (Laughs)

Courtesy/CBS

McCook on having a quite interesting on-screen brother:  “I thought it was great and clever casting.  It was funny and wonderful.  I just hope that it works out that there is some substantive story in there too, because John is a wonderfully quirky dad for Ivy, and a brother for Eric.  I would love for it to evolve into something really precious for our show.  Who knows? We will see.”

Willard on how he views the character of John: “John is quite a colorful character to play. He seems to be kind of a world traveler, but with a lot of bologna! So I’m sure he makes up half the stories, and he’s probably in love with my own life, and he’s seem to be very fond of his own wife.  He speaks of her very fondly, and his daughter. So I don’t see any bad side. It’s kind of humorous. He’s kind of a harmless guy.  I don’t think it’s a laugh out loud part, but I think there’s a funny scene in the third episode I have. I don’t think it’s turned into a comedy. I play a quirky, kind of strange character.”

Willard on how John views the very successful Eric:  “He probably envy him quite a bit, because he’s got a real job! He try to discourage him from coming down to Australia, but I think when I see the models he works with, and the place he works in, and his friends, I’m quite envious.”

Courtesy/IMDB

McCook on the brothers back-story: “It would be interesting if we got into their history and what was their sibling relationship like when they were young men.  Did Eric get right into his over-achiever mode back then, or not?  We don’t know!”

Willard on what John thinks of daughter Ivy: “She is very attractive, and a very nice daughter.  There is a discussion in a scene I have about her that references ‘coconuts’!  I am assuming it’s an endearing term to his daughter that she is a bit ‘nutty’ and not meant lasciviously.” (Laughs)

Willard on if he wanted to ever work on a soap opera, and if he ever watched any prior to B&B: “I’ve always wanted to be on a soap opera, because as an actor, I love the way they work! They work fast and each scene is like a little quick one-act play; they don’t beat it to death. The atmosphere was wonderful. The actors who have been on the show couldn’t have been nicer. John McCook kind of showed me through the ropes and all and made me feel right at home.  You know, I watched How to Survive a Marriage, which was a long time ago, and most recently, started watching B&B.  I started watching this when I found out I was going to be on it, and I got interested in the storylines. I got to talk to Scott Clifton (Liam)!  I saw him going to Paris, and I thought, ‘Well that’s nice!’” (Laughs)

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

McCook on the chance to work with the oh-so-funny Willard: “Here is the blessing: if you are in this business long enough, you get to work with really lovely people, not with everybody.  The longer you are around the more likely it is that you get to work with wonderful people that you admire, and that’s a real blessing for … him! (Laughs)  I don’t know I feel about it!” (Laughs)

Willard on if he would come back to the soap again after his first experience: “They said if I enjoy it, then we could do it again. And I’m sure that means if they enjoy it I could do it again!” (Laughs)

And it looks like Willard is indeed coming back to B&B later this year in more episodes!  So, what do you think of Fred and John’s comments on John Forrester?  Are you looking forward to seeing John on your screens this week?  Share your thoughts below!

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I love Fred Willard, he’s so funny and very unique with his approach to comedy. He’s a straight man and funny man all rolled up in one package. He’s been a favorite of mine ever since I saw him in Christopher Guest’s mockumentary, Best in Show.
He’s also a very sweet and kind person in real life.
His appearance on Bold and the Beautiful deserves a look see. I will watch.

How do Maggie Forrester and her daughter Jessica fit into all of this? Was John Forrester the former husband of Maggie and the father of Jessica? If so, I would find it VERY hard to envision a character played by Barbara Crampton being paired with one played by Fred Willard.

Where are Maggie and Jessica? Does anyone ever mention them??

I’m looking forward to the scenes.

Beyond the Gates

RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers

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Beyond the Gates and General Hospital

The latest ratings are out for the week of October 26-30, 2026 and the big takeaways include: that CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates was separated by only 23,000 viewers behind third place (of the soaps) General Hospital! For the last several weeks, Beyond the Gates has been closing the gap on this year’s winner for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, and continuing to best GH in the key demos.

According to the latest Nielsen ratings breakdown from Soap Opera Network, the final week of October brought Beyond the Gates 1.790 million on average tuning-in and the show set a season high in total viewers. Meanwhile, General Hospital hit a new season low! The long-running ABC soap had 1.813 million for the week, and once again the series did not go over the 2 million mark.

Meanwhile, in the key Women 18-49 demo, Beyond the Gates was firmly ahead of GH with a rating share of 0.21, while General Hospital had 0.17 rating share.Then, in the key Women 25-54 demo, Beyond the Gates was once again ahead of the ABC soap with a ratings share for that demo at 0.30 while GH came in with 0.26.

Photo: CBS

MORE BY THE NUMBERS

In addition and comparatively, Beyond the Gates +22,000 viewers week-to-week, and had the largest gains in viewership year-to-year in daytime TV with +267,000 from this in 2025.. However, General Hospital seems to be going in reverse. The show was down -56,000 viewers week-over-week and down -22,000 year-over-year .

BEYOND THE GATES

Let’s take a look at some of the storylines that had people tuning-in to Beyond the Gates during the ratings week:

Hayley (Marquita Goings) attempted a massive shocker regarding her pregnancy and tried to use it to extract money from Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett). Although, Bill saw right through her game, he demanded a paternity test, and made it clear he has no intention of raising the child—planning instead to pay her off to take the baby and leave. Meanwhile, Hayley confided her plan to her cousin Randy (Maurice P. Kerry).

Jacob Hawthorne (Jibre Hordges) and Naomi Hamilton (Arielle Prepetit) clashed over Jacob’s ongoing investigation into The Impaler, causing significant strain in their marriage. At the same time, Smitty (Mike Manning) considered taking matters into his own hands—including potentially heading to Mexico for evidence—while Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) worried about what comes next.

Photo: ABC

GENERAL HOSPITAL

Over at General Hospital for the ratings period, the story served up included:

Carly (Laura Wright) and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) teamed up to investigate what really happened to Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna). Later, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) leads them to Jack’s dead body.

Jude (Wil Traval) dropped a bombshell claim to Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn); that he is Phoebe’s father, while Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard) signed their divorce papers.

Then, Danny caught Rocco (Finn Carr) and Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarski) sharing a kiss, plus the shocking return of Heather Webber (Alley Mills) capped the week.

Now the questions become; without having much promotional synergy in the ABC day-part to draw more eyeballs it is not helping but hurting General Hospital. It seems Beyond the Gates is also a  benefactor of a one-two-three punch of CBS soaps (Y&R, B&B and BTG) and promotion.

However, that still doesn’t take away the fact that Beyond the Gates is close to besting GH in all ratings category as they go head-to-head in some markets across the country.

So, are you excited to see Beyond the Gates climb in the ratings? Are you concerned for General Hospital? Do you think they can stave off Beyond the Gates in total viewers or will the upstart soap overtake them in the next ratings report? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

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General Hospital

Antonio Sabáto Jr. Breaks Silence on His Son’s Arrest for Fatal Hit-and-Run

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Antonio Sabato Jr.

Antonio Sabáto Jr., the former Jagger Cates of General Hospital and GH: Night Shift, and the former Dante Damiano of The Bold and the Beautiful has issued his first public statement since the incident involving his son, Jack’s arrest in Alaska for a fatal hit-and-run.

Jack is the son of Sabáto Jr. and Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, and according to court documents obtained by KTUU  Jack, was allegedly driving a white Chevy Tahoe when he hit and killed Carl Simmonds, 42, near an intersection in Anchorage around 5:35 a.m. on Monday, November 9.

The reports indicated that Jack fled the scene — but later decided to called the cops to say he hit “something” that “suddenly appeared in the road” while he was “doing late-night DoorDashing.”

Jack Sabato

Photo: NBC

Now, Antonio has taken to his Instagram breaking his silence on the situation, sharing, “At this time, my family and I are navigating an extremely sensitive and deeply personal matter.”

He added, “As a father, my love for my children remains unconditional, and my priority is the well-being of my family. We ask that the public and members of the media honor our privacy during this difficult time and keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.”

The soap alum concluded, “I also wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the gentleman who tragically lost his life. My thoughts and prayers are with them as well. We sincerely appreciate your compassion, understanding, and respect for the privacy of everyone affected.”

Jack Sabáto was arraigned in court on Tuesday, November 10 with bail set at $5,000, and a no-driving order and the potential of $5,000 penalty fees if he fails to attend future court appearances.

Antonio is the father to Jack, 34, daughter, Mina Sabato, 24 and son, Antonio Sabáto III, 15.

This is a developing story. You can check out Antonio’s official statement below.

So, let us know your thoughts on this tragic hit-and-run, which claimed the life of another man, and Antonio’s statement, via the comment section below.

 

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A post shared by Antonio Sabato Jr (@antoniosabatojr)

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Breaking News

‘Days of our Lives’ Veteran James Reynolds Reveals Parkinson’s Diagnosis

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James Reynolds

Days of our Lives long-running cast member James Reynolds revealed on the November 10 edition of Entertainment Tonight that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and his character of Abe Carver will now be going through an on-screen Parkinson’s battle as well.

Speaking with ET’s Nischelle Turner, the 80-year-old actor and Daytime Emmy winner shared how he attempted to hide the warning signs dating back to 15-20 years ago when he would have, “What they call the hallucinations. My wife (Lissa) would say, ‘You were hitting me last night in bed,’ and I would say, ‘What?!’ I was having these really horrible dreams.” Reynolds also added that he realized falling out of bed was an early symptom of Parkinson’s too.

Discussing the on-going tremors that have become more noticeable over time especially in hands, James shared that when he finally told the Days of our Lives cast they were nothing but “extraordinarily helpful and supportive.”

Photo: ET

SCREEN LIFE TO MIRROR REAL LIFE

Now with DAYS about to launch into Abe’s Parkinson’s storyline, Reynolds hopes that he can turn his experience into something positive by encouraging others facing the disease to keep fighting. During the sit-down, Reynolds co-star Jackée Harry (Paulina Price) recalls her reaction to learning of Reynolds’ real-life diagnosis and how she has continued to search for new treatments to inform James about.

Although Parkinson’s disease currently has no cure, there are medications and treatments can help those manage symptoms and improve quality of life. The condition progresses at a different pace from individual to individual.

As discussed in his conversation with ET, Reynolds cited Michael J. Fox and Alan Alda as two high-profile celebrities who have brought awareness to the disease.

Abe

Photo: JPI

In story on DAYS, Abe in recent weeks had been experiencing tremors which led to seek help and a diagnosis Dr. Kayla Johnson (Mary Beth Evans). Soon Abe and others will find out of his battle with Parkinson’s. Although on the promo for this week’s DAYS, Abe is seen telling Kayla, that he will do something, “when the time is right.”

James Reynolds is one of the most prolific performers, being the longest-running Black Actor in a role on a television series, not to mention his aforementioned Lead Actor Daytime Emmy win in 2018, and being inducted in 2025 into the Daytime Emmy Gold and Silver Society of honorees.

You can check out James’ in-depth conversation on his Parkinson’s diagnosis below.

Share your thoughts for James after learning of his health battle, and what do you think of Days of our Lives incorporating the disease into Abe Carver’s Salem storyline? Let us know in the comment section.

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

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