News
Greg Rikaart Confirms Departure From Y&R Via Heartfelt Post: "I Am Sad To Leave A Place I Hold So Dear But Also Really Excited About What The Future Holds"
Photo Credit: JPI Studios
After Thursday’s devastating news for longtime Y&R fans, Greg Rikaart took to his Instagram to confirm that the reports were indeed true, and he is leaving the place he has called his “home away from home” for the last 14 years. Through his character Kevin Fisher’s transformation from the dark side to loving good guy with an edge, Rikaart made what ever material he was given soar.
In his heartfelt post, along with a collage of memorable Kevin Fisher moments, Rikaart wrote the following message: “Fourteen years ago, I booked a two-week long gig on The Young and the Restless. In my wildest dreams, I could never have imagined what it would turn into: a career-defining experience that has brought me so much happiness and fulfillment.
Playing Kevin and watching him evolve over the years has mirrored my real life in so many ways. We both found love, both became dads and we both have more gray hair now than we did in 2003. I have such love and fondness for the cast and crew of Y&R that when I watch Kevin enjoying himself in scenes, it’s hard to know where he ends and Greg begins.
At the moment it is unclear what lies ahead for Kevin and I, as we will be saying goodbye to Genoa City for a while. I am sad to leave a place I hold so dear but also really excited about what the future holds.
I cannot overstate how much gratitude I have to all of you who have been such loud cheerleaders for me. You’ve all enriched my life. So stick around. The journey is just beginning. :)”
Share your thoughts on Greg’s message to his fans and colleagues in the comment section below, as we now have to prepare to say our farewells to Greg and Kevin in the months ahead
I’m so sad to see Greg leave the role of Kevin. We basically watched Kevin grow up on the show. I wish him luck, and hopefully Kevin will be back in Genoa City in the future.
Y&R loses too many of their good veteran actors. They are making a mistake by letting him go. I wish him the very best, maybe a role on General Hospital? Best of all would be for Y&R to reconsider, and to keep him on.
Thank you, Dr. HELEN, I’d love to see Greg reunited on GH with Michelle Stafford and Billy Miller, both of whom were great scene partners for Greg. I loved when Billy used to squeeze Kevin’s cheek and call him “my little chipmunk”. Imagine the sour, humorless Jason Thompson doing that and you get a reality check on all the major talent this show has lost in the past 3 or 4 years. A sad announcement indeed!
You’re welcome. That is an excellent point about the humor that we’ve lost on Y&R.
Billy Miller, Michelle Stafford, Greg Rikaart, all added their upbeat personalities to the characters.
This is sad, he is very talented. Unfortunately his character has been poorly written over the last several years. I wish him Good Luck both personally and professionally.
What a shame, Greg is one of the better actors on Y&R. Writers making a huge mistake, will lose even more fans than they have lately with stupid story lines. Example Reed? Instead of Greg? Just trying to garner the younger viewers for the summer, then what when summer ends, BIG MISTAKE, HOPE TPTB READ THESE COMMENTS.
& Mariah. Perhaps he’ll take Mariah with him.
I understand your frustration with the Reed character. The onslaught of teenagers during the spring and summer months is unbearable. Today’s teenagers do not watch daytime television. Why do TPTB continue to write these boring, stupid, ridiculous teen driven storylines as “filler” that loyal viewers do not care about?
Yuppers, Teenagers do not watch TV, they are mobile.
And, the teenagers parents are of the internet not so much sitting in front of a TV during the daytime hours to get their at home children hooked on soaps. That era is long gone.
Reed is not like any teenager guy I ever knew. He is a mama’s boy and being portrayed as a Beaver Cleaver a PSA guy. YUCK .. LOL
Perhaps Kevin could take Mariah, Devon, Hilary, and Chelsea with him while he heads out of town? Please?
Kevin is a great character. A loss for Y&R, for sure.
I wonder where and when we will next see him .
I would not like to see Kevin recast, nope … that would be too weird and wouldn’t work out.
I think he is talented enough that he will land on his feet just fine and perhaps will benefit from being free to do other things– my only question is now that Dylan is gone and soon to be Kevin who is poor Paul going to talk to at the police station– Christine? — LOL
Okay seriously, Y&R missed the boat they could have made Kevin and Scott a couple raising Bella together– and I suspect that might have been the plan, but someone upstairs got nervous and when Greg was told the story was being nixed he decided to leave—
If it was a money issue– then they should have gotten rid of Cane– how this once heroic and interesting character turned into this whiny neurotic jerk is beyond me– but watching him on screen is like nails on a chalkboard— I know when they killed the character off years back there was a big push to get him back, but honestly, if fans knew what they would do to the character I think they would have let the character RIP
tptb decided not to renew greg’s contract – this was not his decision to leave y&r………..
I am not a fan of Cane either. I really liked Lily with Daniel.
Good luck. I’ll miss you. Y&R will definitely miss you.
Continued success to you and your family.
I totally agree dmr. Devon, Hillary, Mariah are boring as heck. Now that Chloe has admitted killing Adam I just don’t care for Chelsea with Nick. I was watching it for a couple of reasons 1-Billy/Phyllis/Jack/Victoria was my favorites 2- I was hoping Sharon would end up with Scott. I think it’s a shame for months every T.V. magazine would say “Is Adam alive” ” Adam to return” etc. all to keep the fans watching. They knew Justin Hartley had another show and would not be able to do both and they wouldn’t bring back Michael Muhney because of a few seniors that should be on call.
Friday show was a Friday AND its sweeps and the show was terrible! Mariah is great BUT with the wrong cast members. Devon is as exciting as a root canal! This guy Scott is horrible! Tess is a snore! I guess now Nikki is Shirley Partridge? DUMB! Reed sucks and Ravi looks out of place! Cane is a pain! Victoria is a sad sack. Never like Chelsea. What is there to like?
I am so saddened to hear greg/ kevin is leaving Y & R.. perhaps they will write him back in the near future…. I have enjoyed watching Kevin grow up.. Good Luck to you Greg With you Nothing but the best.. Canada
Love you as Kevin Fisher watched you grow as an actor and how your character changed I will miss you but wish you all the best . I am sure you will succeed in all you do .Hopefully I will see you again on screen. Best of Wishes Greg from one of your many fans Angela
Gone miss you please change your mind and stay..will not be the.same without you.no can replace you
Well, as usual am seven episodes at least behind. Wanted something special with Kevin and Mariah; even just the friendship maintaining. Sorry to see him leave but wish the best.
I was just beginning to move into the new flow of Y & R. Depending upon how one looks at things, it was better than wanting to throw my pillow at the set for the past year. No couples seem to click. One couple always needs to hold the show. I don’t seem to mind letting so many days go by without watching. Wish the news were something I wanted to run to the set and view.
Things feel disjointed.
Big mistake letting him go. For what? The repulsive Billy, the irritating Hilary story, the sparkless Nick & Chelsea non-romance, the charmless Ravi? I barely recognize a show I’ve watched since 1974 and it’s becoming heartbreaking. Greg is talented beyond the norm, incredibly sexy, smart, and never “phones in” a performance. For more of Reed and that asinine guitar I suppose. Shame on you!
Well said, Soaphound!
Well if they didn’t want to renew his contract I don’t believe they deserve him! If true another stupid move on their part. Oh.. well maybe they should just get rid of all Emmy worthy actors!!
News
B&B’s Katherine Kelly Lang Weighs-In On Hope’s New Attitude: “Brooke is Starting to be Like, ‘Uh-oh! She’s Taking After Me!’ ”
The Bold and the Beautiful’s Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) has been not pleased with her daughter Hope’s (Annika Noelle) choice in bedfellows! After all, Brooke and Thomas (Matthew Atkinson) have a long history of disdain for each other (although there was that time they took psychedelic berries together and pranced around with not much clothes on).
Hope had divorced Liam (Scott Clifton) and has been getting much closer to Thomas, feeling he is the only man who ‘gets her’ and ‘sees her’ for who she really is. On recent episodes of B&B, Hope has no problem giving into her desires for Thomas, now that she is no longer Hope Spencer.
Soap Opera Digest spoke with series iconic star, Katherine Kelly Lang to get her take on what she thinks of Hope’s attitude adjustment and recent behavior.
Photo: JPI
Lang expressed: “She seems to have changed a bit. She’s not the sweet little Hope that she once was and Brooke is starting to be like, ‘Uh-oh! She’s taking after me!’’
Brooke is not happy that Thomas has apparently won over Hope, when she is wary of the guy. Katherine added, “Thomas was stalking her (Hope) and he did all that crazy stuff with the baby. He just hasn’t been good for her, you know, especially when he was totally obsessed with her. So, Brooke doesn’t believe that that’s completely gone, that there’s still got to be some of that in Thomas somewhere and she’s worried about her daughter. So, of course, she would kind of say, ‘This is not good. This is just not a good situation. With all the men in the sea, why, why do you (pick Thomas)?”
Photo: JPI
However, many might see that as the pot calling the kettle black given how Brooke has often given into her desires with the men in her life and made some pretty bad choices herself!
So, is Hope turning into a ‘mini-Brooke’? Should Brooke continue to warn Hope of Thomas’ past, or should she just mind her own business at this point? Share your comments via the comment section.
Breaking News
‘The Price is Right’ Decks the Halls with Five Holiday-Themed Primetime Episodes & Pet Rescue & Adoption Week on Daytime
Talk about getting into the holiday spirit! The Price is Right is set to air five brand new holiday-themed episodes airing in December on primetime, plus the daytime version will also have a special week. Host Drew Carey will preside over the game show proceedings!
Daytime’s The Price is Right holiday week (Dec 18-Dec 22) will feature animal trainer, author and host of CBS’ Lucky Dog Reunions, Brandon McMillan, and Robert Valandra, nephew of legendary host Bob Barker, who both bring along some furry friends up for adoption. The week concludes with ‘Price is Right’ model Amber Lancaster, an advocate of animal adoption, and some adorable dogs who need a home for the holidays.
The Price is Right continues to network television’s #1-rated daytime series and the longest-running game show in television history, broadcast weekdays (11:00 AM-12:00 PM, ET/10:00-11:00 AM, PT).
Photo: JPI
On Primetime, here is the holiday lineup of shows (the week of Dec 4-8):
THE PRICE IS RIGHT AT NIGHT: OFFICE HOLIDAY PARTY (Monday, December 4, 8:00 PM, ET/PT) brings coworkers and colleagues together to cheer each other on as they play for prizes that can be shared and enjoyed by all of their office mates.
THE PRICE IS RIGHT AT NIGHT: BLIND HOLIDATE (Thursday, December 7, 8:00 PM, ET/PT) brings in a matchmaker to pair up an audience full of single, eligible adults, and lucky contestants will meet for the first time when they are called to “Come on down!” and compete together as a team. They play for fabulous cash and prizes, pairs of cars, and maybe they’ll even win a love match!
THE PRICE IS RIGHT AT NIGHT: COLLEGE STUDENTS HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS (Friday, December 8 at 8:00 PM ET/PT) welcomes college students home adorned in their best school spirit gear, teamed up with their parents to play for exotic trips, amazing prizes, and cash for college!
Photos: JPI
THE PRICE IS RIGHT AT NIGHT: HOLIDAYS WITH THE FAMILY (Monday, December 18, 8:00 PM, ET/PT). Parents and their young children compete for some of the most desired gifts Santa has in his sleigh. Decorated in their holiday best, families work as a team to win prizes to make their holidays oh so bright!
THE PRICE IS RIGHT AT NIGHT: HOLIDAY HEROES (Tuesday, December 19, 8:00 PM, ET/PT) salutes the military to thank America’s brave heroes for keeping us safe all year round. Active-duty military members in uniform compete for luxury items, including trips to remarkable destinations, $50,000 in cash, and cars!
Of note: Paramount+ Premium subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service as well as on demand. Essential-tier subscribers will have access to on-demand the day after the episode airs.
Lots of The Price is Right holiday cheer and pet adoptions coming your way. Will you be watching? Comment below. But first, check out a clip from one of the primetime episodes.
Breaking News
96th Annual Academy Awards to Start an Hour Earlier, While Jimmy Kimmel Shares, “I Always Dreamed of Hosting the Oscars Exactly Four Times”
In a move to keep viewers not up past their bedtimes, the 2024 Oscars telecast will now begin one hour earlier than usual. According to news from the Academy on Thursday, the ceremonies will begin at 7 pm ET/4PM PT on March 1o, 2024.
That is an hour shift when the broadcast usually begins at 8 pm ET/5pm PT. The official pre-show will also begin earlier, at 6:30 p.m. ET.
The 96th Academy Awards will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles with nominations being announced on January 23rd.
Photo: ABC
A few weeks ago on November 15th, Jimmy Kimmel was officially named the host of the Oscars for the fourth time. The hosting gig marks the second year in a row for Kimmel. The comedian also hosted in 2017 and 2018.
Kimmel’s wife Molly McNearney will also one again, co-write and executive produce, the telecast. In a statement on presiding over movies biggest night of the year, Kimmel joked, “I always dreamed of hosting the Oscars exactly four times.”
Photo: JPI
ABC also plans on airing a special episode of their hit comedy Abbott Elementary, immediately following what should be a three-and-a-half hour telecast of the Oscars.
So, what do you think about the time shift with the Oscars starting an hour earlier? Happy about it? Won’t be settled in at that early time slot to sit and watch the show? Comment below.
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Ava Receives a Haunting Letter About Austin’s Murder
B&B’s Katherine Kelly Lang Weighs-In On Hope’s New Attitude: “Brooke is Starting to be Like, ‘Uh-oh! She’s Taking After Me!’ ”
‘The Price is Right’ Decks the Halls with Five Holiday-Themed Primetime Episodes & Pet Rescue & Adoption Week on Daytime
96th Annual Academy Awards to Start an Hour Earlier, While Jimmy Kimmel Shares, “I Always Dreamed of Hosting the Oscars Exactly Four Times”
DAYS Favorite Sal Stowers Debuts in New Role in Tyler Perry’s BET Series ‘Sistas’
The Men of ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ Tell All: Their On-Screen Romances and Love Scene Secrets During Their Visit to ‘The Talk’
General Hospital Pays Tribute to Tyler Christopher at End of Episode, ABC Exec Nathan Varni Shares: “You’ll Always Be In Our Hearts”
THIS WEEK ON Y&R: Aunt Jordan Ramps Up Her ‘Attack of the Newmans’ (Preview)
GH’s Scarlett Fernandez on Charlotte’s Mindset: “She Completely Believes That Anna is Out to Get Her”
Morgan Fairchild, Nicollette Sheridan & Donna Mills Visit ‘Tamron Hall’ to Talk ‘Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas’
‘The Price is Right’ Decks the Halls with Five Holiday-Themed Primetime Episodes & Pet Rescue & Adoption Week on Daytime
The Cast of ‘The Bay’ to Preview Upcoming 8th Season in Live Chat
DANCING WITH THE STARS: Semi-Finals Conclude with A Shocking Twist
THIS FRIDAY: The Young and the Restless’ Hayley Erin to Chat Live
CM Punk Returns to ‘Monday Night Raw’ For First Time In Nearly 10 Years: “I’m Not Here to Make Friends, I’m Here to Make Money”
-
General HospitalNovember 25, 2023Josh Swickard, Eileen Davidson & Annika Noelle Star in Netflix’s ‘Holiday in the Vineyards’
-
NewsNovember 27, 2023The Men of ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ Tell All: Their On-Screen Romances and Love Scene Secrets During Their Visit to ‘The Talk’
-
General HospitalNovember 28, 2023General Hospital Pays Tribute to Tyler Christopher at End of Episode, ABC Exec Nathan Varni Shares: “You’ll Always Be In Our Hearts”
-
General HospitalNovember 24, 2023Jonathan Frakes Opens Up on How He Met Real-Life Wife ‘General Hospital’s’ Genie Francis
-
NewsNovember 23, 2023Y&R’s Camryn Grimes and Fiancé Brook Powell Reprise Their Roles as Santa and Mrs. Clause for Disney
-
NewsNovember 22, 2023The Young and the Restless to Air Classic Episode From 1993 on Thanksgiving Day With Connection to Current Cole/Claire/Aunt Jordan Storyline