News
It's A Wrap For Y&R's Longtime Associate Producer Josh O'Connell!
On Friday and throughout the weekend rumors circulated that a change had been made on the production team of The Young and the Restless, and as we have come to find out it was the series longtime Associate Producer Josh O’Connell who was let-go after 20 years with the daytime drama. It would seem that at present, Y&R is making a few shifts behind the scenes.
O’Connell started in the production offices and being associated with the show back in 1994, and has always had a close relationship with the Bell Family – the late great Y&R creator Bill Bel,l and his wife and co-creator, Lee Phillip Bell. In 2003, Josh was promoted to Associate Producer where he has been for the last 11 years during his tenure with the number one soap opera.
Today on his final day on his job, Josh send out a special message to those colleagues and friends whom he has worked with for decades. We asked Josh if it would be OK to share a part of his message with you.
Josh wrote: “Twenty years ago I began an incredible journey at The Young and the Restless which has changed my life in more ways than I can begin to express. Since my tenure began in 1994, I’ve had the privilege of working with a number of extraordinary teams, starting with the creative genius of the late Bill Bell Sr. and with the remarkable co-creator Lee Phillip Bell. I believe in this unique generation-spanning genre as much now as I did my first day on the job. As I move on to my next journey, I want you all to know how grateful I am to each and every one of you for irreplaceable memories and friendships that I’ll treasure for the rest of my life.”
Share your thoughts below on the exit of Josh O’Connell from The Young and the Restless team!
I think that Pratt is to blame. and Cady McClain tweeted an ominous tweet also, like she may be leaving. I think Young and Restless may be in DEEP trouble!
Cady….pass on the banana pancakes!
it’s the saddest thing… I mean this… seriously
having watched serial… for generations… over 3 decades plus
I’m lost without this… devoted… soapbox me… I care
I’ll fight this
LOL… Cady McClain stirred… does fit… if she’s next in line of… let go
along with this associate producer… it’s a crime
a pull to the heart of what television IS
a staple that rips tears and lets go a piece of this everlasting genre that doesn’t need to budget a piece of history…
I think of all the other actors… who once shared
ATWT
AW
Santa Barbara
Guiding Light
AMC
and so on and so on and there it goes
salute
I know I needed to include OLTL
What did Cady tweet?
Notice he did not mention the current PTB as being “extraordinary teams” Y&R seems to have a way of ruining people’s holidays. Last year it was Billy Miller and Michael Muhney…this year it’s Josh and I am sure others are yet to come. How about getting rid of the real problem, Jill Farren Phelps!!!!
wow..
Y&R has lost their core true-characters with the loss of their actors, the ones that made Y&R great..
(BM, MS, MM) and top of heap others.. all gone..
their replacements are all a fail, not doing well..
Too many people are walking out of Y&R..
where there is smoke there is fire / burning behind the scene….
Now– we have Pratt as head writer/producer.. that is good..
I see a huge change on the horizon for Y&R, and that is good thing..
I hope so but if he was any good he would get rid of the dead-wood. Did anyone see today’s show. Poor Nick remembering everyone that hurt him. Good grief Sharon never had issue’s until she got involved with the Newman’s, although Phyllis went after Nick when he was married and grieving Cassie he still loved Sharon & Phyllis knew it. He broke Amy’s heart but that didn’t stop him from taking advantage of her, and Grace was someone he used when he felt down & out. What a prize. Come-on writers how about the truth? And while your at it Nikki saying she didn’t like Sharon!!! Many times Nikki said Sharon made her think of herself when she was younger so give Sharon a damn break.
The actors are fine. Its Jill and co.that arent!
Jill Farren Phelps is the problem First it was her group of friends she brought in from H.H, then the scenery, then favorite actors. Now this please stop her!
There is no one to replace Jill Farren Phelps that has her experience..
And– there are few, very few, who even wants the job..
Who would even want the job and have the experience to do it..
I doubt there are any eager takers or any CBS would hire / outside of Pratt, perhaps..
Jill Farren Phelps is going nowhere ..
How is Pratt a good thing? He hates soaps. thinks that they are beneath him and was part of the team that almost killed GH. He’s a great friend of JFP. So happy I left and all of the most talented actors are gone.
It seems to me that he was fired because he was one of the last links to the Bell run drama– many of the behind the scenes people who worked for the Bells for years were fired the first year JFP came on board. I guess they will spin this as they don’t need an associate producer when the got two producers in Pratt and Phelps, although Pratt is supposed to be in name only— we shall see. It does seem the predictions about Pratt are coming true if they fired the one guy left who might have fought to keep the formula and style the Bell’s created—-
JFP will let go anyone that was under the bell tenure. Look at all of the new directors and writers for y and r. There is nothing classic left and they might be killing off Michael. I will give this show 5 years before its cancelled.
Michael, Christian isnt leaving
Eileen… I hope you know something I don’t because the rumors have him leaving the show. If you know otherwise, please put my mind at ease! 🙂
Not a JILL FAN… I just don’t trust her or her motives.
Jill and Angelica, again. It will never stop.
Instead of hiding behind the facade that Y&R is still the great daytime serial it was, JFP should just admit to trying to cut every last tie to the Bill Bell era the show has. Firing popular and talented actors, getting rid of long-time production staff, bringing in newbie actors, characters and and crew members is all part of JFP’s grand plan of systematically destroying Y&R. Now with Pratt on board, things will likely only get worse. Sony and CBS need to start doing things RIGHT for Y&R, by first getting rid of the biggest problem of all – JFP. And right behind her, Pratt needs to follow.
Not a smart move there!
More firings to come in the next months
I believe they want Y&R to fail. Why else would the HACK JFP still be here. I despise that arrogant Bitch!
Don’t the Bells own the soap? Why are they letting Sony get away with all of this?
Can’t Brad Bell step in and do something??? His family owns this soap, do they not?? I know he’s got his hands full with B&B but he shouldn’t let this show go down the drain!!!!
Nope, the Bells dont own the soap now.
The Bell’s do own a share of The Young and The Restless but unfortunately they do not own the majority of it, Sony does. Unless the Bell’s can purchase some stock back from Sony or a 3rd party buys it, Sony has the control. Sony has allowed the Bells over the years to have creative control, but that too has been taken away. The show is solely the people Sony put in charge Jill Farren Phelps, and soon to be Chuck Pratt. As far as The Bold and The Beautiful, Bill Bell didn’t have to give any shares away so his family owns that serial outright. I would love to see one day Brad oversee both shows and Kay Alden, Susan Morina be Head writers, and Ed Scott move across the hall and re take the Executive Producer position. YR desperately needs a Bell touch, and who better to do it than the people he mentored over the years.
Why did Bell have to give away shares of Y&R?
If memory serves correct Bill Bell was under contract with the Corday Family at Days of Our lives. He wanted out of his contract to start The Young and the Restless. In order for him to get out of his contract it was agreed that he would give shares to them. In turn they later gave their shares to Sony, who also owns Days of Our Lives. The Bold and The Beautiful was created after Bill started The Young and the Restless so he was able to retain full control of that serial. It’s a good thing he did. It’s nice having his son Brad Bell run it, and Ed Scott as Executive Producer, not to mention he was able to bring on a few former YR actors Heather Tom, and Don Diamont. He also has John Smith on his writing team, and for awhile had Kay Aldan (two of Bill Bell’s writing staff), among others.
Loath as I am to defend JFP, or appear to, I am not so sure I would lay this particular move at her feet (though she may not have done anything to stop it). I suspect it’s Sony, rather than JFP, that does not value the ties to the Bell years and the Bell family. It has become clear from Sony’s hiring decisions, and from the direction the show has taken as far back as when Lynn Marie Latham was in charge, that Sony doesn’t understand what made the show so popular and isn’t interested in following the principles that Bill Bell followed. I am guessing they don’t think that those principles will get the ratings they want. (That might be defensible–if the things they were trying WERE getting high ratings, but they’re not.)
Well look what happens after Chuck Pratt is hired, one of the people that have been part of the classy Y&R for years is fired.
And sad that Cady McClain has to go through this again. The same soap hack once again.
Time to sit back with popcorn and see what Pratt will do to Y&R.
REALLY?!?!? Oh, Y-E-T ANOTHER nail in the coffin……….
Wow. After 20 years. Well, hopefully he save his money.
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Chris McKenna On Jack’s Reaction to Carly Cheating On Him with Valentin: ‘Heartbreak and Absolute Rage and Humiliation’
The stage is set for next week on General Hospital, after yesterday’s May 1 cliffhanger, when Brennan (Chris McKenna) sneaks into Carly’s (Laura Wright) house and heads up to her bedroom, bursts in the door and finds her between the sheets, albeit at that moment alone.
However, Jack is already armed with plenty of ammo, he saw two glasses of wine in Carly’s kitchen, Josslyn (Eden McCoy) already lit the fire, by telling him her mother was seeing someone else, the WSB bureau chief then went to visit Carly’s ex, Sonny (Maurice Benard). The mobster’s reaction pretty much sold Jack that Carly must be sleeping with another man.
As Jack goes to check out the situation to confirm his suspicions, Carly and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) have just hit the sheets, after fighting their attraction once again for each other. Now comes the moment of truth that Carly has been sleeping with Brennan’s sworn enemy, Valentin.
Courtesy/ABC
In a preview of what’s to come, Soap Opera Digest spoke to both Chris McKenna and Laura Wright where they talked about the upcoming scenes. McKenna expressed, “This has been coming for such a long time.” He also previews, “Brennan comes at her pretty aggressively.”
THREE’S COMPANY
Wright added, “Carly didn’t expect Brennan to walk into her bedroom! He doesn’t have a key. It’s late at night. She thinks she and Valentin are in the clear. She sees that he’s so angry and so worried about being cheated on… but not that he’s sorry for lying to her face or because her daughter is in danger because of him!”
As to how Jack will handle the situation from here and finding out that Carly is with Valentin, McKenna confirms, to expect, “heartbreak and absolute rage and humiliation” from Jack. He’s thinking, ‘This can’t be real. This can’t have happened. I can’t be this stupid. I can’t have been this blind.’ And as to Jack’s current state of mind, coming into the situation, “Jack is drunk and a little unhinged and the audience finally gets a glimpse of what’s going on underneath that rigid exterior.”
Needless to say, the fallout will be huge, and McKenna is proud of the trios work in the scenes, sharing that Laura Wright was a fantastic as ever, and that GH’s executive producer, Frank Valentini was on the set the entire time with Laura, James and him, making this story point play out to its full effect.
So, are you excited to see how what goes down between Brennan, Carly and Valentin and the fallout? Do you think this will cement Carly and Valentin as a couple, or will Carly regret what she’s done to Jack? Weigh-in on how you hope this all plays out via the comment section below.
Days Of Our Lives
‘Brilliant Minds’ Officially Canceled After 2 Seasons at NBC; DAYS Alum Al Calderon, OLTL Alum Teddy Sears and Zachary Quinto Among the Cast
After languishing on the bubble for months, on Friday, NBC handed down the decision and canceled the medical drama Brilliant Minds after two seasons.
Brilliant Minds stars Zachary Quinto as neurology physician Oliver Wolf, who’s character and the series is inspired by the life and books of neurologist. Oliver Sacks. The series focuses on the medical mysteries of the mind, as Wolf a larger-than-life neurologist and his team of interns explore the last great frontier, the human mind, while grappling with their own relationships and mental health.
The final six episodes of what will now be the end of its second and final season were already set to air beginning on May 27, after being pulled off the network schedule in February as viewership saw a steep decline. Brilliant Minds second season became the lowest-rated drama on linear TV viewing, which didn’t bode well fo a network renewal, although it had its hard core fan base.
Photo: NBC
There are some exceptional notables in the cast along with the talented Quinto that includes Days of Our Lives alum, Al Calderon (ex-Javi Hernandez) who joined the series in its second season as Nurse Nico Silva, and One Life to Live alum, Teddy Sears (ex-Chad Bennett) who plays Wolf’s love interest and fellow physician, Dr. Josh Nichols.
The rest of the talented cast includes: Tamberla Perry, Ashleigh LaThrop, Alex MacNicoll, Aury Krebs, Spence Moore II, Donna Murphy, John Clarence Stewart, and Brian Altemus.
In an ironic twist of fate on Thursday, April 30, Days of Our Lives finally revealed the actor who was Al Calderon’s successor in the role of Javi, when they announced that actor Jacob Martinez had now stepped into the role. Since DAYS tapes ten months ahead of streaming new episode, Calderon left in the spring of 2025, but will be seen in the part for the final part this month, and then on June 20, Martinez debuts as Salem’s new Javi.
Taking to his Instagram with a sorrowful and heartfelt post on the Brilliant Minds cancellation was Teddy Sears who wrote, “Thank you, Brilliant Minds. I got the call today and I didn’t want to hear, but I knew that it would come, You have to be a particular vintage to quote Don Henley from memory, but that’s the line that came to mind earlier today after I got off the phone with our inimitable showrunner Michael Grassi who delivered the news that NBC has cancelled the series”.
Photo: NBC
Sears continued, “To say that I feel sad to be moving on from these stories, this character, and this cast and crew just doesn’t paint the entire picture. I’m sad, sure. But I’m also deeply grateful that I got hired to play this part, so proud of the stories we told, and the other actors I got to play alongside. I’m excited to see what comes next, what adventures await, and terrified to be without a professional home. A quick and heartfelt thank you to everyone, all over the globe, who found us and found themselves in us, in our characters and in our stories. We wouldn’t have been able to tell them without you. And we still have 6 fresh episodes yet to air, and I do hope you tune in enjoy the remainder of the series. They’re the best we’ve done.”
As he wrapped up his sentiments, Sears signed off with, “The more I know, the less I understand. All the things I figured out I have to learn again. I’ve been trying to get down to the heart of the matter. But everything changes…Thank you, Brilliant Minds.”
Calderon took to his Instagram story and simply shared, “Thank You, Brilliant Minds.”
The medical drama was created and executive produced by Michael Grassi alongside Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Leigh London Redman, Lee Toland Krieger, DeMane Davis, Jasmine Russ, Henrik Bastin, Jonathan Cavendish, Andy Serkis and Shefali Malhoutra.
So, what do you think of NBC’s decision to cancel Brilliant Minds after two seasons? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Jonathan Bennett Receives 3 ‘Critics Choice Real TV Awards’ Nominations for Hallmark Series, ‘Finding Mr. Christmas’
Many things are coming up roses for Jonathan Bennett! On the heels of the news that he is set to debut this month in the role of Joe Fitzpatrick on General Hospital, who is rumored to be a new love interest for Lucas Jones (Van Hansis), comes the news that Bennett’s reality series, Finding Mr. Christmas has received 3 nomination for the Critics Choice Real TV Awards.
Bennett’s Hallmark Channel series finds itself in tough competition alongside fellow nominees: RuPaul’s Drag Race (MTV), Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix), Survivor 50 (CBS), Top Chef (Bravo) and The Traitors (Peacock). In addition, Jonathan himself is nominated for Best Show Host and the series participants as the Best Ensemble Cast in an Unscripted Series.
The Critics Choice Association (CCA) revealed the nominees for the eighth annual Critics Choice Real TV Awards on Thursday, which recognize excellence in nonfiction, unscripted and reality programming across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. Winners will be announced online at CriticsChoice.com on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at 9:00am PT/12:00pm ET.
Photo: Hallmark
Taking to his Instagram to celebrate the nominations, GH’s Bennett, enthused, “3 Critic Choice Nominations! I’m so proud of the FINDING MR CHRISTMAS and to be in the company of all the legends in all these categories is so surreal! Congrats to Hallmark Channel and to our nominated cast and nominated show and everyone who made this magical show possible. This is crazy! This gives FMC 6 Critics Choice nominations in 2 years. Not bad for a little show on Hallmark Channel. What are your thoughts on our show?” Jumping first into the comment thread was one of his new GH co-stars, Dominic Zamprogna (Dante) who expressed, “Yeah buddy!!!🔥🔥”
In the series, Bennett, the host and co-creator spends eight weeks guiding 10 aspiring actors through a series of “festive face-offs” and acting challenges alongside actors like soap opera notables, Hunter King (ex-Summer, Y&R) and Alison Sweeney (Sami, DAYS). Along the way, they develop their skills and a bond with one another. The show, which is available on Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Plus, highlights LGBTQ+ representation with openly gay contestants vying to be the next Hallmark star.
It should be noted that Traitors received the most Critics Choice Real TV Award nominations with 6 nods, followed by Dancing with the Stars with 4.
Bennett is very familiar to daytime fans having started his career as JR Chandler on All My Children in 2000-2001, before landing the part of Aaron Samuels in the motion picture, Mean Girls in 2004 starring Lindsay Lohan, which would become his breakout performance.
You can check out the full list of Critics Choice Real TV Award nominations here.
So, excited for Jonathan Bennett’s General Hospital debut this month? Have you ever watched Finding Mr. Christmas on Hallmark? Let us know via the comment section below.
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‘General Hospital’s’ Chris McKenna On Jack’s Reaction to Carly Cheating On Him with Valentin: ‘Heartbreak and Absolute Rage and Humiliation’
‘Brilliant Minds’ Officially Canceled After 2 Seasons at NBC; DAYS Alum Al Calderon, OLTL Alum Teddy Sears and Zachary Quinto Among the Cast
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Has Dylan’s Mystery Caller/Stalker Been Revealed to Be an Alive Luna Nozawa?
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‘General Hospital’s’ Jonathan Bennett Receives 3 ‘Critics Choice Real TV Awards’ Nominations for Hallmark Series, ‘Finding Mr. Christmas’
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DAYS Stephen Nichols and Co-Stars Walk in Honor of Drake Hogestyn at PanCan PurpleStride LA, ‘I Felt Him With Us’
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Paige Herschell Marks One-Year as ‘General Hospital’s’ Jacinda Bracken
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