News
James DePaiva added to the list of guests on The View Salutes OLTL!
Courtesy/ABC
Llanview’s own Max Holden is back for one final walk down memory lane, when James DePaiva joins wife Kassie DePaiva (Blair) on next week’s very special edition of The View! It all happens next Friday, January 13th when The View Salutes One Life to Live just prior to the airing of its network finale on ABC!
The episode will celebrate Llanview with a few surprise guests, exclusive never-before-seen footage from the final taping (and a sneak peek at the last episode!) as well as videotaped special messages from past stars and a highlight reel featuring memorable moments from the show’s 43 years on the air.
James will join Kassie and previously announced special guests: Erika Slezak (who is co-hosting the episode), Judith Light, Robin Strasser, Hillary B. Smith and Robert S. Woods!
General Hospital
Kelly Sullivan Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’s’ Maura West Recalling When Ava Shot Connie (Exclusive)
It was just over 13 years ago on General Hospital when Ava Jerome (Maura West) shot and killed Kate Howard/Connie Falconeri (Kelly Sullivan) in an effort to keep her quiet from revealing that Derek Wells was actually Ava’s back-from-the-dead brother, Julian Jerome (William deVry). It’s a crime that somehow Ava never has quite paid for either.
The episode back aired on August 13, 2013 and viewers had to say goodbye to Kelly Sullivan who played Kate and her alter, Connie. In the story, just before she died, Kate/Connie scrawled the letters AJ in her own blood, initially making the PCPD and Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) think that it was AJ Quatermaine (Sean Kanan) who did the deed.
Now, Sullivan recalled sharing scenes with the three-time Daytime Emmy-winning West, during a live conversation on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel. Kelly was the special guest talking about her recent return to the soaps in her new role as The Bold and the Beautiful’s Darcy Dylan.
Photo: JPI
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF MAURA WEST
Speaking of her final GH scenes and working with Maura West, Sullivan gave her then GH co-star major props. “If you’re going to be shot by somebody (on the soaps), you want to be shot by Maura West, c’mon!”
Maura West debuted back in May 2013 as Ava, and Sullivan remembered when the As the World Turns favorite began on GH. “I remember when Maura West first arrived at GH. She walked in with this cute little bob (hairdo) and she’s just delicious,” shared Sullivan.
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
Kelly revealed more about Maura, adding “I think she’s amazing! I remember right before I left the show, someone suggested, and I would still love to do this with her, if she ever want to, but someone suggested that they wanted to direct the stage play A Streetcar Named Desire with Maura and I, where I would play Stella and she would play Blanche! Wouldn’t that be great?”
Speaking of the Ava/Connie showdown scenes, Sullivan expressed, “On television and on General Hospital specifically, Maura West is able to play a character who does the most horrendous things and you still care about her and that’s the mark of a really great actor. In other words, you’re able to be liked in the midst of the most horrendous things, and as a performer not shying away from that, and to just have the courage to do what’s on the page (in the script).”
Photo: JPI
KELLY SULLIVAN PARTING THOUGHTS AS SHE LEFT GENERAL HOSPITAL
Kelly also shared her sentiments when she walked off the set of General Hospital after her run back in August of 2013. “I really was honored. Every day I would go to work and I would say a little prayer, which is I want to do justice for my character, explained Kelly. “It’s between me and my character. I get to walk this path with her and to leave the show on that note, which is, I left every out there. I just gave it my all and again what an honor it was to play Kate/Connie.”
You can catch the full conversation with Kelly where she talks about her time on General Hospital, The Young and the Restless where she played Sage Warner and now The Bold and the Beautiful below.
So, do you remember the Ava and Connie scenes where Ava shot and killed her? What did you think of Kelly Sullivan’s sentiments about Maura West? Share your thoughts via the comment section. But first, watch the reveal where Ava recalls murdering Connie below!
The question of will Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) stay awhile at General Hospital after his recent extended hiatus from the show earlier this year, has reportedly been answered.
TMZ via court documents obtained in Burton’s ongoing legal battle with his ex-wife Sheree Gustin, shared that Steve actually inked a new three year deal with the ABC soap opera back in June.
That is significant because it was June when Burton returned back to work as Jason. In addition, the court filing confirmed that Burton had already moved back to California from Tennessee.
Photo: ABC
STEVE’S HIATUS AND HIS RETURN TO PORT CHARLES
GH fans will recall, it was back in February of 2026, that Burton announced via his Instagram that he was stepping away from his role of Jason Morgan for short break and pointed to wanting to spend quality time with his new wife, Michelle Lundstrom Burton with whom he tied the knot back on May 17, 2025.
Steve expressed at that time, “I’m newly married and looking forward to spending some quality time with my family.” It was back on March 25 that viewers saw Jason carted away by the WSB after taking the fall for Rocco Falconeri (Finn Carr) who shot then WSB Director Ross Cullum (Andrew Hawkes).
Burton returned to work on June 1, and due to General Hospital taping roughly six weeks ahead of air, made his on-screen comeback on the July 13 episode.
GOING FOR GOLD AT THE UPCOMING DAYTIME EMMYS
Then, Steve and his enduring fans got an extra special treat on the same day, when it was revealed on Extra that he was nominated for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Daytime Drama Series category.
Steve previously won in the Supporting Actor category for his work as General Hospital’s Jason in 1998 and as The Young and the Restless’ Dylan McAvoy in 2018.
Now with Jason and Britt’s (Kelly Thiebaud) relationship seemingly hitting the skids, plus Jason’s commitment to staying out of mob life to focus on being present for his son Danny Morgan (Asher Antonyzyn), what does the future hold for the fan favorite character? Stay tuned.
So, happy to hear that Steve Burton signed a new three year deal with General Hospital? Knowing that, what storyline would you like to see Jason get involved and with who? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section.
The Young and the Restless enduring favorite and two-time Daytime Emmy-winning actress, Jess Walton (Jill Foster Abbott) is set to release her memoir!
Kensington Publishing has revealed on their website that Walton’s book The Young and the Rest of Us is now available for pre-order while listing an April 27, 2027 release date. In addition, in June of 2027, Walton will mark her 40th anniversary with The Young and the Restless and her debut as Jill.
The official log lines for the memoir share, “Emmy Award-winning actress Jess Walton, known to millions as the iconic Jill Abbott on the #1 soap opera The Young and the Restless, shares her extraordinary journey to stardom, sobriety, true love, and self-discovery in this startingly candid, intimate, and star-studded memoir.”
Photo; Kensington Books
CAKE FIGHTS AND CORPORATE INTRIGUE
The book description for The Young and the Rest of Us adds, “In June 1987, Jess Walton walked through the artists’ entrance at CBS for her first day on The Young and the Restless,where she had just been hired to play the recast role of Jill Abbott. Two Emmy awards, four decades, and countless onscreen affairs, marriages, corporate takeovers, and cake fights later, she’s a beloved icon with an astonishing tale to tell.”
“In her refreshingly candid style, Jess shares her journey as a young actress from Toronto theaters to Los Angeles, where she found herself at the center of a Laurel Canyon circle that included the likes of Neil Young, David Geffen, Laura Nyro, and Joni Mitchell. Landing a Universal contract and a steady stream of guest starring roles, Jess embraced everything 1970s L.A. had to offer—including Hollywood parties fueled by limitless booze and drugs, and trysts with stars. She recounts with candor and gratitude the surprising path that eventually led her to sobriety, true love—and ultimately, to fictional Genoa City, Wisconsin, and the role of a lifetime.”
“Brimming with behind-the-scenes drama and celebrity cameos to delight fans, The Young and the Rest of Us is also rich in personal, relatable truths about marriage, motherhood, empty-nesting, self-discovery, and finding the courage to start over—as often as it takes. In a voice as fearless and frank as Jill’s, but with, humor and grace all her own, Jess Walton looks back on a life as unpredictable, and adventure filled as anything she has portrayed on screen.”
WHO ELSE PLAYED JILL FOSER ABBOTT?
Fans of The Young and the Restless know that Walton became the fourth actress to take on the role of Katherine Chancellor’s original nemesis Jill Foster back in 1987. The OG Jill was played by Brenda Dickson, also Deborah Adair, Bond Gideon and Melinda O. Fee played the part.
This year, Days of our Lives star Lauren Koslow (Kate Roberts) filled-in for several episodes for Walton who was unavailable to travel from her home in Oregon to Los Angeles where Y&R was taped. Walton is still with the long-running soap opera as Jill.
So, excited to learn of Jess Walton’s upcoming memoir, ‘The Young and the Rest of Us?’ Will it be it a must-read for you? Drop a comment below.
Kelly Sullivan Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’s’ Maura West Recalling When Ava Shot Connie (Exclusive)
Steve Burton Reportedly Signs Three-Year Contract with ‘General Hospital’
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Steffy Tells Carter She’s Pregnant, But He Has a Way ‘Out of This Situation For All of Us’
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason and Britt Reach an Impasse; Is This the End of Their Relationship?
Jess Walton Memoir ‘The Young and the Rest of Us’ Set for Release in 2027
‘General Hospital’ to Rebroadcast Special Episode in Tribute to Anthony Geary
‘General Hospital’s’ Tabyana Ali Song ‘Pray’ Now Available on Major Streaming Platforms with Music Video Forthcoming
‘General Hospital’ Icon Genie Francis to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at the 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards
Vivica A. Fox Exits ‘The Young and the Restless’ For Now to Film Netflix’s ‘Women Like Us’
Jess Walton Memoir ‘The Young and the Rest of Us’ Set for Release in 2027
Kelly Sullivan Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’s’ Maura West Recalling When Ava Shot Connie (Exclusive)
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Steffy Tells Carter She’s Pregnant, But He Has a Way ‘Out of This Situation For All of Us’
‘Beyond the Gates’ vs. ‘The Young and the Restless’ in a Soap Opera Showdown on ‘Flip Side’ Season 3 Premiere
‘The Bold and the Beautiful’s’ Heather Tom Talks Daytime Emmy-Nominated Scenes and What’s Behind Katie’s Deep-Seated Issues with Dylan (Exclusive)
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Did Brook Lynn Deserve Chase Walking Out on Her?
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General Hospital1 week ago‘General Hospital’ Icon Genie Francis to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at the 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards
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News7 days agoVivica A. Fox Exits ‘The Young and the Restless’ For Now to Film Netflix’s ‘Women Like Us’
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News1 day agoJess Walton Memoir ‘The Young and the Rest of Us’ Set for Release in 2027
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thats nice
Im glad he will be on ,Ive always like james depaiva,always wondered why they never brought him back. guess lack of a storyline .can not believe we have 6 more days ,and its over.next friday will be a very sad day.
James has been working behinnd scenes as a director.
I didnt know that ,and Im always up on the one life to live news ,Still think they should have brought him back , well Its to late now,today when star sang you only have one life to live ,the tears were going ,bo is shot ,cole ,vicki ,clint had a heart attack ,will be an interesting monday,but it only brings us closer to the end.1loveabcsoaps,what are you going to call yourself after friday?1loveabcsoap?and abc soaps in depth ,never will be the same ,more than half of my life Ive watched one life to live ,my afternoons will be different .
OLTL always seems to get less than it deserves. One hour of The View won’t be long enough to survey 43 years of history, or even the last 10. And what about Florencia Lozano, Trevor St John, Jerry Van Dorn, and other significant players? I like James DePaiva, but he hasn’t been a regular since 2003.
James has been working behind scenes as a director.
OK, thanks, I had no idea DePaiva directed. I didn’t mean to discount his role or influence.
One Life to Live has always been the black sheep of ABC because it historically has had the lower ratings among ABC’s three soap operas. Brian Frons didn’t even bothered to go to New York to tell the OLTL cast that their show had been cancelled; he just made the annoucement to them through a camera. That tells you a lot about ABC thinks of OLTL. I remember back in the 1980s and 1990s, ABC would regurarly air promos of All My Children and General Hospital during the evening while restricting promos of OLTL during the day only.
But no matter what ABC or the Nielsen survey say, I will always find OLTL to be a product far superior than AMC or GH.
Heather you are Right! In retrospect, I remember the night-time promo’s of AMC and GH.
Your Right! OLTL has never been the Darling of the lineup. It’s always been AMC because of Susan Lucci and her strong ties to Agnes Nixon, and that over top, Super Glamorous Erica, whose character and glamour of the show attracted Hollywood types. And then there was the Super Couple of General Hospital (Luke and Laura) who made History in their role, and not long after came dreamy eyes Sonny Corinthos, and Brenda Barret another Super Couple who burnt up the screens and was as POPULAR as Like and Laura. OLTL was just sugestive of cow boys and gals, who had some money, and was intertaining in it’s own right, more grounded if anything. It was the “middle child” in the TRUE sense of the word. But let me tell you this, what goes up, must come down, and everyone and everything has it’s moment and JUST do… The Fall out of OLTL is far superior than it was for AMC. Yes, there was a Fall out when it was announced that BOTH soaps would be canceled, BUT people on these Blogs on the internet are NONE STOP in their conviction for OLTL. Although General Hospital is still on, (and we all have hope that GH will redeem itself BC IT always does) GH is taking a licking FROM the FANS, bc OLTL got canceled. So the other two darlings of the ABC line up is having their EGO’s served to them on a Silver platter by the Fan’s who have been NONE STOP with their petiton and SUPPORT of OLTL, relinquishing AMC and blasting GH. To tell you the truth, it took me by surprise myself. It just goes to show, everyone has their moment…. And sometimes the middle child can come out on TOP, as the Fans show of support for OLTL.
I think part of the problem has been that OLTL has been sandwiched in between the AMC and GH time slots for so many years. Everybody always assumed AMC and GH were better and that OLTL was some kind of cheap filler. It’s true, as you say, that AMC and GH were more heavily promoted. AMC and GH supposedly had bigger stars too.
But I have never cared for either AMC or GH compared to OLTL. I always thought OLTL was better and was baffled why I was in the minority, but I assumed it was because OLTL was never as trendy or attention-grabbing as the other two. But the intergenerational family drama and acting by the ensemble cast on OLTL has been consistently superb. It’s such a shame it took cancellation for more people to notice.
It really irritates me when people suggest only “old” people watch soaps. For the Week of December 19-23, 2011, when kids were on vacation, OLTL was second in the rating among girls 12-17 years old. It had more than twice the number of viewers in this category compared to either B&B or GH:
Girls 12-17 Viewers (Compared to Last Week/Last Year)
1. Y&R 81,000 (+43,000/-7,000)
2. OLTL 67,000 (+37,000/+24,000)
3. B&B 33,000 (+3,000/-29,000)
4. GH 29,000 (+1,000/-10,000)
5. DAYS 12,000 (+2,000/-27,000)
https://www.soapoperanetwork.com/ratings/ratings-days-hits-lows-for-third-straight-week
OLTL had the potential to build on and increase its number of viewers. Nobody will ever admit it was a mistake to cancel OLTL, when it should have been GH instead. What monumental stupidity; sfs.
The reason OLTL was canceled instead of GH was because GH had higher ratings than OLTL as the time of the cancellation notice. I believe OLTL took over GH in the ratings around the month of June, especially with that persistent mob storyline that just won’t go away.
OLTL has always been a simple soap and that’s why I always enjoyed it. Too bad it never ranked #1 in its history as did AMC, GH, Y&R or ATWT. But then again, the reason OLTL never ranked #1 is probably because of its simplicity and its tight budget whereas AMC continued, even on its very last day, to be overbudget. I do agree with 1loveabcsoaps that most of the backlash comes from OLTL rather than AMC. It sure took everyone by surprise: the fans, ABC, the media and certainly Agnes Nixon who has always prefered AMC over OLTL.
I’m not a fortune-teller. But I doubt that GH and DAYS will get the fan support that OLTL received when it’s their turn to get canceled.
RIP OLTL (1968-2012)
I dont buy it, the ratings that is,abc lied as they are now about the chew,the ratings werent counted , soapnet not counted anyone that taped the soaps at the time they went on ,not counted and heres the big one anyone over 49 years old NOT COUNTED,ABC said they are getting rid of the soaps because women are working ,and as Ive said before, oh ok abc the reason the ratings are high now for the chew is because all the working women are staying at home now to watch the chew, yeah right , they all decided to quit there jobs and come back home to watch the chew,who watches that stuff? as erika slezack says BULLSHIT,abc killed the soaps because of greed the almighty dollar.and because of that greed hundreds of people are without work at 2 soaps possibly 3 soaps ,abc I hope your happy with all that money and your cheep crap programing .And I dont care what anyone has to say abc /disney has enough money to keep those 3 soaps on ,3 hours 5days a week .abc daytime will never be the same,3 soaps with all that history killed for shit tv ,I just dont understand ,who are the real morons at abc who did this ,brian frons didnt do this alone.I know I keep repeating myself ,but this pretty much is the truth behind abc/ disney.
I agree all the other soap on today is boring. At least OLTL keeps you hanging everyday. I am a 43 old male and have been watching OLTL since 1985. ABC is so stupid getting rid of one of the best soaps ever.
James is the BEST. I have tried to write something 3 times regarding his devotion to the show, meeting his wife there, and his contribution to making OLTL, MUST WATCH T.V., in the 80’s and 90’s, before moving behind scene as a director. (This website has knocked me off 3 times, this is my 4th times writig this, but I’m afraid to invest a 4th times writing ALL OF THAT, and being booted off again.) He is married to Kassie (Blair) and my heart goes out to he family if two jobs where lost when the show cancelled. James, Thank you for the triangle of Cord, Tina and Max. U always brought so much enthusiasium to the role. I also shall never forget how Max and Blair set out TV screnes on fire…. (and obviously feel in love for real). Thank you for your contribution to daytime and one of the BEST triangles in soap history. May God Bless you, your wife and family.
So sad – 43 years of history. It will be great to see James & all the past actors that were such a big part of the show – especially Robin Strasser who always spoke her mind.
Join us in sending soap bar’s to the ABC Studio’s in NYC. PASS THIS ON…. AND POST ON OTHER SOAP OPERA SITES, including abc.com. See how abc likes being BOMBARDED with soap bar’s from Fan’s all across the United States.
@1loveabcsoap
LOL, you do realize that ABC is gonna go completely berserk when they see all these soap bars on their studio on January 16. I remember two years ago, ATWT fans did the same thing to CBS. CBS completely freaked out because they thought that the soap was anthrax . Procter & Gamble had to step in to tell fans to cut it out.
I don’t think anything can be done to save OLTL at this point (Slezak even acknowledged it on an interview last week). But if sending soap bars can scare the living sh!t out of ABC to stop them from cancelling General Hospital, I say GO FOR IT.
I’m so happy James is going to be a part of this. I wanted him to return for the end……and win Blair back. I am not a Todd and Blair fan. On a related note…..I remember when Kassie was the guest host of The View. If only she would have gotten the job over that annoying Elizabeth Hasslebeck. We need more Kassie on TV!!!!
Yes ,on one life to live ,elizabeth hassle beck is not the only annoying person on the view ,all five of those women are loud mouths ,thats why I dont watch ,abc is going to have hour after hour of non stop garbage on.and the best way to get even with abc ,DONT WATCH.You really dont like todd and blair?
They have great chemistry….but i would be happy if Blair fell back in love with Max. Todd will always be Todd and hurt her…..like if she finds out Tomas is innocent and being held prisoner because of Todd. Everyone makes Todd out to be some romantic hero…..but he is an evil murderer….kidnapper…and rapist. Blair deserves so much better after all he put her through. She should end up happy and not a foolish victim.
I have always loved todd and blair together ,I hope that todd is not the killer I hope his mother messed with his head I never liked the rape story but it was good drama. ,if I recall ,I could be wrong but todd wasnt to have a story after the rape ,r.h. was that good so they had to make todd feel bad about what he did .anyway ,theres only 5 more days ,we will never know if blair and max could have crossed paths again,I just want all my one life to live family to live happily ever after .Ive watched for 43 years,best soap ever.
I FLOVE James DePaiva. Max Holden was a great character and I never understood why the show wrote him off after killing off Luna, Al, Gabrielle and never mentioning his twins with Luna. I was sure I would see Max before the finale but Mr. DePaiva was never asked back. I am enjoying OLTL as the end nears but I’d trade seeing the crazed, one-note characters for seeing the characters that made Llanview a community, like Max, Larry, Wanda, Hank, RJ and Renee.
Max has been behind the scene for year’s directing.
Thanks for the info. You stated that up-thread. I would had loved to see Max Holden on-screen. Kassie DePaiva confirmed that James DePaiva was never asked to return as Max Holden before the finale.
I loved James DePaiva as Max and am glad he is going to be on the View. He had such great chemistry with Andrea Evans, Fiona Hutchinson, Luna, and of course his real life wife Kassie.
I have loved Max on one life to live.With Blair and all has beens they shared was tremendous and spectacular with Gabrielle and Asa and the Beucannons and the Mannings it was the best. Watching Starr grow up. I have seen for so many years that i get tongue tied on what to say about all the episodes i have seen. I was always running to see or find out what was going on next. sitting there on Monday hoping to see what else the show was doing and i felt like i was there with the marriages and Vicky and Clint . I have seen all and when the stories would break i would know why and i loved solving the mystery which is where drama came from these soaps.The are the Pride of our lives and i don’t know where i would’ve been without them watching them and growing with them. One Live to Live All My children and General Hospital are my shows and i just can’t jump on a plane to see them but tv i was able to see they story and just feel like i was apart of it all.I am so upset with ABC i know they are doing what they think is best but i really think they don’t know what they have done by ending these beautiful shows and there isn’t any show that they put on worth it. it is just like dancing with the Stars you never know what story they will have up next.Generations and story lines that they have told to help and i have watched them and i have learned a lot by sitting and watching them knowing how to love and how to stand up for yourself . i have learned from soaps.