In a revealing conversation on this week’s edition of Soapy Hosted by Rebecca Budig and Greg Rikaart, the besties and co-hosts welcomed three-time Daytime Emmy winner, Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis, General Hospital).

While there were several eye-opening moments, GH fans were in for some great news when Nancy shared she just signed a new three-year deal to remain with the soap opera as everyone’s favorite legal eagle. Grahn expressed, “I just re-signed my contract — another three years, and I’m so grateful for this part of my life.”

As soap fans know, Grahn began her role as Alexis back in September of 1996 after her very successful and Emmy-winning run of Julia Wainwright on Santa Barbara and previously her time as Beverly Wilkes on One Life to Live.  This coming September will mark Nancy’s 30th anniversary with the GH which will continue to make her the longest-running consecutive tenure of any actress in the cast.

Photo: CBS

HAVING A CHILD

When Nancy sat down for this taped interview with Rebecca and Greg, the subject of the book she had mentioned previously she had been writing was brought up which Grahn says when she finishes it, it will be more like stories from her life than a true memoir. However, one very tumultuous  part of her life after becoming pregnant with her musician artist, Kate Grahn is detailed as a story for mother’s everywhere if having to go to family court.

Nancy explained, “One of the reasons I started writing the book was I was going to write about family court because I ended up having almost four years of it. It was brutal. I stopped writing it at one point, and said I’ll come back when I’m not so angry and that was like 10 years later.”

Detailing what occurred, the three-time Emmy winner noted, “I wanted to make a baby and so at 38 and a half, that relationship did not work out. I was recurring on two or three different shows at the time. So I was working, I was making money. My ex-boyfriend when he moved, he said, “What can I do to make this better?” I said, ‘You can put sperm in the bank.’ So he did, and then he moved to North Carolina, and then I called General Hospital and said, ‘Does anybody want me?’

Photo: ABC

THE BEGINNING OF THE FAMILY COURT BATTLE

“Michele Val Jean (former writer, now head writer/creator Beyond the Gates), Wendy Riche (former executive producer and Richard Culliton (former head writer) told me I had a job. To get pregnant, I did not end up going to the sperm bank. I don’t want to reveal everything, because then nobody will read my book. But I will say, it did seem that I would need a miracle.”

The three-time Emmy winner told Rebecca and Greg, “I went and sat on this bench on Fryman Canyon every day, and I’d visualize, and I thought, ‘I’m going to make one last attempt to meet someone,’ and I’d visualize meeting this guy, and he’d say this to me, and then we’d go here and do that, etc. That’s exactly what happened  I saw this person for two or maybe three months and saw behavior that was unacceptable to me, and then found out I was pregnant two months later. That person did not want to be involved, and we were not together anymore. And then when Kate was five, he served me with papers. I was stunned at what could happen. Stunned. Four women (legal counsel) showed up out of nowhere that ended up saving Kate and me.”

Photo: JPI

SONNY TAKES KRISTINA FROM ALEXIS IN COURT

Explaining how life can imitate art on a soap opera, while Nancy was going through this in her personal life, Alexis was having her child, Kristina ripped by her in court by the baby daddy, Sonny Corinthos. “The storyline at the time was Sonny was taking my (Alexis) child away from me, a mobster, a criminal, had gained custody in court of a child. So, I remember going up to the head writer at the time, begging him to, ‘please don’t do this to me.'”

“Back to the family court battle,” finished Grahn. “It was so incredibly intense, but everything worked out. I was awarded full custody. I thought the court is where when you get inside that justice happens, but wait till you read this in the book, a lot happens.”

You can check out the full conversation with Nancy on the Soapy podcast below.

So, glad to hear Nancy has signed on to General Hospital for three more years as Alexis Davis? What do you think of her revealing story about how she was taken to family court to get a full custody of her daughter, Kate after her ex resurfaced wanting right to their child after previously wantin no part of it? Let us know via the comment section.

Tom Ligon, who was best known to soap fans for his role as Lucas Prentiss on The Young and the Restless from 1978-1982 has passed away at the age of 85.

The stage, screen and television star’s death was confirmed on Monday by the SAG-AFTRA New York Local the union organization that Ligon worked tirelessly for and most recently served a its National Seniors Committee chair and New York Seniors Committee co-chair. Ligon was a longtime resident of Greenwich Village. No cause of death is known as this time.

When Ligon was front and center on Y&R, it was smack dab in the middle of the quadrangle romance between the Prentiss Brothers and the Brooks sisters. Ligon’s on-screen brother was first played by John McCook and when he exited the show, Dennis Cole took over the part of Lance from 1981-1982.  Ligon’s main leading ladies were the late Victoria Mallory as Leslie Brooks (1977-1982, 1984) and Jaime Lyn Bauer as Lori Brooks (1973-1982, 1984).

Photo: CBS

FROM SOAP OPERAS TO FILM, STAGE AND TELEVISION

Lucas Prentiss was also involved at one time with Dr. Casey Reed, Nikki Newman’s (Melody Thomas Scott) sister, then played by Roberta Leighton. Eventually Lucas left Genoa City in 1982, and the character was not heard from since. Lucas and Lance had run Prentiss Industries together.

Throughout his lengthy acting career, Tom Ligon also appeared on the soap operas, Loving, Santa Barbara, Another World and All My Children. In addition to his memorable role in the poignant baseball drama film Bang the Drum Slowly, starring Robert DeNiro, he also appeared in Doctors in Love (1982), and Cutting Class (1989), the latter of featured a young Brad Pitt.

Ligon’s TV credits also included: Medical Center, Baretta, Charlie’s Angels, Police Woman, Starsky & Hutch, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Dallas, Law & Order and The Heart, She Holler.

It should be noted how Ligon made national headlines back in 2013 when at 73, he defended his home from a burglar by delivering a karate chop.

He was preceded in death by his wife of more than 30 years, K.C., who passed away in 2009.

Share you condolences and remembrances of Tom Ligon as Lucas Prentiss on The Young and the Restless and more via the comment section below.

The S.W.A.T. franchise just keeps on keepin on! On Monday, it has been revealed that its latest spinoff S.W.A.T. Exiles starring The Young and the Restless Daytime Emmy winner, Shemar Moore, will have its series premiere this fall on Starz beginning on September 25.

The series had been looking for a home, and Starz wound up being that outlet after series producer and distributor Sony Pictures Television closed a deal with the pay-TV network for the U.S. rights to the action thriller. Previously, the studio sold S.W.A.T. Exiles in Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, with the 10-episode series set to launch day-and-date in select international territories.

According to Deadline, “Sony Pictures TV is using a windowing strategy for S.W.A.T. Exiles in the U.S. with Starz getting first window. I hear the studio has been in second-window conversations with Netflix where the original series has been available for more than three years.”

Photo: SPT

S.W.A.T EXILES FEATURES “HONDO” HARRELSON AND YOUNG RECRUITS

In a statement on the deal, Shemar Moore expressed: “S.W.A.T. Exiles is coming in hot! I couldn’t be more excited that Starz is bringing this next chapter to audiences in the U.S. A huge thank you to Sony Pictures Television for believing in this franchise and continuing to invest in what we’ve built together. What makes this moment even more special is that we’re reaching audiences in all major territories worldwide. Fans everywhere will get to experience this epic new ride together.”

In S.W.A.T. Exiles, after a high-profile mission goes sideways, Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson (Moore) is pulled out of forced retirement to lead a last-chance experimental S.W.A.T. unit made up of untested, unpredictable young recruits. Hondo must bridge a generational divide, navigate clashing personalities and turn a squad of outsiders into a team capable of protecting the city — and saving the program that made him who he is.

It was back in May that viewers watched the OG S.W.A.T. come to an end after 8 seasons on CBS and multiple resuscitations along the way to keep it alive after it was about to be buried.

Photo: JPI

SHEMAR MOORE’S RECENT RETURN TO THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS

Taking to his Instagram to share the excitement of the pick-up; Moore said, Yeee!!! S.W.A.T. EXILES is OFFICIALLY picked up!!!!!! Landing on Starz this FALL!!!! Congratulations to the CAST, CREW, and our team at Sony Pictures Television ….. We continue to defy the odds!!!! To the FANS…. Thank you for always showing love. We can’t wait for you to see what we’ve made for YOU!!!! Let’s go!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥”

While waiting for the fate of S.W.A.T. Exiles, Moore made a return to The Young and the Restless in a pivotal yet short story arc that concluded this month. In it, we learned that Malcolm had a child with former flame, Dr. Stephanie Simmons (Vivica A. Fox), the product of which was Holden Novak (Nathan Owens).

The intel all came to light when Malcolm developed aplastic anemia and needed a bone marrow transplant. The donor wound up to be none other than Lily’s (Christel Khalil) ex, Cane Ashby (Billy Flynn). Now, Malcolm has said his goodbyes for now to Genoa City, while Holden now is tied to the Winters family and Stephanie gets a new lease on life too.

So, excited to learn that S.W.A.T Exiles will be able to been in the U.S. on Starz? Do you hope Shemar will one day bring Malcolm back for another visit to Y&R? Weigh-in via the comment section.

 

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