Guiding Light
Kim Zimmer chats about Ellen Wheeler, Oprah & Drinking in new Book!
And that headline is just for starters folks! In a new interview out today with TV Guide, Kim Zimmer gives us a further preview into her upcoming memoir which is going to be a non stop page turner! I mean, Guiding Light, Peapack, Wheeler, Oprah, drinking, One Life to Live, Clones and god knows what else! But it sounds like a soap fans dream to hear the gospel from four-time Daytime Emmy winner, Kim Zimmer!
I’m Just Sayin’!: Three Deaths, Seven Husbands and a Clone! My Life as a Daytime Diva is set to hit the book shelves on August 2nd, but for now here is what Kim said to TV Guide about who she trashes in the book. Well, one name came to mind to her.. ,Ellen Wheeler the final executive producer of Guiding Light!
Zimmer on stating in her book that Ellen Wheeler was crying all the time on set: “When they vetted the book, the only thing the lawyer called my publisher about was my reference to Ellen crying all the time on the set. Of everything I say, that’s what worried them! The lawyer wanted to make sure someone else could verify that fact. [Laughs] I said, “Oh, my God, at least 150 people can verify that Ellen Wheeler was a crier.” My publishers are very anxious for me to write another book, although I don’t know where I can go from here. A.C. read three chapters of this one and hated it! He wanted it to be more of a teaching book, something that helps actors learn about survival in this business, a book about self-preservation in a business that’s basically dying.”
Zimmer on if she felt the outlandish stories of time travel and the Reva clone story were a precursor to the demise of GL: “As much fun as it was, as an actor, to be a clone or to time travel, those storylines did not benefit the show at all. Back in the great years of GL we had no idea we were living in the golden age. It was so wonderful and comfortable and meaningful — the fans really cared about us and the stories that we told. Then soaps got ridiculous. They stopped being what they were created to be — human drama! That’s why people are leaving us and seeking out replacements. That’s why people get such a kick out of the Stupid Housewives of Wherever. Those shows are today’s soap operas!”
Kim makes a valid point here! I mean television viewers are finding Real Housewives of (well, you can fill in which ever city you want) more intriguing then daytime soap opera storytelling in 2011. Enough said.
Guiding Light
Tom Pelphrey Takes on The Role of ‘Jesus Christ’ with Y&R’s Courtney Hope as ‘Mary’ in New Podcast Series
Since first making a name for himself as Reva’s (Kim Zimmer) son, Jonathan Randall on Guiding Light, Tom Pelphrey’s (ex-ATWT and GL) post-soap career has featured many complex and dark roles in television and motion pictures. Now comes perhaps, Pelphrey’s most stunning role when he will play Jesus Christ in a new four–part audio series podcast, called The Christ.
The series is from the Faith Podcast Network who will be releasing the series for Easter. It is being billed as “an audio epic and the first ever full-scale audio dramatization of Jesus’ life across four immersive episodes using cinematic-quality sound, music and performances.” The podcast series will feature more than 100 different characters and can be heard at TheChristPodcast.com
Joining The Ozark and Task star in the cast are some other high-profile Hollywood names including: David Ovelowo as Pontius Pilot, Paul Walter Hauser as John the Baptist, Patricia Heaton as the host and John Rhys-Davies as the narrator. In addition, none other than The Young and the Restless, Courtney Hope (Sally Spectra) also is featured as Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Photo: FaithPodcastNetwork
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “The Christ comes from a creative team that includes writer and director Paul Cuschieri, co-director and producer Mark Ramsey and producer Jim Young.” The series drops during Holy Week, with the first episode debuting on March 30. A new episode will be released each day through April 2, scheduled accordingly so that the entire series will be available by Good Friday on April 3.
The official logline says The Christ will cover “the life, death and legacy of Jesus of Nazareth. Through betrayal, courage, suffering and hope, the series explores how one man’s story reshaped history — and redefined love, authority and sacrifice.”
Pelphrey who announced he has 12-years of sobriety back in 2025, shared why this project was of importance to him, “Sharing about sobriety and faith are so personal to me, and it means so much to me. The other thing you notice is when people are sharing things, you could say a word to a thousand people, and a thousand people hear a different version of that word. In all humility, to share something that matters to you, you first have to come to an understanding and acceptance that you’re surrendering how it’s going to be heard or what it means to anyone listening. You have no control over it. That’s been an amazing process to go through.”
So, what do you think of Tom Pelphrey playing the audio version of Jesus Christ and Courtney Hope playing Mary, Mother of Jesus? Excited to hear the story of Christ via this podcast series? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
Guiding Light
‘Guiding Light’s’ Kim Zimmer Reflects on Brilliant Scenes with Tom Pelphrey After Initially Telling Producers, ‘Hire Any of Them But the Last Guy’
Throughout its 57-year run on daytime, Guiding Light introduced television audiences to many actor who would go on to have major careers in motion pictures, primetime television and the stage. One such is the incredible Tom Pelphrey (Task, Mank, Ozark, Outer Range, et al.), who from the minute he debuted on the CBS soap took soap viewers by storm for his raw, relatable and emotional turn as Reva (Kim Zimmer) and Prince Richard Winslow’s (Bradley Cole) son, Jonathan Randall.
In the complicated storyline, Jonathan was conceived and born while Reva was suffering from amnesia and believing herself to be Princess Catherine while living in San Cristobel. As Jonathan grew up his life was torn apart making him a vengeful, menacing young man, who under it all was deeply wounded and who felt abandoned and forgot about.
Kim Zimmer won four Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Reva Shayne, while Tom Pelphrey took home two Daytime Emmys for the Outstanding Younger Actor in a Daytime Drama Series for his performance. On-screen, together, they were a riveting pairing which included many a tense scene including when Jonathan choked out Reva.

Photo: JPI
During last week’s Guiding Light reunion livestream with Zimmer, Bradley Cole (ex-Richard and Jeffrey, GL) and Laura Wright (ex-Cassie, GL, now Carly, GH) on the You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel, the three actors reminisced about their time together as romantic pairings: Reva/Richard, Cassie/Richard, Reva/Jeffrey etc, but also talked about many of their co-stars and their deeply personal feelings of what Guiding Light meant to all of them.
REVA AND JONATHAN WERE SOAP OPERA GOLD
Though the years, it’s been no secret that Zimmer, did not initially want Tom Pelphrey cast as her son, because as she admitted, in the audition process with her, she was scared of him based on the power of his performance in the scene.
Kim recalled, “I went in (to the producers) right after I auditioned like seven guys, and I said, ‘Hire any of them, but the last guy.’ And they all looked at me like I had six heads, because they had already decided they were going to cast him. And then when I said that, they were like, ‘we’re definitely going to cast him now! That’s the feeling they wanted. They knew he scared me.”
The beloved GL heroine said that once she began working in a scene with Pelphrey, all was A-OK! “It was almost immediate once we started really working together, and I could trust the story,” shared Kim. “It was such a bizarre story that I was being given, again (also referencing Reva’s Clone story as the other), that I was hesitant about that. But once we started really working together, there was no question that they had made the right decision.”
In fact, fans loved Reva and Jonathan so much, they would vote them top couple as Kim remembers, “And, you know, in the soap magazines, we got voted, ‘Best couple,’ and we weren’t a love couple. We were a mother and son. That was like the biggest compliment to me – we’d get nominated as ‘Outstanding Couple.’
ONE OF THE FINEST ACTORS IN THE HISTORY OF GUIDING LIGHT
Kim’s real-life son, Jake Weary has also made quite the name for himself in TV and motion pictures and Pelphrey also bonded many years ago: “When my son was living in LA, he and Jake would hang out together. They had mutual friends and they got to know each other pretty well, which I love. Jake actually asked me recently if I had any favorite Guiding Light scenes that I could remember. And I said, ‘Anything with HB (Larry Gates), Billy Lewis (Jordan Clarke) and Tom Pelphrey.
During the livestream, Laura Wright, who worked in many scenes with Pelphrey, added, “In my opinion, Tom took the bar and he raised it. Not just in talent because he had that, but Tom inspired you. He made you want to do like that, and he wanted you to be as great. He just was all around a great guy to work with.”
In case you missed it, you can check out the Guiding Light live reunion with Kim, Bradley and Laura, followed by some incredible scenes between Tom and Kim as Jonathan and Reva.
Then, let us know, do you think Reva and Jonathan as played by Kim Zimmer and Tom Pelphrey, were the most dynamic mother/son duo all-time on the soaps? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
Breaking News
‘Guiding Light’ Reunion: Kim Zimmer, Bradley Cole and Laura Wright to Chat Live!
In a very special livestream reunion; three of the former stars of the legendary Guiding Light, who’s on-screen lives were forever intertwined, will visit the Michael Fairman Channel on Friday, January 30 beginning at 7pm ET/4pm PT.
Look for GL icon and four-time Daytime Emmy winner, Kim Zimmer (ex-Reva Shayne), Bradley Cole (ex-Prince Richard Winslow and Jeffrey O’Neill and ex-Warren Bauer, GH), and Daytime Emmy winner Laura Wright (ex-Cassie Layne, now Carly Spencer on GH) to reminisce about their time together and memories of the daytime drama that lasted an astounding 57 years on television and counting radio, 72 years.
Guiding Light fans will recall, Bradley’s first run as Richard and his royal wedding to Cassie, to returning as a Jeffrey O’Neill, and how it caused tension between sisters, Reva and Cassie, and much more.

Photo: JPI
As viewers know, Kim Zimmer played the iconic role of Reva Shayne from 1983–1990 and from 1995–2009. Bradley Cole portrayed Prince Richard Winslow from 1999- 2002, and after the character was killed-off, he returned as Jeffrey O’Neill, a lawyer-turned-special agent, who was with the series from 2003-2009. As the show went off the air for the last time in the September 18, 2009 finale, Jeffrey was presumed dead. Then, in 2010, Cole came to General Hospital to take on the short-term but important run of Warren Bauer, who was believed to have abused his son, Kiefer Bauer.
Laura Wright played Reva’s sister Cassie Layne in a stunning reveal in 1999, and stayed with the series until 2005, before moving to General Hospital later that year to take on the role of Carly Corinthos, now going by Carly Spencer and the rest for Wright is as they say, history.
Not only will the GL alums and stars chat about their time on the soap, but will bring you up-to-date on their lives now. First, Bradley has a new album out entitled Desert Dreams. The 12 track project pays a musical tribute to Cole’s upbringing in Los Angeles and the classic rock, pop, and south-of-the-border influences of the ’60s and ’70s that shaped his musical foundation. Desert Dreams blends a classic rock vibe with nostalgic country and a modern Americana sensibility, highlighting Cole’s clear storytelling and skillful melodic songwriting.

Photo: JPI
Meanwhile, Laura Wright continues to star on ABC’s General Hospital whereas Carly Spencer she is embroiled in a major storyline with Carly’s current love interest WSB Port Charles Bureau Chief, Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna). After finding out he enlisted her daughter, Josslyn (Eden McCoy) to be a WSB spy, she believes the guy is bad news, or does she? Laura continues her project Sacred Circle where “women pause, breathe, and reconnect with ourselves — and with each other.”
Then, there is GL icon, Kim Zimmer. She will soon be seen in an upcoming production of Driving Miss Daisy, in the role Daisy at the Cape Fear Regional Theatre in Fayetteville, NC, running from March 19 to April 4, 2026. Last year, Kim starred in the play The Trip to Bountiful at Theatre Raleigh. Back in 2024, Zimmer went public with her breast cancer diagnosis and that she had undergone treatment. She is also the proud mom to TV and film, actor Jake Weary.
If you cannot be with us in the live chat, but have a question or comment you would like posed to Kim, Bradley or Laura, make sure to drop it in the comment section below, and we just might ask it during the live broadcast.
Now below, also check out the Guiding Light profiler with clips from Bradley Cole’s run as Jeffrey O’Neil and how the character was involved with Reva and Cassie and more.
So, excited to see Kim, Bradley and Laura reminiscing about their time on Guiding Light and more? Let us know via the comment section!
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I didn’t watch GL for many years, then once AW went off, I began my journey watching GL till the end. Not sure why Zimmer has to be so ugly towards Wheeler, she was great! I was never a fan of Zimmer anyway…now reading this about her novel, I wouldn’t spend my $ reading trash she has to say. If you going to knock down the show that paid you money to live and eat then its obvious she was not that grateful to have a job in daytime. She was not all that there over actors on this show that were better and all. Zimmer get over yourself, you are drama, go join the Housewives if that’s the kind of dumb stuff you like to be involved in.
Wheeler you read this..you were awesome on AW, a great actress and in all this book mess your the bigger person, she shed those tears your only human. I guess Zimmer does not cry!
GL should have brought back Nola and Quint and Ed & MIke Bauer a long time ago .. they kept bringing in new families and characters that viewers were not invested in. Nola is one of daytime’s most memorable characters and Lisa Brown is one of the best daytime actresses of all time. Her fantasies were incredible…. great TV…… instead of going for great TV and human drama, real people, they went for gimmicks to try to get viewers that were totally unreal — cloning Reva, etc. P&G or whoever was in charge of those shows … Mary Ellis Bunnum or Barbara Bloom .. allowed too much trash on the shows, disrespecting the history and uniqueness that made them human and gave viewers reasons to watch…real life stories, not SCI FI. SCI FI fans watch those type of shows. YOunger viewers would have come and stayed if intriguing characters like Nola, Quint, and their kids and the Bauers were there. Where was Hope all the years when Allen Michael got married, etc.? She would NEVER ignore her son. The game of “revolving writers” ruined the show. I tried to get in as a writing intern during my college years but P& G had discontinued its writing development program. That was a HUGE mistake…. writers hopping from soap to soap is not the answer. YOu need people who CARE and have PASSION about the characters, enough rea-life experiences to draw on, to write ongoign storylines that impact people’s lives. Holly’s rape years ago impacted people’s lives, as did Nola’s fantasties. YOu couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. Even The Marion Crane storyline was interseting — I wrote a similar one in the campus soap I wrote in college 10 years earlier… a man living as a woman in a girls’ dorm… to get revenge on the girl who rejected his marriage proposal. I don’t know… it’s frustrating because the powers that be will not take regular people seriously, they always take writeres from other shows who recycle storylines and dessimate characters, losing viewers, ratings, and advertisers.
Ellen Wheeler did the best she could hanging on a string….knowing cancellation was destined to happen. Viewers like us are WORTH talking to — these people who run the shows seem to only care about people’s opinions inside the industry — they need to solicit and really listen and/or hire people who CARE about the genre, characters, and have passion for the core families. It’s like living in a neighborhood…when people move in and out all the time (in front of and behind the camera), you dont’ feel like it’s home anymore. I would LOVE to talk with the powers that be about all of this, but no one will listen. I”ve emailed them … no replies…sent letters…no replies….. it’s just sad. I may live in VA, but I know what people need to do to get viewers……produced newscats for yeras…. worked in TV news, marketing, and sales…… i just wish SOMEONE would take me seriously!
I would be interested to know what the actual ratings are for the Real Housewife series of shows. It is easy to make generalizations about how viewers more interested in those reality shows than soaps…but I am not and I know quite a few people who don’t watch most of the reality shows on television.
Yes, network soaps do not have the ratings they once did…but the same can be said of prime time shows…cable news channels…you name it. But soaps still pull in great and consistent ratings…that just about any network or cable prime time show would love to get. It is just that the suits in charge of the US soaps don’t want to be in the soap business any more. Period.
It is also very easy to make Ellen Wheeler the scapegoat when it comes to Guiding Light. If only she did this and didn’t do that…then GL would still be on the air. Am I Ms. Wheeler’s biggest fan? Probably not…but please, it was obvious that P&G wanted out of the soap business and they were blowing smoke as far as trying to do anything to save GL or ATWT. Irna Phillips herself could not have saved P&G.
Just look at what Agnes Nixon has been going through with her two soaps on ABC. And while Prospect Park has stepped up to move both soaps online…we all know that AMC and OLTL won’t be AMC and OLTL online if the majority of the cast and writers don’t make the move along with the shows. Can you imagine AMC without Erica Kane or OLTL without Victoria Lord? I certainly can’t.
Years ago a friend of mine was at the Soap Opera Digest Awards, back when they had those Ms. Zimmer was there, my friend sit on her scarf because they were moving you around every commercial break so the place would look full she said Ms. Zimmer was nasty as all get out you would have thought someone would have sit on her head. You know why soaps are going down the tubes? Becasue it is an ensemble piece that makes it work not just one actor. It became the Reva show and that’s why I tuned out…
Hey, Ms. Zimmer is just telling it like it is. The soaps have lost their way and it is reflected in the ratings. Soaps are supposed to be about family, friends and drama. That has been replaced by corporate wars and the mob on the waterfront. On some soaps, you don’t even have core families anymore. If the genre is to last, they have to go back to what worked. Days and GH seem to be on the right track.
GL should have brought back Nola and Quint and Ed & MIke Bauer a long time ago .. they kept bringing in new families and characters that viewers were not invested in. Nola is one of daytime’s most memorable characters and Lisa Brown is one of the best daytime actresses of all time. Her fantasies were incredible…. great TV…… instead of going for great TV and human drama, real people, they went for gimmicks to try to get viewers that were totally unreal — cloning Reva, etc. P&G or whoever was in charge of those shows … Mary Ellis Bunnum or Barbara Bloom .. allowed too much trash on the shows, disrespecting the history and uniqueness that made them human and gave viewers reasons to watch…real life stories, not SCI FI. SCI FI fans watch those type of shows. YOunger viewers would have come and stayed if intriguing characters like Nola, Quint, and their kids and the Bauers were there. Where was Hope all the years when Allen Michael got married, etc.? She would NEVER ignore her son. The game of “revolving writers” ruined the show. I tried to get in as a writing intern during my college years but P& G had discontinued its writing development program. That was a HUGE mistake…. writers hopping from soap to soap is not the answer. YOu need people who CARE and have PASSION about the characters, enough rea-life experiences to draw on, to write ongoign storylines that impact people’s lives. Holly’s rape years ago impacted people’s lives, as did Nola’s fantasties. YOu couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. Even The Marion Crane storyline was interseting — I wrote a similar one in the campus soap I wrote in college 10 years earlier… a man living as a woman in a girls’ dorm… to get revenge on the girl who rejected his marriage proposal. I don’t know… it’s frustrating because the powers that be will not take regular people seriously, they always take writeres from other shows who recycle storylines and dessimate characters, losing viewers, ratings, and advertisers.
Well i am definately going to Read this book.. I read an article or interview many years ago where Ellen wheeler said that acting saved her from bieng schizophrenic in real life. I can harldy wait til the book is on shelves.
I’m a long time ABC soap fan (AMC, OLTL, GH) on and off for over 25 years. After hearing some interesting things happening over at GL in Dec 08, I decided to switch over to the Otalia storyline, and watched to the end of the show. I came in for Otalia but stayed for the entirety of the show.
Yeah, looking back on some of the show clips, it was rough when they changed production models. Some thrived in the new environment, while others did not. It took a little while but it did improve. And from the standpoint of someone who has watched some of the British soaps, EW’s new production model for GL was not actually new ground – maybe so for US soaps and their viewers. I quite enjoyed the series from Dec 08 til the end (including spending HOURS going back and watching clips on YT to get caught up on stories).
I’ve met KZ in person 3 times, but her seeming attitude to a job she apparently didn’t enjoy to the point of getting drunk most of the time in the last year to in her words ‘get through it’, really doesn’t inspire me to listen to what she’s written.
Kim Zimmer fans will also enjoy the Mr. Media VIDEO interview in which she talks about working with her friend Alec Baldwin on “The Doctors,” replacing Kathleen Turner on “The Doctors” and playing her double onscreen in “Body Heat,” her 26 years on “The Guiding Light,” and her struggles with alcohol in the show’s final years. Check it out: https://www.mrmedia.com/?p=2172