News
Lauralee Bell and Michael Damian returning to The Young and the Restless for May Sweeps!
Photo Credit: Lesley Bohm
Yesterday, we reported that Michelle Stafford (Phyllis) had mentioned over the weekend at Joyce Becker’s Soap Opera Festival that Michael Damian was returning to Y&R to reprise the role of Danny Romalotti. Then last evening, TV Guide confirmed that not only is Damian set for a return, but so is Lauralee Bell!
TV Guide reports, that the set-up of their return has to do with something that the show has decided to dig up from its glorious past! “When bat-crap crazy Phyllis attempted to kill Cricket in a hit-and-run. No one ever found out who did the dirty deed and Phyllis’ days as a sociopath are long behind her. Will she get busted after all this time?”
Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins
It should be interesting to see Christine’s reaction when she finally learns the truth, and should give Michelle Stafford some material to sink her teeth into. Bell arrives back in Genoa City on May 17th and Damian arrives on the 18th!
What do you think soapers? Does this story being revisited hold interest for you? Let us know!
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)
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well finally after all these years the truth will finally come out. paul williams was hurt and christine blair. what will happen will phyllis finally go to jail. lets see what the writers do to phyllis. lets hope the writers do this properly and soap fans and me are satisfied with the storyline. is angelina gone for good. or is she coming back. please let me know michael fairman. angelina has really grown on me. in the beginning when diana degarmo came to the young and the restless i did not like her role. now i love her. great singer and actress. the soap magazines did not say she was leaving. so whats with her leaving. please michael fairman let us know. she angelina gone for good. because that brought carmine her ex boyfriend yesterday on the young and the restless. love your interviews michael fairman. i am a great fan of yours. keep up the good work michael. we all love you in my family. hugs to you michael.
Because of Maria Arena Bell’s lack or creativity, she resorts to going back to the past storylines created by her brilliant father-in-law Bill Bell. Must I remind those of you out there regarding the .000 batting average this woman and her co-hacks have in regards to dregging up past characters and doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING with them?!? MAB killed Liz Foster in order to make Jill a Fenmore – REALLY?!? Patti Williams is brought to Genoa City by Victor, given a facelift to look like her psychiatrist Emily Peterson, kills Colleen and causes assorted troubles for others, escapes and comes back to shoot Jack Abbott AGAIN – REALLY?!? Diane Jenkins returns 20 years younger, makes enemies with everyone is murdered and the audience is stuck with a boring-as-all-hell convoluted murder mystery that went on for close to 6 months – REALLY?!?
Do we really need the triumvirate of Maria Arena Bell, Hogan Sheffer & Scott Hamner to go back to the show’s glory days AGAIN in order for them to attempt, and undoubtedly fail to ,build on its’ rich history? Along with the SORAS’ing of Kyle, this just smells of desperation – with any luck, all three of these hacks will be out once the viewership hits below 4K (and its on its way!)
Bart, I agree completely with your comment. It sounds like you and I have similar opinions of this once-great show.
Other historical nuggets that MAB unsuccessfully mined: (1) The unresolved story about Nina’s son that was sold by Rose Deville. His whereabouts remained a mystery for 20 years until MAB introduced us to Ronan BUT didn’t even bother to focus on the relationship between Nina and Ronan!!!!! Frankly, I would have preferred if the potential for a great plot was still out there versus what MAB did with it; and (2) MAB jumped through MASSIVE plot holes and convulted twists to reveal to us that Phillip Chancellor III was alive and had faked his “death scene” (which I vividly remember). Once Kay and Jill learn that he is still alive and he inanely trots back to Australia after reuniting with everyone, the women seem to forget about him even though they mourned his death for over 20 years! Honestly, poor Phillip was more loved and remembered when everyone thought he was dead!!
Something is NOT working at Y&R. I have watched this show for over 30 years. I am watching fewer and fewer episodes these days and, rather than loving the show, following it seems like a chore. I can’t believe Y&R remains the top rated soap. For the frist time ever, I honestly think B&B, the ‘trashy, campy sister” show, has surpassed Y&R in quality.
Something desparately needs to be done about this show quickly!!!! Trotting out Cricket and Danny for a “guest appearance” to revisit the hit and run storyline isn’t the type of thing that will save Y&R, particularly when the impact of this incident will be forgotten by Phyllis and friends 2 weeks afterwards.
Two more “could-have-been-great” stories that were botched completely and needed mentioning – thank you, Barbara. =c)
I’ve been a faithful viewer since August 1981 – now I turn it on due to habit, not loyalty. Sure Bill Bell and his team had their misfires here and there, but IT WAS HIS SHOW, HIS CREATION, HIS VISION. MAB’s track record with her ‘vision’ is a resounding ZERO! None of her one-note characters work, her pre-occupancy with current pop culture (that horrid Angelina, turning Restless Style into a TMZ-like show) is ludicrous, and she seems hell-bent on doing more damage coming up by screwing with the past.
While I will still never forgive former EP/Head Writer Lynn Marie Latham for killing John Abbott, creating the horrible characters of Cane and Jana, and two horribly botched murder plots (Carmen Mesta & Ji-Min Kim), it seems as though MAB wants to continue doing even MORE damage. The show is over-bloated, yet super-terrific new characters are getting all the attention in horribly-written plot-driven slurry. I am also tired of out-of-work soap actors coming over to this show pushing popular characters to the background.
I don’t know about you, but I still have a hard time buying Daisy & Ryder as the demon spawn of Sheila Carter & Tom Fisher, since they didn’t know one another when Sheila came back to town in 2005. I also don’t buy 49 y o Genie Francis as the mother of 40 y o Daniel Goddard. All I know is we are in for a bumpy ride as the shizz will no doubt continue.
I CAN’T WAIT FOR THIS STORY TO UNFOLD! I hope Phyllis becomes a scheming sociopath again…. so much more interesting to watch than her chasing after Nick again and again!! As an unhinged fangirl in the 90’s, she was absolutely riveting to watch. Hope they have lots of flashbacks to her bat shit crazy antics! 🙂 I hope she squashes that bug FOR GOOD this time!! 🙂
I agree with all the posts MAB & cohorts have ruined this show it is unwatchable? What is on MAB’s resume other then being married to a Bell, and did Hogan Scheffer write pretty bad for ATWT or did I dream that anyway I can tell you I am frustrated with her and have been for years, this could be a good story but she will botch it!!!
U haters of MAB and Y&R are WHACK! WTH? It’s NUMBER ONE for a reason! You may not agree with the direction of the show, but it’s hard to argue with numbers and statistics. Just sayin.
this is crazy, I’m tired of seeing characters get into legal trouble. They could do a lot with L Bell comming back. Danny coule come back and help his son on the custody battle. Dragging an old storyline up is not what I’d want to see. M. Stafford’s character has do been redeemed by the life she is living why bring it up. Get Jack up with Avery. Play off of Sarge being in recovery along with Harmony and Nikki. Bring Adriane Franz back to help Daniel. That would be some good stuff to do. Have Christine investigate Louren for shooting Daisey? There is so many good things that can be done. No need to bring up a long since gone storyline.
Honestly, I’m tired of Y&R constantly reliving the past. How many times has Victor and Nikki gotten back together only to break up again? And then do it all over again! I’m sick of Phyllis and Nick and then Sharon and Nick, blah, blah, blah. It’s no wonder soaps are being cancelled, because Y&R isn’t the only soap doing this, but they seem to rely on the same storylines all the time. And personally, I say leave Cricket out of the show. It’s tired and old.
I am thrilled that michael damian and laura lee bell are coming back……the young and the restless is and has been the best soap on television……the story lines always keep the fans sitting on the edge of our seats……something is always brewing in genoa city.