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Melissa Claire Egan Confirms Exit From Y&R!

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com
Following the bombshell news yesterday that fan favorite, Melissa Claire Egan was exiting The Young and the Restless and her role of Chelsea Lawson Newman, comes word from the actress herself on Wednesday confirming her departure.
Taking to her social media accounts, Egan delivered this statement: “After much thought and six wonderful years, I have decided to leave The Young and the Restless. I love this show (and this genre) so very much, and am so grateful to this amazing cast and crew, especially my beyond wonderful Joshua Morrow. This cast, crew and everyone behind the scenes at Sony and CBS are truly the best at what they do and are my family, To you incredible fans, thank you for EVERYTHING. This isn’t goodbye. Truly, just goodbye for now. All my love, Melissa.”
Share you well-wishes to Melissa as she gets set to pursue her career away from daytime and Y&R in the comment section below!
Good for her!
She is young and needs to grow and find life outside of a dead-end soap career…
Melissa / Chelsea was put with a horrible no chem terrible match, Nick.
They never belonged together and putting Chelsea with the snoozer Nick killed her character.
After Adam was gone Chelsea was dead in the water just floating around.
It would have been a whole different story IF Adam had been recast.
I wish Melissa a great future and she made the right move to get out while still young.
I thought Victor for the money; return for Cholie. Never quite felt OK with Chelsea and Nick.
I always record, and don’t know what I think right now.
As one who had a mother with Alzheimer’s Disease and one who severed on the Board in our area, the coverage was somewhat accurate; not for those with no funds. It is a can be terrifying for those with money as well as those without.
For now, I have had no indications that Nick was the father of Adam’s baby. It has been so long perhaps I have that backwards.
I do like the flowers and set improvements.
Too much kissy, kissy with Billy and his most recent.
Not uncomfortable yet, but Victoria’s return of her husband could change that. I am glad it is not drugs.
Thanks all!
Tani
Great post, Tani….speaking f not feeling the thing for Nick and Chelsea as a couple, many of us felt the same…
By the same token, I feel no connection between nuPhyllis and nuBilly…
Actually, I felt the same when Joshua and Michelle Stafford were together….she was best with Ronan, and eorst with Jack……He’s not that great eith anyone….
…..which brings me to this: I love Michelle, always have, ….want to put that out first!!!!….she was the perfect Phyllis—authentic….redeemed, but still had her little devious nuances, which were soooo her!!!
So, for nuPhyllis to go off on Chelsea as a fraud?…. kind of leaves my ears ringing.
Billy says, ( paraphrasing)….”you are accusing Chelsea of outright fraud…”…..where Phyllis answers…..” well, she’s done it before…”!!!!! HUH?!?!?!?! Really????? I have a loooong memory.
I guess TPTB have conveniently ‘forgotten’ how “bad” Phyllis truly was in her heyday!!! Calling the kettle black much?!
I have not liked Chelsea since Adam left…..not Melissa’s fault !!!! I hope she finds what she’s looking for…..great address; simply not used to her full potential.
Remember;
Marisa Sierras/ Sofia Pernas ..
Noah and Marisa..
She has starring role in tv series ‘The Brave’
She is – Sofia Pernas as Hannah Archer, a former operative turned analyst at the DIA.
It’s been renewed,,
Just to say, actors exiting the Y&R have done well for themselves.
Hoping Melissa Claire Egan does as well ..
Wow
And just when your story is finally getting exciting with the money thing!
Hi, Cody,
I think the ‘money thing’ is part of her exit…..only an ending story, per se. A means to an end.
So far no one has mentioned that it may have been Chole’s stash ..
@su0000.
That’s a very good point, SuzieQ. And, no, my mind did not go there. Where could she have gotten her hands on that much money?
@CeeCee’s right and so is Su000
I thought Victor offered it to her as “hush” money about Christian’s paternity.
@Rom.
Hi, Ron,
Anything is possible…..TPTB, probably, don’t even know themselves, yet.
We shall see, my friend. But I think you hit it on the head– it’s some sort of getaway cash fund. I think she’s had guilt over keeping Christian’s paternity from Nick, will spill the beans, get tossed out, and leave. All will be answered in three episodes, not three months because that’s the way the show now works (which doesn’t work for me at all.)
@Ron.
Yeah, Ron…it will be a fast exit. Chelsea has been planning this for a while….” The Great Escape”, LOL.
She may feel guilt about the baby; but, I still think Christian is, actually, Nick’s. I don’t trust Victor …..could never trust him.
The possibility that Adam is alive is viable, I think.
Chelsea and Connor will go to him….and, they will all return as re-casts. How’s that?
As you say, my friend….we shall see….
BINGO!
I’ve always liked Chelsea but at times she felt like an awkward piece of the Genoa City puzzle that they tried to make fit and it didn’t work. She was fantastic with both Michael Muhney and Justin Hartley, and Chelsea/Adam was always one of my favourite couples. Melissa is a great actress and I’m sure she’ll make it big in primetime, just like Justin did. Who knows, maybe she’ll wind up on This is Us soon!
As for Chelsea, I’m glad the door is being left open for her return. Hopefully if they ever bring her back, Adam will be back too. And it looks like with both Chelsea and Scott gone, the writers are going back for a Nick/Sharon pairing again. Will “Shick” stick this time? Probably not.
Yes I agree. I liked Chelsea with Adam but I never liked her with Nick. If Y & R really wanted her to stay, they would of made her an offer to stay. There was no one left to pair her with. She and Billy Miller had a great chemistry. I can understand why she wanted to leave. I wish her the best of luck in her future. I am sure she will one day return to Y & R as most soap actors do. I can not wait for the Shick reunion. They deserve to be together. I would like Nick and Sharon to get involved in a real big storyline. Disappointed that MM won’t be coming back.
Agreed, Jimmy…..chelsea has eorn her seat out, as it were….
I think she is the Chelsea2 online scammer….maybe that’s where the money is coming from.
And, speaking of puzzles whose pieces don’t fit? How about the Cane-Lily, stomach churning scenes?I wish Cane would leave ….I am about to barf …..can’t take the idiotic scenes a’ la parisienne…..this couple does not connect with me….never has…
@CeeCee
Morning Sweets, can’t agree w/ you more…Cain needs to
take an extended trip to Japan, introduce his newly born
son to his grandfather. I’ve had enough of him to last a
lifetime.
Candy Cane would send a diabetic into shock with all that sweetness towards Lilly! ENOUGH!
@Timmm.
Candy Cane, my T? HaHaHaHaHa!!!! I love it !!!!! I’ve been FF-ing their scenes….TPTB are making a fool out of Lily….I like her, so I I feel badly for her being stuck in the situation….but, if she is happy ( which makes no sense….she could to better, if only the writers gave this girl an exit), I guess it’s ok.
The contractor? Is he the new character Mr. Fairman was talking about?….Ewwwww!!!!! Creepyland….and Nikki?????? What’s up with her???????
Why are so many characters acting so out-of-character? Nikki sleeping with that young dude was not so much Ben and Mrs Robinson but more like Harold and Maude. Now, that is not an ageist crack, it’s just that kid looks younger than Noah, Nikki’s grandson. Nikki looks great and I say more power to her, but still, it seemed random and out-of-character for her. Prior to that inexplicable tryst, Nikki was saying to Ashley,”Take my husband……………..Please.” Remember when these two former rivals were cat fighting over Victor? Now they’re playing a game of hot potato with Victo. “You take him, bitch!” “No, I don’t want him–you take him!”
Rethinking this, Jimmy….was that Chelsea? Alexandra West? I think, as I said, Chelsea is stealing from ‘herself’? I had a hunch…
Also, is Nikki going through bored-housewife-syndrome? What is going on with Y&R?????
What’s with senior women with schoolboys? …kind of ridiculous….I hope Nikki has a different kind of trick up her sleeve. Ha!!
That new contractor dude is horrible!
@Harry.
Ahhh, Harry….cracking up here….again, where do you get this stuff??
Nikki and Arturo ( oh, gawd—Arthur?) is truly disgusting….if, she did, indeed, play footsie with Arrrrturo ( think Carrrrlos).. ….sick, sick, sick….I hear that both sexes go through this phase in their later years….or when they think their youth has become elusive, literally….I just can’t see my mother with the 20-year-old gardner. LOL.
… and here I thought Julian and Alexis were ‘mismatched’, to say the least…..
Soon, TPTB will have Dina come back and take up with Reed.
Gone to the birds….everyone!!
Sounds like “Alexis Davis Syndrome” has spread to Genoa City and at a rampant pace, CeeCeeGirl! OMG…now Nikki’s at it? You’d think with her sexually-promiscuous teen years and subsequent career as a stripper, she’d be all “skanked out” by now! Guess old slappers never die, they just keep going ‘til they drop! Lol….Seems every soaptown has to have one or two.
@Shay.
Hiyaahh, Shay,
Too funny….. I do believe we all did a doubletake when we saw Nikki climb those infamous stairs ( so much has happened on those stairs, as ‘clients’ traipse to their rooms—including Abby having had a miscarriage).
But, honestly, The age difference between Arturo and Nikki is thirty to forty years….then, of course, there was the ‘fling’ between Ashley and Ravi….
….we’re not talking a few years, Shay, but decades.
These women look great ( from afar, lol)….but we all know their age….thus, these writers are off their rocker if they think it’s sexy or appealing to have men in their twenties sleep with 60-or-so-year-old-women.
In my grandmother’s words, ” What has this soap world come to?”…..always the jokester, she is.
I wish Melissa Claire Egan all the best.As for the character of Chelsea, i’m wondering if it comes out that Christian is really Adam’s and not Nick’s and that Chelsea knew which causes Nick to break up with her.Then Chelsea could decide to take Connor and leave Genoa City for a fresh start somewhere else.That way the door is left open for her to return down the line because Melissa Claire Egan might be willing to come back to Y&R one day
I hope she follows her good friends and finds primetime TV work. She is still young and beautiful and very good and playing good girl and bad. She is ready to move on.
I agree, Chrystie…Melissa has all the ingredients to make it on Primetime…
I wonder ‘how’ Chelsea will exit? I think she made one big mistake after she cleaned out Alexandra West’s ( now we know it is Chelsea herself) bank account. ….she tossed her wig and hat in the brush, at the roadside. I guess, Chelsea realized JT was getting too close for comfort.
That wig and hat will have DNA on them and finger prints. Chelsea hanged herself….
Will she leave by going to prison? Such an ignoble exit…. she came from dirt and she’s leaving with dirty hands; if I am right, that is….
I like that idea, Andrew….I am one eho believes to never leave the door closed, but ajar….situations are always ‘a-changing.
@Fanny.
Ahh, my lady….it is what it is….now, this new contractor-guy is just as unnerving, LOL. Can’t win ’em all !!
Hi, Andrew,
If Chelsea leaves with Adam ( planned ), Adam may want Christian…..so, your comment has legs.
But, as I have maintained from the start, Victor knows the truth….he manipulated the DNA; however, I think the baby has been Nick’s since day one…..we will never know what makes Victor tick.
On the other hand, maybe it was Chelsea who twisted fate…..
Phyllis is accusing Chelsea ( not that she’s wrong) because she is familiar with deceitful, fraudulent maneuvers.
What are the chances Chelsea takes Christian?????
If Christian is Adam’s, then she takes him. If he really belongs to Nick, then she’ll bolt with Connor only. Either way, what a horrible thing to do to children.
@Ron.
Hey, Ron,
That’s the crux of the matter, Ron. Chelsea thinks Christian is Adam’s because it is exactly what Victor wants her to think.
However, I have always suspected that the baby was Nick’s…..does not make me right, of course, but, I do not uphold Victor’s word to the nth degree….not even close; EVER!! He’s a cock, as in rooster, who struts….no honor, in that.
Chelsea truly believes that Victor ‘fudged’ the DNA tests so that Nick would believe the baby was his.
Big BUT, here…..who’s to say that it was not all a hoax? It would not be the first time Victor played havoc with people’s lives…including his family. LOL.
You are right about her bolting with Christian…..as far as she knows, he is Adam’s. For this exact reason, I think Adam is directing her every move….unless I am reading all of it wrong? Do you think Adam is behind the scheme?
I wish her all the very best. She is truly a great actress and she will be missed but I have always felt that they didn’t utilize her talent after Adam left. That angle they had with her Adam & Sharon brought fans to tears with Shadam, then when Justin Hartley took over we all rooted for her & Adam no matter what Victor did. We fans fell in love again with Chadam this time. Once we lost both Adam’s, Chelsea’s acting was nothing more than making out with Nick and that pairing never moved anyone. Wishing you the best till we see you again.
Agree with you completely, Nikki….I have been lamenting about Chelsea for a long time…..
It looks like TPTB are going to make her look like Chelsea is a fraud, and has been hoodwinking everyone in GC and the audience……is her past catching up to her?
Maybe when she exits the show, she mysteriously gets into a car and says, “Sorry it took so long, I got the money and everyone thinks you are still Dead.” They dont show the driver. It could be Adam or maybe Chloe? Cliffhanger!
@Timmm.
Yes, Timmmy….I bet Adam and Chelsea have been incommunicado for a while….
If this is so; how could she share her bed with Nick…..there is a word for women like her….
I like your dialogue…… as Adam and Chelsea with Connor drive off.
Will they come back for Christian? ( albeit, I believe he is Nick’s?)
Jordan will be back. Just watch.
@Ron.
Hey, Ron,
….Would you believe I completely forgot about Jordan? …..he was such an inconsequential character for me; he did not matter, at the time….but, now?
You may be right. He must have left abruptly, if I didn’t even notice….shame on me. It would make sense….maybe he and Chelsea orchestrated and pulled off the scam together. To what end? Did Jordan help her so she could go to Adam?
Good one, Ron. Perhaps Adam and Chelsea, as recasts, will return to claim Christian.
Oh no! This saddens me. I live watching Ms. Egan and I have always liked Chelsea. She is fiery and can hold her own with the Newmans. She is one strong woman who had a heart. I am glad to hear this is her choice and it is not part of the sweep that seems to be going on in Genoa City this winter. Agreed, I would have liked to have seen more of Chelsea integrated into other stories. Am curious to see how her exit plays out. Will she sneak off? That seems unlikely. Will Victor assist her? They keep Christian’s paternity secret. She is a grifter though, so…
I think all the pieces have been moving in the right direction. I am sad to see her go, but KNEW that Chelsea and Nick were NEVER end game. Her heart always belonged to Adam even if she could find love with his brother.
HOWEVER, the writers have finally gotten Sharon back to the sane character that she used to be and it is the right time to gradually put Nick and Sharon back together as I believe they ARE endgame. They have developed into good friends this past year and spending more and more time together collaborating. I would love to see them put back together but very slowly. Please do not rush them into bed!!
Sorry to see her go.
GOOD LUCK TO A BEAUTIFUL ACTRESS…HER STORY ENDED WITH ADAM..SINCE THEN IT HAS BEEN A COMPLETE BORE….HARD TO WATCH HER ANS NICK EVERY DAY….TIME FOR A CHANGE….
100 percent agree!
You have always known how I feel/felt about Chelsea, T…..you feel the same way….I am not sorry to see her leave—-
This plan of hers is too sudden…I wish the writers had thought of a more positive way to aid her exit. Today, we saw that she has been planning this for a while, and it includes Christian. The only possible deduction is that Adam is, indeed, alive…..if so, how does he accept ( probably masterminded the scheme to begin with) the crudeness of his wife sleeping with his brother? Or anyone? Diabolical, if you ask me…..not my cup of tea….but, I may be imagining all of it. Very fertile mind, I have, LOL.
Also, who is back from the netherworld, showing up at the family mausoleum? Adam? Sage? Or is it a ‘live’ one: Victor? Phyllis?
Stashing money in a mausoleum? Charles Dickens at work here! Jordan says he’s in town for the day only, so I doubt he followed her there today, unless he was lying about heading back to NYC. If Nick had half the brains, he would have trailed Chelsea when she left the apartment. Maybe it’s Adam back from the dead (ala Harry’s comment last week) or maybe Phyliis, the amateur detective, was on her trail. Victor? Anything is possible.
But, if it were really a Dickens’ storyline, it would hae been a real grave, Chelsea would then kill whoever has been tracking her and then bury him/her alive. (I do recall Y and R doing this decades ago with a very young Lauren– some creep named Shawn had a thing for Lauren and buried her alive.)
I do not like the direction this show is going. Why did they bring JT back ? They have ut him in dead end jobs. Nikki wants Ashley with Victor. Seriously? Lily needs to stop whining over Sam. She either wants to be with Cane or not.
You know, Cathy, I’m feeling a kind of ennui (not the right word but the only one that feels right) about the plotlines you mentioned. NOTHING has me excited, it’s like a time-marking period. Just wade thru each day hoping for a spark. While Marla Adams (Dina) and Camryn Grimes (Mariah) are at the peaks of their craft, their stories seem to have stalled. Hopefully, resuscitation is on the way, maybe in the form of a sexy new doctor. GH has all the sexy men right now (Joshua Morrow nowithstanding). JT is cute but all these dreadful beards have to go (on GH as well).
LOL, Soaphound….ennui is the perfect word….( I speak fluent French, my friend, and I SAY it is!!!!!! LOL).
Well….I live in the Northeast, so, Inblame my ennui to the never-ending, dark, freezing winterama.
Everything has stalled…except for this new, harsh Ashley….then Jack…then Billy and Phyllis, then Nick and Chelsea, then, more Phyllis and Billy, etcetera etcetera etcetera….
Not a fan of JT. I didn’t watch the show when he was on before. I don’t “get” the hype. I would like to see a dashing business man sweep Ashley off of her feet!
Lily is the most irritating character, IMO.
Ashley has become the shrew….so, yeah, dmr…..she needs a dashing, superman!! LOL.
Good luck to her! She ‘s getting out while the gettings good. Mal’s storylines have this show circling the drain. I hope she finds what she’s looking for, she’s given us good characters both on Y&R and AMC.
Sorry to see this fine young actress leave, but they will leave the plot open for her return. This show needs a kick in the pants….it needs to get really interesting!!!! It needs Adam….he needs to be as strong as his father. Set up the time for Victor’s retirement/death….get a strong actor for the future of this show.
Wish her the best. Loved her on All my Children. She should spread her wings. I’ll miss her sweet face.
WIll not miss the character, unless they send her to Portland for a final confrontation with Chloe. I agree with so many others: she and Nick don’t click. She has not had a solid storyline since Adam’s death so I can see why the actress may look for more adventurous gigs elsewhere.
That probably holds true for a majority of the cast. Too many ridiculous things going on. Ashley/Victor/Nikki? Not buying it. Sorry, but I don’t see anyone with Victoria… the character is annoying… to be polite. Phyllis matching Ravi with Hillary? Maybe Ravi with a newly-cast Summer makes more sense. The writers blew a chance with Mariah, pairing her with Ravi– equally smart, level-headed young adults.
I would’ve loved that, Ron….Mariah and Ravi. I think I said the same thing, a few days ago….
As I said to Fanny; it is what it is…Alas….sometimes I’d like to get into the writers’ collective heads just to see what makes them tick….
Hi Celia —
I am days behind, but stopped when Nikki was heading for the stairs with whomever that young man was. Somehow I recalled that the program led us to think Adam was Christian’s father. Of course that doesn’t mean anything; this is a soap.
Mariah has become my most favorite. Wish Sharon would get her back into school, or perhaps she has more background than we know. She seems such a strong person which stands out as pleasing, solid, and thoughtful amongst the requisite opposite.
Good to see Tracy. See too is something solid, and somehow ties the past with the present.
Things, for me, are too scattered. I like it when one couple or person remains a foundation while “soaps” do what they do. They can become too comedic minus foundation.
I was somewhat out of touch for several years. It must have been when Victoria’s husband was on the program. I remember him, but not what his role was. Isn’t he her husband in “real” life?
Fun to read again, and certainly the best to Melissa for her years of entertaining us.
She never was the love of adams life what a joke that was always Sharon
Agree! As booming as Genoa City is, these characters do seem to find a shortage of available people for a relationship. Sure hope it’s not the norm in Wisconsin.
Never a fan of Chelsea. I commend her for leaving a steady job. She is a good actress. Perhaps her end game was when Justin Hartley left. She just lost her momentum. Nick is not right for her. It would have been nice to see a triangle between him, Adam and Chelsea but that is off the table now, time two! Maybe now the triangle will be Adam, Nick and Sharon? Good luck Melissa!
The beginning of the exit storyline is awful..
Why would Chelsea need to steal from her own company? The woman has tons of money I swear Pratt has sneaked back into the building.
@Kay – I completely agree! I am so confused since Chelsea has all of Adam’s money???????????????????????????????????
Hi, Kay,
There may be a stipulation/ clause with Adam’s money….tied up, somehow, someway? I suspect Victor….it’s obvious he’s having her followed….is he in on this? Against Nick? ….his own son? What am I not surprised……what a guy!
If Adam is alive, he may be telling her not to touch that money. If not, then your remark, which is always ‘right-on’, is right-on. LOL.
You haven’t been wrong yet, my friend. You, as I, know the great history of this fab soap….and, as such, I do not feel comfortable with ‘things’/plotlines that do not add up…..as I said many times before, I want this show to get its ‘old’ splendor back.
My puzzlement is with Chelsea’s ‘little’ monologue with Christian. She said she was doing it for him
and Connor…..which leads me to believe she is taking Christian.
@Tani.
Hi, Tani,
LOL, my friend….That ‘trip’, of Nikki’s up the stairs, was very baffling. Harry’s comment says it best.
What is going on with her? How low can you go, Nikki?
Maybe, I’m making too much out of it, and it was all innocent? Right !
Yes, as far as Chelsea and the audience know, Christian is Adam’s. Everyone else thinks the baby is Nick’s.
I believe, as I said to Ron, Nick is the bio dad….however, TPTB will play with this, changing their minds many times, before settling on either Nick or Adam.
As far as Mariah…..she is everything you describe her to be. I truly love the charscter….and I love her relationship with Sharon.
It certainly is good to see Tracy….she has the same ‘calming’ effect on me as Laura ( Genie Francis) on GH.
You are too kind when you say ‘scattered’…..I love my Y&R, but, I like some solid ground, as you do. No foundation is right…..too many comings and goings…no solidity. The only happy ending is for Phyllis and Billy? Not for me….is anyone ever happy on soaps? The most ridiculous relationship is that of Victor and Nikki…..this couple will be on its deathbed, yet getting a divorce for the umpteenth time. LOL.
JT was sort of a rebel in his ‘youth’….I liked him best with Coleen Carlton, albeit he was much older….their romance was one of the ‘super’ lovestories in soapdom, but I always liked him…halcyon days, those were.
Yes, Amelia and Thad were married, in real life….I think they are divorced, but I can’t be sure.
So glad to see you posting, Tani….it is very nice and fun, indeed, to read and communicate……I wish for it to go on forever…..
Stay well, Tani.
So happy for an amazing actress !! Now, I know why they are writing this ridiculous story line. Chelsea has no reason to steal, money, clothing , or anything else. It is all her’s to begin with !!!
Bring Avery back for Nick Newman when Chelsea leaves
I am tired of him and Sharon give her to someone else
How about Sharon and Jordan, or Adam newman
Wow I was shocked when I heard you were leaving the show will never be the same with out your beautiful smile and talent on the show. I will truly miss you I hope you continue to act doing something. you are so talented and beautiful you should slide right in to a big time show or movies good luck in your future Melissa you will be missed Tim
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.”
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
‘General Hospital’s’ Kelly Thiebaud on Britt and Cassius Sibling Drama, But Who Will Ultimately Blow His Cover?
On the April 30 episode of General Hospital, Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) had some choice words and warning for her brother Cassius Faison (Ryan Paevey) who has been masquerading as his twin, the very dead, Nathan West.
As the story has unfolded, viewers learned that Britt knew all along that when “Nathan” showed up in Port Charles seemingly resurrected with a missing 7 years of his life unexplained, that Cassius was taking his place.
Now in developments on today’s GH, Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy) is figuring out that this guy pretending to be Nathan is someone else, and Cassius learns from Britt, that Joss is not just a ditzy sorority girl as he claimed, but a WSB agent! The moment stuns Cassius. Are the walls about to close in on him and his charade?

Courtesy/ABC
Daytime Emmy winner, Kelly Thiebaud spoke to Soap Opera Digest, about the story point and getting the opportunity this time back at GH to work with Ryan Paevey, when she hadn’t had the chance to before.
BROTHERLY LOVE?
Thiebaud expressed on sharing scenes with Ryan Paevey, “It’s just been so wonderful to have him back and to actually work with him! When he first came onto the show (as Nathan at the end of 2013) I was kind of heading out — it was right towards the end of my contract, so we didn’t actually work together a ton. It’s been really refreshing and so much fun to really spend time together and get to know each other and work together. I think we have really great on-camera chemistry and banter with each other. I really enjoy working with him.”
With the stakes at an all-time, Thiebaud explained how she views her on-screen alter-ego’s involvement with her more hot-to-temper sibling and why Britt revealed the truth about Josslyn to him. “People finding out about Cassius would expose what she’s involved in and what she agreed to do,” explains Kelly “And now Josslyn is digging around, and she’s connected to Carly (Laura Wright) to Jason (Steve Burton) and that whole dynamic! It’s messy!”
BRITT’S MURKY FUTURE
Britt has currently also reached her breaking point with Jason being carted away by the WSB, Rocco (Finn Carr), the child she gave birth to, shooting Cullum (Andrew Hawkes) to protect her and Jason, Marco (Adrian Anchondo) being killed after trying to help her, and Cullum holding over her head getting her Huntington’s disease medication to control her symptoms, while blackmailing her into finishing the research on her father, Cesar Faison’s, final project. Thiebaud summed it up best for Britt right now, sharing, “It’s been a really tough time for her.”
So, who do you think will be the person to blow Cassius’ cover? Will it be Britt herself? Josslyn? Liesl? Brennan? Nina? Lulu? Rocco, Maxie, Cullum or someone else? Let us know your pick in the comment section.
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