Our hearts and condolences go out today to Charles Shaughnessy (ex-Shane Donovan, Days of Our Lives and Victor Cassadine, General Hospital, and Maxwell Sheffield, The Nanny) and his brother, David Shaughnessy, one time executive producer and director at The Young and as well as The Bold and the Beautiful, on the loss of their beloved mother, Jean Lodge.

Lodge was a British actress who appeared with Alan Ladd in the 1954 medieval adventure film The Black Knight. She died at age 99 on August 5 just one day after she celebrated her birthday. News of her passing came from her granddaughter, Amy Shaughnessy who took to Facebook with a tribute to her beloved grandmother.

Throughout her motion picture career, Lodge was featured in 1949’s Dick Barton Strikes Back and Dr. Morelle: The Case of the Missing Heiress. Later credits included: Brandy for the Parson (1952), White Corridors (1951), Final Appointment (1954), Accidental Death (1963), The Eyes of Annie Jones (1963) and Invasion (1966).

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THE SHAUGHNESSY BROTHERS CARRY ON THE FAMILY LEGACY

Talent runs in the Shaughnessy family as Lodge’s late husband, Alfred Shaughnessy, had developed and served as head writer and producer on the acclaimed 1971-75  UK series, Upstairs, Downstairs.

As daytime fans know, Charles Shaughnessy was one-half of the Days of Our Lives super couple of Shane and Kimberley (Patsy Pease) and has appeared on the soap opera on and off for decades starting in 1984 up until his more recent appearance in 2025 at John Black’s memorial. In addition, Shaughnessy was the last actor to play Victor Cassadine on General Hospital, a role he played from 2021-2023.

David Shaughnessy has continued his career behind the scenes mainly as a daytime soap opera director with a list of credits from Santa Barbara to Y&R, B&B and since 2019, Days of Our Lives.

HEARTFELT REMEMBRANCES

When Amy Shaughnessy took to Facebook to announce her grandmother’s death, she expressed,  “Jean Margaret Shaughnessy (neé Lodge) left us today, one day after her 99th birthday. She passed, as she would say, “quite quietly” and peacefully in her sleep. My grandmother was a beautiful, talented, complicated, passionate, emotional, energetic woman who was always on the move and full of life.”

She continued, “The perfect hostess Jean enjoyed parties, friends, socializing, the theatre, feeding the ducks, museums, gardening, music, culture, long walks in nature, animals, painting (she was amazing!), cooking, art, traveling… the list goes on. She loved her two sons, Charles and David, her daughters-in-law, Susie and Annie, and her five granddaughters, Amy, Jenny, Katie, Maddy, and Josie. She was blessed with two great-grandsons, Julian and Noa.”

“An ever-present matriarch, her silliness, stubbornness, joyfulness, and her love for storytelling will continue on through her family. Us. Forever. We will miss her. We will carry her with us always. We love her all the world and then some.”

Share your thoughts and condolences to Charles, David and Amy and the rest of the extended Shaughnessy family on the passing of Jean Lodge via the comment section.

 

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The Bold and the Beautiful is continuing to expand the on-screen family of Melissa Dylan played by Sydney Bullock. Now comes casting news that none other than two-time Daytime Emmy nominee Kelly Sullivan has been tapped to play Dylan’s mother, Darcy Dylan.

According to TV Insider, viewers can look for Sullivan’s B&B debut on the August 27 episode of the CBS daytime drama series. Sullivan has made quite the impression on soap opera fans in the past, so it will be intriguing to see just what Darcy Dylan is all about and how it has affected her daughter, who does not always seem on the up and up as she has set her sights on Will Spencer (Crew Morrow).

Kelly first appeared on the daytime scene as a recast for fashion editor, Kate Howard on General Hospital in 2011, after replacing Megan Ward in the role. However, she suffered from dissociative identity disorder and battled with her alter-ego, Connie Falconeri. Eventually in 2014, she was shot and killed by Ava Jerome (Maura West).

Photo: JPI

Next, Sullivan moved over to The Young and the Restless where she played Sage Warner from 2014-2016. In story, Sage was involved with both Adam and Nick Newman, then played by Justin Hartley and current long-running cast member, Joshua Morrow, respectively.

Sage was the biological mother to Adam’s son, Christian, and gave birth to him before she died, as part of an umbrella story involving Sharon (Sharon Case) and Dylan (Steve Burton) believing Christian was their child named “Sully” and the entire Adam/Nick saga of who is the real bio-dad to the child.

Photo: JPI

HOW WILL THE ARRIVAL OF DARCY DYLAN IMPACT MELISSA DYLAN?

The casting of Sullivan comes after it was revealed back in May that Remy Pryce was returning to the canvas, and Christian Weissman was on contract with the soap opera. In recent months, it was revealed that Remy is a cousin of Dylan’s.

Taking to her Instagram after the casting news broke on Thursday, Kelly shared her enthusiasm at her new soap gig and gave a shout out to her new boss, the executive producer and head writer of B&B, Brad Bell.

Kelly wrote, “I’m very excited to join the The Bold and the Beautiful family and bring this force of nature to life. Thank you Brad Bell, for this amazing character. I can’t wait to step into Darcy’s boots.”

When not acting, Sullivan has become an accomplished acting teacher. Kelly’s other previous credits include: The Morning Show, Never Have I Ever, The Winchesters, Chicago P.D. and many more. Kelly is also featured in the upcoming film Ethan Almighty: Ethan’s Law, with a cast that includes: Kelsey Grammer, Brandon Routh (ex-Seth Anderson, One Life to Live) and Trevor Donovan (ex-Jeremy Horton, Days of our Lives).

Sullivan was previously nominated for a Daytime Emmy for her role on General Hospital  in 2014 and The Young and the Restless in 2016.

So, what do you think of Kelly Sullivan being cast as Dylan’s mom? Do you think she will be a fine upstanding person or a bad girl? Will Darcy arrive with intentions to land one of the wealthy Forrester or Spencer men for herself? What do you think will happen? Weigh-in via the comment section.

As ABC’s General Hospital continues to make casting additions in front of the camera; a new report indicates that Chris McKenna is the next contract player to be written out of the show as his storyline as Port Charles WSB bureau chief, Jack Brennan, is coming to end this fall.

According to sources close to the situation, who informed Soap Opera Network, McKenna will exit the long-running soap opera when Jack is killed-off the canvas. The outlet shares, Brennan’s death will come about as the soap, “leans heavily into storylines surrounding the World Security Bureau (WSB).”

McKenna, who previously appeared on the soaps when he was 12 as a young Joey Buchanan on One Life to Live from 1990-1993, then as an adult as Mark Harding on The Young and the Restless from 2014-2015, and next on The Bold and the Beautiful in the short term role of Dr. Hayden,  began his run as GH’s Brennan back in February of 2025, replacing Charles Mesure in the role.

Photo: ABC

JACK’S ROCKY ROAD TO ROMANCE

In fact, McKenna won the part over Daniel Goddard and Daniel Cosgrove, who eventually were cast in other roles on General Hospital, that of Henry Dalton and Ezra Boyle, respectively. Chris informed his fans via X,  back in August of 2025, that he was put on contract at the daytime drama and thanked them for helping make it happen.

Chris told Michael Fairman TV how it was to step into the role previously played by Charles Mesure, “I knew the challenge it was going to be and I had a like 0nly five days to get my head around it, so I was ready for it. Sure, it was challenging, but I was up for it. I was a recast before on The Young and the Restless.”

On-screen, Jack became romantically involved with Carly Spencer (Laura Wright), but that went bust when Carly learned Jack was not up front with her and had secretly enlisted her daughter, Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy) to join the WSB.  Over months, Carly plotted to get revenge on Jack, and suddenly, Valentin Casssadine (James Patrick Stuart), Jack’s mortal enemy, came into the picture and he had fallen for Carly and she for him.

Now, Jack has started up a relationship with Nina Reeves (Cynthia Watros) and has found himself in situations stooping to lows to help Nina and her criminal daughter, Willow Cain (Katelyn MacMullen) out of jams, especially where Drew Cain (Cameron Mathison) is concerned.

Photo: ABC

REUNITING WITH ERIKA SLEZAK

Last fall, Chris got a thrill of a lifetime when his OG on-screen mother from One Life to Live, the iconic Erika Slezak (ex-Viki) took on a guest role on General Hospital as Ronnie Bard, the secret sister of Monica Quartermaine (the late Leslie Charleson). While the two did not have a storyline together, Chris did share some tender moments reconnecting with Erika on the set,

McKenna has a laundry list of primetime credits including: State of Affairs, Good Trouble, Lucifer and Castle, where in an ironic twist he appeared alongside another Joey Buchanan none other than Nathan Fillion.

So, how do you feel if the report holds true and GH is killing off Brennan and Chris McKenna would exit the show? How do you think Brennan will die on GH? Will he be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and someone will take him out? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section.