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OLTL's Scott Evans Interviews before Kish Crushed and After!

By Michael Fairman

Published

16 years ago

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Photo Credit: JPI Studios

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

Kish fans will make sure to note of two interviews on the web right now with One Life to Live’s departing Scott Evans.  First right here at On-Air On-Soaps, Michael Fairman talked with Scott about Fish being revealed as the biological dad of Sierra Rose, and his feelings on Fish’s  entire story arc from the coming out story, to the sex-scene, to the pushback and the prejudice.  This interview was taped a few days prior to Scott shockingly finding out he was released from the show.

Today, We Love Soaps posted a fascinating interview from this weekend’s Gay of our Lives event in New York.  Damon L. Jacobs caught up with Scott for a few minutes to ask how he was handling things post-Kish, and his how he is dealing with the disappointment, and confirming how he found out about the end of his character via the Internet!

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OLTL doesn’t deserve such class. Although I’ve been sending in my postcards and emails. I’m sure we will be seeing Scott a lot more in the future. He’s a great actor.

Once Kish is gone it can be the Rex/Gigi hour.

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Damon Jacobs is jokingly (not really IMO) offering his therapeutic services to Scott Evans for kish firings? The clear favoritism and kiddy (or kishy) gloves for Scott Evans and Brett Claywell is out of control. Some in the media are feeding into kish actors’s delusions that OLTL’s homophobic and this is a homophobia issue when it’s not.

This is not the first firing on Daytime done in a brusque way and it certainly won’t be the last. Majority of actors go thru this. Heck majority of talented actors don’t even get hired! Countless actors are waiting in the wings to be on a soap or be a recast. ATWT freaking recasted Lily, so no one has job security! Every employed actor should be freaking grateful they even have jobs, especially in soaps, where it’s looks over talent.

Evans should have been grateful he got hired bec IMO the reasons OLTL hired him are bec of his looks, famous last name and out status. OLTL thought he’d probably bring in the ratings since many would be curious of Evans on their soap since he’s openly gay and related to a film actor. They obviously pimped him to garner press for OLTL but kish couldn’t sustain any public curiosity or new viewership bec the writing was crappy and Evans’s acting left much to be desired.

Evans blabs on again abt how he was informed and how he’s happy abt the rallysists, w/c means OLTL would be getting flak from rallyists. He thinks so highly of himself that OLTL must treat him in a special way bec he’s an openly gay “actor” portraying a gay character. And the whole “I put my heart and soul into this” crap is something all actors say. What’re they gonna say, I’m happy I look great and I just wing it during the scenes? LOL.

For every unconventional casting w/ a Patrika Darbo (ex Nancy, Days) or a Paul Williams, I think that’s the name of the actor/composer of “The Rainbow Connection” who portrayed Bailey on B&B, there are a 1000 other Scott Evanses that are hired on soaps. Darbo and Williams do not fit the mold of soap actors but their talent actually landed them their parts. Nancy was Days’s first minx that was the reverse of a rail thin model. While Williams’s small stature actually brought more depth to the sinister Bailey, who had to be written out since the crystal hypnosis (yes that is not a typo, LOL) arc on B&B bombed.

These actors, despite their untraditional looks for soaps, were great in their parts since they could act very well. Did Darbo and Williams freaking scream to the media that they were axed bec of lookism? Did Williams say he was made as a scapegoat for the crystal hynopsis storyline not working on B&B? Did Williams say that Paul Satterfield (ex Pierce B&B) should have been axed instead since Pierce used the crystal to make Tay think she was a teen again? Did Williams make his axing a step back for people of small stature being hired on soaps? Did Darbo scream weightism when she was axed? NO!

The crux of this is why are gay people making this a homophobia issue when it clearly isn’t? Why are gay people taking their axings so freaking personally? Do gay guys think the axing of kish is a rejection of homosexuality? It freaking isn’t! Evans needs to shut it, grow a pair and take intensive acting classes since he can’t act his way out of a paper bag.

And on a lighter note, what the hell is Evans wearing? It’s like cheap, knockoff Kanye West outfit.

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And of course Jacobs holds the interview in front of the word Stonewall. That is extremely manipulative.

Evans’s axing is not in any way a parallel to events leading up to the Stonewall riots. For Jacobs to subtlely parallel the 2 is sheer lunacy!

The next interview w/ the other actor in the same clip is not in front of the word Stonewall, so that’s very telling.

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“Gay people” aren’t the only ones being affected by this axing. Kish is a rather popular couple on this soap, if you haven’t realized, loved by gays and straights alike.

Brett Claywell & Scott Evans are not “screaming to the media” that this was about homophobia, they are simply defending themselves after their names were erroneously dragged through the mud. Someone at OLTL/ABC put them in a position where they had to defend themselves & their professionalism (of which they did, very well actually – they dispelled the rumors against them, which no one really believed anyway, because anyone who’s actually watched their scenes as Kyle & Fish know that they’re both very professional & give 110% of themselves, their hearts & their souls, to these roles, the message of this storyline, and the show as a whole).

They know the business, but the way this whole thing was so mishandled I think has to even strike them. They weren’t told of their last day shooting together, which means they, as well as the fans who have followed this storyline & these characters, have no closure & told that “focus groups” – who have WAY too much power IMO – didn’t like a story they’d put so much into for the past year. How would that make YOU feel? You even have to admit it was pretty awful of OLTL to allow Scott to find out via Twitter (TWITTER!) that he wasn’t going to be playing this role anymore. They could’ve atleast had the decency to place a 2 minute phone call to the man!

OLTL/ABC has come up with so many stories/excuses over this it’s enough to make anyone’s head spin and these people in the PR department should really be ashamed of the PR disaster they’ve created here, as it really doesn’t reflect well on the show or the network. 1). Kish solely responsible for their already-poor ratings (scapegoating the gay storyline), 2). From FV, they ” we’re concluding the story we set out to tell with Kyle & Oliver” 3). they “didn’t resonate with mainstream audiences” 4). they *did*, in fact, resonate with “audiences”, and they’ll still remain in Llanview & the door will always be open to them; 5). blaming Brett & Scott themselves for possible unprofessional behavior.

OLTL/ABC did, in fact, blame this storyline for their already-poor ratings, so actually it is an issue of homophobia. Why didn’t they blame Mitch’s return, in which he tried to rape/impregnate his own daughter & dig up the corpse of said daughter’s dead husband in order to torment her with? Or how about this Jessica as a teenager storyline, which is just pretty ridiculous as a whole? Or perhaps Todd/Tea/Blair’s never-ending triangle, mixed in with Matthew’s surgery/court case & the introduction of yet another of Todd’s children, Dani (the guy’s like the Sonny of Llanview at this point for goodness sakes!)? So yes, it is an issue of these “focus groups” or this “mainstream audience” they speak so highly of apparently having a problem with a LOVE story that just happens to be between 2 guys, so OLTL/ABC has decided, rather short-sightedly, that it’s going to pretty much backtrack on the message of acceptance that it’s been sending out through the very existence of this storyline, and say that the protestors at the BGW that Fish stood up to are essentially right, which again doesn’t look good for the network/OLTL.

And, if you’ve noticed, OLTL has not capitalized on the fact that Scott is Chris Evans’s brother. Not at all. He is a very talented young man all on his own & he proves that in every scene he’s in, whether it be as Oliver Fish on OLTL or in his countless other roles as well. He brings it in every single scene he’s in, as does Brett Claywell. They are ALWAYS on top of their game, and it clearly comes across just how talented these 2 are, and reinforces what an idiotic decision TPTB have made here by axing this storyline & getting rid of their 2 best actors! And Scott and Brett both are very humble people. You’d notice that if you watched 2 seconds of their interviews, so him thinking highly of himself because he’s an openly gay actor playing a gay character is really just ludicrous & insulting.

And I didn’t get any parallels to Scott/Kish from Damon holding the interview in front of the Stonewall, nor do I think he was trying to infer anything by doing so.

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There’s no pt in debating w/ kish fans who only blame it on these shadowy agents who weild so much power bec of their homophobia that they can axe any gay couple they like. OLTL is last in the ratings and these so called homophobes are trying to get rid of them, yet not going after the more far reaching ABC gay characters on Modern Family, excellently portrayed by Eric Stonestreet, who always steals the show from Jesse Tyler Ferguson. As for the Stonewall reference, of course a psychotherapist would choose to have the interview there for its psychological impact.

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Some people closely involved with all this don’t believe the firings had anything to do with “the gayness,” although they do acknowledge that the kish s/l was dropped b/c of focus groups, and ABCD has gone on the record stating kish was “killed” as a result of failing to resonate with “mainstream” audiences, and ABCD said they don’t want to waste their time on non-mainstream viewers, or basically any open-minded people. But there are plenty of mainstream fans who did enjoy these characters and s/l. And, since Evans andClaywell were fired b/c their s/l was dropped for these reasons, it does come across as bigoted. It’s so unjust for these actors to be fired and their s/l dropped for these reasons, especially since the actors did nothing but garner praise and hype for OLTL. People shouldn’t just accept the demise of this wonderful, groundbreaking s/l. To see how you can support Kish, Evans, and Claywell, please visit: http://www.dontputkishinthecloset.blogspot.com.

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Oh, and in regards to your outrage that the WLS interview took place in front of the Stonewall, you should really relax-it wasn’t some huge conspiracy. Evans, and a host of other actors were all attending a charity event that took place there. WLS covered the event, and conducted every interview in front of the venue there, as inside the tiny bar it was loud, crowded, and too poorly-lit for filming. Hope this clarification can put you at ease.

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News

Christel Khalil Reveals She Almost Quit Acting After ‘That’s So Raven’ Audition, But Then Came ‘The Young and the Restless’

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1 hour ago

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June 23, 2026

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The Young and the Restless fan favorite, Christel Khalil (Lily Winters) is the special guest on this week’s edition of Soapy Hosted by Rebecca Budig and Greg Rikaart which dropped today on Tuesday, June 23rd.

During the interview with Rebecca and Greg, Khalil who had played Lily Winters on-screen since August of 2002, nearly 24 years with the CBS soap, shared how early on her teenage acting career, she was ready to call it quits in show business, after a heartbreaking audition for the lead of a new Disney Channel sitcom, which later turned out to be the hit seres, That’s So Raven, starring Raven-Symoné which ran for four seasons from 2003-2007.

Christel recalled what happened. “I was 14 and I had always auditioned for all these Disney projects. So I auditioned for That’s So Raven, it was between me and Raven-Symoné and it was called at the time Absolutely Psychic,” explained Khalil. “The character was this girl who had psychic ability, but then when Raven got the role, they named the title of the show after her.”

Photo: CBS

HOW A BROTHERLY TALK CHANGED THE COURSE OF CHRISTEL’S CAREER

Reliving the disappointment to Greg and Rebecca, Christel explained, “I lost that part and I was just so devastated, because for the network call there were 20 people in the room watching me, and I just have always had such performance anxiety. I just completely bombed the audition and it was terrible. So, I was just devastated. I was actually going to quit acting and then I got the final call for The Young and The Restless and I wasn’t going to go.”

It was Khalil’s brother, who actually got her to reconsider, and if he hadn’t, we would not have our Lily Winters in Genoa City! Christel recounted, “I was like, ‘You know what? I’m done. I don’t want to do this anymore. I’m just going to hang out with my friends.’ I was just devastated. My brother, who is seven years older than me, and he had quit acting at the same age that I was at that time. He said to me, ‘I promise you, I actually really regret quitting. Just go on this audition and if you don’t get it, you can quit.'”

Christel’s screen-test for the role of Lily was actually with the late, great, Kristoff St. John who would play her father Neil (Later it was revealed to Lily, that Neil’s brother, Malcolm Winters was her bio-dad).

Photo: CBS

ACTING WAS EASY WITH THE LATE KRISTOFF ST. JOHN

“So, I went (to test for Lily) and I remember the screen-test was with Kristoff St. John. It was just so easy to act with him because he’s just so there. I remember just being on set, and that was my first time there for a screen-test where you were actually on set. I had never experienced that before. It was my first time being with an actor and  having makeup done, which just helps you really be able to do your best work.”

Recalling the screen-test with the St. John, Khalil, “It was where I had to be emotional ( in the scene) and I always had issues being emotional at auditions. But I was there with him, it just came, and it happened. It was natural and I felt so good and it was amazing. It stands out in my mind a lot.”

You can check out the full Soapy conversation with Christel Khalil where she also discusses juggling motherhood, marital life, and the demands of soap operas.

Fan can listen to weekly episodes of Soapy on Audacy or wherever podcasts are available, and can watch full video episodes weekly on the CBS =Brand YouTube Channel. Whether a lifelong fan or discovering the genre for the first time, SOAPY offers a fresh, fun behind-the-scenes look at the stories – and storytellers – that define daytime drama.

Now let us know, over the years what had been your favorite Lily Winters story on Y&R as played by Christel Khalil? What did you think of of Christell’s recollection where she was up for the lead of “That’s So Raven” as a teenager, before it was even titled that? Let us know via the comment section.

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News

‘WWE: Unreal’ Season 3 Premiere Date, Cast of Superstars, Announced by Netflix

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1 day ago

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June 22, 2026

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This summer beginning on July 21, Netflix streams the return of WWE: Unreal for its third season. The behind the scenes docudrama series gives fans a glimpse of life in WWE and inside the writers room, as injuries, last-minute pivots, and career-defining decisions reshape WWE’s biggest event of the year, WrestleMania 42.

WWE Unreal is taking fans deeper than ever inside World Wrestling Entertainment’s creative process, The hit docuseries will once again pull back the curtain on some of the biggest moments, boldest decisions, and unforgettable storytelling with some of the WWE’s greatest legends who’ve shaped the industry and new stars who are emerging as prominent parts of the future.

In the new season of ‘Unreal’ which consists of 5 episodes at 50 minutes each: John Cena says goodbye, a fan favorite returns, and the next generation of Superstars rise to the occasion.

Photo: WWE

The cast and WWE superstars featured include: the aforementioned Cena, plus Cody Rhodes, Liv Morgan, CM Punk, AJ Lee, Trick Williams, Lash Legend, Stephanie Vaquer, Oba Femi, Bron Breakker, Chelsea Green, Matt Cardona, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch.

As previously reported AJ Lee revealed on General Hospital star Maurice Benard’s (Sonny Corinthos) mental health series, State of Mind, that she was part of the cast of WWE: Unreal.

WWE: Unreal production credits include: Directors/Showrunners: Chris Weaver and Erik Powers Executive Producers: Peyton Manning, Jamie Horowitz, Ross Ketover, Keith Cossrow, Ken Rodgers, Jessica Boddy, Lee Fitting, Ben Houser, Marc Pomarico Sr. Producers: Harley Glantz, Brian Decker, Michael Flynn Producers: John Galiani, Dan Gati, Jeremy Lundblad Production Companies: Omaha Productions, NFL Films, Skydance Sports, WWE.

So, what do you think of the loglines for the new season of WWE: Unreal? Who are you most excited to see featured in the behind the scenes drama from the list of WWE superstars and the twists and turns leading into this past April’s WrestleMania 42? Let us know via the comment section below.

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Days Of Our Lives

Deidre Hall Marks 50 Years as ‘Days of Our Lives’ Dr. Marlena Evans

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2 days ago

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June 21, 2026

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If you have ever tuned-in to the soap opera genre over the last 50 years, and witnessed some of the greatest romances, drama, classic and outlandish storylines of all-time, you would have seen Deidre Hall smack dab in the middle of it as longtime Salem heroine, Dr. Marlena Evans.

It was 50 years on this date, June 21, 1976 that Hall first appeared on DAYS on NBC which was its home for 57 years before it moved to its current streaming platform on Peacock in September of 2022.

In Hall’s first episode she was introduced as a psychiatrist treating Mickey Horton (John Clarke) at Bayview Sanitarium after he suffered a complete mental breakdown. Mickey learned that his brother Bill Horton (Edward Mallory) was the biological son of Mike Horton (Wesley Eure) with his wife Laura (Susan Flannery) and that he had been lied to for years and years. From that moment on, the rest is television and soap opera history. Days of Our Lives put Hall front and center.

Photo: NBC

There were so many heartbreaking and shocking story twists involving the beloved Marlena. One of the first was the historic crib death of baby DJ (Don Jr.) in 1980, Marlena’s infant son with Don Craig (Jed Allan). The story had never been told on daytime television and Hall’s performances received accolades from TV critics to fans when Deidre received thousands of letters from grieving mothers who had gone through the same thing in their own lives.

DAYS also brought Deidre’s twin sister, Andrea Hall Lovell to the show as her on-screen sister Samantha, who had a grudge and even locked Marlena up in a sanitarium and took her place! Fast-forward and in 1982, DAYS launched the Salem Strangler story where everyone believed Marlena was his next victim, only it turned out to be Samatha. Jake Kositchek (played by Jack Coleman) was revealed to be the actual serial killer.

Later, Deidre would assume the role of Marlena’s look-alike, Hattie Adams in 2004, once played by her sister, Andrea. Over the years, Hattie has come back to Salem and caused trouble giving Hall a chance to play a different type of character, then the always upstanding Marlena.

Photo: JPI

THE LOVES OF MARLENA

Deidre Hall struck gold with all her leading men: from the late Jed Allan, to Wayne Northrop as Roman Brady, and of course, her enduring love story with the late John Black played by the iconic Drake Hogestyn. In fact, Marlena’s 1986 wedding to John (who was believed to be Roman at the time) remains a favorite of fans to this day.

TOP MARLENA STORYLINES OF ALL-TIME

While the list is long, here are several that were some of the memorable during Deidre’s five decades in Salem!

The Possession (1994- 1995)
Considered one of the most ambiguous, outlandish and unforgettable story arcs in soap opera history, then Days of Our Lives head writer, James Reilly went there! Marlena was possessed by the devil! That included; the demonic eyes, hissing at father John (Black) the priest, morphing into creatures, and the classic levitating in her bed! It became a cultural phenomenon and cemented Deidre Hall’s status as a daytime television legend. Just ask Ryan Gosling!

Photo:JPI

The Affair with John Black (1993)
John and Marlena’s forbidden love could not be denied and they had passionate affair, while she was still married to the real Roman. Problem was her daughter, Sami (Alison Sweeney) caught her mother having sex with John on a desk that changed Sami forever.

The Salem Stalker Mystery (2003-2004)
In a shocker, Marlena was revealed to be a serial killer who bumped off several Salem favorites residents who were all alive on the island of Melaswen (spelled “New Salem” backward). Turns out, she was manipulated and gaslighted by Andre DiMera (Thaao Penghlis) to do the “killings” and had no memory of her actions.

The Pier Scene (1991)
This remains Michael Fairman TV’s all-time favorite Deidre Hall moment, which featured some of the best acting in the storied careers of both Hall and Drake Hogestyn.

In the story, a presumed-dead Marlena returns after four years. One foggy night on the pier, John is alone, and Marlena steps out of the fog to reveal herself, and is reunited with the love of her life. You can watch it any year, any decade, and in any moment, and it will have you reaching for the hankies again and again. (best music score fo a soap scene of all-time too!)

Photo: NBC

Kristen’s Secret Room Reveal (1997)
Marlena was caught in Kristen Blake’s (Eileen Davidson) elaborate web of lies, when she was held hostage in a secret wine cellar/room until John managed to track her down, leading to an iconic on-screen reunion. The classic catfight between Hall and Eileen Davidson was one for the ages.

It should be noted that Maison Blanche, Queen of the Night, Possession, Aremid and Lady in a Cage were all a part of classic DAYS storyline and all featured Hall at the epicenter of it from 1993-1996.

THE RECENT YEARS OF MARLENA

In recent years, DAYS brought back the possession 2.0 storyline under then head writer Ron Carlivati in 2021 where the devil leapt back in Marlena after taking advantage of a frail Doug Williams (the late Bill Hayes)

In 2025, viewers watched the end of the love story of John and Marlena, as John succumbed to injuries sustained in an explosion saving a vial of medication needed to bring Bo (Peter Reckell) back to life. Marlena has been a widow on-screen since June of 2025 as Hall as portrayed the good doctor struggling with her grief and to move on with her life since his death.

Photo: JPI

One story that never goes away is Stefano DiMera’s (the late Joe Mascolo) obsession with Marlena, his “Queen of the Night.” Even in death, Stefano is toying with her from the great beyond with the mysterious chess set and the missing “pawn,” that he had gifted John and Marlena in his will. The mystery is currently unfolding on all-new episodes of Days of Our Lives.

Tune-in to Days of our Lives on the Monday, June 22 episode as Marlena looks back at her 50 years in Salem.

Share your congratulations to Deidre Hall for this incredible 50-year milestone as Dr. Marlena Evans on Days of Our Lives in the comment section. Then let us know, what is your all-time favorite storyline or moment in the life of Marlena over the past 5 decades? And, just for kicks, and to celebrate this amazing milestone, here is Marlena levitating below circa Christmas Eve 1994.

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