All My Children
On-Air On-Soaps names Worst Soap Moments of 2011!
Courtesy/ABC
On-Air On-Soaps couldn’t let the year come to a close without taking a look back at the truly worst year the genre has ever faced and endured!
From horrible storylines, ridiculous individual moments, annoying characters and terrible judgment calls by head writers, producers, networks, and wannabes, our Top 28 choices comprise the many, many missteps of the soap year. 2011 was unique in that for the first time there was to be more dreadful behind-the-scenes drama than on the shows themselves, and believe you me, they are taken into account in our countdown!
So to remind us all of what we endured on screen, and off screen, we present to you our Top 28 image countdown. These moments had us scratching our heads, throwing more things than usual at our TV’s and computer screens, and in our opinion, showed viewers just some bad soap opera.
We hope you enjoy, get mad, and share a laugh, and of course, we welcome your thoughts on if you agree with our picks, or may have some more of your own to add to the mix.
View the Worst Moments of 2011 countdown gallery after the jump!
NOTE: Remember, to view the last thirteen moments in the photo gallery, make sure to click on the “Next Group” button to the right of + symbol, or you can sit back and relax and just watch the slideshow.
Worst Moments of 2011 Photo Gallery Countdown
[slidepress gallery=’worst-moments-of-2011′]
Courtesy: ABC, CBS and NBC.
Alan Dysert, who played Sean Cudahy on ABC’s All My Children has died. He was 75-years-old. The news of his passing came from his wife Michele who shared via a Facebook post that Dysert died back on October 23.
“My heart is broken as I share that my beloved husband, Alan, passed away on October 23, 2026. While I am struggling to imagine life without him, I am forever grateful to have experienced what so many people spend their lives searching for — the love of a lifetime,” Michele expressed.
While a cause of death was not made public at this time, Michele admitted that Alan, “faced more than his share of health challenges over the years, yet he continued to approach life with determination, humor, and gratitude.”
Photo: ABC
Dysert wrote about his battle with a rare, aggressive and incurable cancer in his 2023 autobiography, Lights, Camera, Cancer! He spoke of having undergone four major cancer-related surgeries, and many rounds of chemotherapy and CT scans.
SEAN CUDAHY WAS ‘BAD GUY’ PERSONFIED
On All My Children, Dysert played Sean Cudahy, the con man villain to his brother, good guy, Tom Cudahy played by Richard Shoberg. Dysert played the role between 1980 and 1990 returning for multiple story arcs, which included being revealed to be the murderer of Sybil Thorne. He was also involved in several affairs including with the impressionable Devon McFadden (Tricia Pursley).
THE LIVES HE TOUCHED
Alan’s longtime agent Melinda Eisnagule told PEOPLE his death is a “loss to our community and to the acting community at large. He touched so many lives and made the industry and the world a better place every day with his positive energy and kindness.”
Dysert leaves behind his wife, Michele and his two sons Cody and Cooper and will be remembered by those who knew him for a career that spanned the theatre, film, TV and performance coaching, and of course being a part of the legacy of All My Children.
Share your remembrances and condolences on the passing of Alan Dysert, All My Children’s Sean Cudahy, via the comment section below.
All My Children
Mark Consuelos Celebrates Kelly Ripa’s 56th Birthday on ‘Live,’ But Remember When Wendy Williams Outed the Couple as Married Before Anyone at ‘All My Children’ Knew?
On the Friday, October 2 episode of Live with Kelly and Mark, the morning talk show marked the 56th birthday of Kelly Ripa (ex-Hayley Vaughan Santos, All My Children).
During the opening segment, Mark Consuelos (ex-Mateo Santos, All My Children) humorously comparing his wife to both Gandhi and Groucho Marx, reflecting on both her comedic ability and peaceful ways.
Later, they went on to discuss the origins of her name and the most popular picks to name babies back in the year she was born, 1970. They were Kimberly, Lisa, and Jennifer for girls and Michael, David, and James for the boys.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Ripa recalled that she learned she was almost named Kim. However, their neighbors at the time had two daughters Kelly and Kim, which is what her parents wanted to call them, but they settled on Kelly and and her younger sister, Linda.
At the conclusion of the episode, Mark rolled out a huge cake for his wife. It was, “Happy birthday from all of us here at Live and at home.” Next, he cut the cake, and Ripa grabbed his face and gave him a “thank you” kiss.
Photo: JPI
KELLY AND MARK TRIED TO KEEP THEIR VEGAS WEDDING ON THE DOWN LOW
All of this brings back memories of how Kelly and Mark’s Las Vegas wedding ceremony went public in 1996 while the two were still on All My Children playing Mateo Santos and Hayley Vaughan. In essence, they were outed by then radio host Wendy Williams! They discussed it on the talk show back in 2024.
In fact, the duo hid their marriage from their All My Children castmates for months, until they found out Williams got wind of the nuptials and spread the intel on the airwaves.
The two recalled their secret wedding on a 2024 episode of Live! “We’d eloped. It’d been a few months at that point. We’d been married for three months, nobody at All My Children knew we were even dating, much less married to each other. We’re brushing our teeth and we’ve got Wendy Williams’ radio show on. We’re listening, and she’s like, ‘I’ve got celebrity dish!”
EYEWITNESS
Next Ripa continued, “The celebrities,’ I guess they had a broad use of the term back then, was the fact that ‘two soap stars from All My Children, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos eloped in Las Vegas.’ There was this eyewitness that worked in the Clark County courthouse that said we eloped, and the news broke, and we had to tell everybody we were married.”
Live With Kelly and Mark airs weekdays in syndication. Check your local listings for times in your area.
Share your birthday wishes for Kelly in the comment section, and let us know your thoughts on how Wendy Williams broadcast the news, unbeknownst to the All My Children newlyweds, that they tied the knot in Vegas? Check out Mark and the ‘Live’ studio audience singing ‘happy birthday’ to Kelly in the post below.
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All My Children
‘All My Children’ Movie Writers for Lifetime Revealed: Ron Carlivati, Jamey Giddens and Leo Richardson
This week began and as reported with a spotlight article on Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos and how their production entity, Milojo, has been teeing up the All My Children reboot with Lifetime.
The L.A. Times featured the married couple, co-hosts of Live with Kelly and Mark, and former All My Children cast members (where they met and fell in love) about their plans to bring two All My Children movies to Lifetime and how they are working with the Agnes Nixon estate to make it come to fruition,
On Wednesday, it was revealed by Daytime Confidential, that All My Children reboot producer, Andrew Stearn handpicked none other than Ron Carlivati (ex-head writer, One Life to Live, General Hospital and Days of our Lives) and Jamey Giddens (who is the new co-head writer of The Young and the Restless, following his tenures on the writing teams of Beyond the Gates and Days of Our Lives), as the two scribes who will bring the first of two of Kelly and Mark’s All My Children movies to the page.
Photo: IMDb
RON CARLIVATI AND JAMEY GIDDENS CONFIRM THEIR BOARDING THE ALL MY CHILDREN MOVIE PROJECT
The second installment is said to be written by primetime writer Leo Richardson whose credits include: Star, Katy Keene and more recently the Penn Badgley (ex-Phillip Chancellor IV, The Young and the Restless) starring series, You.
Richardson also wrote for three years on the U.K.’s long-running soap, EastEnders. All My Children revival fans will recall Richardson’s name was attached as the writer for the first incarnation of the All My Children movies, entitled, Pine Valley.
Ron Carlivati took to X and confirmed he is indeed boarding the All My Children movie project. Carlivati shared, “So excited to share this news! Thanks to Andrew Stearn, Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos, Albert Bianchini and the Agnes Nixon estate for entrusting Jamey Giddens and me with the first of two planned All My Children movies for Lifetime! Stay tuned!”
Photo: Jeremy Smith/imageSPACE
Jamey Giddens confirmed DC’s announcement by taking to his account on X and expressing, “I’ve been booked and busy in 2026. Thanks to Andrew Stearn, the Agnes Nixon estate, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos for entrusting Ron Carlivati, and me with the first of two planned All My Children movies for Lifetime!”
Some fans seemed to question how Giddens could be writing for the first All My Children movie at Lifetime, when he is the new co-head writer at The Young and the Restless with Dan O’Connor. Jamey answered that head on via X and explained, “We turned in our All My Children script months ago. My sole focus as of this past Monday, is Genoa City, Wisconsin! #YR”
ERICA KANE, MARIA SANTOS AND HAYLEY AND MATEO SANTOS TO APPEAR IN THE ALL MY CHILDREN MOVIE REVIVAL?
In the planned stories, Susan Lucci’s Erica Kane and Eva LaRue’s Maria Santos will be two characters whose lives we will get to see for the first time since the series was canceled by ABC back in 2011 after 41 years on the air. As well, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos confirmed they will make brief appearances on-screen; one could assume as Hayley and Mateo Santos.
“It’d be wonderful to give the fans something that they’ve been yearning for so many years,” shared Mark Consuelos to the LA Times. “All My Children gave me my family. I met my wife there. It gave me my start in the business. It gave us so much. It would be a dream to be able to give back.”
So, what do you think of Ron Carlivati and Jamey Giddens getting nod to write the All My Children movie #1 script and Leo Richardson #2? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers
B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
Antonio Sabáto Jr. Breaks Silence on His Son’s Arrest for Fatal Hit-and-Run
DANCING WITH THE STARS: A Shocking Elimination on Grammy Night Leaves Ballroom Silenced
Y&R’s New Head Writers Share Vision for Genoa City: Contemporary Homage to Bill Bell, Mixing Heightened Escapism and Grounded Reality
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: Episodes From New Co-Head Writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, Begin to Air
‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos
‘Days of our Lives’ Celebrates 61st Anniversary: EP Ken Corday Teases New Character’s Arrival in Spring 2027
‘Days of our Lives’ Kyle Pryor Debuts as Dominic Marino and Says of Alleged TV Mom, “Deidre Hall is the Absolute OG, Amazing” (Exclusive)
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
‘Days of our Lives’ Veteran James Reynolds Reveals Parkinson’s Diagnosis
Y&R’s Matt Cohen Talks Role as Compassionate Zookeeper in Rom-Com ‘Christmas at the Zoo’
Alice Halsey Returns to ‘Days of our Lives’ as Rachel Black – Find Out How Long!
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News2 days agoY&R’s New Head Writers Share Vision for Genoa City: Contemporary Homage to Bill Bell, Mixing Heightened Escapism and Grounded Reality
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Previews4 days agoTHE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: Episodes From New Co-Head Writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, Begin to Air
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General Hospital3 days ago‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos
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Days Of Our Lives4 days ago‘Days of our Lives’ Celebrates 61st Anniversary: EP Ken Corday Teases New Character’s Arrival in Spring 2027
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Days Of Our Lives6 days ago‘Days of our Lives’ Kyle Pryor Debuts as Dominic Marino and Says of Alleged TV Mom, “Deidre Hall is the Absolute OG, Amazing” (Exclusive)
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General Hospital6 days agoGENERAL HOSPITAL: Tracy Leaves Port Charles to Help Dillon; Paving the Way for Jane Elliot’s Temporary Exit
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News6 days agoB&B’s Lawrence Saint-Victor to Guest Star on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
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Days Of Our Lives1 week agoRaven Bowens Breaks Silence About Being Fired From ‘Days of our Lives’ and Her Future Plans
Michael, what a hoot! You are spot on with the worst happening on soaps this year. Most of these people and storylines have had no purpose, no reason to even be there let alone to even speak. Loved the pictures You are great and entertaining with your pics…
So agree:Huge mistake letting go of Nadia Bjiorlin and Crystal Chappell .Both amazing actresses.And Chleo become a prostitue is the worst story ever.So out of character and so unfair to Chloe and Nadia fans
You forgot the moment when Anne Sweeney announced that ABC Daytime would be no more and renamed “Time Square Studios”. That was a big pisser for me.
I was kind of hoping this list would be more about terrible storylines rather than soap politics off the set.
You named it! Though a lot of Days Storylines were a hot mess. Even though Carly’s drug story started off AMAZING, it ended horrible. Carly started off losing Bo as a reason of her addiction, plus her history with Larry and then turned it into an obsession with Daniel and almost ruined a great friendship with her and Jen. Then to go to Rehab just to leave Salem? Plus Viv goes to Bollywood? REALLY?! It left us all empty and unsatisfied. Plus us fans didn’t even get a proper goodbye with Bo and Carly. Such a slap in the face for us and to return to a couple that is not creating good stories or ratings just shows they are not as popular as Corday “thinks” they are. I’m not sure what the new writers are doing but ratings and view counts are showing they are not doing well. Crystal was THE BEST on Days and ya, they totally wasted Nadia’s talent after seeing her shine on Venice!
reunite daniel and chloe 2012
No thanks…Danloe reached the point of no return with Daniel’s reaction to Chloe’s suicide attempt:He couldn’t care if she lived or died.There is no excuse for that.No matter how angry,hurt ,upset,you are at the person you claim to love more than life itself, when that person is about to die,your true feelings appear.And Daniel’s did: He couldn’t care less if she lived or died.No Danloe ever again.Bring back Chloe,have her reconnect with Brady,rediscover each other and fall in love again slowly,have them go back to their passion,Singing, have a child together,…There is so much to write for this couple.But keep the heartless hypocritiacl jerk ,Daniel away from Chloe.
Huge mistake letting go an amazing and drop dead gorgeous actress like Nadia Bjorlin
So the worst moment for days was firing Braun, Chappell, and Bjorlin? Doubtful. How about in Taylors case DOOL tried fixing things with Natalia versus miscasting braun which made an awful storyline worse. The issue was never the actress, it was the character and story. Chappell good riddance. Her behavior on twitter with Branco condoning his tirade against Kristian Alphonzo that got him fired was disgraceful. Carlys return was awful anyway. And Chloe, Nadia is a terrible actress but I do like her and agree Higley did her wrong. But Chloe is a character that needed a break. Corday damned if he does or doesnt with the soap press. Sure the DOOL reboot has been flat and disappiointing but I give him credit for trying. How about going after GH for years of show destruction under Guza. If the soap press wasn’t so busy kissing his ass, GH might have been able to have been saved years ago.
Naida is an AMAZING actress and DAYS failwed to use her talents.In 4 years,since her return in 2007,she ahd VERY LITTLE to work with:The HP,PPD,Chloe, losing her baby.These are the only “meaty” material she got in 4 years and BOY did she rock them.She totally delivered just like she’s rocking VENCIE THE SERIES now,since 3 seasons…HUGE mistake letting go such gorgeous and wondeful talent and a fan favorite with 4 huge fanbases(Chloe) from 1999.
SPOT ON. I just about lost my breakfast having to see that ugly mug (Frons) on the last slide. SO glad he’s been axed; too bad it wasn’t this time LAST year!
Oh Michael you are too nice with Days..ALL the storylines were AWFUL, contrived and boring except few exceptions at the very end of the year (Johnny missing, Ejami sexual encounter/grieving, Will/Marlena new relationship with Will character development..and that is not disgusting Highley..).
But on top of the awful Days 2011 i would add the RoboRafe horrible story (doppelganger with a dull character like Rafe at the front center..au secour !!!) and the uber boring and cheesy Nicole/Ej/Taylor triangle (JS has no chemistry with any of these actresses, painful to watch..well i did not watch for the most part, what i saw of it was too unbearable already)..It was painful painful painful and sadly i am not sure it will get better, except few exceptions (and good ratings for a second because of these exceptions) the new writers of this soap are bad..their stories are above all boring, vets return is good but not enough if there is no interesting stories, not enough at all and to prove my point the ratings right now are abyssal..
Nice to see that someone else hated everything I hated about “Y & R” this year – bad casting, incoherent stories and a nearly six-month “whodunit” that left NOT ONE viewer on the edge of their seat – just bored to tears.
2011 saw the exit of Dena Higley from DAYS – can Maria Arena Bell and her co-hacks be next??
That year, 2011, was pretty bad for DOOL. EJaylor was unwatchable, as well as that disgusting EJami grief sex. EJole’s romance was cute, so were Safe and Dannifer. I hated watching the Imposter Rafe storyline as well. Sad to see Chloe and Carly destroyed just for Daniel. Did not like Jack coming back to split up Dannifer, only barely to get any screentime. Hated the whole thing with Melanie stealing Chad from Abby (well, Chelanie were OK), only for Abby to have a crush on Austin. Vivian’s departure was terrible too, but I was glad to see Taylor leave.