All My Children
Rebecca Budig Talks The Better Show, Love Life & Why Greenlee Was Not In The AMC Reboot!
Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com
The beautiful and talented Rebecca Budig has now added “talk show host” to her resume, as the co-host of The Better Show! The former All My Children favorite, where she portrayed Greenlee Smyth, and was part of two of the show most famous love stories, Greenlee and Leo ( Josh Duhamel) and Greenlee and Ryan (Cameron Mathison), chatted with TV Guide Magazine’s Michael Logan in a new interview!
Budig talks about how she met her husband, Michael Benson, living in Connecticut as opposed to New York, how she was left out of the All My Children reboot via Prospect Park and why, and some fun stuff about her friend and L.A. neighbor,Y&R’s Greg Rikaart (Kevin)! Here are a few interesting excerpts below:
Rebecca on why Greenlee was not part of the online revival of All My Children where she confirms she was originally asked to be part of: “Yes, and I expressed interest and then they never came back to me! (Laughs) I wasn’t insulted at all but I was a little disappointed. I really, really miss Greenlee. But, then, none of my men were there. They didn’t have Cameron Mathison. They were never going to get Josh Duhamel. What they should have done was bring back Danny Cosgrove, who is amazing. Love that guy! Michael B. Jordan was my brother on AMC and now he’s a big movie star. So what were they gonna do with me? I’d be all alone!”
Rebecca on how The Better Show hosting gig happened: “Better was looking for a new co-host and I went and did two audition shows with (co-host) JD Roberto and really liked him. We clicked. I’ve always juggled hosting jobs with my acting career, and this fits into my life perfectly. They’re really flexible. I have great outs in my contract to do other stuff. And it’s a great show. I love improving people’s lives. (Laughs) Especially my own!”
Do you think Greenlee should have been part of the All My Children reboot via Prospect Park? Have you checked out Rebecca on The Better Show? Let us know!
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.
All My Children
‘All My Children’ Revival Updates: Lifetime EVP Speaks on Why Proposed Movies are Great Fit, Mark Consuelos Wants To ‘Give Back’ to Fans
The All My Children revival via movies at Lifetime is still in the works from former series stars and marrieds, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, through their production company, Milojo.
The co-hosts of Live with Kelly and Mark were featured this week in a Los Angeles Times article which detailed their efforts to bring some of the citizens of Pine Valley back to your screens.
As previously reported, and reaffirmed by the L.A. Times, the All My Children movies will be set in the present day and focus on what beloved characters such as Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) and Maria Santos Gray (Eva LaRue) are doing now. In addition, Kelly Ripa confirmed that she and Mark Consuelos will also appear on screen briefly most likely appearing in their signature soap roles as Hayley and Mateo Santos.
Photo: ABC
ALL MY CHILDREN MOVIES BRING NOSTALGIA THAT CAN BE MADE TO FEEL NEW AGAIN
Elaine Frontain Bryant, executive vice president and head of programming for A&E, Lifetime, and Lifetime Movie Network said of the All My Children reboot, “Lifetime is always interested in shows that kind of tap into a powerful nostalgia that can be made fresh for today’s audience. There’s a whole generation of women that have missed these stories and these characters.”
As for working with Kelly and Mark on the Lifetime movie versions of the soap, “They’re exactly the kind of partners you want at a brand,” expressed Bryant. “They’re trusted voices because every day they’re talking to their audience, which, a lot of times, is our audience. They bring a real credibility and have an authentic point of view. You meet Kelly and Mark and kind of what you see is what you get, and I think they bring that same authenticity to their development standards.”
Albert Bianchini, executive producer for Milojo, says he knows All My Children is so wildly popular with the fans of daytime. That was punctuated when seeing it in person, and how the energy was off the charts back in January of 2025 when Kelly participated along with Susan Lucci, former head writer, Lorraine Broderick and casting director, Judy Blye Wilson in a conversation with Andy Cohen at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.
© Steven Bergman/AFF-USA.COM Credit: AFF/Alamy Live News
“I’ve never seen a crowd like that in my life. People were lined up around the block, recalled the Bianchini. “Everyone wanted to know, ‘When is (All My Children) coming back? We want more.’ We got to see that in real life and Kelly got to feel it in real life, and it made so much sense. I just know that the minute it gets out in the world, people will want more and more and more. There’s just a love there.”
Kelly Ripa added that they are, “working closely with Bob and Sarah Nixon, who are also serving as producers.” She recalled, “She (Agnes Nixon) was so far ahead of her time. She covered topics that weren’t being covered. It was extraordinary the audiences that the show drew, and she served them real stories that were affecting Americans across the country but weren’t necessarily being represented anywhere.”
“It’d be wonderful to give the fans something that they’ve been yearning for so many years,” shared Mark Consuelos. “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.”
THE CANCELLATION AND STOPS AND STARTS OF ALL MY CHILDREN REBOOTS
All My Children aired on ABC from 1970 to 2011. It got a second chance at life when Prospect Park resurrected the show and brought it to The OnLine Network and Hulu for one season in 2013.
Recently, the series made a return through the estate of Agnes Nixon and is streaming internationally on BEONDTV and through their partnership with PlutoTV Canada with episodes starting in 1995. Fans hope original episodes will some day soon be available in the U.S. as well, but that could prove more difficult since ABC owns the rights to the episodes stateside.
Now 13 years later, while there is no word yet on a definitive production start date to the two movies at Lifetime, all the people involved seemed determined to make it come to life.
So, what do you think of the executive vice-president of Lifetime and LMN being enthusiastic about Kelly and Mark’s All My Children movie revivals? Are you wanting to see this come to fruition? Kelly and Mark seem to have made this a very high priority. Do you hope that by 2027 we might be able to get this to the finish the line and into production? Weigh-in via the comment section.
Starting on May 1, All My Children fans in Canada will be able to see classic episodes of the beloved former ABC soap opera when they stream on Pluto TV Canada.
Pluto TV picked-up the All My Children Channel that the Nixon family has created in partnership with BEONDTV +. The show which aired for 41 years on ABC and ended on the network in 2011, had so many memorable storylines and characters; the least of which is the enduring run of Erica Kane played by soap icon, Susan Lucci.
As previously reported, starting with episodes from the year 1995, which was the 25th anniversary of the soap. Pluto TV Canada viewers will be able to catch 8 episodes on repeat per day. With the success of the venture, the Nixons are hopeful that they will bring viewers many more years of the show to come.
Photo: ABC
Sarah Nixon, producer, shared with Michael Fairman TV exclusively, “We are thrilled that Pluto TV has launched All My Children in Canada! Let’s hope the engagement from our incredibly loyal fans across the border will encourage ABC to bring it to the U.S.! We share what Aggie (Agnes Nixon) always felt, that it is the enthusiasm and love from the fans that has kept this legacy beloved and relevant – to this day!”
In addition, 0ne week ago, during Susan Lucci’s visit to Los Angeles promoting her book La Lucci, she was joined by her former Pine Valley castmates, Rebecca Budig (ex-Greenlee, AMC, now Taylor, B&B) and Eva LaRue (ex-Maria, AMC) and the trio posed for a pic. At that time, LaRue shared via Instagram, “NEW All My Children channel streaming classic episodes 24/7 now on Pluto TV Canada! Fingers crossed to watch soon on Pluto US.”
That was also confirmed this week by TV Watercooler’s Jeevan Brar who took to X and expressed, “The All My Children channel begins streaming this Friday, May 1 on Pluto TV Canada.
So, Canadian viewers, excited about Pluto TV’s All My Children channel? United States fans, hopeful from Sarah’s message that perhaps soon, we can see the beloved soap once again as well? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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Wouldnt have mattered…
She’s 41…so she could play Nina, Silas’s wife on GH…she couldve been 20 when she married him…just a thought!
Yes. They wanted younger actors to try to draw the younger demo and that just left out a lot of the history of the show.
It probably wouldn’t have mattered one way or another, but it would have been nice to see Greenlee and Kendall coming together to deal with life without the men. Prospect Park tried, but ultimately it was a wasted opportunity. It would have been nice to see Greenlee in the new Pine Valley.
Oh well…
One if my all time favorite actress and characters. I wish she would have returned. But she is right it wouldn’t have worked with what they did. She’s amazing on The Better show!!! LOVE REBECCA BUDIG!!!
What did she mean by none of her men were there. David was there.
Would’ve been fun to see them go at it again without Ryan around.
It would have been interesting to see how many viewers PP would have gotten had they kept the original actors and stories. It is so sad that AMC 1 is gone! Still miss it. Not really missing AMC 2.
No, I was sick of the Fusion Gang and the Ken doll (Ryan).
i love ryan lavery. he is so cute. lol
Well, it certainly would not have hurt to have her there, but the re-boot was so disjointed, so strange and missing the Heart of the original ALL MY CHILDREN that I’m not sure one more familiar face would have made all that much difference. They could have paired her up with a new character and it’s hard to say how it would have played out. Prospect Park made such a mess of things (In my opinion) and blamed absolutely everyone else around ~ in fact, to this day they STILL have not REALLY stated that the show is “officially” cancelled!
Overall I agree with you. The reboot was flawed bigtime in terms of what story they told and the pace at which they told it, and one more familiar face wouldn’t have made the show any better (though IMO having a bunch of other, familiar faces with her might have helped). As for pairing her up with someone new, I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t have worked. I adore Zach/TK, but having him back and attempting to pair him with a brand spanking new character (Loser Lea) with no ties to the canvas and no history on the show was a failure, and whoever was editing the last dozen or so episodes knew it and went so far as to edit out chunks of their scenes together. Greenlee, in particular, wouldn’t have fit in without someone there to whom she was related (like Jack) or married to (Ryan) or BFFs with (Kendall). It’s no loss to her that she wasn’t part of the reboot.
She should joing GH as Sarah Webber or Brenda Barett
Love it when some soap opera actor’s fan thinks they should join a different show as a re-casted key character without a thought as to what that show’s fans would want……
Fyi, im a bigger GH fan than you ever could ne so when i say she would be a good Sarah Webber i know what i am talking about…
love to see her on gh but as a new character or greenlee maybe sarah webber but no way as brenda barrett , vanesa owns that role.
I love rebecca, if kimberly mccouloch leaves gh again, as robin. recast her with rebecca. brenda barett belongs to vanessa marcil only. rumors are vanessa may come back in the spring, hopefully the rumors are true.
It was rumoured she was going to replace Vanessa when Vanessa originally left GH.
Love Rebecca but nothing was going to save the pathetic reboot from the obscure on line format. The idea was flawed from the GItgo. Rebecca was a bright shining light on the television show but the character was pretty much ruined by the end. I am real proud of her success.
If ABC and PP hadn’t effed everything up, she could have taken Greenlee to GH.
They should’ve put Greenlee on AMC. I missed her. And I do wish she’d join another soap. She’s too perfect to not be working on a soap. I’d love her on Y&R or DAYS. Maybe even GH? On DAYS she could be Lucas’ ex-girlfriend Autumn that we never saw.
I wish her all the best, but the character was a disaster on AMC when it was a network show and would have been even more useless on the reboot.
It’s a shame the reboot didn’t work out. It had so much going for it, and one of those things was stripping away unnecessary characters who ate the show alive during the last years on ABC such as Greenlee and Ryan.
Greenlee should have been part of the show online as much as the rest of the “All My Children” family. Television has not been and will never be worth watching again without them. Daytime TV has been boring ever since! I do not watch daytime tv anymore. Congratulation Rebecca on your baby!
Please let me know when will Rebecc Budig be back on the better show
By the way it’s a awesome show
Also does it come on any other than 4 am in my area
I tivo it