Connect with us

News

32

Rebecca Budig on Joining the Cast of The Bold and the Beautiful: “I Just Hope That the Fans Accept Me as Taylor and That it All Works Out”

By Michael Fairman

Published

on

Photo: JPI

In a real shockeroo, Rebecca Budig is back on CBS daytime for the first time since her Guiding Light days (as Michelle Bauer) and is now taking on the role of Taylor Hayes on The Bold and the Beautiful. 

Taylor was back in the story at the end of the Tuesday, August 6th episode, when she was ‘spying’ on a romantic and celebratory moment between Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) and Ridge (Thorsten Kaye), while they were in Monte Carlo, relaunching Brooke’s Bedroom line for Forrester Creations. Next, viewers saw Taylor call her daughter Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood), letting her know she was on her way home to Los Angeles.

Budig, 51, replaces Krista Allen, 53, who last took on the role of Taylor, before she was let go from the series back in October of 2023. Prior to that, Hunter Tylo became soap-famous in the part and played Taylor on and off from 1990-2019. Former GH and Santa Barbara favorite, Sherilyn Wolter, also briefly took on the role in 1990.

Photo: JPI

Several fans have already taken to social media and shared that it appears on-screen that Budig is too young to be portraying the mother of Steffy and Thomas Forrester (Matthew Atkinson). However, many are just happy to have her back on the soaps, because they know the quality of work she has brought to her other roles including as All My Children’s Greenlee Smythe and General Hospital’s Hayden Barnes.

Rebecca chatted with TV Insider on becoming Taylor Hayes, and meeting her new castmates, including her on-screen daughter and son-in-law. “Jacqui and Tanner (Novlan) are amazing, professional and wonderful,” enthused Budig.

Photo: JPI

Joining B&B reunites Budig with Thorsten Kaye (ex-Zach Slater), who both appeared on All My Children together, but now they find themselves in a completely different set of circumstances. Taylor has always wanted Ridge and feels she has been second fiddle to Brooke for years. As Rebecca explained, “Brad (Bell, EP and head writer, B&B) made it pretty clear that Ridge is the love of Taylor’s life. She’s a psychiatrist, she’s smart, she leads with her brain while Brooke leads with her emotions. So, I love that there’s two different women in his life, and they each probably bring out something different in him.”

Photo: JPI

As with any recast on the soaps, there are always the naysayers that won’t accept anyone in the role but their favorite, while others will give the new actor coming into the situation a chance. Rebecca understands this and shared, ‘I’m still getting my footing. I’m my own worst critic, but I’m really excited. I just hope that the fans accept me as Taylor and that it all works out. I love it. I mean, nothing’s guaranteed in this business, so I just kind of take every day as it comes.”

What do you think about Rebecca’s B&B debut as Taylor Hayes? Are you going to give it some time to see if you can accept her in the role? Comment below.

32 Comments

32 Comments
oldest
newest

Yeah, sorry, but I can’t see it. She belongs back on GH as Hayden. Oh, well. Good for her.

I love Rebecca Budig, she is a wonderful actress. This is a miscast in my opinion. Brad Bell will get tired of Rebecca and will fire her. He fired Krista Allen, I loved her as Taylor Hayes. Loved Rebecca on AMC and General Hospital. Mark my words, we will see more Taylor Hayes recast in the future.

Frank…you have a very, very good point. At this point, I feel that Brad Bell no longer bothers to listen to us soap fans. I think that (nowadays) Brad Bell pushes his own personal soap opera agenda (or whatever)…and to hell with what us soap viewers want!!!!! Beyond sad.

Maybe they’ll bring back Hunter and CBS can do a promo about “the real Taylor is back”.

Longtime AMC fans know what I’m getting at.

OMG, standing beside Ridge, she looks like his daughter. She looks like the other one’s sister. It’s easy for them to say that the actor should be accepted for their acting ability, but we are the ones having to watch and be distracted by how ludicrous it all looks.

Thoroughly agree about Taylor looking like Steffy’s little sister. Love Budig but …

Just no

What was wrong with the other Taylor, other than the fact her chemistry was through the roof with Ridge? This show hates couples with chemistry, Hope & Thomas were hot & they shipped Thomas off. Now this, nothing against her but Steffy looks older.

As a fan since the beginning. This is one recast that I just cannot accept. When Taylor was introduced in 1990, she was the same age as Brooke and Sheila. Today Brooke and Sheila are 63 but Taylor is 51. There is plenty of age appropriate actresses out there who could have been cast instead! What a slap in the face to long time viewers.

Kassie DePaiva would have been a perfect recast

KDP – Perfect casting actually

And Rebecca should be on GH as Hayden, though GH burned her a few times…

Did Thorsten get her the gig ? She looks too young with her daughter.

This man does not have an original.idea! He is the king of triangles! I love Rebecca Budig and Frank Valentini should have brought her back as Hayden. The Brooke/Ridge/Taylor thing is stale. These folks should be setting an example for the next generation. Rebecca, I’m sorry is wrong for this role. Krista Allen and Jaqueline Woods resembled each other and they looked like mother & daughter. I wish Rebecca all the c luck!

A TOTAL DISASTER ALL THE WAY…

As much as I want to support the actress, she seems like a better recast for Phoebe than Taylor.

Unfortunately, the pictures further confirm the miscast here. Rebecca Budig is a great actress. I’ve been watching since her GL days. I even remember her first episode. That said, she looks more like JMW sister and TK daughter (if Ridge had another one). Brad Bell did the same thing with Ingo Rademacher. He wanted a name but Ingo was all wrong as Thorne. He looked older than TK (among other things). Obviously, Brad Bell is the boss and no one is going to tell him otherwise but this is so ridiculous.

My issue is why anyone would ever fight over Ridge? He’s an ass and a very unlikeable character!

I agree Kik To me he was always a pompus ass

Ŕight on!

I tend to agree here. I used to love Ridge and T.K when he first came aboard, but lately, he’s become a curmudgeon type,plus a horney old guy. I get so sick of Vwatching him and Brooke falling all over each other, trying to look romantic.

Give Budig a chance!
We already know what a dynamic, appealing actress she is.
It is a gift that she is back on daytime!

She certainly is all that, and I love her to death but not in the role that are giving her. It’s preposterous, she’s too young to be involved or related to any of these people, in turn making them all look ridiculous!

Nope…never going to work, but Brad Bell just does what pleases Brad Bell and KKL.

I love Rebecca, but she is just not going to fill the shoes of Taylor, there is no connection. I am all for her being back on daytime, but not this role.

She is miscast for the part. She looks like Ridge’s daughter. She is too well known as in daytime for the attempt to make her play an older Taylor work. Everyone is just going to see Rebecca in old woman makeup.

I personally think that being put along side the others , will just make her look even younger, or them older? Will have to wait and see, I guess

Watched Taylor’s homecoming today. No way in hell would anyone think she’s Steffie’s mom. It was so nice to see her , but she also made steffie look like more of a witch than she is.Cant wait to see Taylor with the “old guy” now.

She looks too young. Go back the general hospital now that Finn gone

Oh…Sorry….but she is all wrong….Not even close to looking like Stephy’s mother….Friend maybe..or cousin.

Too young

I liked Rebecca Budig in All My Children, but this doesn’t work on Bold and the Beautiful, she looks like Steffi‘s sister not her mother, completely wrong. Taylor needs to be older. Bad choice! Try again. Krista was better.

General Hospital

Kelly Sullivan Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’s’ Maura West Recalling When Ava Shot Connie (Exclusive)

Published

on

By

Maura West and Kelly Sullivan

It was just over 13 years ago on General Hospital when Ava Jerome (Maura West) shot and killed Kate Howard/Connie Falconeri (Kelly Sullivan) in an effort to keep her quiet from revealing that Derek Wells was actually Ava’s back-from-the-dead brother, Julian Jerome (William deVry). It’s a crime that somehow Ava never has quite paid for either.

The episode back aired on August 13, 2013 and viewers had to say goodbye to Kelly Sullivan who played Kate and her alter, Connie. In the story, just before she died, Kate/Connie scrawled the letters AJ in her own blood, initially making the PCPD and Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) think that it was AJ Quatermaine (Sean Kanan) who did the deed.

Now, Sullivan recalled sharing scenes with the three-time Daytime Emmy-winning West, during a live conversation on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel. Kelly was the special guest talking about her recent return to the soaps in her new role as The Bold and the Beautiful’s Darcy Dylan.

Photo: JPI

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF MAURA WEST

Speaking of her final GH scenes and working with Maura West, Sullivan gave her then GH co-star major props. “If you’re going to be shot by somebody (on the soaps), you want to be shot by Maura West, c’mon!”

Maura West debuted back in May 2013 as Ava, and Sullivan remembered when the As the World Turns favorite began on GH. “I remember when Maura West first arrived at GH. She walked in with this cute little bob (hairdo) and she’s just delicious,” shared Sullivan.

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

Kelly revealed more about Maura, adding “I think she’s amazing! I remember right before I left the show, someone suggested, and I would still love to do this with her, if she ever want to, but someone suggested that they wanted to direct the stage play A Streetcar Named Desire with Maura and I, where I would play Stella and she would play Blanche! Wouldn’t that be great?”

Speaking of the Ava/Connie showdown scenes, Sullivan expressed, “On television and on General Hospital specifically, Maura West is able to play a character who does the most horrendous things and you still care about her and that’s the mark of a really great actor. In other words, you’re able to be liked in the midst of the most horrendous things, and as a performer not shying away from that, and to just have the courage to do what’s on the page (in the script).”

Photo: JPI

KELLY SULLIVAN PARTING THOUGHTS AS SHE LEFT GENERAL HOSPITAL

Kelly also shared her sentiments when she walked off the set of General Hospital after her run back in August of 2013. “I really was honored. Every day I would go to work and I would say a little prayer, which is I want to do justice for my character, explained Kelly. “It’s between me and my character. I get to walk this path with her and to leave the show on that note, which is, I left every out there. I just gave it my all and again what an honor it was to play Kate/Connie.”

You can catch the full conversation with Kelly where she talks about her time on General Hospital, The Young and the Restless where she played Sage Warner and now The Bold and the Beautiful below.

So, do you remember the Ava and Connie scenes where Ava shot and killed her? What did you think of Kelly Sullivan’s sentiments about Maura West? Share your thoughts via the comment section. But first, watch the reveal where Ava recalls murdering Connie below!

 

Continue Reading

General Hospital

Steve Burton Reportedly Signs Three-Year Contract with ‘General Hospital’

Published

on

By

Steve Burton

The question of will Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) stay awhile at General Hospital after his recent extended hiatus from the show earlier this year, has reportedly been answered.

TMZ via court documents obtained in Burton’s ongoing legal battle with his ex-wife Sheree Gustin, shared that Steve actually inked a new three year deal with the ABC soap opera back in June.

That is significant because it was June when Burton returned back to work as Jason. In addition, the court filing confirmed that Burton had already moved back to California from Tennessee.

Steve Burton

Photo: ABC

STEVE’S HIATUS AND HIS RETURN TO PORT CHARLES

GH fans will recall, it was back in February of 2026, that Burton announced via his Instagram that he was stepping away from his role of Jason Morgan for short break and pointed to wanting to spend quality time with his new wife, Michelle Lundstrom Burton with whom he tied the knot back on May 17, 2025.

Steve expressed at that time, “I’m newly married and looking forward to spending some quality time with my family.” It was back on March 25 that viewers saw Jason carted away by the WSB after taking the fall for Rocco Falconeri (Finn Carr) who shot then WSB Director Ross Cullum (Andrew Hawkes).

Burton returned to work on June 1, and due to General Hospital taping roughly six weeks ahead of air, made his on-screen comeback on the July 13 episode.

GOING FOR GOLD AT THE UPCOMING DAYTIME EMMYS

Then, Steve and his enduring fans got an extra special treat on the same day, when it was revealed on Extra that he was nominated for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Daytime Drama Series category.

Steve previously won in the Supporting Actor category for his work as General Hospital’s Jason in 1998 and as The Young and the Restless’ Dylan McAvoy in 2018.

Now with Jason and Britt’s (Kelly Thiebaud) relationship seemingly hitting the skids, plus Jason’s commitment to staying out of mob life to focus on being present for his son Danny Morgan (Asher Antonyzyn), what does the future hold for the fan favorite character? Stay tuned.

So, happy to hear that Steve Burton signed a new three year deal with General Hospital? Knowing that, what storyline would you like to see Jason get involved and with who? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section.

Continue Reading

News

Jess Walton Memoir ‘The Young and the Rest of Us’ Set for Release in 2027

Published

on

By

Jess Walton

The Young and the Restless enduring favorite and two-time Daytime Emmy-winning actress, Jess Walton (Jill Foster Abbott) is set to release her memoir!

Kensington Publishing has revealed on their website that Walton’s book The Young and the Rest of Us is now available for pre-order while listing an April 27, 2027 release date. In addition, in June of 2027, Walton will mark her 40th anniversary with The Young and the Restless and her debut as Jill.

The official log lines for the memoir share, “Emmy Award-winning actress Jess Walton, known to millions as the iconic Jill Abbott on the #1 soap opera The Young and the Restless, shares her extraordinary journey to stardom, sobriety, true love, and self-discovery in this startingly candid, intimate, and star-studded memoir.”

Jess Walton

Photo; Kensington Books

CAKE FIGHTS AND CORPORATE INTRIGUE

The book description for The Young and the Rest of Us adds,  “In June 1987, Jess Walton walked through the artists’ entrance at CBS for her first day on The Young and the Restless,where she had just been hired to play the recast role of Jill AbbottTwo Emmy awards, four decades, and countless onscreen affairs, marriages, corporate takeovers, and cake fights later, she’s a beloved icon with an astonishing tale to tell.”

“In her refreshingly candid style, Jess shares her journey as a young actress from Toronto theaters to Los Angeles, where she found herself at the center of a Laurel Canyon circle that included the likes of Neil Young, David Geffen, Laura Nyro, and Joni Mitchell. Landing a Universal contract and a steady stream of guest starring roles, Jess embraced everything 1970s L.A. had to offer—including Hollywood parties fueled by limitless booze and drugs, and trysts with stars. She recounts with candor and gratitude the surprising path that eventually led her to sobriety, true love—and ultimately, to fictional Genoa City, Wisconsin, and the role of a lifetime.”

“Brimming with behind-the-scenes drama and celebrity cameos to delight fans, The Young and the Rest of Us is also rich in personal, relatable truths about marriage, motherhood, empty-nesting, self-discovery, and finding the courage to start over—as often as it takes. In a voice as fearless and frank as Jill’s, but with, humor and grace all her own, Jess Walton looks back on a life as unpredictable, and adventure filled as anything she has portrayed on screen.”

WHO ELSE PLAYED JILL FOSER ABBOTT?

Fans of The Young and the Restless know that Walton became the fourth actress to take on the role of Katherine Chancellor’s original nemesis Jill Foster back in 1987. The OG Jill was played by Brenda Dickson, also Deborah Adair, Bond Gideon and Melinda O. Fee played the part.

This year, Days of our Lives star Lauren Koslow (Kate Roberts) filled-in for several episodes for Walton who was unavailable to travel from her home in Oregon to Los Angeles where Y&R was taped. Walton is still with the long-running soap opera as Jill.

So, excited to learn of Jess Walton’s upcoming memoir, ‘The Young and the Rest of Us?’ Will it be it a must-read for you? Drop a comment below.

Continue Reading

Video Du Jour

Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

Recent Comments

Power Performance

Heather Tom

The Bold and the Beautiful

Airdate: 7-24-2026

Popular

32
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x