News
Shelly Altman & Jean Passanante Officially Named Today Head Writers Of Y&R!
Courtesy/WGAeast
Although already reported through the soap world, today it became official with an announcement from Sony Pictures Television. Shelly Altman has been promoted to Head Writer and Jean Passanante has been named Head Writer for The Young and the Restless. Additionally, Tracey Thomson has been promoted to Co-Head Writer. The announcement was made by Steve Kent, Senior Executive Vice President, U.S. Programming at Sony Pictures Television.
Kent stated, “Shelly has been an important part of the Y&R writing team since joining the show last year and Jean brings with her a wealth of daytime writing experience. We are excited to have these two talented daytime veterans leading our writing team at Y&R. We are also thrilled to have Tracey take on a new role and we look forward to her creative input to the show.”
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Altman has been a writer for The Young and The Restless since 2012. Previously, she served as a writer and co-head writer on several daytime dramas, including Another World, One Life to Live, and most recently, General Hospital. Altman has been nominated for five Writers Guild Awards and six Emmy Awards. She won an Emmy for her work on General Hospital in 2008.
Passanante has also written for several daytime dramas, including Another World, All My Children, As the World Turns, One Life to Live and General Hospital. Passanante has been nominated for four Writers Guild Awards and has won four times for her work on All My Children (2001, 2002) and for her work on As the World Turns (2007, 2009). She has been nominated for eight Emmy Awards and has won four times for her work on One Life to Live (1994) and As the World Turns (2002, 2004 and 2005).
Thomson wrote for General Hospital from 2006 to 2008, for All My Children from 2008 to 2010 and she returned to General Hospital from 2010 to 2012. She joined the writing team at The Young and the Restless in 2012. Thomson has been nominated for two Writers Guild Awards and won for her work on General Hospital in 2012. She has been nominated for four Emmy Awards.
So now that it is official, how do you feel about Altman and Passanante, with Thompson creating the stories for the characters on the canvas in Genoa City? Do you think the show will become more like the Y&R you have longed for? Comment below!
Who cares, the has sucked for awhile now. As long as JP is there, it really doesn’t matter who writes because they take their orders from her and she has zero vision.
I agree-until they get rid of the woman hating JFP, who must be behind the utter destruction of the Sharon character, who ever is writing for Y&R cannot remedy what ails it. For instance, how do they fix the whole Jack/Nick paternity DNA mess? Viewers have been led to believe for years that Jack was really the father. And really, can’t Jack come up on top just once ?
I mean, the women-hating (plural). And it does seem self evident that JFP hates SC (Sharon).
Sad,but I think you are right!
Sharon and Adam are the shows top super hot couple. Bring back Drucilla for Neil!
London Bridges! Chelsea better be getting what’s coming to her! Tired of her and the baby story. Time for the ratchet chin to get what’s coming to her! Hope Dylan and Adam take her ass to court! Who cares about the stripper Nikki! What is going on with this show. Avery she got to go also! Annoying girl! Nobody got time for any of that! Nikki is just ratchet. The Victor old fool is a recycled story over and over. Time they moved away from that old fool!!! Time for Avery to leave
I LOVE Sharon! They need to repair her like they promised! Sharon and Adam should be married by now. So tired of Chelsea and Avery and now this stuff again with Nikki and Victor so recycled .
I can’t stand all this Chelsea stuff. Avery is really boring me. I miss the old couples like Dru and Neil and Sharon with Adam or Nick. I loved Ashley and Brad. Victor is a hot mess and I hate Nikki can’t stand the way she treats people tired of her
Please explain wtf is Wrong with Sharon, and make her back the way she used to be. And I love Sharon with Adam
I did too! I thought they really brought a substance to the two that they don’t have individually. The relationship gave Sharon an independence she never exhibited with anyone else and it added a humanity to Adam.
I was never a huge fan of Sharon, but now the character is just a joke.
Y&R has been YawneR for waaaay to loooooooooong!!!
I agree! Sharon was the best thing to ever happen to Adam. They were like SUPER COUPLE <3
R.I.P. Y&R.
100% agree. JFBP has been brought in for the final rites of Y & R.
It like having a family business run by strangers– no matter how experience they are they will never run the business like those who created it, nurtured and made it what it was.
Mary I heard that SB does some good acting finally on today’s Canadian episode and that we find out the deal concerning Sharon. Finally maybe we shall see some light at the end of the tunnel where I can start watching again or was I informed wrong?
Noah finds Sharon meds and realizes the prescription was filled 2 months ago and the bottle is still filled–she is off her meds. I think we all guess that would be their reasoning for her odd behavior, but whether that explanation will be enough to redeem her or undo the damage done to the character I don’t know.
As for SB– yeah he actually managed to convey some emotion— a great scene that helps us understand why he was so willing to believe everything Chelsea told him. JM also gave a good performance as the jilted groom.
And Jfp has won 7 emmy awards and before y and r her ratings were shit. Altman 1 year experience at y and r. its not going to work. Jean Passanante again no history of y and r history. Thompson just gh and no y and r experience. This show has officially become the cancellation production staff.
Why oh why does JFP keep getting hired while being awarded Emmy’s? Fans hate her, viewers hate her, and the actors and crew members hate her. She is known as the grim reaper of soaps.
Get rid of her!
JP is the worst ever writer in soap history. Every soap that she was HW sunk badly. May be they want Y & R off the air very soon; that’s why they have hired JP as its funeral director. I hate JP with every fiber for the way she destroyed ATWT.
I’ve been telling everybody; YawneR, YawneR, YawneR…..zzz…zzz…zzz…
As far as I’m concerned, nothing will revive YawneR. It is in a coma and
puts the viewers in comas!!!
I do not think they have any far range plans for any stories they just wing it. JG promised us he was going to turn Sharon around and she is worse then ever. I mean I expect any time for her to grow a mustache and start twirling it! I know it is a paycheck but she can not possibly be happy with this. She is not even remotely like the creation Bill Bell made no she was not perfect but this is not even the same young girl. Maybe that is their intent is to make her so unlikeable that you want her gone forever. I know this is off topic but would someone please remove those cheap looking lion statues out of the Chancellor mansion. I know if Jeanne Cooper was alive she would be dropping F-Bombs all over the place how tacky that living room is.
Could NOT agree more! Eric Braden stated he didn’t care who wrote for the show as long as they had an understanding for the history! Clearly these women DO NOT! Despise JFP! Kay Alden should have been brought back. This is a Bell serial that has become the JFP show! Not Happy!
Just write a better show. PLEASE!
This latest stuff about Nikki having another child is not the way to do it.
You need to fix the mess they have made of Sharon case.She is to good for the crap they have handed her the last 2 years!!!!shes to good of a actress to treat her this way!!!!
Totally agree about SC but she did absolutely look gorgeous in the pink top at the wedding! Even if you do not like her character which I do though no one can say she has not gone to work and given it a 100%. My understanding is at the fan gathering she was the one most people wanted to see and I guess she was out ill and did not show up. I would be ill if I had to work under these circumstances. I want my show back and I know I am going to catch some grief but if that top picture is Shelly Altman I swear it looks like a man in drag. I think all these women writing and producing for the show hate women I really do. I know JFP does.
Y&R is doomed!
If it was not before, it will surely now be 100% doomed. The witch of soaps, JFP, has been hired as HW.
Interesting to read how much Y&R viewers hate being subjected to writers who have no clue about the show’s history just the way GH viewers hate that RC has no clue about its history. Misery loves company.
“RC has excellent knowledge of GH history..
Um… apparently not when it comes to Carly!
Ron Carlivati has stated multiple times that he loves GH’s rich history, and he, along with Frank Valentini, saved the show from cancellation. Look at how many vets they’ve brought back, even ones whose characters were thought to be dead: Sean Kanan, Finola Hughes, Tristan Rogers, Genie Francis, Kin Shriner, Jack Wagner, Ian Buchanan, Robin Mattson, Lynn Herring, Jon Lindstrom, Denise Alexander, Rick Springfield, John Reilly, as well as appearances from Stuart Damon, Natalia Livingston, Chris Robinson… the list goes on.
GH is stronger now that it has been in years, the writing is much better, the acting is still solid and the FV/RC creative team is stellar. If you don’t believe me, watch some episodes from when JFP and Guza were there, and compare them to recent episodes. The show is amazing, and Frank and Ron are to thank for that. So how can you say that they don’t know or care about GH history?
Notice that you specifically avoided my mention of Carly. Right now one of Ron’s marquis story lines is the return of a dead serial killer who committed truly heinous atrocities against many characters, of which he kidnapped Carly, stalked her young daughter and arranged for her son to be raped in prison. Now Carly has become infatuated with Franco. It is offensive, many long-time GH watchers absolutely hate it but he story is being propped by all the OLTL watchers who came over to GH after RC got their show cancelled. Do I appreciate what he has done for GH? Yes… and no. Guza certainly got carried away and deserved to be fired but his stories had depth and drama. RC’s stories have something going for them – finally – but they still lack depth. He prefers plot points to the work of developing stories. So there is something to be said for each of them. The Franco disaster is horrible though and SPITS in the face of GH history. For me, I’ll look forward to the resolution of Luke and Laura’s story line in the fall and then I’m done, and it is entirely attributable of the stupid offensiveness of the Franco arc.
I never said I agree with everything RC has done. In fact, I don’t really like his creations of Sabrina or Britt, but story wise, for the most part, I love what he’s done. I find him much better than Guza, and I apologize if I offended you in any way. I agree, having Carly fall for Franco is a bit out there, but at the same time, imagine all the story potential it has, topped with the wild chemistry between Laura Wright and the incredible Roger Howarth. I think RC could be on the right track here with this odd but intriguing pairing.
Kay Alden, Jack Smith, period.
Amen. This whole Jean Passanante, Shelley Altman and Tracey Thompson team isn’t going to work, especially when JFP is leading the charge.
After the way JP destroyed ATWT with her pathetic writing; better not to continue watching Y & R. The soap was stale anyway. It will now evaporate faster than vapor.
When I read your comment, I could not stop lauphing!!!lol
Thank you. I needed that!!!
Ugh. You’ve reported this before but I was PRAYING it wasn’t true. I can’t believe that Jean Passanante is given yet another chance to write (“cough” — destroy!) a soap. In the past five years, alleged writer Passanante has worked on three soaps and two of them were cancelled when she was around. Who in their right mind would allow this woman anywhere near their show with her track record?
This is TERRIBLE news!!!!
Who in their right mind would allow this woman anywhere near their show with her track record?
The idiots and morons of Y & R.
If one needed evidence that the people at Sony haven’t the slightest idea what they’re doing, here it is. I don’t care how many Emmys Jean Passanante has, I’ve watched shows she has head-written and they were, I’m sorry to say it, dreadful. (She might be fine in other capacities.) It could be, I suppose, that they were unable to find many people willing to consider working for JFP, but if that’s the case, that should tell them what a problem they have with JFP as executive producer, shouldn’t it?
Soaps are circling the drain and THIS is the kind of decision they’re making? Un-fricking-believable.
My only hope is when not if, but when, Y&R finally loses its coveted number one spot in the ratings the exec’s at Sony/CBS will wake up and smell the coffee and realize they made the biggest blunder thinking they hired a dream team and they got the team of doom.
lol I think you all are having bad hair day ..(grouchy)
Y&R can not get any worse than it is now, so no big deal..
100% agree. JP will hasten the end of the show. After all destroying soaps is JP’s long-lived privilege and right.
I would’ve preferred to see Josh stay. His storytelling was amazing. I haven’t loved Y&R this much in years. Jean is a decent scribe, and Altman is pretty decent as well. Would prefer Josh to come back and have Kay Alden named co-head scribe alongside him.
You must be a saint to actually call JP a decent scribe. After the AW, ATWT and OLTL debacle at JP’s hands; you’re really a kind-hearted person. Good Luck! with Y & R with JP as its HW. After ATWT, I had vowed never to see anything with which CG and JP are associated. So, Adios Y & R.
Your name is Scott (ATWT fan), and you’re saying that Jeannie P is a “decent scribe”?! She systematically destroyed ATWT to the point of cancellation, and made multi-decade, fan-favourite vet Eileen Fulton no more than a breathing prop on the show! How does that resemble a “decent scribe”? And now, she’s been set loose on Y&R with JFP to destroy it, as well. I guarantee that Y&R will sink even lower with this new “creative” team managing everything. I agree that Kay Alden (as well as Jack Smith) should have been brought back, but I am certainly not holding my breath to be amazed by Passanante’s work. Her butcher jobs on ATWT (a show you claim to be a fan of) and AW speak volumes.
Like many long time fans, I wonder how much longer Y&R can exist without great storylines. I remember the multi-layered, inter-generational shows from the glory days of Bill Bell. Do the networks/production companies really want daytime to fail? Why do they keep hiring producers/writers recently fired from other shows? Makes no sense! Come on CBS & Sony, think outside the box. The characters and their history should be respected, not completely re-written at the drop of the new headwriter’s whimsy. The shows deserve more, along with the cast, crew and fans.
The current state of the Y&R CAN BE BLAMED ON THREE PEOPLE, the current head of Sony Daytime, the executive who is running the production of the show, and head writer.Clearly they are not willing to create or hire a writer, from another venue,but continue to rely on former people wh records,despite their Emmys,the show still is forgetting ,that the fans know the back-story and when they start to change the psychological schema of the character,I.e. Sharon N., this story of chaos, illness, love, revenge, has not worked, and to involve major characters history,psyche, Nick, Jack, and poor Summer, stop taking these twist that seem interesting,but forget the history of how they were set up.Without the major character in a coma,I.e.(they haven’t hired anyone who has Michelle’s skills and talent)Sony hire an outside consultant to help you,really,do this asap…..but unless the rating slip..the will continue this mess ….good luck….
Only in television is failure rewarded.One hack writer after another destroys one show and is immediately hired to damage another.Jean Passanante wrote Another World and we watched 35 years of storied history swirl down the drain.As the World Turns was turned into a chaotic,ridiculous mess.The audience wants good stories not hackneyed,cliched crap.Stories of corporate intrigue might be interesting if not written by anti-capatilist clowns like Passanante,Griffith and others of their ilk.The same hack writers playing musical chairs to the tune of non-creative executives pushing implausible story lines is disappointing and devastating the devotees of the genre.Where is the next Bill Bell,Harding Lemay or Henry Slesar when we desperately need him .
Amen. Well said.
They better fix Sharon’s character for good this time. No more returning to psycho Sharon. Ever.
These three writers and Phelps know nothing about the YR brand and what it takes to make it great.
Josh G at least understood the history of the show and improved and stabilized the writing mess that MAB and Sheffer created.
And Kent must be smoking something to put out a release like that. Shameful.
I couldn’t agree more, Josh Griffith deserved so much more than he got, he continued work on Y&R during the WGA strike, and was elevated to EP at the time. He knows Y&R’s history, he cares about making a good show. Yes, the writing was pretty bad over the past year, but a lot of that can be attributed to JFP. I wouldn’t be shocked if she didn’t let Josh tell the stories he wanted to, and instead have him carry out her “creative vision” for the show.
MAB was bad, Lynn Marie Latham before her was awful, and I didn’t think it could get much worse, but here we are coming into the final few months of 2013 and the show is almost unwatchable. I loved Katherine’s memorial, but that’s the only thing I’ve liked in months.
As for the press release, I don’t understand how Kent could deliver such bullshit and expect everyone to jump on the JFP and Jeannie P bandwagon – it isn’t going to happen. Newer viewers, who didn’t watch Y&R when it was actually good, probably don’t care, because they don’t have a standard set for Bill Bell’s beloved show, but people who have been watching for years do, and the Y&R we’ve been subjected to since the Lynn Marie Latham days is awful.
I fall asleep every time I watch YawneR.
Tell your buddy Mike I said hello!!! He could not take the
heat elsewhere, so he chose to have the chef thrown out
of the kitchen!
What he did was create a catering service for me. I’m
cooking and serving everywhere and YawneR has had
it’s share of poisoness food!!! It is dying a slow death.
You probably need to stop watching.
Who’s Mike?
Mike is the know-it-all at zap2it, the one who hidesbehind
the numbers like you do!
Hiding where?
Sweetie take the meds, and calm down.
The world is a great place!
All the comments about Jean Passanante and Jill Farren Phelps being completely wrong for Y&R are 100% accurate. Look at what’s happened on Y&R in the past year:
– A ton of unnecessary firings (Marcy Rylan, Stephen Nichols, etc.); Completely miscast roles (Kyle Abbott, anyone?);
– Newbies with no ties to Y&R’s past (Tyler, Leslie, Melanie, Hillary, Mason, Gus, Wheeler, Carmine);
– Horrible actors being hired (Redaric Williams, Mishael Morgan, Marco Dapper);
– Awful writing (what the hell is going on with Sharon?!)
And now, the way TPTB at Sony & CBS are “attempting” to fix it is by keeping JFP, a power-hungry, tyrannical soap Satan, and giving her a new pet to carry out her “vision” for the show (or lack there of), Jeannie P, the destroyer of ATWT.
How is this helpful? How will this save Y&R? And the show really does need saving at this point. What Y&R needed to do was bring back Kay Alden and Jack Smith as head writers, fire JFP, and rehire Ed Scott or David Shaughnessy. THEN, and only then, would the show start to improve. This is a Bell Serial Drama, not JFP’s new toy to disassemble.
Leslie wasn’t a new character when Jill and Josh came on. Leslie joined the series when Maria was in control. And as for Emme, she was let go and brought back due to fan petition, and then she left of her own choice. And Marco was hired also during Maria’s reign. You need to re-assert your facts before just judging a writing and executive team.
What I meant was that Leslie was only bumped on to contract and given a story when Jill and Josh took over, before that she was a lawyer who only popped up when people needed legal assistance. She didn’t have a storyline or a backstory until Josh conjured one up for her, which led to the introductions of Tyler, Gus and Wheeler – three new characters with no ties to Y&R’s past.
Same thing goes for Carmine – he sort of had a story when he was introduced, with Angelina and Chloe’s kidnapping and all that, but then it was if he wasn’t on the show anymore, and all of the sudden he reappeared as a creepy, sleazy stalker. There was no reason given for that, he just slept with Lauren a few times and suddenly became infatuated with her. If the show was smart they would have killed the character off.
Marcy was let go by Jill and Josh, and when they realized their mistake and she was brought back, she should have been placed back on contract. Instead, she was put on recurring, which allowed her the option to leave the show whenever she wanted. Her leaving for the second time was a huge blow for Y&R.
All I can add is with the huge fan base of those who watch Y&R, it seems their opinion is worth nothing at all. On Twitter, all summer, fans were very verbal about the show, criticizing the plots and the lack of substance apart from the Mrs. C. memorial. Did CBS or Sony listen. Nope! Even the return of Micheal Damian was a blur of his having a few lines and singing of screen What an insult that was to him and the fans who had lobbied for his return all summer.
Will the story lines get better with two writers who have had no long term affiliation with the show?
Easy answer? Nope, not a bit.
Disappointed doesn’t even cut the response here by myself and the others who have commented.
What will it take to get the right folks back leading the drama back to it’s solid roots that we all love.
Correction of above comment by myself. I meant to write “Michael Damian singing OFF screen at the Mrs. C’s memorial”
They buried MRS C, now it’s time for YawneR to go to sleep.
DOOL has been on fire for over a year now.
GH is now on fire!!!
And even the horrible BlowjoB is better than YawneR!
A YackeR adds up to a YawneR. Y&R is a joke and some
people continue to hide behind the numbers..That is
all that show has. They’ll make it better when people
wake up and stop watching. I know it is a YawneR, but
WAKE UP!!!
Sweetie why such the hatred for YR?
Yikes.
I do not have a hatred for YawneR. I do not like when some Y&R fans
use the ratings to say it is the best. That is bad for the soaps!
I’ve never said it is the best. It has one big issue which is Phelps…and she needs to go, regardless of if the ratings have held up under her.
I want the ratings for all shows to continue to be good so at least we have four left.
I don’t hate any.
I think this is great news. This writing team seems like they are fully equipped to bring fresh and new stories while honouring the history of the characters. Many of the actors have expressed how good the show is and the writing. This is due to Josh, Shelley Altman and Tracey Thomson. With them being promoted and with Jean’s history of character driven stories I look forward to what happens in Genoa City.
YR was good under Josh Griffin with great emotional stories but something was lacking. Looking forward to fresh new stories. Let’s be positive about the changes and see what has to come. I have a feeling YR will be kicking ass in stories !!
Jean’s history of character driven stories
Yeah. she creates and then destroys her own characters and stories. No wonder she is kicked out from every soap shortly after her hire or even worse, the show gets cancelled. After AW, ATWT, OLTL; Y&R is next in line on its way out. Her touch is exactly opposite of the Midas Touch. Whatever she touches is doomed.
Most often new teams of writers DON’T honor the history of the characters and bring their own in.
We saw this under Josh, but that was most likely due to Jill.
I have no faith she’s done ANYTHING to honor the history of this great show.
I like that PatF said it was most likely due to Jill because when Josh took over in 2006 (during the WGA strike) up until he left, the show was good. He loves Y&R’s history and stays true to the characters. I feel like this time around, Jill didn’t allow him to tell the stories he wanted to tell, and that’s how this whole mess with Sharon was created.
And I completely disagree about Jeannie P having a GOOD history when it comes to soaps she’s written for – in fact, it’s the polar opposite. Her history is for destroying soaps like ATWT and AW. OLTL was saved but her work on ATWT was atrocious. She relegated Eileen Fulton to a breathing prop, and let’s not mention what she did to several other characters in terms of story.
Y&R does not need Jeannie P or Jill Farren Phelps for that matter.
I hope JP never ever writes a Gay or Lesbian SL for Y & R or anything that she is hired for. No, I am not a homophobe; I am an extremely tolerant and accepting individual. JP destroyed Luke and Reid, and Luke and Noah SLs on ATWT with horrendous endings for both. I do not know if she is a homophobe or not; but she is definitely a rank bad writer who does not read the pulse of the soap viewers at all. I am afraid that if she does write one she may repeat her past. The last time she had 1 character killed off, 1 left sad and miserable, and 1 packed off town. If she does write one, I am sure she’ll lead the faithful viewers and fans; and then she might come up with another atrocious and sad ending for gay or lesbian SLs.
Sorry have zero interest in Y&R under JFP and her Steve Burton propping hour.
Undoubtedly these writers are here to insure more Burton.
Its disgraceful that better actors have left for this
Good, then you can ruin Y&R the way you ruined GH.
how can you get rid of adam newman, and billy abbot you are destroying a great soap i have watched for many years you keep adding stupid story lines and stupid uninteresting people. You should leave a good thing alone. you probably will be axed off the air soon.
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Steve Burton Shares Reaction to His Lead Actor Daytime Emmy Nomination, ‘It Was to Honor Leslie Charleson’
The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Award nominations kicked-off on Monday with the announcements of four major categories including, Outstanding Lead Performer in a Daytime Drama Series — Actor, and among the nominees is General Hospital’s Steve Burton (Jason Morgan).
Burton is already a two-time Daytime Emmy winner in the Supporting Actor category for his roles as GH’s Jason and his turn as Dylan McAvoy on Y&R. However, Steve is yet to win in the Lead Actor category and he has received 11 nominations along the way in his daytime career.
Following the reveal that he is a 2026 Daytime Emmy nominee, he and his GH co-star, podcast co-host and comedy show partner, Bradford Anderson (Spinelli) taped a special edition of their That’s Awesome podcast just featuring Burton’s reaction to the news.
Photo: JPI
FOR LESLIE CHARLESON
Steve expressed, “I know it’s such a cliche to say, ‘I’m just so honored to be nominated.’ But truly, I’m so grateful to be nominated, so grateful to just be on the show off and on for 30 plus years and to be nominated with the guys in my category. Just to get the opportunity. Frank (Valentini, executive producer, GH) texted me right away. I was just like, ‘Thank you for the opportunity to get to do what I do.'”
Taking in the moment, Burton thanked those who helped him select the material for his nominated reel. “Unless you win, you don’t get to say things. So. I’m going just say a few things: Elizabeth Korte (co-head writer, GH) helped me a lot with the material, (as did) Michelle Henry, who’s a producer on the show, Laura Wright (Carly, GH), and then my wife Michelle (Lundstrom). I believe it was Jill Phelps who told me that when A Martinez felt like he had a great show or great scenes, he would mark it down. So, when Emmy time comes, you have all the show numbers written down, and you don’t have to think about it, because that’s half the battle (finding the material).
Burton explained how meaningful this nomination is for him, because of playing the scenes of Jason losing Monica, and his closeness with the late, great Leslie Charleson.
“The nomination’s an amazing thing, and it’s beautiful, but really it’s to honor Leslie Charleson. A lot of my material was because of her, and how I started on the show as a Quartermaine, it just means a ton,” shared Burton. “Maurice Benard (Sonny, GH) has obviously has been instrumental, and I’ve said it from day one and I’ll shout it from the rooftops. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here, and to be working with the people that we work with is incredible.”
Photo: JPI
SHOULD JOHN OLIVER BE NAMED HOST OF THE DAYTIME EMMYS?
During the end of his conversation with Anderson, Steve suggested that the host of the Daytime Emmy should be Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver, who recently guest starred as the head of the WSB named Z on General Hospital, and is soon to show up on Days of Our Lives in a mystery role in August.
Thus far, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has not revealed their host for the upcoming ceremony to be held on October 30 in a venue to be named in Hollywood, California.
You can watch Steve sharing his reaction to receiving his 2026 Lead Actor Daytime Emmy nomination below on a special segment on the That’s Awesome podcast.
Now let us know, are you glad that Steve chose scenes surrounding Jason mourning the loss of the woman that raised him, Monica Quartermaine for his Emmy reel? What do you think of John Oliver as a suggestion to host the Daytime Emmys? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
Monday on Entertainment Tonight, the second set of nominations for the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards were announced which included the highly-coveted Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series – Actress and Outstanding Daytime Talk Series.
ET followed suit after Extra announced the nominees, as previously reported, in the Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series – Actor and Outstanding Daytime Talk Host.
Now, five leading ladies of the soaps are vying for the gold for Lead Actress and the category marked the first-ever nominations for CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates when two actresses made the final cut. Only General Hospital is not represented among the actresses this year after Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis) took home the trophy last year.
Photo: NATAS
THE FIVE LEADING LADIES OF THE SOAPS ARE …
The 2026 Lead Actress nominees are: Stacy Haiduk (Kristen DiMera), Days of Our Lives, Karla Mosley (Dani Dupree), Beyond the Gates, Michelle Stafford (Phyllis Summers), The Young and the Restless, Heather Tom (Katie Logan), The Bold and the Beautiful, and Tamara Tunie (Anita Dupree), Beyond the Gates.
This marks the first Daytime Emmy nominations for Karla Mosley and Tamara Tunie. In addition, this marks the first-time in her career that Stacy Haiduk had received a Lead Actress nod after two Supporting Actress nominations.
Meanwhile, Michelle Stafford had previously won 3 Emmys – 2 for Lead Actress and 1 for Supporting, but this recognition makes it her 11th overall nomination.
Heather Tom currently is tied for the most all-time Daytime Emmy wins with One Life to Live alum and General Hospital guest star, Erika Slezak. The B&B star has 19 nominations throughout her career.
Photo: ABC
DAYTIME TALK SERIES
In the Outstanding Daytime Talk Series category, the nominees are: 3rd Hour of Today, The Drew Barrymore Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Live with Kelly and Mark, Today with Jenna and Friends and The View.
“We’re proud to honor the extraordinary talent and creative teams whose work continues to define and elevate daytime television,” NATAS president and CEO Adam Sharp said in a statement on the nominations. “As the Daytime landscape evolves and new forms of storytelling emerge, we remain committed to recognizing the innovation happening across the industry.”
The rest of the nominations will be revealed tomorrow on Tuesday July 14 starting on The View and then the full list of nominees in both the main and creative arts will be released by NATAS. The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards are slated for October 30th in Hollywood, California.
So, what do you think about the women who are vying for the Lead Actress Daytime Emmy? Happy with who got in? Who do you feel got snubbed? What do you think of the nominees for Daytime Talk Series? Weigh-in via the comment section.
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’ Marks Unprecedented 16,000th Episode Milestone with New Cast Photo
Today’s Monday, July 13 episode of General Hospital marks it 16,000 episode to air on the ABC television network. It is a remarkable milestone. The previous television record was held by Guiding Light which clocked in at 15,762 episodes before it went off the air on CBS in 2009.
To mark the occasion, the cast, crew and creative team of General Hospital celebrated with a cake-cutting ceremony on the Prospect Studios lot in Los Angeles back on Monday, June 1, 2026.
In addition, GH has released a new cast photo taken the day of the on set celebration. Pictured in the photo are front row: Rory Gibson, Finn Carr, Kayden Brenna Tokarski, Asher Antonyzyn, Giovanni Mazza, Braedyn Bruner, Dean Geyer and Nathan Dean.
Featured in the back row are: Tabyana Ali, Eden McCoy, Josh Swickard, Kristen Vaganos, Rebecca Herbst, Dominic Zamprogna, Alexa Havins, Cameron Mathison, Brooke Kerr, Cynthia Watros, Steve Burton, Finola Hughes, Jane Elliot, Maurice Benard, Laura Wright, Maura West, Donnell Turner, Nancy Lee Grahn, Tanisha Harper, Kelly Thiebaud, Kristina Wagner, Lynn Herring, Chris McKenna, Katelyn MacMullen and Sawandi Wilson.
In addition, the official GH social media handles shared these sentiments along with some other photos from the cake cutting: “Today’s episode of General Hospital is the 16,000th produced since the show’s inception in 1963. It’s a milestone we couldn’t let pass by without taking some time to celebrate as a family (and, of course… eating some cake). 🍰 We hope you enjoy watching it as much as we did making it.”
WHAT WILL HAPPEN ON THE 16,000th Episode?
The 16,000th episode will feature Jason Morgan returning to the town of Port Charles, Anna and Valentin (James Patrick Stewart) reuniting, and a new surgeon, Dr. Tristan Roberts (Dean Geyer) joining the staff of ‘General Hospital.’
GENERAL HOSPITAL HOLDS SEVERAL RECORDS
Now in its 64th year, Emmy Award-winning daytime drama General Hospital is currently both the longest-running scripted American drama and the longest-running American soap opera currently in production.
General Hospital holds the record for the most Outstanding Daytime Drama award wins, taking home the prestigious Daytime Emmy Award a record 18 times. Will they do it again and make it 19 in 2026? Stay tuned for the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy nominations tomorrow on Tuesday, July 14 to find out if GH will be going for gold in the category, once again.
The ABC daytime drama series was created by Frank and Doris Hursley and premiered back on April 1, 1963. Frank Valentini is the current executive producer with Elizabeth Korte and Chris Van Etten are the show’s co-head writers.
General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC and streams on Hulu.
What do you think of the new cast photo marking General Hospital’s 16000th episode? What do you think of the accomplishment to have that many episodes of a television show and its still thriving and kicking? Share your thoughts and congrats for everyone in front of the camera and behind the scenes on this milestone airing.
53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Announced: ‘The Young and the Restless’ Tops With 18, ‘Beyond the Gates’ With 16
‘General Hospital’s’ Steve Burton Shares Reaction to His Lead Actor Daytime Emmy Nomination, ‘It Was to Honor Leslie Charleson’
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason Reconnects with Danny; Tristan Roberts Arrives in Port Charles, Lots of Nods to #16
53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations: Outstanding Lead Actress Drama Series
53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations: Outstanding Lead Actor Drama Series
Scott Bryce, ‘As the World Turns’ Craig Montgomery, Passes Away at 68
Randolph Mantooth, ‘Emergency!’ and ‘Loving’ Actor, Dies at 80
‘The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards’ Nominations Announcement Date Revealed: Who Will Be Going For Gold?
Steve Burton Returns to ‘General Hospital’ on Its 16,000th Episode: How Will Jason Be a Changed Man?
‘Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026’ Live on the Michael Fairman Channel
‘General Hospital’s’ Steve Burton Shares Reaction to His Lead Actor Daytime Emmy Nomination, ‘It Was to Honor Leslie Charleson’
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason Reconnects with Danny; Tristan Roberts Arrives in Port Charles, Lots of Nods to #16
GENERAL HOSPITAL Spoilers Promo: Jason’s Back, Drew Begins to Make His Move, Portia Goes Into a Labor
Scott Bryce, ‘As the World Turns’ Craig Montgomery, Passes Away at 68
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL Preview: Daphne’s Devastated, Steffy Finds Herself at a Crossroads with Finn
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