All My Children
Susan Lucci Recalls ‘All My Children’ Cancellation and How Viewers Crashed ABC Phone Lines on ‘Soapy’ (Exclusive)
You should never, ever underestimate the power, or the passion of soap opera fans, as legendary All My Children star, Susan Lucci (ex-Erica Kane) discussed during her guest appearance on this week’s episode of Soapy Hosted by Rebecca Budig and Greg Vaughan dropping on Tuesday, January 13th.
Ahead of the release of the all-new episode of the podcast/talk show, Michael Fairman TV has this exclusive clip to share which features ‘La Lucci’ speaking about the heartfelt calls she received from series iconic creator, Agnes Nixon after All My Children ended, and how disgruntled fans of the soap opera flooded the ABC switchboard and computer lines causing them to go down!
All My Children lasted on ABC for 41 years. It was back in April 2011 when the cast were notified by then ABC Daytime President, Brian Frons that the soap along with One Life to Live, had been canceled. By September 23, 2011, All My Children broadcast its final episode on ABC which ended with a cliffhanger. It was revived for one shortened season by Prospect Park when it launched its online version of the series in April of 2013 streaming on Hulu, and ended in the fall September of 2013.
Photo: CBS
VOICE YOUR DISPLEASURE
During her visit to Soapy, Susan revealed that Agnes Nixon was still crafting ideas for the All My Children characters even after its demise “I would say the first four years after All My Children was off the air, Agnes would call me with ideas she had for story,” explained Lucci. “It just so thrilling to hear this from Agnes, because she was this amazing storyteller.”
Then, recalling the fan fervor when the soap was canceled, Susan said, “When All My Children went off the air, I was told by many people, including Agnes, the fans blew up and shut down the computer lines at ABC. She said there was one number that you could call, and so I did. I called it just to see if it was really true, because that’s kind of unbelievable to crash the lines at corporation. I wanted to see myself, and actually the recording said, ‘to state your displeasure or your upset at All My Children being canceled, press one … for all other ABC business press two.’ So it was true.”
LA LUCCI
Susan is also promoting her new memoir La Lucci which is set for release in bookstores nationwide come February 3. In this her second book, La Lucci explores Susan’s journey through love, joy, reinvention, and resilience in the face of profound loss-both personal and professional. As Susan’s fans know, she lost her beloved husband and manager Helmut Huber back in 2022, which is part of the book.
Rebecca Budig also appeared on All My Children in the role of Greenlee Smythe and often shared scenes with Susan. Now, Budig appears on The Bold and the Beautiful as Dr. Taylor Hayes, while her co-host, Greg Rikaart is on Days of our Lives as Leo Stark.
Now below, check out the clip of Susan talking the ripple effect of All My Children’s cancellation by ABC.
Soapy episodes can be found on Audacy or wherever podcasts are available and full video episode on the CBS Brand YouTube Channel.
Then, let us know, were you one of the viewers who called the ABC phone lines and either left a message on the complaint line or helped crash the computer lines during the fan uproar of losing All My Children? What do you remember the day you found out the soap had been canceled? Share your recollections via the comment section.
One of the great things Ron Carlivati did on Days was to give short term roles on the show to the old grand dames of daytime. Surely, there is a role out there for Susan Lucci on one of the legacy soaps if she wanted to be on a soap again. I don’t believe any of the old soaps AMC, OLTL, Guiding Light, As the World Turns, Sunset Beach could ever be rebooted as daily soaps due to the passage of time and the deaths of so many of our old faves. But I do think a weeklong series tying up loose ends with some of the remaining cast members would be an enormous hit especially on streaming. I know I would tune in to see Erica, Kendall, and Bianca again.
Frank Valentini has reportedly asked Lucci a few times to come to GH for a short stint. She apparently has little desire to resurrect Erica (at least on GH).
Susan has been frank about not wanting to do daytime again, as the experience at All My Children would likely not be replicated or duplicated at any other soap. She received offers from other soaps once All My Children ended, and she refused them.
Susan is very protective of the character of Erica and from what I have read she has refused offers because she is unsure that they will take care of the character as they should.
Why press any number other than “1”?!?!
I was one of them who crashed the phone lines. I STRONGLY registered my disgust at the cancellation of One Life to Live and All My Children. I still do.
Agnes Nixon was an amazing visionary story teller. She created two outstanding programs both of which should be on the air today. May she rest in peace.
Agreed 100 percent
It was a shock to me when AMC aired its last episode in ABC. I cried.
I’m still upset about AMC and OLTL being cancelled! Nothing can ever replace those shows
AMC and OLTL is still remembered by its fan while its replacement the Chew is long forgotten.
To lose both AMC and OLTL and to this day they still haven’t found anything to replace it that lasted proves what a bone headed move that was. Brian Frons among the most hated figures in Daytime along with JFP and LML and Josh Griffith
That Mrs. Nixon continued to craft new plots for her characters isn’t a surprise because she always said, “The story never ends.”
I was shocked about the cancellation and cried. All My Children was beloved by young and older loyal fans. No one deserved to be dismissed the way we were, not the cast and crew, and not the viewers!
She refuses to talk about her daughter who stopped talking to both parents 5 years ago.Liza got upset that Susan and her husband kept giving money to her lazy brother who never became a golf pro.Also,Susan wants a lot of money for a small role on any soap because she deserves it.The ratings would be sky high.In two weeks she will be on good morning america,live with kelly,the today show,CBS morning,the view and tamron hall.All the people interviewing her will be told before hand,not to mention liza.
Her relationship with her daughter is a private matter. She is under no obligation to discuss it with the public. If she chooses to do so then that’s a different set of circumstances
However, as we can see from Hollywood and royalty rocky parental child relationships where one of the parties cut off all ties for their mental health is becoming more and more prevalent and would be a great topic to explore more on soaps. Other than Days Gwen/Jack or EJ/ Johnny it is rarely seen.
Yes I called and stated my complaint many times. I was heartbroken that my beloved soap was ending.
Well I cannot believe that the short-lived Online version of both OLTL and AMC have been gone for already a decade – but WHAT ever became of the show PINE VALLEY that supposedly was ‘really happening’ a few years ago that Susan was interested in doing? Kelly Rippa and hubby Marc were allegedly putting it all together in 2021 and then…..nothing. Eva LaRue said “it’s definitely happening!” So…..what gives…..I guess, well I assume that it will not come to fruition.
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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