When Beyond the Gates concluded last week’s Friday cliffhanger, Hayley (Marquita Goings) received some life-altering news! Up in her suite at the Bowman, she had decided to take a home pregnancy test. As she watched the timer, nervously, when it was time to check the results, it confirmed she was indeed carrying a child. This causes Hayley great angst as she threw it to the wall and screamed, “No!”

This development sideswipes and turns her next move upside down! Previously, Hayley had met with her cousin Randy (Maurice P. Kerry) who finally presented her with the requested new ID to start a new life, and for her to go after another rich man and scam him, like she tried to do with Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett).

Hayley’s new identify was to be that of Carey Jenner, …a nanny! Hayley didn’t want anything to do with kids. Randy had told her it was the perfect identify to infiltrate a wealthy man’s home and heart. Now, that Hayley’s pregnant presumably with Bill’s child, what will be her next move?

Photo: CBS

THE LATEST IN THE LIFE OF HAYLEY LAWSON HAMILTON

During a livestream chat with Marquita Goings on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel, the actress talked about what Hayley pregnancy would mean, what other men in the Fairmont Crest universe might she set her sights on, and her odd, yet “friendly” relationship with Leslie (Trisha Mann-Grant), plus working with her leading man, Timon Kyle Durrett, who this week’s goes for gold in the Outstanding Supporting Actor category at the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

Opening up about Hayley realizing she may be pregnant which prompted the home pregnancy test, Goings shared, “That was good timing with Leslie. With her saying, ‘Oh, you’re gaining weight,’ and Hayley just has to go throw up.”

Now that it has been confirmed that Hayley is pregnant, it will be interesting to see how she plays this off, because as Goings stated, “She said she was pregnant already twice, I think. She was back and forth with Bill, like, ‘Oh, I’m pregnant, and then all this happened, and then losing the baby at Uptown.’ I guess now we’ll have to see (how this plays out).”

Courtesy/CBS

RANDY AND LESLIE UNLIKELY ALLIES?

As for her cousin, Randy, with whom Hayley keeps asking for new passports and fake ID’s, does she have any true familial feelings for him? “A little bit. I hate to say it,” shared Goings. “I feel like Hayley definitely loves her cousin. She appreciates her cousin, but they’ve always had this dynamic to where she’s bossed him around. She’s always helped him in a sense, although he’s helping her too, but when she scams, she’s the one going through everything, making the money. She’s playing him, but deep down, she cares about Randy.”

Beyond the Gates fans love the soapy goodness of two bad girls seemingly becoming frenemies when Leslie paid Hayley’s bail! Now the two chat over food and sundaes, as Hayley’s keeps getting sick at the sight of anything she would have to put down her stomach due to her pregnancy.

“Hayley doesn’t fully trust Leslie. She feels like she’s a scammer and they’re kinda two peas in a pod to some degree,” declared Marquita. “She probably doesn’t trust her because of Hayley knowing her own ways. She’s like, ‘Okay, why does she want to be close?’ But then it’s like, ‘Oh, wait! She bailed me out of jail of all people!”

Photo: CBS

TIMON KYLE DURRETT GOES FOR GOLD

While becoming pregnant may have given Hayley a second chance at a marriage of convenience to Bill, who else might Hayley target next? Goings weighed-in, “It definitely needs to be someone with some wealth because of her being money hungry. Like Isaiah (Lami), he doesn’t have anything. So he wouldn’t do her any good. And of course, he could be like eye candy, but he’s already in a relationship and he doesn’t have the tools. So, I don’t know. I don’t know if it would have to be someone new?”

Marquita also had high-praise for her co-star, Timon Kyle Durrett and was thrilled for his Daytime Emmy nomination. “It’s deserving. I cannot wait for the Emmys. I will be there. I have most of my scenes with Timon and I have a lot of fun with him. I also love my scenes with Karla Mosley (Dani Dupree) too. Just working with Karla alone is a joy. She’s amazing. I will say this, being my first time being on a soap, just watching her handle the pacing and just learning all the things, is a great example of how to do this medium.”

So, what do you think of Hayley being pregnant? Will she get Bill to take her back if she is carrying his child? Do you think it could be another man’s baby? What do you think of Hayley being frenemies with Leslie? Are you rooting for Timon Kyle Durrett and Karla Mosley at this week’s Daytime Emmys? Weigh-in below.

This week on all-new episodes of Beyond the Gates, as Smitty (Mike Manning) continues to be framed and in hot water for the murder of Dr. Lia Whitmore, he gets some familial back-up when his never-before-seen mother, Jenny Smith arrives in Fairmont Crest to see her son.

Jenny is played by Jennifer Van Horn who made her Beyond the Gates debut on the Wednesday, October 21, which was the same day that Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Daytime Drama Series Emmy nominee, Mike Manning participated in a livestream chat on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel.

In story, as Smitty was at home, he received a surprise visit from his mother, who resides in Ohio. Jenny came to support her son through this difficult time. Smitty made note of his disappointment that his father didn’t come with her on the trip, sharing that he knows his dad has never been comfortable around wealth or the Duprees.  Smitty also acknowledged how his father didn’t approve of becoming a journalist or moving to the DMV.  Later, when Smitty’s husband, Martin returned (Brandon Claybon) he walked in on Smitty getting a pep talk from Jenny.

Courtesy/CBS

SMITTY’S MOM ARRIVES

Manning addressed how he had to keep the appearance of Smitty’s mom on the down low. “I do have a mom now. Yes.! I couldn’t talk about it to anybody.  Jennifer Van Horn who plays my mom was so lovely and so nice, and she was great. I love Smitty having some backstory and having a parent.”

And there could be even more Smitty drama to come! Mike shared, “They mentioned Smitty’s father too, so they kind of plant the seeds for maybe more to come, which is nice. I think it really shows that there’s just one more level to the community that is surrounding Smitty. One of my favorite scenes from this entire storyline is when Smitty gets hauled into jail and the entire Dupree family shows up and they all start taking shots at Jacob (Jibre Hordges) and everyone at the police station.”

BEING EMBRACED BY THE DUPREES

Manning,  in particular, recalled a moment from fellow Daytime Emmy nominee, Tamara Tunie (Anita Dupree). “I loved when Anita goes, and this is not verbatim, but it was something along the lines of, ‘If Smitty’s not home for dinner, you’re gonna be hearing from Anita Dupree.’ Then, Vernon (Clifton Davis) says something, and Kat (Colby Nixon) comes in and she’s giving him so much sass. I remember watching the episode just being so touched that the entire Dupree family is wrapping around Smitty like this shield, this cocoon.  So, it makes this storyline of him being framed a little bit easier to swallow.”

Courtesy/CBS

MORE OF SMITTY’S BACKSTORY TO BE REVEALED?

Speaking of the scenes between Smitty and his mom, Manning felt, “It was very touching. He spoke about how he loved his mom for what she sacrificed, It was one of those mother-son things, but it was poignantly done. I would like them to explore that more, and Smitty’s family, because, I think that it’ll also help inform some of the dynamic between Martin and Smitty. We know that Martin comes from a long line of successful people, whether it’s in entertainment or politicians. His grandfather’s a senator. So, we understand that he grew up in the country club, basically. We don’t really understand where Smitty grew up yet.”

The two-time Daytime Emmy winner also explained that he has his own origin story for Bradley “Smitty” Smith: “Obviously, I have an idea in my head with the backstory that I’ve sort of decided for Smitty, whether or not that’s exactly what the writers are going to throw at me,  eventually, who knows? But, I certainly have an idea of why Smitty is the way he is, why he’s so driven, why he takes risks, why he’s so hungry to prove himself and be successful in journalism and everything else.”

You can check out a scene between Smitty and his never-before-seen-mom, Jenny below. Followed by our live chat with Mike Manning after the episode aired.

Now let us know, do you hope Beyond the Gates explores more of Smitty’s backstory? Did you enjoy the debut of Jennifer Van Horn as Smitty’s mom? Share your thoughts via the conversation below. And make sure to catch Mike on the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards streaming next Friday, October 30 to see if he takes home his third gold statuette!

As previously announced, Beyond the Gates is bringing chef, author and actress Tabitha Brown and Grammy Award-winning songwriter, singer and actress Kandi Burruss to Fairmont Crest in a special episode of the CBS daytime drama airing Thursday, October 22.

In the episode, Dani’s (Karla Mosley) best friend Pamela Curtis (Cady McClain), arranges a “Welcome to Your Life” television special for her. As it turns out, Brown will play the show’s host, Tia Allen, while Burruss takes on the role of Dani’s first modeling agent, Kalista Kilroy, who turns the celebration of her life into a bad trip down memory lane.

Dani’s parents Anita and Vernon (Tamara Tunie, Clifton Davis), sister Nicole (Daphnee Duplaix), and daughters Chelsea (RhonniRose Mantilla) and Naomi (Arielle Prepetit) all join the show to celebrate and support her but also witness how things so south. Also appearing in the episode are Molly Figueroa as Tatum Stewart and fan-favorite Anita Williams (Tunie) impersonator Jackie Tyree!

PhotoL JPI

THE 411 ON TIA AND KALISTA

Speaking with TV Insider, about their soapy experience in Fairmont Crest, Tabitha Brown previewed about her host with the most, “Tia is very professional, but she’s a girl’s girl. She is a protector of women and wants to tell their stories in a beautiful way, but she also wants to make sure they’re seen in a very good light.”

However, Burruss previews that Kalista arrives with a score to settle. “She’s spicy,” shared the recording artist. “I always love playing somebody that has come to start trouble. It’s always fun to play a villain of sorts, but Kalista feels like she’s been done wrong and she’s hurt by what she feels has been done to her. So Kalista is stirring up trouble, but she feels justified putting Dani on blast. Kalista is ready for some payback.”

Beyond the Gates is produced by CBS Studios, as part of the CBS Studios/NAACP Venture, in partnership with P&G Studios, a division of Procter & Gamble. Created by head writer Michele Val Jean, executive producers include Val Jean, Sheila Ducksworth, Julie Carruthers, Tracey Thomson, Leon W. Russell, Derrick Johnson, Anna Saalfeld and Lela Coffey.

Beyond the Gates is broadcast weekdays on CBS (2:00-3:00 PM, ET/1:00-2:00 PM, PT) and is available to stream on Paramount+**.

So, looking forward to this special episode of Beyond the Gates when Dani is put on a blast during a blast from her past and Welcome to Your Life TV special? Share your thoughts via the comment section.