Guiding Light
THE BETH CHAMBERLIN INTERVIEW- GUIDING LIGHT
Beth’s affair with Coop has been exposed. Alan Spaulding has been publicly humiliated and is exacting revenge on his possession, Beth. How? By blackmailing her into an impromptu public wedding. The stage is set for one of the most dramatic returns of all of daytime. This Monday, Grant Aleksander returns for the first time in four years to “Guiding Light” as Phillip Spaulding, and actress Beth Chamberlin couldn’t be happier.
However, in this interview with “On-Air On-Soaps” it’s not all happy faces. Beth and I discuss the imminent departure of John Driscoll, and how the exit will impact the show. So, what’s it like to be the gal forced into a wedding dress, marrying a man you don’t love, while two men you do love are on their way to stop the nuptials? Beth reveals her thoughts, and of course, how she’s got the most rockin’ body on daytime television.
Listen to the audio:
[display_podcast]
MICHAEL:
If we go back to the beginning, were you surprised when you found out that Beth and Coop were going to be lovers, and what the dynamic of that relationship would be?
BETH:
Yes. I was very surprised. In fact, when I first found out, I was on the set just doing a throw away scene with Frank and Coop. Just before we went to rehearsal, and just before we went to tape, Ellen Wheeler, our executive producer, told me, “Oh, and you have been carrying on an affair with Coop, but I don’t want you to play it here because it will be revealed down the road. But I want the audience to look back and say, ‘Oh, that’s what was going on there.” I was completely flustered. I went, “What? What’s going on?” It was great, and I have to say it’s been great fun!
MICHAEL:
I thought Coop and Beth’s affair was the most shocking plot twist of last year!
BETH:
Oh, yes! And what John Driscoll (Coop) brought to the table made it work. Thinking about the fact that Coop is a young writer, and has the same energy that Phillip brought to Beth years ago, it makes sense she would be attracted to him
MICHAEL:
And then to top this off, Beth’s daughter, Lizzie, was once involved with Coop, and Lizzie caught them together!
BETH:
Lizzie almost married Coop, and she did leave him at the altar! So I am not stealing my daughter’s boyfriend or anything like that, but obviously, she was and is quite angry about the affair. So are the people who do know, within Springfield. It’s hard for them to understand and to reconcile it. Although Beth is not married to Alan Spaulding, Alan views Beth as his property, and Alan is a dangerous man!
MICHAEL:
Did you like the idea of the younger man/older woman relationship, and that you were playing it out on television?
BETH:
I have to be honest. At first, I thought it was great because I love John Driscoll and I think he is a terrific young man. But, I was concerned about it. I think a lot of women may say when they look at Madonna or Demi Moore, “Hey, good for them.” At the same time, it’s something that a lot of women don’t really want. I was concerned about how this would play and would our female viewers get into this. I feel because of the depth and maturity John brought to the scenes, as I was playing it one day, I went “Ah, I get it,” and if I get it, then I will know our audience will get it. I think it’s been a great idea.
MICHAEL:
And this week, Alan found out about the liaison and has now strong-armed Beth to break it off with Coop. So in a heartbreaking scene, Beth tells Coop it’s over and falls apart.
BETH:
Yes, Alan found out and the way he did was explosive. Beth is his property and people do not walk away from Alan Spaulding. It creates a very dangerous situation, and he has a lot he can hold over his head, too. He views this as adultery and you don’t embarrass Alan. He does some awful things and uses everything in his power to make her break it off with Coop. Then he forces her to marry him, even though she is not in love with him.
MICHAEL:
However, Monday February 9, Phillip returns and we finally see the highly anticipated return of Grant Aleksander. Is Phillip on a white horse to stop the wedding?
BETH:
It’s an awfully nice position for a girl to be in, if she weren’t in such a terrible position. I have two men who are on their way to stop the wedding. One is Coop, and one is Phillip, although Phillip does not know until he gets to town that the wedding is taking place.
MICHAEL:
….That must send him over the moon?
BETH:
That’s a tough thing, especially when you start to look at it. You go, “Wait a minute. You shot me in the chest, Dad. You sent me off, and then you married my wife?”
MICHAEL:
Beth and Phillip are the loves of each other’s life, wouldn’t you say? How is Phillip
going to view that Beth is marrying his dad?BETH:
It’s ultimate betrayal that Phillip is feeling. Beth does know that he is alive at this point and did not know for years. She thought he was dead. When she did find out, in a sense he was dead to her. Phillip left the family and was gone somewhere out there, and had no contact with them. In her mind, Phillip was gone for good, had a breakdown and had dropped out of sight. So it’s kind of a shock for Beth and everyone!
MICHAEL:
John Driscoll’s upcoming departure from the show must have been so devastating for you. I have to say; his performances this past week were some of his best work.
BETH:
I have worked with him fairly recently, but I am so upset that he is leaving. It’s really hard for me and for everyone who has known him. He is such a terrific guy, a wonderful gentleman, and a good actor. With this storyline, he has gotten the chance to do great story. He is so terrific! So many people are devastated that he is leaving, and that’s a testament to who he is as a person and as an actor.
MICHAEL:
He will be exiting on the heels of the wedding drama…
BETH:
….I will tell you it’s some good storytelling. The writers wrote a terrific story. I would say for all of us that are involved in the story, our first concern is, “Have we been doing justice to the story they wrote?”
MICHAEL:
Grants’ return has been building for all soaps fans for months. Next week he returns. What are your thoughts of having your on-screen acting partner, and real-life friend, back in the fold with you?
BETH:
It’s fantastic! Grant and I are close and we stayed in touch. Truthfully, we got closer after he left the show, than when he was on the show. We did not see one another that often. We would talk, but he and his wife live quite far from my husband and me, so we rarely see one another. It’s lovely to see him as a friend at that level, and then the other level getting to work with him as an actor. He is such a wonderful actor. Grant is talented and committed to the work. I hold Grant in the highest regard.
MICHAEL:
It must be fun to watch Marcy Rylan (Lizzie), work with Grant Aleksander for the first time. How is working with Marcy?
BETH:
I have adored Marcy from day one. It was one of the things I would talk about with Grant and say, “Oh, I wish you would come back. You’ll love working with Marcy so much.” They had
their first real scenes together
a few weeks ago, and they felt
really good about the scenes.
Marcy is a terrific actress!MICHAEL:
Now we must discuss the fantastic physical shape you are in. You put all women to shame with that killer body. You do the Kettlebell workout?
BETH:
I am truly in the best shape of my life. I look better in a bikini now then I did in my teenage years. I truly believe it’s the Holy Grail for exercise. I say, there may be other women my age that may be in good shape, but I would guarantee if they were not doing Kettlebell workouts they are not in the shape I am. I see people running and I think what an incredible waste of time. I mean, I am a mother and I am working, and I don’t have time for lots of exercise.
MICHAEL:
What do you eat? Nothing fattening?
BETH:
I eat whatever I want to. That was not true before, and that’s why I think this is the “It”. Anthony Diluglio who I paired with
for my workout DVD, “The Kettlebell Way
to Your Perfect Body” is the foremost
expert on this in the country. He put
together pure true Kettlebell training.
It’s cardiovascular, and strength training
together. I don’t believe in low fat anything.
If I am having “Ben and Jerry’s”, I believe
eat want you want, but you need to exercise
to do that.
MICHAEL:
Did Grant Aleksander who is a big fitness buff himself, direct your video?
BETH:
What he did was advise us. He was not available for the whole project. He is very knowledgeable on the body, and on camera, and so he was able to give me a lot of good advice on how I would go about doing this.
MICHAEL:
In closing, on Monday the wedding of Alan and Beth begins. Should we expect high drama and do we need “hankies”? Is there going to be a bloody wedding dress?
BETH:
I am telling you it’s such good drama, and not only the part I am part of, but stuff I am witnessing. I think it’s some of the best story in…. I can’t even tell you when. It’s so dramatic, and again, everyone that’s involved in it is bringing everything they have to the table.
Guiding Light
Tom Pelphrey Takes on The Role of ‘Jesus Christ’ with Y&R’s Courtney Hope as ‘Mary’ in New Podcast Series
Since first making a name for himself as Reva’s (Kim Zimmer) son, Jonathan Randall on Guiding Light, Tom Pelphrey’s (ex-ATWT and GL) post-soap career has featured many complex and dark roles in television and motion pictures. Now comes perhaps, Pelphrey’s most stunning role when he will play Jesus Christ in a new four–part audio series podcast, called The Christ.
The series is from the Faith Podcast Network who will be releasing the series for Easter. It is being billed as “an audio epic and the first ever full-scale audio dramatization of Jesus’ life across four immersive episodes using cinematic-quality sound, music and performances.” The podcast series will feature more than 100 different characters and can be heard at TheChristPodcast.com
Joining The Ozark and Task star in the cast are some other high-profile Hollywood names including: David Ovelowo as Pontius Pilot, Paul Walter Hauser as John the Baptist, Patricia Heaton as the host and John Rhys-Davies as the narrator. In addition, none other than The Young and the Restless, Courtney Hope (Sally Spectra) also is featured as Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Photo: FaithPodcastNetwork
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “The Christ comes from a creative team that includes writer and director Paul Cuschieri, co-director and producer Mark Ramsey and producer Jim Young.” The series drops during Holy Week, with the first episode debuting on March 30. A new episode will be released each day through April 2, scheduled accordingly so that the entire series will be available by Good Friday on April 3.
The official logline says The Christ will cover “the life, death and legacy of Jesus of Nazareth. Through betrayal, courage, suffering and hope, the series explores how one man’s story reshaped history — and redefined love, authority and sacrifice.”
Pelphrey who announced he has 12-years of sobriety back in 2025, shared why this project was of importance to him, “Sharing about sobriety and faith are so personal to me, and it means so much to me. The other thing you notice is when people are sharing things, you could say a word to a thousand people, and a thousand people hear a different version of that word. In all humility, to share something that matters to you, you first have to come to an understanding and acceptance that you’re surrendering how it’s going to be heard or what it means to anyone listening. You have no control over it. That’s been an amazing process to go through.”
So, what do you think of Tom Pelphrey playing the audio version of Jesus Christ and Courtney Hope playing Mary, Mother of Jesus? Excited to hear the story of Christ via this podcast series? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
Guiding Light
‘Guiding Light’s’ Kim Zimmer Reflects on Brilliant Scenes with Tom Pelphrey After Initially Telling Producers, ‘Hire Any of Them But the Last Guy’
Throughout its 57-year run on daytime, Guiding Light introduced television audiences to many actor who would go on to have major careers in motion pictures, primetime television and the stage. One such is the incredible Tom Pelphrey (Task, Mank, Ozark, Outer Range, et al.), who from the minute he debuted on the CBS soap took soap viewers by storm for his raw, relatable and emotional turn as Reva (Kim Zimmer) and Prince Richard Winslow’s (Bradley Cole) son, Jonathan Randall.
In the complicated storyline, Jonathan was conceived and born while Reva was suffering from amnesia and believing herself to be Princess Catherine while living in San Cristobel. As Jonathan grew up his life was torn apart making him a vengeful, menacing young man, who under it all was deeply wounded and who felt abandoned and forgot about.
Kim Zimmer won four Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Reva Shayne, while Tom Pelphrey took home two Daytime Emmys for the Outstanding Younger Actor in a Daytime Drama Series for his performance. On-screen, together, they were a riveting pairing which included many a tense scene including when Jonathan choked out Reva.
Photo: JPI
During last week’s Guiding Light reunion livestream with Zimmer, Bradley Cole (ex-Richard and Jeffrey, GL) and Laura Wright (ex-Cassie, GL, now Carly, GH) on the You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel, the three actors reminisced about their time together as romantic pairings: Reva/Richard, Cassie/Richard, Reva/Jeffrey etc, but also talked about many of their co-stars and their deeply personal feelings of what Guiding Light meant to all of them.
REVA AND JONATHAN WERE SOAP OPERA GOLD
Though the years, it’s been no secret that Zimmer, did not initially want Tom Pelphrey cast as her son, because as she admitted, in the audition process with her, she was scared of him based on the power of his performance in the scene.
Kim recalled, “I went in (to the producers) right after I auditioned like seven guys, and I said, ‘Hire any of them, but the last guy.’ And they all looked at me like I had six heads, because they had already decided they were going to cast him. And then when I said that, they were like, ‘we’re definitely going to cast him now! That’s the feeling they wanted. They knew he scared me.”
The beloved GL heroine said that once she began working in a scene with Pelphrey, all was A-OK! “It was almost immediate once we started really working together, and I could trust the story,” shared Kim. “It was such a bizarre story that I was being given, again (also referencing Reva’s Clone story as the other), that I was hesitant about that. But once we started really working together, there was no question that they had made the right decision.”
In fact, fans loved Reva and Jonathan so much, they would vote them top couple as Kim remembers, “And, you know, in the soap magazines, we got voted, ‘Best couple,’ and we weren’t a love couple. We were a mother and son. That was like the biggest compliment to me – we’d get nominated as ‘Outstanding Couple.’
ONE OF THE FINEST ACTORS IN THE HISTORY OF GUIDING LIGHT
Kim’s real-life son, Jake Weary has also made quite the name for himself in TV and motion pictures and Pelphrey also bonded many years ago: “When my son was living in LA, he and Jake would hang out together. They had mutual friends and they got to know each other pretty well, which I love. Jake actually asked me recently if I had any favorite Guiding Light scenes that I could remember. And I said, ‘Anything with HB (Larry Gates), Billy Lewis (Jordan Clarke) and Tom Pelphrey.
During the livestream, Laura Wright, who worked in many scenes with Pelphrey, added, “In my opinion, Tom took the bar and he raised it. Not just in talent because he had that, but Tom inspired you. He made you want to do like that, and he wanted you to be as great. He just was all around a great guy to work with.”
In case you missed it, you can check out the Guiding Light live reunion with Kim, Bradley and Laura, followed by some incredible scenes between Tom and Kim as Jonathan and Reva.
Then, let us know, do you think Reva and Jonathan as played by Kim Zimmer and Tom Pelphrey, were the most dynamic mother/son duo all-time on the soaps? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
In a very special livestream reunion; three of the former stars of the legendary Guiding Light, who’s on-screen lives were forever intertwined, will visit the Michael Fairman Channel on Friday, January 30 beginning at 7pm ET/4pm PT.
Look for GL icon and four-time Daytime Emmy winner, Kim Zimmer (ex-Reva Shayne), Bradley Cole (ex-Prince Richard Winslow and Jeffrey O’Neill and ex-Warren Bauer, GH), and Daytime Emmy winner Laura Wright (ex-Cassie Layne, now Carly Spencer on GH) to reminisce about their time together and memories of the daytime drama that lasted an astounding 57 years on television and counting radio, 72 years.
Guiding Light fans will recall, Bradley’s first run as Richard and his royal wedding to Cassie, to returning as a Jeffrey O’Neill, and how it caused tension between sisters, Reva and Cassie, and much more.
Photo: JPI
As viewers know, Kim Zimmer played the iconic role of Reva Shayne from 1983–1990 and from 1995–2009. Bradley Cole portrayed Prince Richard Winslow from 1999- 2002, and after the character was killed-off, he returned as Jeffrey O’Neill, a lawyer-turned-special agent, who was with the series from 2003-2009. As the show went off the air for the last time in the September 18, 2009 finale, Jeffrey was presumed dead. Then, in 2010, Cole came to General Hospital to take on the short-term but important run of Warren Bauer, who was believed to have abused his son, Kiefer Bauer.
Laura Wright played Reva’s sister Cassie Layne in a stunning reveal in 1999, and stayed with the series until 2005, before moving to General Hospital later that year to take on the role of Carly Corinthos, now going by Carly Spencer and the rest for Wright is as they say, history.
Not only will the GL alums and stars chat about their time on the soap, but will bring you up-to-date on their lives now. First, Bradley has a new album out entitled Desert Dreams. The 12 track project pays a musical tribute to Cole’s upbringing in Los Angeles and the classic rock, pop, and south-of-the-border influences of the ’60s and ’70s that shaped his musical foundation. Desert Dreams blends a classic rock vibe with nostalgic country and a modern Americana sensibility, highlighting Cole’s clear storytelling and skillful melodic songwriting.
Photo: JPI
Meanwhile, Laura Wright continues to star on ABC’s General Hospital whereas Carly Spencer she is embroiled in a major storyline with Carly’s current love interest WSB Port Charles Bureau Chief, Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna). After finding out he enlisted her daughter, Josslyn (Eden McCoy) to be a WSB spy, she believes the guy is bad news, or does she? Laura continues her project Sacred Circle where “women pause, breathe, and reconnect with ourselves — and with each other.”
Then, there is GL icon, Kim Zimmer. She will soon be seen in an upcoming production of Driving Miss Daisy, in the role Daisy at the Cape Fear Regional Theatre in Fayetteville, NC, running from March 19 to April 4, 2026. Last year, Kim starred in the play The Trip to Bountiful at Theatre Raleigh. Back in 2024, Zimmer went public with her breast cancer diagnosis and that she had undergone treatment. She is also the proud mom to TV and film, actor Jake Weary.
If you cannot be with us in the live chat, but have a question or comment you would like posed to Kim, Bradley or Laura, make sure to drop it in the comment section below, and we just might ask it during the live broadcast.
Now below, also check out the Guiding Light profiler with clips from Bradley Cole’s run as Jeffrey O’Neil and how the character was involved with Reva and Cassie and more.
So, excited to see Kim, Bradley and Laura reminiscing about their time on Guiding Light and more? Let us know via the comment section!
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