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B&B’s Don Diamont Recalls His Soap Start on ‘Days of Our Lives’ and Confrontation with Exec Prod Al Rabin (Exclusive ‘Soapy’ Preview)

By Michael Fairman

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Don Diamont
Photos: NBC and CBS

Before Don Diamont was The Bold and the Beautiful’s Dollar Bill Spencer, or even The Young and the Restless’ Brad Carlton, he started his over four decades in soap operas over in Salem on Days of Our Lives as Carlo Forenza from 1984-1985. Now Diamont will talk about it all, when he is the special guest on the newest edition of Soapy Hosted by Rebecca Budig (Taylor, B&B) and Greg Rikaart (Leo, DAYS) dropping this coming Tuesday, August 18.

In this exclusive preview clip from Michael Fairman TV, Diamont recalls his humble beginnings at DAYS were pretty rocky, especially butting heads with then executive producer Al Rabin.

In story, Carlo was connected to the mob, and eventually was the business manager and friend to Liz Chandler (Gloria Loring). Liz was married to Dr. Neil Curtis (Joe Gallison), and became stranded on a deserted island with Carlo. Neil thought they had an affair, but then one night Carlo took advantage of Liz. Eventually Neil Curtis, accidentally shoots and kills Carlo with Carlo’s own gun during a mob confrontation (Neil had ties to the mob too).

Gloria Loring, Don Diamont

Credit: Ralph Dominguez/MediaPunch

ENTRY INTO SALEM GONE WRONG

Recalling his audition and first day on the set at DAYS, Diamont shared, “They’d gone through hundreds of people and they couldn’t find the guy to play this part, Carlo Forenza. I end up getting it. I go through the screen test and the whole bit. So, my first day, Al Rabin, the executive producer at the time, wanted to sit down and talk to me before I started shooting. I thought, ‘great.’ Now, I am beyond green at this point, and in our conversation, I asked him about publicity.”

Diamont says from there, things took a nosedive between the novice actor and the longtime producer: “That didn’t really sit well with him. I thought, ‘you’re the executive producer, you’re the person to ask.’ I probably should have talked to my agent before then about it, but I didn’t. So, Al said, ‘How about we just learn what we’re doing here first and then you can worry about that.”

In the moment, Don had a realization: “I think that kind of rubbed him the wrong way. Understandably. Fair enough. On my first day on the set, my character was being introduced in a party scene. So, all the stars of the show were on the set. I was very nervous. I walk in, and say whatever my lines are, and they stop tape. Al comes out of the booth onto the set, and calls me off the set about this. I will never forget it. He said, ‘I can take an actor who’s nervous. I can’t take an actor without energy. Get it together!”

GLORIA LORING ON WHAT HER RELATIONSHIP WITH DON DIAMONT MEANT TO HER

Days of Our Lives fans will recall that Gloria Loring and Don Diamont were also a couple in real-life for awhile. Loring told Michael Fairman TV back in 2012, that they were together for three years after her marriage to Alan Thicke fell apart, expressing, “Don came into my life and treated me with such kindness and respect, and paid attention to everything I was thinking or doing.”

Gloria added,”Don is a really nice man, and family is number one with him. He has really great qualities. I have been very blessed to have him and others in my life.  When we parted, because he knew he had to go off and have a family of his own, because family was so important to him after the passing of his own father, I said, ‘What is the most important thing he gave me?’ I realized it was the respect and the attentiveness.I knew I had to start doing that for myself. It’s taken me a long time. I could still do better, but Don was an important person in that process.”

Don Diamont

Photo: JPI

DON DIAMONT’S SOAP RESUME

After leaving Days of Our Lives in 1985, the late Bill Bell cast Diamont on The Young and the Restless as poolboy-turned-executive, Brad Carlton. Diamont had two runs on the soap from 1985 to 1996 and from 1998 t0 2009, before the character was killed-off. Next, Bill’s son, Brad Bell (executive producer and head writer of The Bold and the Beautiful) cast him in what would be his defining role on daytime television, that of Bill Spencer. It’s a role that he has played since 2009.

For past episodes from the ‘Soapy’ audio/video podcast series, find them via the Audacy app and the CBS brand YouTube channel. The podcast is produced by the Paramount Multiplatform Production Group, with Mike Benson serving as executive producer.

Now below, check out Don recalling his first meeting with Al Rabin, and first day on the set of Days of Our Lives when he was just 21-years-old.

Then let us know, did you watch Days of our Lives when Don played Carlo? Do you remember the Liz and Carlo storyline? What has been your favorite Don Diamont role of all-time: Carlo? Brad, or Bill? Let us know via the comment section below.

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I don’t watch The Bold and Beautiful but long ago I watched Y& R. I think it’s pretty safe to say that Don is ageless.

I’d still like to see him in a Speedo . Bet he could still rock it

I agree, Pippa. how about a beach getaway for Bill and Katie?!?!

Days Of Our Lives

‘Days of our Lives’ Leo Howard Joins Cast for ‘Yellowjackets’ Fourth and Final Season

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Leo Howard

Yellowjackets announced its full cast and new additions for its upcoming fourth and final season. None other than Days of our Lives favorite Leo Howard (Tate Black) will be featured in an exciting and undisclosed role on the Paramount+ streaming series.

Howard’s casting comes after he was one of four Days of our Lives cast members pink-slipped from the Peacock soap opera back in January of 2026. Due to Days of our Lives advanced tape to streaming episodes, Leo is also still appearing on the soap.

Viewers will need to tune-in to see how Tate, Holly (Ashley Puzemis), Johnny (Carson Boatman) and Chanel’s (Raven Bowens) storylines resolve before they all exit the canvas. No word on when Howard’s last DAYS episode airs as of yet.

Tate and Holly

Photo: JPI

YELLOWJACKETS CAST ADDITIONS FOR FINAL SEASON

The official Yellowjackets Instagram account welcomed a slew of new cast members for the upcoming fourth and final season which included Howard accompanying the post were, “The wilderness welcomes these new faces to the cast of #yellowjackets season 4.”

Leo joins Molly Ringwald, Eric Stoltz, June Squibb, Dulé Hill, Devon Sawa, Ken Marino, Aaron Staton, Cynthia Stevenson, Patricia De Leon, Noah Harpster, Sam Braun, and John Emmet Tracy for Yellowjackets final season which will premiere on November 22, 2026.

For those who may not be aware, Yellowjackets, was created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, and follows a high school girls soccer team after its plane crashes in the remote northern wilderness. The series moves between the teenagers’ increasingly brutal fight for survival and the lives the survivors have attempted to rebuild nearly 25 years later, proving that what happened in the past is far from buried.

Back on August 20, Paramount+ revealed that Yellowjackets will conclude with season 4 offering up a chilling teaser with former MTV VJ, Kurt Loder seen as a newscaster announcing, “We are live with breaking news: The Wiskayok Yellowjackets have been found.” From there, the season will deal with the aftermath of the soccer team’s eventual rescue.

Michael Fairman TV will keep you posted when Howard’s first episode of Yellowjackets will stream on Paramount+.

Now let us know, glad to see Leo landing a role in Yellowjackets? Will you miss him on Days of our Lives? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

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Matthew Atkinson Reveals New Project ‘Into the Wilderness’

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Matthew Atkinson

Matthew Atkinson is launching a brand new series of his own called Into the Wilderness, and while we have not seen Thomas Forrester on-screen since December of 2025, on The Bold and the Beautiful, Atkinson continues to expand on his journey with God and how important and encompassing it has become in his life.

Taking to his Instagram account, Matthew offered up a teaser from the first episode of Into the Wilderness which is set to drop today September 25 on his You Tube Channel.

The video clip features Atkinson talking into a microphone and expressing, “Why am I sitting here talking to a camera? I was confronted by the God that I’ve always known. That’s how it started. The God that has existed through my entire life, that I’ve known but strayed away from, and he confronted me. The presence of him is a person that I know and I continue to learn about, and I continue to develop a relationship with, and I continue to understand on a deeper level. But it’s just a mystery that is more real than it feels like anything I’ve ever gotten or experienced.”

Matthew Atkinson

Courtesy/IntotheWildeeness

NEW SERIES TO EXPLORE WHAT IT MEANS TO BECOME FULLY HUMAN

The written post accompanying Matthew’s teaser video offers up the question: “What if the way we see God, ourselves, and the world isn’t quite the way things actually are?”

Then, Atkinson explains the log lines of the series: “Into the Wilderness is an invitation to question what we’ve inherited, rediscover what matters, and explore the deeper reality beneath the surface of everyday life. Through theology, philosophy, and the wisdom of those who’ve gone before us, we’ll explore what it means to become fully human. Not just to believe differently, but to live differently. I’m Matthew Atkinson. Welcome to Into the Wilderness. First episode drops tomorrow (Friday, 9/25). Follow along and join the conversation.”

Matthew Atkinson and Brytnee Ratledge

Photo: JPI

MATTHEW ATKINSON MARRIAGE

In his personal life, Matthew is married to Brytnee Ratledge who exchanged their vows back in November of 2023, and the couple share two young children together, a son born in November of 2024 and a daughter welcomed last month in August of 2026.

THE FUTURE OF THOMAS FORRESTER

Before B&B, Atkinson played Austin Travers on The Young and the Restless from 2014 to 2015. He later became the fifth Thomas Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful in 2019 succeeding Pierson Fodé. 

While not much is known of Atkinson’s status with the The Bold and the Beautiful at this time, previous reports shared that he had been on recurring status.

Take a look at the trailer for Matthew Atkinson’s new series, Into The Wilderness below.

Now let us know, will you be interested to see Matthew’s journey with God and what it means to become fully human as he teases? Do you hope one day he might return to B&B? What should the series do with the character of Thomas Forrester at this juncture?

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Judith Light Joins Cast of ‘Shrinking’ Season 4 in Recurring Role

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Judith Light (ex-Karen Wolek, One Life to Live) is joining the cast of the hit Apple TV series Shrinking for its Season 4 in a recurring role which is being kept under wraps.

According to Variety, Light is set to appear alongside returning series stars Jason Segel, Harrison Ford, Christa Miller, Jessica Williams, Luke Tennie, Michael Urie (ex-Ugly Betty), Lukita Maxwell, and Ted McGinley, plus other new casting additions which include: Christian Slater (ex-Ryan’s Hope et al) and Karen Gillan.

At the epicenter of the story of Shrinking is Segel who plays therapist Jimmy Laird, a recent widower who over the show’s first three seasons navigates his loss and rebuilds his relationship with his daughter, colleagues, friends and neighbors. The upcoming season 4 will feature a time jump (we know what that’s like from Day of our Lives!) and a brand-new storyline for all of its characters.

Shrinking Key Art

Photo: AppleTV

JUDITH LIGHT HAS BROUGHT RIVETING PERFORMANCES FROM THE STAGE TO FILM AND TV

For Light, who is a an Emmy winner in the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy category for her role in 2023’s Poker Face, a two-time Daytime Emmy winner from her performances on One Life to Live as Karen Wolek in 1980 and 1981, and who received two back to back Tony Awards as well in 2012 and 2013 for Other Desert Cities and The Assembled Parties, her casting in Shrinking makes it the second Apple TV series she has signed on to this year.

Previously in 2026, Judith was noted as appearing in the upcoming second season of Presumed Innocent’s also on the Apple TV streamer. Presumed Innocent is based on the book “Dissection of a Murder” by Jo Murray.

Those who have followed Judith’s decades-long career know of her critically-acclaimed other roles in Transparent, Ugly Betty, The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, The Politician, Dallas, and Law & Order: SVU, to name but a few. Judith is also best-known by many for her role as Angela Bowers in the sitcom, Who’s the Boss? in which she starred with Tony Danza from 1984-1992.

So, excited to see Judith in Shrinking? What type of character do you think she plays since its being kept a mystery? What has been your favorite role of Judith’s throughout her career in film, TV and the stage?  Let us know via the comment section below.

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

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