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B&B’s John McCook Shares Message About His Son Jake’s Schizophrenia, and the New Book Written by Wife Laurette and Jake to Help Others

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: Gilles Toucas/Bell-Phillip TV

The Bold and the Beautiful’s enduring star, John McCook (Eric Forrester) has taken to his Instagram to deliver an important message and to share how proud he is of his son, Jake and his wife, Laurette.

Jake, who was diagnosed with, and has been living with schizophrenia, has penned a book along with his mom called the The Cliffs of Schizophrenia available for pre-order at www.JakeMcCook.com.

According to the loglines for the book, “Jake was hospitalized at age 30 with anxiety, depression and paranoia.  He was later diagnosed with schizophrenia. Jake designed it (the book) with short alternating chapters between mother and son, written in larger font for simplicity and clarity. While creating it, Jake’s worst paranoid thoughts were triggered. He overcame this by writing some chapters in free-form style, allowing you to experience what goes inside his head with remarkable insight and humor. Laurette enhances those thoughts by shining a light on logic wrapped in mother’s wisdom, as if it might keep her son from dropping into an abyss.  Together, they paint a picture of today’s mental health challenges seen through dingy glass and shades of grey, and yet, The Cliffs of Schizophrenia remains a story of resilience and enduring hope for better life. If you are bound by this brain disease, or are a loving caregiver, you must keep this book beside your bed for days when you long for normalcy. You are not alone.”

Photo: JPI

In his heartfelt video message on Instagram, John McCook began with, “I want to tell you about a book my wife and my son have written.  My son Jake has schizophrenia. He and my wife, Laurette wanted to write a book to help people understand what it’s like in a family to help each other and to be understanding.”

John explained a little more about the perception of schizophrenia, “When Jake was first diagnosed with schizophrenia, it was alarming, actually, to Laurette and me as it would be, I think, for anyone. There’s a stigma attached to the words “schizophrenia”, and there’s a very wide spectrum of what schizophrenia means, or represents. Fortunately for us, and Jake, he is not in a radical place with it. It’s an area where it can be managed, and then we immediately thought, ‘we’re going to deal with this.'”

Photo: JakeMcCook.com

Additionally, as he continued, John gave so much credit to Laurette:We went to doctors. Some of them were helpful and some of them were not, really. So Laurette, and I give her all the credit for this, Laurette took charge of this on how we were going to deal with this as a family.  Laurette has been all these years, not just a co-author with Jake, but his champion. More importantly than that, she has been the mom … the best mom, he could have ever had.  When they decided they wanted to write a book together, I thought, ‘Well, that’s good.’  I was impressed that they wanted to do it and that Jake wanted to do it too.  It took them months and months and months to put this together and I, on purpose, did not want to read it.”

Photo: JakeMcCook.com

As a very proud father and husband, John ended his video by saying, “I did not read the book until just recently. I was more than impressed, I was so proud of their accomplishment and what they got done and so proud of what I think the book offers to people who are curious about it, or who are going through this with their own families. It’s a helpful book, wonderfully instructive, and so with great pride I recommend this book.”

You can check John’s touching video message on The Cliffs of Schizophrenia below.

Now let us know, what do you think about John, Laurette and Jake sharing their family struggles and how they hope through Jake and Laurette’s experiences shared in their new book, that it will help other families dealing with a similar mental health diagnosis? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

 

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I love John so much and his wife Laurette was an actress and I love her too and want to read this fantastic book!

I think it’s very brave of them. There is stigma attached to schizophrenia. I don’t plan to read the book, but I wish them well.

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‘The Bachelor’ Names NFL Quarterback Sam Hartman as Lead for Season 30

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Sam Hartman

ABC has named their ‘Bachelor’ for the upcoming 30th season of the reality series. Sam Hartman, a 27-year-old NFL quarterback who plays playing for the Washington Commanders, will be handing out the roses as he searches for love.

The upcoming season of The Bachelor will premiere in 2027 on Sunday, March 21 at 8 p.m ET. on ABC and streaming the next day on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S.

The announcement was made, and Hartman’s first interview was on the Friday, November 13 edition of Good Morning America, where he shared with cohosts Sam Champion and Rebecca Jarvis: “I’m excited but also very nervous, I have a tough time holding conversation with one girl. 30 is going to be pretty tough.”

Photo: NFL

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS QB WRESTLED WITH THE NOTION OF BECOMING THE BACHELOR

Hartman also revealed his initial thoughts on appearing on The Bachelor: “Honestly, at first, I was like ‘no way. The connotation of it − I don’t know.” Ultimately the QB was swayed to take on the reality franchise lead for its upcoming season.

A Charlotte, North Carolina, native, Hartman played for Wake Forest and Notre Dame in the college ranks. It was there he set ACC records, including most career touchdown passes and 300-yard passing games. Sam was also featured in the documentary series QB1: Beyond the Lights. Currently, on the NFL’s Washington Commanders, he serves as a quarterback on their practice squad.

FORMER ATHLETES THAT ALSO GAVE OUT THE FINAL ROSE

The pick of Sam Hartman aligns with pro athletes who have appeared on the show in the past including: now ‘Bachelor’ host, NFL quarterback Jesse Palmer, former soccer player Juan Pablo Galavi,  ace car driver Arie Luyendyk Jr. and former NFL practice squad player Colton Underwood.

The Bachelor is executive produced by Scott Teti, Jason Ehrlich and Andy Frank serve as executive producers.

You can check out Sam Hartman talking about being cast as the series lead for the upcoming season 30 of The Bachelor with GMA below.

Now let us know, will you be checking out the 2027 season of The Bachelor featuring Sam looking for love? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section.

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Cynthia Watros Honors Former ‘Titus’ Co-Star Stacy Keach Following His Passing

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Stacy Keach and Cynthia Watros

General Hospital star Cynthia Watros, who can currently be seen in on the ABC soap opera in the role of Nina Reeves, has had a enduring career in television. That included her time on the 2000-2002 Fox sitcom, Titus.

In Titus, Watros starred along with Stacy Keach as Erin Fitzpatrick and Ken Titus, respectively. After the November 10th news that Keach had passed away at 85 while living in Poland, Cynthia took to her Instagram on Thursday, November 12 to pay tribute to the great actor.

Watros expressed, “My first prime time show was along side Stacy. I loved him instantly. What an amazing talent and man.❤️”

Photo: ABC

In Titus, Stacy played stand up comedian Christopher Titus’ heavy-drinking, chain-smoking, five-times-divorced father who frequently pulled cruel pranks and tried to toughen his kids up. Cynthia played by Christopher’s level-headed, big-hearted girlfriend trying to build a normal life with him. In fact, Cynthia’s role on the sitcom was first series regular role after her Daytime Emmy run of Annie Dutton on Guiding Light which ran from 1994-1998.

STACY KEACH’S WIFE ON HIS PASSING

Keach’s wife, Malgosia shared the news of the actor’s death publicly in a statement with PEOPLE. Malgosia expressed, that Stacy had, “a long and difficult battle with a serious heart condition and heart failure.”

She added, “Stacy peacefully departed this world. He fought for so long, with extraordinary courage, determination and strength. He was a true warrior, facing his illness with the same remarkable spirit and resilience that defined his life.”

Małgosia continued, “Stacy was not only a legendary actor, admired and loved by audiences the world over, but also my beloved husband, my companion and the heart of our family. His passing leaves an immeasurable emptiness in our lives. But his extraordinary spirit, his unforgettable voice and the love he gave so generously will remain with us forever.”

Now, let us know do you remember when Cynthia made her sitcom debut in Titus? Share your thoughts via the comment section on Cynthia’s many TV roles and the passing of Stacy Keach in the comment section. But first, check out the very first episode of Titus with Cynthia Watros below!

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Beyond the Gates

‘Beyond the Gates’ Emmy Winner Ambyr Michelle Wants to Compete on ‘Dancing with the Stars’: ‘Pick Me’ (Exclusive)

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Ambyr Michelle

Soap opera fans are always clamoring for when Dancing with the Stars reveals their cast each season, that they would include a familiar face from daytime drama, but it rarely happens, if ever, anymore.

Over the last several years, the series has leaned heavily into casting celebrities with massive TikTok or Instagram followers, which in turn, have helped this season and last have their best ratings numbers in years.

But, how about for next season’s cast of Dancing with the Stars, that it could include newly-awarded Daytime Emmy winner, Ambyr Michelle (Eva Thomas) of Beyond the Gates?

Ambyr Michelle

Photo: CBS

LOVE OF DANCE TO LOVE OF ACTING

Michael Fairman TV spoke to Michelle about her dance background and if she would love a shot at lifting the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy during Wednesday’s November 11, livestream chat on the Michael Fairman Channel.

Ambyr explained to fans (who joined in on the live chat), how she began her show business career. “I started off as a dancer, first and foremost. Acting wasn’t really something I wanted to go after. I did plays when I was younger, but it was just something we did in school, but I really wanted to be a dancer. I moved out to LA to dance, and I fell out of love with dance, which was so weird.”

This year’s Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series winner, added, “I was like, ‘What is going on?’ I moved all the way out here for dance. I found I was forcing myself to go to dance class, and I just didn’t have the passion for it. I was working at this restaurant at the time, and one of my coworker was like, ‘What about taking an acting class out here?'”

Next, Ambyr took the coworker up on the idea. “So, I took an acting class and I fell in love with it that day,” shared Michelle. “I was like, ‘I want to do this for the rest of my life.’ I thought, I would love to book a role, of course, as a dancer, but I think acting has a little bit more longevity.”

Photo: ABC

A SHOT AT THE LEN GOODMAN MIRRORBALL TROPHY

When the talked turned to if Ambyr would consider or be interested in appearing on the ballroom dance competition series, she piped up with, “I would love to do Dancing with the Stars! Pick me!”

As those in the live chat rallied around this idea, it made us think, Ambyr could be the first contestant from Beyond the Gates, and someone representing the soaps. It checks off so many boxes! To which Ambyr replied, “That would be beautiful.”

You can check out the full conversation with Ambyr below.

So, what do you think soap fans? Can we make sure Ambyr’s name gets in front of the producers and casting director for next season’s Dancing with the Stars? Would you like to see her in the competition? If so, who would be your dream pro professional dance partner for her? Let us know in the comment section.

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