Interviews
THE GREG RIKAART AND EMILY O’BRIEN INTERVIEW – THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
By Michael Fairman
Listen to the audio:
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TV SOAP:
Jana is in a prison uniform right now. What has happened to cause her to be locked up behind bars?EMILY:
Jana has turned herself in and is having a fun time with Phyllis right now. At this point Jana is panicked. She doesn’t know anyone in the prison environment, and she is latching on to Phyllis because she is the only one Jana knows. She is trying to become close to her, because she doesn’t know anyone else. Jana has just had this tumor removed, and she is so lost.TV SOAP:
So, are we sure that the brain tumor that Jana had removed was the actual cause of her killing of Carmen Mesta? Also, the evil she perpetrated on Kevin and Colleen, by locking them in a freezer and leaving them to die, months ago?EMILY:
Jana thinks so and Kevin thinks so.GREG:
That is what we are banking on, at least for Kevin. The tumor was this great explanation for Jana’s behavior. I think he never really understood why she did what she did. Kevin is trying to create this whole defense for her; that everything she did was because of the tumor. Whether or not that’s true is what we are banking on… right?EMILY:
Yes.TV SOAP:
Emily, did you know that Jana would be coming back, after you were written off “Y&R” a few months back?EMILY:
I didn’t. (To Greg) I don’t know if you knew?GREG:
I didn’t specifically know. I always suspected, because I knew that Emily was very well liked and she is a strong actor and stuff. Beyond that, I felt that story had not run its course yet, not just the relationship between Kevin and Jana, but also the explanation as to why. There was not much closure on it.EMILY:
I had no idea. I thought when I went off the show the first time, that was it. I didn’t know if I would be back. But then I thought, that the writers could write in that she died or she ran away and was never coming back. But, the show would continue talking about Jana.GREG:
That was the other reason I thought she was coming back. Months before she came back, Kevin was on the prowl trying to find her. I remember telling Emily before she left, “I have a feeling you would be back.”TV SOAP:
How is working with Emily? How do you explain the way you ignite the screen together? You both have told TV SOAP separately, that you have a mutual admiration society for each other.GREG:
At least my explanation for it is, there is no explanation for it. It’s just a chemistry thing, it’s either there or its not. Pretty much from day one, working with Emily was effortless. You don’t have to try and turn it on; we go onto the set and work well off of one another. To me, chemistry is not something you can manufacture.To hear this audio snippet, click back to The Global sections,
“New This Month” area.
TV SOAP:
Is she a good actress?GREG:
Certainly! That is one of the many factors that play into how and why we have this chemistry. If you don’t have a lot of respect for the work of the person you are working with, it would really be hard to create this reality with them. I think Emily is terrific! In fact, I will go on the record as saying, and I have been saying this since January when we had the scenes in the freezer that she locked us in, that I am absolutely certain she will get nominated for an Emmy this year. And, I think she is going to win. She has such solid work, and routinely delivers. That is the other reason I am glad she is back, because the whole voting process is warped, in my opinion. A lot of time what happens is, “out of sight… out of mind”. If she did great work in January, and we don’t vote until December of that same year, then people forget. But, now she is back and people are reminded.TV SOAP:
Emily, what about working with this guy?EMILY:
Well, you heard what he said? That is why I love working with him. No, I am kidding! I am kidding! (She laughs)GREG:
“He flatters me and I like it” (being Emily responding)EMILY:
Yeah, exactly, I mean… look at him! He is Greg, and he is great. From the first day on the set he made me feel so comfortable. He remembers I was a nervous wreck the first day.TV SOAP:
Did you screen test with her?GREG:
No. I do know that they were specifically looking for someone who would be a good match for me.EMILY:
See, I didn’t even know that. I thought I was going to be on 2 or 3 days. That was what the character description was, not recurring or anything. When I started becoming his girlfriend on the show I thought, “OK. This is great.” The first day he made me feel totally comfortable. I had so many questions like: “Where is this? And how do I do that?” I thought when I came on the show that these actors were going to shun people and be only interested in what they were doing, but that wasn’t the case. We are good friends off screen, and have so much fun together, and that reads on screen. It really does read on screen. I look up to him. He is an Emmy winner, and well deserved. I have learned so much from him, and it’s a privilege to work with Greg.TV SOAP:
The recent scenes in the hospital were so meaty for Kevin and for you, Greg, as an actor.
When we last spoke, Kevin had not been utilized too much. Now we are seeing the Kevin we know and love. Were those scenes hard for you? Are you proud of the work?GREG:
Certainly! Yeah, it’s work I was proud of. There was a transition before Jana came back to town where Kevin hated her and tried to kill her. Here we are a relatively short time later, and he has power of attorney and her life rests in his hands. He wants nothing more than for her to get well. So, it was challenging making that transition by making it pretty quickly.TV SOAP:
But this whole relationship is so twisted!EMILY:
Jana is far too adventurous to be with someone normal.
GREG:
I know that Kevin was concerned when Jana found out that Ji’min died, and she was all concerned about it. I was like, ”Wait, you don’t want to go take pictures of the body; you know, all that twisted stuff?”TV SOAP:
To clarify, why is Jana in jail this time? What crime is she paying for?EMILY:
Jana turned herself in for murdering Carmen Mesta.TV SOAP:
Do you also think that Jana could still have killed Ji’min?EMILY:
You can’t escape from the hospital.GREG:
Anything’s possible!EMILY:
She is in prison for her past crimes, and she tried to murder Kevin and Colleen. Right now she is in jail for the Carmen Mesta murder, only.TV SOAP:
Emily, how do you justify the actions of Jana and portray such a complex character, and do justice to someone living with a brain tumor?EMILY:
I did as much research as I could on this, because I did not want to insult anybody that had a tumor. I really tried to read into it that if this kind of personality disorder happened, I do believe Jana thinks it’s a part of her that she has no control over. I have read that it can happen. It’s like another person controlling her. It was that person that committed this crime, not the Jana who loves Kevin.TV SOAP:
How is working with Michelle Stafford (Phyllis)? It’s like “Babes Behind Bars”!EMILY:
It’s fun, and it’s good. The material is so absurd and we are so contrasting. Jana is holding on to her with everything she has, and Phyllis just wants to get away from her. Jana is freaked out! I am always over Phyllis’ shoulder and in her personal space.GREG:
I can’t wait to see it!EMILY:
Its fun!TV SOAP:
But now Colleen could be the real spoiler here. Do you think fans can look forward to a Colleen/Kevin/Jana triangle?GREG:
Yeah. As much as I love working with Emily and the Kevin/Jana relationship, I think happily ever after is mind-numbingly boring… “Tumultuously ever after” is what I like to call it or say.TV SOAP
But it is so twisted, considering Kevin’s past with Colleen!GREG:
Jana tried to kill me, and I am in love with her. Then I tried to kill Colleen, and then if she falls for me, the whole thing is warped. I hope there is a triangle. That would make wherever the Jana/Kevin relationship goes, that much more complex.TV SOAP:
Has there been a scene where the two of you thought, “Gosh we were good.”?EMILY:
A few.GREG:
We are not a modest bunch over here. (He laughs)EMILY:
They write such beautiful scenes for us. There was this one in particular… the water
tower scene….GREG:
Let me explain this. We leave the coffeehouse and in the next scene we come back. But, we had this wild adventure where we climbed a water tower, and all this stuff happened off camera. We didn’t go climb a water tower, but we were really clear on our moment before, and what we did the moment we climbed the water tower. I was making fun of her accent and stuff, and it was real. There was that, and I loved the stuff when Jana was missing and Kevin had Michael take him to the site where the blood was. Kevin was convinced that she was dead, but then found her, and then getting trapped in the freezer with Colleen. The whole gamut of emotions we went through, I thought was great.TV SOAP:
What about the recent scenes where Kevin is holding Jana at gunpoint? That was so intense. Did you feel it came across the way you wanted it to?EMILY:
I think seeing it live, personally, you would have seen it differently. Seeing it on a small TV screen, you don’t capture as much. I did expect it to be bigger.GREG:
It was really intense.EMILY:
It was.GREG:
It was intense.EMILY:
You could see it on screen. I was so overwhelmed, being back. I was playing it into my character. When you see it, it’s always different then when you are feeling it. It’s like a stage play.GREG:
Lynn Latham (exec. prod. and head writer, “Y&R”) came down to the set to say that she was angry, because we were distracting her so much that she was unable to write.TV SOAP:
Kevin gets to that quick-to-anger place that is riveting to watch. Is that a part of you, Greg?GREG:
Yeah, sure. I read something once that said, by the time you are six months old you have experienced every emotion, like being angry… all that stuff. It exists within me. But tapping into it, I don’t know. I remember when I first came here to the show; it was easier for me to tap into the anger because I had upheaval going on in my personal life. But now that I am sedate and content in my life, it was a bit more challenging, but I found it and I got it back.TV SOAP:
Emily, in speaking with you, we do not hear an English accent. But, you are from England and Jana has a thick accent. Does that get tricky when playing this character?EMILY:
No. I can switch in and out of it very quickly. I forced myself to lose the accent when I came to the US. I got teased a lot. So, it’s ironic that a lot of things I go out for, they want me to bring the British dialect. I mean, my father still has a very strong dialect, and when I go back to England, I can pick it back up within a week. I can switch in and out.TV SOAP:
Do you catch her accent when acting with her?GREG:
Well, I will make fun of it. Sometimes in the scenes, I will do it on purpose. As for me, I grew up in New York and I had a really thick New York accent. I always found when I brought it back for an audition, (I tried really hard to lose mine, also) that I would be the guy from the Midwest trying to do the New York accent. Because once I lost it, I couldn’t get it back. So, it’s good that Emily has that in her arsenal.TV SOAP:
What’s up next for Jana?EMILY:
I don’t know. Hopefully, it’s uphill for now.Go to the GLOBAL section of my site to listen the snippet of this interview
So, are you looking forward to happy times between Jana and Kevin?
EMILY:
Of course, he is the love of her life. I hope there is one day when she is back to normal.GREG:
I want the scenes where Kevin is hogtied to the bed or something. Then the next thing you know, Kevin is off to the hospital because whatever we were doing has gone too far. That is the happily-ever-after for us. (He laughs)TV SOAP:
All the crying and emotional scenes must take a toll on both of you, as actors. Is it tough to leave the work behind at the studio, once the cameras have stopped rolling and you are heading home from a days work?GREG:
I am better at it now; I used to not be able to. It’s still hard, but I try and stick with it. If it was something that was challenging and difficult, I will go, “Wow, I think we did it well.” Instead of moping around and staying in that difficult place, I will say, “Wow, we just did some good work. Now it’s over and let’s move on.”EMILY:
I can just let it go after it’s over. Greg and I can usually make a silly joke. However, there was one scene, and it was the surgery scene. I felt like the environment was so real and heavy, when I was lying on the operating table. I had recently been in a hospital myself and gone through it myself. Being there was really freaking me out, because there was a real doctor behind me, and a real paramedic on set. I was lying there and I could not control it. No one could see it at all, and it was scaring me. It was fine once I got off the table. I could not see anyone in front of me, and all I could see was all the medical devices. I told Greg afterwards, “My hair is soaked.”GREG:
She was crying. It was funny at one point, because she was supposed to be unconscious, and there is this tear streaming down her face. It was really sweet.EMILY:
It’s easy for me when it’s rooted in reality, and that was the one scene where I left and thought it kind of freaked me out. The rest is easy for me.TV SOAP:
Greg, what should “Y&R” fans look forward to from Kevin?GREG:
I think it’s funny that Kevin manages to grow and evolve and still stays the same at the same time, if that makes any sense? I am sure we can look forward to more relationship trouble in the future, and more dirty deeds with Gloria, and more sibling rivalry with his brother. It will be more of the same, yet it will be new, but with some of the same battles.TV SOAP;
Greg, when TV SOAP spoke with you earlier in the year, you were adjusting to working in scenes with both Judith Chapman (on-screen mom, Gloria) and Christian Leblanc (on-screen brother, Michael.) Has it gotten any easier for you?GREG:
It’s one of those sink or swim things, where you have got to put up and then deal with it. I think I have managed to stay focused in the moments where it can be challenging. That being said, too, it’s the “eye on the prize”, and when the cameras roll, we all do good work together.TV SOAP:
What has the fan response been, to Kevin and Jana being back together?EMILY:
I went to a fan event and they all said they were enjoying this. They were all looking forward to Jana and Kevin getting back together, and being more normal.GREG:
“Normal” they mean “abnormal!”EMILY:
Yes, “abnormal together.”Go to the GLOBAL section of my site to listen the snippet of this interview
What do the two of you do for fun together, when you hang out off the set?
EMILY:
Eat!GREG:
We are both “foodies”. We have this big joke with these plans, that Kevin and Jana will become daytime’s first morbidly obese couple. (He laughs) We are “foodies” together. We go to movies together. We saw the motion picture “Ratatouille” this week.EMILY:
We have dinner parties.TV SOAP:
But, you guys really pig out together? What do you eat?GREG:
Celery.EMILY:
Hominy beans.TV SOAP:
Oh, c’mon!GREG:
We eat… trust us.EMILY:
We won’t go to Dominos or Pizza Hut and eat something extremely greasy …GREG:
It usually a night of dining with Emily, which is followed by a weekend of purging and celery! (He laughs)EMILY:
Oh, man!GREG:
Everything in moderation!
Interviews
‘The Bold and the Beautiful’s’ Heather Tom Talks Daytime Emmy-Nominated Scenes and What’s Behind Katie’s Deep-Seated Issues with Dylan (Exclusive)

The Bold and the Beautiful’s Heather Tom (Katie Logan) is heading into the 53rd annual Daytime Emmys next month with a chance to win not one, but two gold statuettes to add to her collection of six!
Heather is once again a nominee for the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series, and for the first time a nominee as part of B&B’s writing team in the Outstanding Writing for a Daytime Drama Series category.
Currently, Heather is tied with One Life to Live icon, Erika Slezak (Ex-Viki) as the actresses with the most wins in Daytime Emmy history. An acting victory by Tom would break the tie, although Slezak’s wins have all been for Lead Actress, while Tom literally grew up before our eyes over 35 years in daytime, and has won in all three actress categories: Younger, Supporting and Lead.

Photo: JPI
Whether Tom wins the gold this year, next year is looking even like stronger lock with Heather delivering some of the best work of her career, over the last several months. Who can forget Katie’s showdown with her sister Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) over the creation of her own fashion house named Logan, that slap from Brooke, and eventually being disowned from the Logan family by Brooke and their sister, Donna (Jennifer Gareis).
This fall, Katie is in full momma bear-mode and being overprotective of her son Will Spencer’s (Crew Morrow) heart and pocketbook. In story, Katie has a massive distrust of Melissa Dylan, who has made her move on her son, while Will is still trying to deal with the break-up with the love of his life Electra Forrester.
During a live chat this week on the Michael Fairman Channel, Heather opened up on a myriad of subjects, including why Dylan gets under Katie’s skin in such a major way, and what scenes earned her a shot at Lead Actress gold at the October 30th Daytime Emmy ceremony.

Photo: JPI
HEATHER TOM’S DAYTIME EMMY SUBMISSION
In daytime, Heather Tom does it all, she acts, directs and writes for The Bold and the Beautiful. When deciding what material to submit for Emmy competition with its eligibility rules of episodes from 2025, it relayed heavily on scenes with her longtime B&B scene partner, Don Diamont (Bill Spencer).
“I submitted material having to do with the Luna (Lisa Yamada) storyline and having to do with Katie and Bill. I love that Katie and Bill have been really trying to find their way back to each other for, honestly, five years. He’s been trying to woo her back. Katie’s been like, ‘No.’ However, they come together, especially over their son, Will (Crew Morrow) and they have a very real relationship-type of discussion. It wasn’t an argument. It was more about, ‘I know you. Don’t do this.’ That’s always kind of been Katie’s relationship with Bill. The scenes with Don Diamont were about Katie and Bill’s history, the pain, and the drama, and especially about their son, seemed very familiar to me.”
Heather added, “There’s also a couple scenes with Will and Luna, when Katie finds out that Luna is pregnant. Katie was like, ‘Nope! Our son is having a baby with somebody, and we’re going to figure this out. We’ve got means and the ability to do this. I don’t care if we have to take this baby away from Luna because she’s crazy, we’ll figure it out.’ They were some really good scenes that I felt very proud of. I thought to myself, “OK, this is Katie really taking a stand for her son, and having these conversations with Bill where I just felt they were real and honest.”
In conclusion to standing by her choices of scenes, Heather explained, “It was nice to see Bill and Katie operating as a parental unit and have her be like, “Yep, we’re not doing this. You know, you can’t force Luna to do anything, so let’s just figure out how we’re dealing with this.” Katie was kind of the adult in the room. Then, the scenes where Bill says to Katie, “You have to come back to me and I need you,” while Katie shed a few tears, she still didn’t take him back, not yet.”

Photo: JPI
DYLAN BROKE THE ‘GIRLFRIEND CODE’
There are specific reasons why Katie has it out for Melissa Dylan. In fact, Dylan went so far as to get her mother Darcy Dylan to town to shut down Katie’s suspicions of her, but it still isn’t swaying Katie away from her stance on the matter. Heather revealed how she is playing the scenes.
“So, here’s the deal. It’s multifaceted,” began Tom. “This girl pushes Katie’s buttons. She reminds her of her sister, Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang), and what Katie’s going through with her sister right now is very unpleasant. I think she looks at this girl and says, “This girl is going to crawl over anyone to get what she wants. And right now, she wants my son, and she’s willing to throw her best friend (Electra) under the bus.”
Heather also said, “Honestly, there’s something known as the ‘girlfriend code.’ Would you like to know what the girlfriend code is? ‘The girlfriend code’ is if your girlfriend, who is also your best friend, dates a guy and is especially in love with him, it doesn’t matter if you break up, that guy is off limits. You need to find yourself another guy.”
KATIE’S TROUBLES WITH BROOKE AND DYLAN MAKE HER TAKE A STAND
Katie clearly draws a similarity to her sister Brooke and Melissa Dylan which is also driving her attitude, which Heather confirmed. “So to Katie, it’s like Dylan broke that code. She is someone who follows her heart just like Brooke and leaves carnage in her wake,” said Tom.
She continued, “I think Katie looks at her and goes ‘Okay, one, you were living in your car. You didn’t call your mother who clearly loves you and ask her for help, but you were more than willing to take help from this, lovely rich guy.’ I think Katie feels like the fact that Dylan has been so expressive of how in love she is with Will, I think she finds that a little weird. She’s telling him that she’s e in love with him, and he doesn’t say it back to you. So, clearly he’s in not in love with you.”
In story, Katie can’t trust a young woman, who knows her son doesn’t feel the same way about her and yet is still hanging around. Heather shared Katie’s viewpoint to Dylan: “He’s clearly in love with your best friend. So, isn’t it a little unsettling that she kind of keeps saying she’s in love with him? So that’s my multifaceted reason why Katie doesn’t like her. It really has nothing to do with the fact that she came from humble beginnings because Katie did too. That being said, the Spencers are billionaires, so she would have to also look out for that. However, I don’t think that’s the main reason why she doesn’t like this girl or doesn’t trust her. I really don’t.”
You can check out the full conversation from our livestream conversation on the Michael Fairman Channel below.
Now let us know, are you rooting for Heather Tom to win the Lead Actress Daytime Emmy? What did you think of the scenes she submitted? Will Katie be proven right about Melissa Dylan, or will her distrust blow up in her face and she will wind up respecting Dylan when all is said and done? Weigh-in via the comment section.
Interviews
‘The Bold and the Beautiful’s’ Kelly Sullivan Talks Becoming Darcy Dylan, Who’s Melissa’s Dad, and Future Love Interest (Exclusive)

Kelly Sullivan made her triumphant return to daytime on recent episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful in her new role as Darcy Dylan, the mother of Melissa Dylan (Sydney Bullock).
In story, Melissa, better known as just “Dylan,” phoned home to her mother to come to Los Angeles, in an effort to calm the waters with Will Spencer’s (Crew Morrow) nosy mother, Katie Logan (Heather Tom), who doesn’t trust Dylan one iota.
Soap fans remember Sullivan from her previous Daytime Emmy-nominated role sas Kate Howard/Connie Falconeri on General Hospital and as Sage Warner on The Young and the Restless. During a livestream conversation exclusively on the Michael Fairman Channel, Kelly spoke about her time on GH and Y&R, and the wonderful co-stars she shared the screen with, and her excitement on her brand new role on B&B.

Photo: JPI
As to her thoughts on if Darcy will ultimately prove to be a gold-digger, opportunist, but still has a heart of gold (as we saw in recent scenes with her daughter, seemingly), Sullivan explained, “Characters like Darcy can be dangerous. I think Darcy is a survivor and she can charm. She’s a flirt. She knows what she wants. Darcy is self-made, according to her, and she made it.”
THE DYNAMIC BETWEEN DARCY AND HER DAUGHTER, MELISSA DYLAN
However, Melissa plays a big role in what’s next for Darcy! Kelly explained, “She’s got this beautiful daughter and that was her entire life who is now making her way. Let me tell you, I don’t know what Darcy’s retirement plan is, but one would assume she doesn’t have much savings. This is a great opportunity for her to connect with her daughter and get the lay of the land.”
Finding out that Melissa has been dating Will Spencer from the rich and powerful Spencer family in Los Angeles, while initially a shock, could prove interesting if the mother/daughter were to work together for a common cause, their survival.
Sullivan explained, “Darcy’s all about the tabloids and all about this life of illusion and the haves and have-nots, essentially. She would never shy away from an opportunity to see what’s around the corner. I think the interesting thing for me, that I’m excited about is to explore the dynamic between Darcy and Melissa and what is that going to become?”
From all accounts, Darcy is here to stay in Los Angeles, and fans will see much more of Sullivan on their-screens. “Darcy’s not going anywhere”, confirmed Kelly. “I always said to Sydney Bullock, Darcy didn’t buy a round trip ticket. If you think about it, Melissa could be her ticket. She might be Darcy’s only hope. There are serious stakes here if Darcy has been waiting for this moment.”

Photo: JPI
SHARING SCENES WITH HEATHER TOM
Last week, Sullivan had her first on-screen confrontation with Heather Tom. In the scenes, Katie was disapproving of Dylan and let Darcy know it. Eventually, Darcy takes Dylan with her to leave Will’s beach house apartment, but Will stops Dylan.
Recalling the taping of the scenes, Kelly said, “Heather Tom is a real special artist. In the story between Katie and Darcy, you’ve got momma bear and you’ve got momma bear. You can’t fault either of these women for how they feel, and how protective they are of their children.”
There are many things viewers and perhaps the writers have not totally fleshed out about the Dylans. Are their Dylan sisters coming, or to be revealed to rival the Logan sisters? Who is Melissa’s biological father? Plus, some more nuggets as Kelly revealed.
“I think there is a juicy, juicy story there of the Dylans,” previewed Sullivan. “It would also be interesting if they decide who Melissa’s dad is. Who is that? I mean, that’s interesting. You know, when I auditioned for this role, it said on the page that the character was charming, from the Midwest, and dance skills a plus. and I was a Broadway dancer. So, I hope this means there might be an opportunity to dance on the show at some point.”

Photo: JPI
DARCY DYLAN AND WYATT SPENCER PAIRING?
As for the men on the canvas, Kelly was asked what she thought of a potential Darcy and Wyatt Spencer (Darin Brooks) pairing? To which she responded, “That would be so much fun. I’m such a fan of Darin’s work. Oh, I would have a ball working with him. One of the things that really excited me about Darcy when I was coming into audition for her was that they said that they wanted her to have a comedic sensibility, comedic chops as they said it.”
Sullivan concluded, “To work with Darin, I would be so lucky. He’s such a great actor and he’s got great comedic timing and he’s just really present and phenomenally talented. He’s a great actor, so I would love that. I mean, anyone on the show would be really fun. You throw it at the wall (in daytime) and say, ‘Is there a thing? Is there something here?’ Chemistry is chemistry.”
Now below, and in case you missed it, you can check out our full video livestream chat with Kelly Sullivan below.
So, what have you thought of Kelly’s performances thus far as Darcy? Do you think Darcy will turn out to be an opportunistic woman, but who deeply cares and loves her daughter, or will it turn out to be a ruse? Would you like to see Kelly paired with Darin Brooks on-screen as a love interest, and who do you think truly is Melissa Dylan’s biological father? Weigh-in via the comment section.
General Hospital
GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

At the conclusion of today’s August 21 episode of General Hospital, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) sings a lullaby to baby Dez, that went into a montage to close out the episode as her father Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) reports to Pentonville and winds up in his jail cell.
However, in a fun fact, the song entitled, “A Lonely Heart To Give” was actually written by none other than former One Life to Live and General Hospital actor, Patrick J. Gibbons.
Daytime fans first met Gibbons as Sam Manning on One Life to Live. At the time, when he started on the soap, he was just 5-years-old. Gibbons played the part from 2010-2013 on ABC and Prospect Park’s editions of the show. Fast-forward to 2018, Gibbons shows up on General Hospital as Wyatt Hoover, the scout who seemed always be injured, but in the thick of the drama. Patrick had appeared on GH multiple times as Wyatt including: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.

Photo: ABC
FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER’S DEATH CAME THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS SONG
Now in 2026, General Hospital fans are getting to learn about another side of Gibbons’ talent as a songwriter and guitar player after “A Lonely Heart to Give” debuted today! Michael Fairman TV caught up with Patrick, who is now a senior at Penn State entering his final year as a finance major, to get the back-story of how his song wound up on GH!
Gibbons explained he wrote the song in honor of his grandmother who passed away a few years ago with whom he was, very, very close with. “Randomly, my grandmother had a downfall and passed away during the second semester of my sophomore year. I was in my dorm a lot and I was just playing with my guitar. And at the time, I was really into finger-style playing. I wrote the lyric and music to it (with a little help from my guitar teacher Lou), and my mom showed the rough demo to Frank Valentini (EP, General Hospital). He’s like an uncle to me. Frank loved it so much he said, “Finish that up. I want to hear the whole thing, and I want it on the show.”
MAKING MUSIC FOR GENERAL HOSPITAL
Gibbons and his parents took the next steps! “So now, all we needed was a female voice, because I thought that would fit the song well,” Patrick shared. “At the golf club we go to my parents were at a dinner. They liked the singer that was performing and spoke to her about the song, and she says she would like to bring it to her ‘boss’ who ended up being Eric Bazilian of the Hooters fame!” (Bazilian also wrote the smash hit song “One of Us” for Joan Osborne).
Next, “We went in the studio and recorded it and the song came together and it was beautiful. We loved it. They loved it at General Hospital and now they’re putting it the show and they are coming in with a piano, instead of a guitar. Paul Glass, the GH musical director, has been keeping us updated over the last six months of how it was coming along, and when it would air, and how GH put their own arrangement to it. I can’t wait to see and hear what they did with it.”

Photo: JPI
PATRICK’S ONE LIFE TO LIVE FAMILY
Everyone knows that the One Life to Live extended family share a very tight bond, and Patrick said he does stay in touch with a few of his former One Life to Live co-stars, especially those from the Manning family! “I stayed in touch with Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair) and sent her little videos here and there. She was like my second mom for five years. We keep in contact with Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) over X the most, and she can’t believe how big I’ve gotten. Like, none of them can! (laughs). I also loved working with Roger Howarth (ex-Todd) and Trevor St. John (ex-Todd and Victor Jr.), and to me since I was so young, they were just my friends, ‘Roger and Trevor,’ not Todd Manning or Victor Jr.”
It was a trip to California and a visit to Port Charles that ultimately led to Gibbons second soap role of Wyatt Hoover. Patrick explains, “In 2016, Frank Valentini invited us out to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital. I think he heard me say, ‘This is so much fun. I miss being on the set.’ He goes, ‘You should come out. I’ll bring you on the show. We can make you a character.'”
A few years later, Patrick’s dream became a reality! “Then, by the summer of 2018, I was playing Wyatt, the scout, and shared scenes with Wes Ramsey (Peter August), and the best was when I shared a scene with Roger Howarth and Michael Easton (ex-John, OLTL and ex-Silas, Finn et al, GH), it was like chemistry from the old days.”

Photo: PGibbons
IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS
As to his future aspirations, it’s a career in the finance game that has piqued Gibbons’ real-life interest. But never say never to a return to acting. Patrick explained, “I’ve always enjoyed numbers. And on top of that, one of the biggest parts of finance is being personable and outgoing.”
He continued, “That’s one of the greatest skills I developed growing up. I really love the markets. I’m super interested. I’m never going to close the door to acting. I’m always open to that because I just love it so much. It’s such a great art.”
Take note! If there are any investment bankers or private equity folks among the GH faithful looking for a young analyst next year, Patrick’s DMs are open. You can find him on X at @PatrickJGibbons.”
So, what did you think of the song sung by Trina on today’s GH that was written by Patrick J. Gibbons? Did you enjoy Patrick’s performances as One Life’s Sam and GH’s Wyatt? Would you like to see him back on GH at some point? Let us know via the comment section.
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