Interviews

THE HUNTER TYLO INTERVIEW – THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL

Published

18 years ago

July 16, 2008

Michael

Listen to the audio:

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TV SOAP:
In your current “B&B” storyline, Taylor is involved in her first younger man/older woman romance with Rick Forrester. How do you feel about the subject? And how did you feel about tackling this type of relationship on-screen?

HUNTER:
You could be 30 and dating 20-year-olds, as long as you are over 18, that’s what is important. When I got my divorce, my husband, Michael Tylo, was 15 years older than me. I had been married to my husband for 18 years and when we got divorced I knew I would be dating again. I had always dated older men when I was younger, and with my ex-husband, he was into the fifties music and we just blended our musical preferences. I had my thing with music in the 70’s, and here I am listening to Jim Hendrix, and he was listening to Buddy Holly. So, it was always like a ‘Clash of the Titans’.   I did try to date men around his age range. I think women take good care of themselves these days. I noticed that the kind of things I like to do are still pretty energetic things. At that age, most guys are ready to chill-out, and it’s the guy in his cave who just sits and watches football and just chills. I am still pretty energetic. By chance, I met a young man who was four years older than my son, and he was running lines for me. (Sometimes I hire actors to do that.) This young man was very cute, and it’s nice to see a young man quite taken by you. You go, “Oh wow! I’ve still got something… OK!”

TV SOAP:
So you obviously enjoyed that.

HUNTER:
It was a feeling of, “Oh, even this young man can be interested in me.” I had not looked at a young man, and it was a new thing. It was becoming very flirtatious, and one night he said, “I wanted to show you some clubs.” It did not start out as a date, but it turned into one, and I had fun.   I knew that I wasn’t going to get serious with this young man, but we enjoyed each other’s company, and it was romantic and flirty. In the last year, I would say I met another young man, but his age difference was about 8 years, and I think about 8 to 10 years is comfortable. This young man I have been going out with, has the right mix of going to have fun, but was settled enough. And that’s the other thing… you have to look at it as to where you are in your life cycle. All the women his age wanted to have kids, and I am like… done! So, it depends on other factors of your life. I have no problem dating younger men.

TV SOAP:
Who are you dating now?

HUNTER:
I am dating different people. When I had the loss of my son this year, I realized I need to take my time with everything, and women should, anyway. We don’t have moms and dads married for 30 or 40 years anymore. Unfortunately, our culture is about: if its not working for you get out, otherwise you are going to fall apart. I don’t think people give relationships enough of a chance, on the other hand, they don’t date long enough to know. I have been trying to get rid of two mindsets that have been put out there by society. I have full intention to get to know someone for two years and find out what they are really like, day in and day out, before moving forward with any more definitive plans.

TV SOAP:
Because you are Hunter Tylo, and one of the most famous and beautiful women in daytime and are a celebrity, I would think some men would be intimated to come up to you or to go out with you. Do you find that to be true?

HUNTER:
There is an additional problem and that is that they surf the web. They know who I am, and may have read stuff, and there is a lot of inaccurate information out there. There are the “Haters” and the “Pro-Taylors”, and there are people who overrate me to death. So yeah, someone would be scared. Then, there’s the “Haters” who could be sitting there, going, “I wonder if that’s true?” I have the double-edged sword. When I was in my twenties, and before I married Michael, I dated men who were horrified of a woman who is self-confident, who knows how to carry herself, and looks attractive.   It does not mean beautiful, it mean attractive. There are beautiful women who send out a different message that guys will go to. If you are a woman who is classy and has manners, it can be intimidating to men! (I am from Texas so I was drilled with this stuff from my upbringing.) So, when I started dating again, I had the double-edged sword. A guy might say to me, “I recognized you when I first met you, but I didn’t want to say anything.” I am like, “Oh great!” Sometimes, the conversation goes to everything about the show or the business. They are just trying to find out who I really am. You can’t really find out that kind of information unless you have gone out with someone for a long time. The whole first few months of dating is all about making you believe you are 100% not mental and all of that. (She laughs) It’s an interesting thing, this dating deal.

TV SOAP:
So, you are enjoying being single and putting yourself out there again?

HUNTER:
Yes, I am enjoying it. This is another thing that is kind of funny, seeing the difference between when I was 24 and 25 years old and dating, as opposed to now. We are two different generations.   Now on top of it, older women are dating younger men. I have no trouble dating younger men. I dated a 38-year-old black guy. (She laughs) I am dating different people, but we are very close.   I am not going to get serious right now, but I have known him for a long time. It’s just cool when you really let yourself take time and get to know somebody. It’s really much better than doing that whole storybook romance, and getting married after three months. I know people do it, but generally it doesn’t work!

TV SOAP:
Many of the actors on “B&B” have commented in past TV SOAP interviews, how detailed you are to your rehearsal process and you take a lot of notes. How do you work?

HUNTER:
I try to look at it from: “Ok, I am not really this character, but what would I do if I were in this position?” Especially, if I need to get the specific direction that the writers wrote for Taylor. So, sometimes I have to push it, when we only have one or two takes to figure it out. We don’t have the time to feel it out and feel what’s right. I already have to know the intention of what my character is saying, as if it was a feeling I would have, and it naturally makes a scene work.

TV SOAP:
How is working with Kyle Lowder (Rick)?

HUNTER:
Kyle is adorable! I drew on those same feelings that unexpectedly happen when I was running lines with my acting friend, and it was very cool, because I do see that in Kyle, too. Kyle can be kind of shy. It’s great when you can get a guy to the point where he is admiring you and looking up to you. Kyle is already that way. He is a sweet person, so it’s nice when all of that attention gets directed at you.

TV SOAP:
All the recent emotional courtroom material and scenes were so hard to watch, as Taylor was suffering from losing her child. It did seem to be playing out just as you were grieving from your own personal tragedy, with the untimely death of your son Mickey. How did you do the scenes? Personally, I was very worried about you.

HUNTER:
I did get a lot of emails from people worrying. They would go from worrying about me to saying, “Was I okay with those scenes and after them?” They would say, “You know it’s so weird, that the storyline is mirroring Hunter Tylo’s life!” Other people would go, “How dare Brad Bell (exec prod and head writer, “B&B”) write that, when we all know what she is going through!” But the reality is, and I don’t know if any other actress ever said it, but there was a thing I found on a blog over the weekend and it was frustrating, because someone said, “Hunter Tylo is letting her professional business life as Taylor spill over into her personal life,” when in fact; it’s just the other way around. Brad and any other producer, always make a point to get to know their cast. They get to know who you are, and they mold the character to your personality, and what’s going on in your personal life. It actually gives them an idea. I mean, why do you think Marcus is dating Stephanie right now? (She laughs) Hello! Because I know when I brought this person to a couple of show related events, Brad was like, “Huh?” At first, they thought he was my bodyguard, they did. (She laughs)   It’s great to look at real life. I know Bill Bell Sr, (creator, “B&B” and “Y&R”) once amazed me when he had these cookouts for our birthdays. He would find out about us, and one of the things he revealed was that he listened to talk radio all night long. It would give him amazing ideas of how people acted around each other, depending on what the stimulus was and why they had the problem they had. I thought that was great. Believe me, real human behavior is more interesting than art. (She laughs)

TV SOAP:
But, when you left the set after a hard emotional day, and dealing with the loss of your son, weren’t you just drained?

HUNTER:
Well, because of the acting technique I use when I did those scenes, I had to go back and allow my self to feel what I feel all the time. It’s the feeling that will never go away which is, “It’s not fair,” and that line I added. Once I added it and we did the rehearsal, I thought, “I am going to say this, because that is how I feel!” After that, it just kept coming out. I had those days. I don’t know if I would have collapsed on the floor with a small spotlight on me. That’s the artistic stuff, and the feeling is what the audience should be left with, and it’s cathartic. Taylor and Ridge got divorced after Hunter Tylo did, and so did Ronn Moss (Ridge). So, we have already felt those things just recently and that’s a smart thing to do, and we are going to access those feelings even faster. It’s hard sometimes, but you have to be willing to go there as an actor, anyway.

TV SOAP:
You are one of the most courageous people I know and you have endured so much. All of your fans want to know how you are doing. So, how are you now?

HUNTER:
I am doing better. I had to get through April, which was really hard because that would have been my son’s 20th birthday, and it’s a milestone for your child. I am a mom. I plan birthdays around the year, and it was hard not to be able to plan his. It would sneak up on me. At the beginning of April, I was planning on going to a birthday party that had been planned for a long time, and it was like no big deal till the day I started getting ready for it, and that thought kept coming back: “It’s not fair, Mickey should have had one.” It comes back, and that was the hardest time. I am in this place now where I have some footing, and if I can get through that I can get through the rest. I feel peaceful, and I am at a place I can talk about it.   I am at a place where I would want to write another book about these things.

TV SOAP:
Your first book, “Making a Miracle,” provided an interesting moment during your grieving process over the death of your son. Is that true?

HUNTER:
One day I was crying, and I go to the closet and get my Bible, and just pray. I was there a lot. I had words with the man upstairs… real serious words, and a copy of my book had fallen on the floor or off the shelf, or something. I pick up the book and say to God, “Are you going to give me a message now?” I am all ‘attitude city’ and God knows we are like that. I turned to the last chapter and read what I had said: “Through everything that happens to Katya, I have learned to face the ultimate question, what if I lose her?” This question in turn leads me to another: “To whom do our lives belong? Is Katya’s life mine or her own? Is my life my own?” I do this passage out of Psalm139, which I also had forgotten, that I had used part of the same passage in my son’s funeral bulletin. Then I go on to say, “What if I had lost Katya or lost my oldest son Chris, who is just now leaving the nest, or Mickey, Isabella or my husband, Michael, or my own life for that matter?” The irony of choosing to bear my own child and then praying for my youngest child’s life reminds me, I didn’t give life to myself, God did. Life is not in our control and it’s not meant to be, it’s in God’s hands. So in your face, this is God words. I am not perfect. My own words out of my own mouth got used on me. That’s what was beautiful, and I had learned this a long time ago. Here I had been pitching this fit and getting mad at God.   I was stuck in that place spiritually, and I said, “Thank you for having me answer myself.”

TV SOAP:
How is your faith after this recent tragedy?

HUNTER:
Interestingly enough, this whole last year I have learned so many things, such as: because somebody is a certain color, they are a human being, too. They are beautiful in every single way, and have the right to be who they are in every single way. Just like people who are in different kinds of relationships: man/man…. woman/woman… whatever! People are people and we are not perfect. That is what I believe Christianity is about. Sometimes, I get posts from the “haters” going, “Who does she think she is? She is a hypocrite!” Well… we all are!

TV SOAP:
You have become very active and involved in The American Epilepsy Outreach Foundation, because your son died in part from a seizure. Tell us about your involvement?

HUNTER:
You can support and bring awareness to different dangers that are very under publicized for children and adults of epilepsy. You can go to www.epilepsyoutreach.org, and see all the information and PSA’s (Public Service Announcements). I did. We are doing a 5K run in Chicago. We are going to get Oprah Winfrey out there with us, running in the streets, hopefully, and I am going to hand her a pair of shoes and tell her to get her butt out there. (She laughs) I will get back to everyone out there with the confirmed dates.

Michael “Mickey” Tylo passed away on October 18th, 2007 at the age of 19. Mickey suffered from Partial Complex Seizures. His first seizure happened at age 15. Mickey was at the Tylo’s family home in Henderson, Nevada when he walked outside near the pool to possibly receive better reception on his cell phone, when he experienced a seizure and fell into the pool. Tragically, Mickey did not survive.

Hunter Tylo has now joined forces with the American Epilepsy Outreach Foundation to raise public awareness regarding the truth about epilepsy. For more on the organization and how you can become involved log on to www.epilepsyoutreach.org

For more on Hunter Tylo, log on to www.myspace.com/homepagehunter and www.theboldandthebeautiful.com

Related Topics:hunter tylo Interview Podcast The Bold and the Beautiful

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BERYL

15 years ago

i for one think hunter is an amazing woman and i loved her since i was 12 when i started watching the bold in the 90’s. i especially love her role as ridge’s beautiful doc. and i hope they will get back together again as for her personal life i think she is smart ,strong and capable to overcome anything that comes her way. she is my role model and always will be no matter what the haters say.

hunter you go girl >>>>>>>

General Hospital

GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

Published

2 weeks ago

August 21, 2026

Michael

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.

General Hospital

‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Admits That He Didn’t Expect the Role of Michael Corinthos to be Recast, and Would Consider Working on Another Soap (Exclusive)

Published

2 weeks ago

August 20, 2026

Michael

Chad Duell, the Daytime Emmy-winning actor, who stepped away from the pivotal role of Michael Corinthos on General Hospital, opened up about: his previous decision to leave the series after nearly 15 years, where’s he’s at now after time away from the demands of a daytime soap opera, and took a stroll down memory lane with some of Michael’s most-acclaimed storyline during his run, during a livestream chat on August 19 on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel.

Viewers last saw Duell on-screen as Michael in January of 2025, and with his successor in the role, Rory Gibson making his debut at the GH Nurses’ Ball in episodes that aired later in May. It was clear that during the conversation, Chad was a bit surprised that the GH brass decided to recast him when he thought he was just taking some much needed time off.

Burn-out of the daily grind of being on a soap was definitely a part of Chad’s decision to take a break. Duell explained “People know when you’re doing something for so long or your character is kind of in the same place for so long or doing the same stuff over and over again, you do get a a little burnt out, you get a little stiff, stale, a little stiff at times. I didn’t want that to be any sort of lasting impression. I have 15 years of a body of work of I’ve done on that show, which is fantastic.”

Photo: ABC

WHILE CHAD WAS AWAY GH RECAST MICHAEL CORINTHOS WITH RORY GIBSON

Chad shared, his mindset when leaving GH was, “I’m taking some time away, we’ll see what happens.” Then he added, “Obviously, they decided to go in a different direction with Michael when I was gone. I didn’t think they were going to bring somebody back in my place. But you know, it’s the business. You never know what can happen.”

Duell also shared he has not watched a single episode of General Hospital since he left the series, but now feels he reenergized following the loss of his father and stepping away from the GH, “I’m in a place now mentally, where I’m ready to sink my teeth into it again.”

Courtesy/ABC

Even though he is no longer Michael on GH, Chad was very happy with his final storyline where Michael was set on fire when a bomb exploded at Sonny’s (Maurice Benard) penthouse. “It was fun to put him in a dangerous situation, because I was wanting Michael to be in something scary instead of trying to be a hero character or just things happening around him, but to be the center point of tragedy happening to him. (I always saw) Michael as the heart of the (Corinthos) family.”

When Michael was badly burned the show chose not burn his face, which normally a soap does when they are recasting role and switching actors. Chad weighed-in, “They didn’t burn my face because I told Frank Valentini (EP, GH) I’m willing to come back. It was just a little bit of a break. So, I assumed that if they would have burned my face, they could have brought somebody back looking different than me… if that’s what their plan was.”

Courtesy/ABC

MEMORABLE MICHAEL STORYLINES

One of Chad’s most memorable performances was the in the storyline of Michael’s rape while he was sentenced to prison in 2010 and the confession of it in 2011. “It was so well-written and I was very nervous,” recalled Chad. “When I get really nervous about something, it ends up being really good when I do it, because it just means I care a lot about it”

“I have to put a lot of effort and work into it, and I really want it to be good. I was working with Dominic Zamprogna (Dante) and Steve Burton (Jason) a lot during those scenes, and Laura Wright (Carly). It was great working with Steve and Dominic, especially, during that storyline.

A NEW SOAP ROLE FOR CHAD?

As to a future soap opera role, Chad is open to the idea and would love to jump back in to a juicy role, “I know people over at The Bold and the Beautiful, and The Young and the Restless. They know that if they’re interested, I would love to come in for a screen test or something, and they can see what I’m doing.”

Meanwhile, Chad has been busy putting out new music under the moniker Duelly and during the interview he explains how he creates his EDM tracks and much more. You can stream his latest single, Static in the Quiet Room on Spotify, Apple Music and You Tube Music.

You can check out the full conversation with Chad Duell below.

Now let us know: what show would you like to see Chad cast on down the line? BTG, DAYS, B&B, Y&R, or a new role on GH? What did you think of his thoughts on the casting switch while he was away in the role of Michael? What was your favorite Michael storyline during Chad’s 15-year run on the ABC soap opera? Let us know via the comment section.

Interviews

‘The Young and the Restless’ Eric Braeden Talks Daytime Emmy Nomination, State of Nikki and Victor’s Marriage, and His Co-Stars (Exclusive)

Published

1 month ago

July 30, 2026

Michael

Eric Braeden has been playing Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless for 46 years. The iconic star of the #1 rated daytime drama series has thus far won once for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Daytime Drama Series back in 1998 in a ceremony he did not attend. Fast-forward to 2026 and the 85-year-old Braeden is once again nominated in the category for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

Earlier this month, Eric, along with 4 other actors learned they were going for gold at the ceremonies on October 30. In a twist of fate, fellow co-star and also Lead Actor nominee, Christian LeBlanc (Michael, Y&R) and Braeden submitted the same scenes which centered around Victor firing his longtime attorney and friend, Michael Baldwin.

In a new interview, now on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel, Braeden shares: his thoughts on the nomination, if he will attend daytime’s biggest night of the year, what he thinks will happen with the current cracks within the relationship of Y&R’s Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) and Victor, his reaction to the heartbreaking scene where Nick (Joshua Morrow) admits to Victor that he has a drug addiction, and much more.

Photo: JPI

VICTOR NEWMAN AND MICHAEL BALDWIN EMMY SCENES

On his Lead Actor Emmy-nominated reel, Eric recalled, “The show submitted it for me and I said, ‘Yeah, go ahead.’ Had I known Christian was part of it, I would’ve said, ‘No!’ I’m kidding. It’s difficult to do a scene with Christian without beginning to laugh in the middle of it. Anyway, he’s wonderful to work with and he did a wonderful job, and I’m grateful for the nomination.”

Braeden also shared plans for attending this year’s Daytime Emmys with his granddaughter making it all the more special, “I will go this year. You know why? It’s an honor first of all, and secondly, my granddaughter, when she heard about it, she says, ‘Opa, can I go? I already know what dress I would buy.’ I mean, it was so sweet. But you bet. Now, I’ll really go to the Emmys!”

Photo: JPI

CAN NIKKI AND VICTOR’S MARRIAGE SURVIVE?

Over the past year, Nikki and Victor’s marriage has been on shaky ground, especially after Victor caught his nemesis, Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) alone in a hotel room with his wife. Nikki went on a bender and Jack was her AA sponsor, but in order to help her, he almost OD’d himself. Victor believes the two hit the sheets.

Now in 2026, Victor was there after Nikki woke up after surgery to save her eyesight, and she has yet to see post-procedure. However, Braeden notes ‘not so fast’ on a reconciliation.

“I would say it will be a rocky road, because you don’t get over these things so quickly. You don’t,” teased Eric. “It’s jealousy and it’s a very, very deep emotion, and every time there’s something that reminds Victor of that incident, he will feel that emotion. It’s an emotion that is not taken seriously enough by people. Relationships are very difficult because of that sometimes.”

Photo: CBS

JOSHUA MORROW DOING THE FINEST WORK OF HIS CAREER

Back in March of this year, in one of the most unforgettable in this, or any soap season, Nick Newman accompanied by his brother Adam (Mark Grossman), came to see Victor where Nick admitted he now has a drug addiction to fentanyl and how he is so ashamed of himself. In the scene, Victor goes to comfort his son, calling him, “My boy” while broken-hearted.

Eric recalled the taping of the scene: “It touched me deeply and it was one of those moments that a father and son don’t want. They’re horrified by that. I think Joshua made an enormous leap in acting in that scene. He showed what he is capable of. It was a very, very touching scene. We had some scenes after that, again, about the same thing. Now, there’s a whole deeper connection between father and son. Any father would almost have a breakdown knowing that his son is on drugs or his daughter. It was a very well-written scene.”

Photo: JPI

ERIC BRAEDEN AND MICHELLE STAFFORD MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY

The Young and the Restless led the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Nominations with 18, more than any other series or programs. One of the nominations belongs to Michelle Stafford (Phyllis) who nabbed another Lead Actress nod.

Recently, Eric and Michelle have shared much screen-time since Phyllis took Victor’s company from him. During the Michael Fairman Channel’s Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026 Live!, Stafford she loved working opposite Eric in the storyline, to which Eric has now responded.

“It’s mutual because I love watching her work,” exclaimed the TV icon. “I just don’t know what she’s going to do in a scene and I love spontaneous moments. I don’t like it to be set and adhered to. I like it to be improvised as much as possible. Michelle is just so facile, so quick, so smart as an actress. She’s wonderful.”

Check out the full conversation with Eric below.

Now weigh-in: are you happy to see Eric receive a Lead Actor nomination? Do you think Nikki and Victor will continue to have issues in their marriage? Did you like the scenes with Michelle Stafford and Eric, and of course the hankie-inducing moment between Joshua Morrow and his TV dad? Weigh-in via the comment section.