Guiding Light
The Kim Zimmer Interview – Guiding Light Finale
As the light fades this week on Guiding Light, I waited to post this interview with the most acclaimed actress in the shows 57-year television history, Kim Zimmer. As Reva Shayne since 1983, Zimmer’s bravura performances have nabbed her four Daytime Emmys and a place in soap opera history as one of the most iconic, recognizable, and important actresses ever in the genre.
On-Air On-Soaps salutes the wonderful interview recently posted by Nelson Branco of TV Guide Canada, and all the coverage given to Kim around the web and in print over the last few weeks.
Just of note: a few quotes of this interview ran in my Soapside: Advocate column on September 4th but the rest was held back until now. I hope you enjoy Kim’s outspoken and honest comments, and will listen to the audio feature of our conversation held right after the Guiding Light Tribute rehearsal at the Daytime Emmys.
One final time, here is my last “GL” Kim Zimmer interview. I know there will be more features in our future, especially in lieu of the news that she is writing her memoirs about her time on Guiding Light. But, you never know where Kim might pop up next. Read below and find out her thoughts on this matter and getting closure in Springfield.
Listen to the audio:
[display_podcast]
MICHAEL:
So, what did you think being up there on the stage for the tribute during rehearsal?
KIM:
It was fun. We did this once before for our 50th Anniversary. The curtain came up and then we were gone.
MICHAEL:
Shuffled off to Buffalo?
KIM:
Exactly! In a way it’s a
little embarrassing, but its fun being on that stage and seeing everyone in the audience. It’s emotional
to see the faces of all these actors I have known for many years. I am sure there will be tears. Everyone is looking at his or her future. Who knows how many soaps we will have left at this time next year?MICHAEL:
It’s sad!
KIM:
It’s very sad. I was talking to “OLTL’s” executive producer Frank Valentini on the airplane yesterday. I did pitch him coming back to One Life to Live, where I played Echo. I said, “I won’t sign a contract, but I’ll work cheap if you work me five days a week!” (She laughs.) But I also said, “Who is in more trouble, you or All My Children?” And Frank said, “Oh, we are not in trouble. Our show has had better ratings than them for the last five years.” I was like, “Ok, hang tough boy, hang tough.” (She laughs)
MICHAEL:
How did you feel when you wrapped your last “GL” episode?
KIM:
I had a moment of, Thank God its over, because it’s been hard. I was never a fan of the new format and production module, and trying to generate story was tough. Thank God for Olivia and Natalia! It was the only love story we had on the show, because every one of the other characters on the show seemed to hate each other, and it was nasty. I think that is one of the reasons that story was so well received by people in the Bible belt, and everyone across the board. It was because it was a love story. We were thirsty for something like that. It was nice to have Grant Aleksander (Phillip) back. I am just sad that I am not going to get to work with my two grown on-screen sons!
MICHAEL:
Because those two on-screen sons (Branson and Pelphrey) are exceptional actors, and finally they got it right. Damn it!
KIM:
I know, I know, and the dynamics between Tom and Jeff is so wonderful.
I was so hopeful we were going to get to play with that some more, and that makes me sad. I really was looking forward to the day Josh and Reva would ride off into the sunset together, only to see Jeffrey come back from the other direction. That would have been an interesting dynamic, too.MICHAEL:
Did you feel disappointed in the end, on how it wrapped up for you as Reva?
KIM:
Well, I was sad that they never brought a Marah back. I don’t know why that never happened and that kind of pissed me off. They could never really figure out which one they wanted to bring back, because each one had a different job on the show. You could bring Lindsey McKeon back, but you could not bring Kimberly J. Brown back, because she would not have worked with Bradley. It’s just weird.
So, I think that is why they avoided the whole thing. I think the fans will like the last episode. I think 60 percent of my fans will be happy and I think 40 percent won’t be. (She laughs).MICHAEL:
When you saw the end story, were you OK with it?
KIM:
I am very much OK with it.
MICHAEL:
But this whole experience had been like a long mourning process for the fans and the cast. There have been multiple parties and tributes and tons of press. Will you be happy when it’s finally over and you can move on?
KIM:
I will be happy when September 18th is over and the last air show has been on, because we can’t really move on. We were all laughing on the last day. Rob Bogue (Mallet) and I were laughing with our on-going scenario. “Has your phone rung? Because I taped my last scene. Have you gotten the call from “Y&R”? They said they were going to call.” So, we were all kind of waiting for phone calls thinking, “OK, we are done. We are available.” (She laughs)
MICHAEL:
You are so recognizable and iconic as Reva. Do you think the producers will be able to see the forest from the trees and let you play something else on the soaps?
KIM:
I think it would be very narrow-minded of the executive producers of the shows, if they were to say, “She can’t do anything else.” …Unless, like a “Y&R” or “B&B” brought Reva in, because Reva is not connected to anything really. I would love to play a new character, like a Sally Spectra on “B&B”. That would be a gas, but I could never replace Darlene Conley. (Ex-Sally)
MICHAEL:
But you really want to play a new character!
KIM:
I said my dream would be to do the same character on all the shows in disguise. I dye my hair, put contacts in, and always have a different accent on all the shows. On the last one it would be revealed I was the same character on all those shows. Three months here and there. You need a little activity on a storyline… bring her in. Wouldn’t that be a gas?
MICHAEL:
That is pretty brilliant!
KIM:
I know. I have not pitched it to anybody… get busy!
MICHAEL:
If you were to, in a few years, sum up Reva Shayne what would you say? “Reva was…..?”
KIM:
Reva was love. She loved like no one else.
MICHAEL:
Passionately!
KIM:
Yeah, that is what I would say. I agree.
MICHAEL:
When you look back, how did being on Guiding Light impact you?
KIM:
Oh, well, the dignitaries I got to meet and the athletes and actors…. I am not saying that is what it was about. I had three children while I was on the show. I had a job that enabled me the opportunity to be there for their athletic events and take pictures of them for their proms. I did not have to pack a suitcase to go somewhere else to film a movie. It was the perfect job to have to raise a family.
MICHAEL:
What did you feel about many who say Kim Zimmer’s Reva was the focus of Guiding Light?
KIM:
No, I don’t feel that way. Maybe in the beginning, but in the last five years we have really become an ensemble, which was hard for me to swallow, but I think that is what made our show good. I know the show focused a lot of story on my character, but I never felt like the lighthouse of Guiding Light, not me.
Other people made me feel that way,
but I never thought I was The Guiding Light. I think that is why our show was so successful. We had the nicest place to work, because we were family and there was no backstage backstabbing.
If we had a problem with somebody we all said it to his or her face. We would bring it up. You put your shit out on the table and you dealt with it!MICHAEL:
You must look back and pinch yourself knowing you won four Emmys and were the most lauded actress in the history of “GL”. Where are your much-deserved four Daytime Emmys sitting?
KIM:
It is wonderful! My Emmys are sitting on top of a cabinet of my living room. And, I have my Soap Opera Digest awards, and the ones that looked like Emmys and looked like a Globe.
MICHAEL:
The Soap Opera Update Awards?
KIM:
Yes, and they are a mess! Those were fun awards and everyone was so drunk at those events. It wasn’t timed. Those Soap Opera Update awards are so tarnished and so disgusting. I look at those awards and they make me laugh. (She laughs)
MICHAEL:
I can’t believe next time I speak with you it won’t be for a Guiding Light interview!
KIM:
I know, it will be weird, but we will
always have plenty to talk about.
Trust me!
reva sucks!
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.
Breaking News
‘Guiding Light’ Reunion: Kim Zimmer, Bradley Cole and Laura Wright to Chat Live!
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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Shuffled off to Buffalo?
MICHAEL:
MICHAEL:
KIM:
KIM:
The Soap Opera Update Awards?