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Y&R’s Jason Thompson and Courtney Hope Weigh-in on Their Favorite Soap Super Couples of All Time

By Michael Fairman

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Photos: JPI

Daytime Emmy winners, Jason Thompson (Billy Abbott) and Courtney Hope (Sally of The Young and the Restless, know a thing or two about being in a romantic soap opera couple, one that goes through various ups and downs that fans love to root for to overcome all obstacles and beat the odds.

Recently on Y&R, it looks like we are in the middle of the romance between “Silly” better known as Sally and Billy, but does it have staying power? We shall see, especially given the often musical chairs game of love in Genoa City.

Thompson and Hope sat-down with Swoon to talk about their on-screen relationship and where they think their characters are headed. However, they also offered up who they deem as some of the best soap super couples of all time!

Photo: JPI

Courtney Hope was big on the love story of All My Children’s Ryan and Greenlee, played by current GH star, Cameron Mathison (Drew Quartermaine) and The Bold and the Beautiful’s Rebecca Budig (Taylor Hayes).

“I grew up watching All My Children,” shared Hope. “And I loved Ryan and Greenlee. That was my first introduction to soaps, and it was that show. I just loved them together and I know Cameron now and he is just wonderful. For me, I never forget them.”

Photo: JPI

Jason added, “I remember watching Tracy (Jane Elliot) and Luke (Tony Geary) together on GH. Tony Geary was always magical and that pairing was always fun.” However, even though he was part of the popular GH pairing of Patrick and Robin with Kimberly McCullough, he also sees them as one of the best all-time soap couples.

“Patrick and Robin … they are one of my favorite couples ever, admitted Thompson. Now that I’ve had time to look back on that, I think it was a very special pairing. It was a time in their life, what they went through personally, you know, Kimberly being on the show since she was young, the HIV storylines that we got to play, all that kind of stuff, and I thought they were a special pairing.”

Photo: JPI

As to the future of Y&R’s Billy and Sally pairing, Jason Thompson expressed, “I think there’s a lot that these characters could do together, however it goes, but I think there’s a lot of passion between the two of them. So, I’m personally a big fan of the two of them together.”

Courtney Hope added, “I also like how playful they can be at times, and how kind of, I don’t know, for lack of a better word, sexy with each other they can be as well. They allow themselves to live in those worlds, which I think is really important for both characters. I think that is ultimately what brings them together.”

Photo: JPI

So, do you agree with Jason and Courtney’s picks of favorite soap super couples from GH’s Patrick and Robin and Tracy and Luke, to AMC’s Ryan and Greenlee? What do you think of the Billy and Sally pairing on The Young and the Restless thus far? Let us know in the comment section.

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I have been so pro Sally and Billy ever since I saw their first scenes together and saw the chemistry Courtney and Jason have working together. I definitely will be there for the long haul with these two!

The only thing that will stand in their way is Billy. His lies and need for revenge
Which could open Sally to Daniel, which would drive Phyllis completely nuts!!

I agree with Jason!  I recently rewatched Patrick & Robin’s scenes and I can’t think of any other soap couple that portrayed such authentic chemistry.  Their connection, up until Kimberly’s first exit, is unmatched in my eyes.  Their journey dealing with AIDS was compelling and their competitiveness and their banter was so fun.   It seems impossible that their chemistry wasn’t real, but from what I understand, it was only a friendship off screen.  While I have enjoyed other couples, they are by far my all time favorites.

patrick and robin yes were magical, and tracy with luke a hoot and fun to watch, good choices and greenly and ryan, not bad either.

Because I am behind in viewing that chemistry didn’t hit me. It felt out of sorts without buildup. More significant for me has been remodeling the Abott living room. It is the only set that deserves notice. The new displays of the dining room say it should be rethought. Back to the living room, a new davenport and pillows would be a good start.

Beyond the Gates

RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers

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Beyond the Gates and General Hospital

The latest ratings are out for the week of October 26-30, 2026 and the big takeaways include: that CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates was separated by only 23,000 viewers behind third place (of the soaps) General Hospital! For the last several weeks, Beyond the Gates has been closing the gap on this year’s winner for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, and continuing to best GH in the key demos.

According to the latest Nielsen ratings breakdown from Soap Opera Network, the final week of October brought Beyond the Gates 1.790 million on average tuning-in and the show set a season high in total viewers. Meanwhile, General Hospital hit a new season low! The long-running ABC soap had 1.813 million for the week, and once again the series did not go over the 2 million mark.

Meanwhile, in the key Women 18-49 demo, Beyond the Gates was firmly ahead of GH with a rating share of 0.21, while General Hospital had 0.17 rating share.Then, in the key Women 25-54 demo, Beyond the Gates was once again ahead of the ABC soap with a ratings share for that demo at 0.30 while GH came in with 0.26.

Photo: CBS

MORE BY THE NUMBERS

In addition and comparatively, Beyond the Gates +22,000 viewers week-to-week, and had the largest gains in viewership year-to-year in daytime TV with +267,000 from this in 2025.. However, General Hospital seems to be going in reverse. The show was down -56,000 viewers week-over-week and down -22,000 year-over-year .

BEYOND THE GATES

Let’s take a look at some of the storylines that had people tuning-in to Beyond the Gates during the ratings week:

Hayley (Marquita Goings) attempted a massive shocker regarding her pregnancy and tried to use it to extract money from Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett). Although, Bill saw right through her game, he demanded a paternity test, and made it clear he has no intention of raising the child—planning instead to pay her off to take the baby and leave. Meanwhile, Hayley confided her plan to her cousin Randy (Maurice P. Kerry).

Jacob Hawthorne (Jibre Hordges) and Naomi Hamilton (Arielle Prepetit) clashed over Jacob’s ongoing investigation into The Impaler, causing significant strain in their marriage. At the same time, Smitty (Mike Manning) considered taking matters into his own hands—including potentially heading to Mexico for evidence—while Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) worried about what comes next.

Photo: ABC

GENERAL HOSPITAL

Over at General Hospital for the ratings period, the story served up included:

Carly (Laura Wright) and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) teamed up to investigate what really happened to Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna). Later, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) leads them to Jack’s dead body.

Jude (Wil Traval) dropped a bombshell claim to Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn); that he is Phoebe’s father, while Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard) signed their divorce papers.

Then, Danny caught Rocco (Finn Carr) and Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarski) sharing a kiss, plus the shocking return of Heather Webber (Alley Mills) capped the week.

Now the questions become; without having much promotional synergy in the ABC day-part to draw more eyeballs it is not helping but hurting General Hospital. It seems Beyond the Gates is also a  benefactor of a one-two-three punch of CBS soaps (Y&R, B&B and BTG) and promotion.

However, that still doesn’t take away the fact that Beyond the Gates is close to besting GH in all ratings category as they go head-to-head in some markets across the country.

So, are you excited to see Beyond the Gates climb in the ratings? Are you concerned for General Hospital? Do you think they can stave off Beyond the Gates in total viewers or will the upstart soap overtake them in the next ratings report? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

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General Hospital

Antonio Sabáto Jr. Breaks Silence on His Son’s Arrest for Fatal Hit-and-Run

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Antonio Sabato Jr.

Antonio Sabáto Jr., the former Jagger Cates of General Hospital and GH: Night Shift, and the former Dante Damiano of The Bold and the Beautiful has issued his first public statement since the incident involving his son, Jack’s arrest in Alaska for a fatal hit-and-run.

Jack is the son of Sabáto Jr. and Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, and according to court documents obtained by KTUU  Jack, was allegedly driving a white Chevy Tahoe when he hit and killed Carl Simmonds, 42, near an intersection in Anchorage around 5:35 a.m. on Monday, November 9.

The reports indicated that Jack fled the scene — but later decided to called the cops to say he hit “something” that “suddenly appeared in the road” while he was “doing late-night DoorDashing.”

Jack Sabato

Photo: NBC

Now, Antonio has taken to his Instagram breaking his silence on the situation, sharing, “At this time, my family and I are navigating an extremely sensitive and deeply personal matter.”

He added, “As a father, my love for my children remains unconditional, and my priority is the well-being of my family. We ask that the public and members of the media honor our privacy during this difficult time and keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.”

The soap alum concluded, “I also wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the gentleman who tragically lost his life. My thoughts and prayers are with them as well. We sincerely appreciate your compassion, understanding, and respect for the privacy of everyone affected.”

Jack Sabáto was arraigned in court on Tuesday, November 10 with bail set at $5,000, and a no-driving order and the potential of $5,000 penalty fees if he fails to attend future court appearances.

Antonio is the father to Jack, 34, daughter, Mina Sabato, 24 and son, Antonio Sabáto III, 15.

This is a developing story. You can check out Antonio’s official statement below.

So, let us know your thoughts on this tragic hit-and-run, which claimed the life of another man, and Antonio’s statement, via the comment section below.

 

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A post shared by Antonio Sabato Jr (@antoniosabatojr)

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Breaking News

‘Days of our Lives’ Veteran James Reynolds Reveals Parkinson’s Diagnosis

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James Reynolds

Days of our Lives long-running cast member James Reynolds revealed on the November 10 edition of Entertainment Tonight that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and his character of Abe Carver will now be going through an on-screen Parkinson’s battle as well.

Speaking with ET’s Nischelle Turner, the 80-year-old actor and Daytime Emmy winner shared how he attempted to hide the warning signs dating back to 15-20 years ago when he would have, “What they call the hallucinations. My wife (Lissa) would say, ‘You were hitting me last night in bed,’ and I would say, ‘What?!’ I was having these really horrible dreams.” Reynolds also added that he realized falling out of bed was an early symptom of Parkinson’s too.

Discussing the on-going tremors that have become more noticeable over time especially in hands, James shared that when he finally told the Days of our Lives cast they were nothing but “extraordinarily helpful and supportive.”

Photo: ET

SCREEN LIFE TO MIRROR REAL LIFE

Now with DAYS about to launch into Abe’s Parkinson’s storyline, Reynolds hopes that he can turn his experience into something positive by encouraging others facing the disease to keep fighting. During the sit-down, Reynolds co-star Jackée Harry (Paulina Price) recalls her reaction to learning of Reynolds’ real-life diagnosis and how she has continued to search for new treatments to inform James about.

Although Parkinson’s disease currently has no cure, there are medications and treatments can help those manage symptoms and improve quality of life. The condition progresses at a different pace from individual to individual.

As discussed in his conversation with ET, Reynolds cited Michael J. Fox and Alan Alda as two high-profile celebrities who have brought awareness to the disease.

Abe

Photo: JPI

In story on DAYS, Abe in recent weeks had been experiencing tremors which led to seek help and a diagnosis Dr. Kayla Johnson (Mary Beth Evans). Soon Abe and others will find out of his battle with Parkinson’s. Although on the promo for this week’s DAYS, Abe is seen telling Kayla, that he will do something, “when the time is right.”

James Reynolds is one of the most prolific performers, being the longest-running Black Actor in a role on a television series, not to mention his aforementioned Lead Actor Daytime Emmy win in 2018, and being inducted in 2025 into the Daytime Emmy Gold and Silver Society of honorees.

You can check out James’ in-depth conversation on his Parkinson’s diagnosis below.

Share your thoughts for James after learning of his health battle, and what do you think of Days of our Lives incorporating the disease into Abe Carver’s Salem storyline? Let us know in the comment section.

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

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