News
Y&R’s EP and Head Writer Josh Griffith Teases Jordan and Ian’s Targets: “It’s the Entire Newman Family … But I Think Mariah and Claire, Specifically”
The Young and the Restless just re-introduced baddies, Jordan Howard (Colleen Zenk) and Ian Ward (Ray Wise), to the Genoa City canvas, and just in time, as Sharon (Sharon Case) just confessed all to Nick (Joshua Morrow), but is he truly believing she is capable of what she said she did — killing Heather Stevens (Vail Bloom) … and trying to run Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) off the road? On, Monday’s November 18th episode, Sharon told Chance (Conner Floyd) to arrest her and to take her into custody.
However, Y&R’s executive producer and head writer, dropped several Easter eggs, such as Sharon’s blackouts, and now with Jordan and Ian holed up at a seedy hotel revealing themselves, it’s clear they have had something to do with Sharon’s mental state, Heather’s death and Phyllis’ car accident, but how, and why?
Now, Griffith has opened up about crafting the storyline of Heather’s death, and his plans for Jordan and Ian in an interview with Soap Opera Digest. The head scribe explained, “I knew that it needed to be somebody who not only we could come up with motive for the killing, but that also the reveal would be massive,” Josh explained. “It wouldn’t just be, ‘Oh, who’s that?’ And I started looking into, historically, who had a beef with the Newmans. And, we landed on Ian Ward.”
Photo: JPI
However, once again in his career, Griffith was inspired by an Alfred Hitchcock movie, and this time it was Stranger on a Train. Josh thought, “Wouldn’t it be interesting if Ian had an accomplice that equally needed something to happen because they were angry and they felt they’d been wronged?’”
Putting Jordan and Ian together for a diabolical plan was Griffith’s endgame as he reveals, “In a nutshell, the idea is that these two wonderful villains — who both have reasons to want revenge in Genoa City — would find each other and team up. It seemed perfect and that this murder could be the catalyst for the whole thing. As we were putting the pressure on Sharon and we were slowly starting to reveal that things were not exactly as she thinks they are, at the perfect point, we would then reveal to the audience these two mastermind criminals.”
Photo: JPI
Josh urged for fans to be on the lookout for Jordan and Ian’s next leg of their story, “The ramifications throughout Genoa City as we slowly reveal (their plans), it is just going to be a powder keg of excitement.” But who are the actual people that Jordan and Ian want to inflict pain and suffering on? Griffith noted, “It’s the entire Newman family. They all need to watch their back. But I think Mariah (Camryn Grimes) and Claire (Hayley Erin), specifically….”
So, how do you think Jordan and Ian managed to frame Sharon? Run Phyllis off the road? How could they time Sharon’s blackouts? What will be there plan for Mariah (who used to be in Ian’s cult) and Claire (who supposedly turned her back on her Aunt Jordan)? Weigh-in on your theories via the comment section.
But first, check out this video ditty from the Y&R Insider, You Tube Channel featuring Colleen Zenk and Ray Wise answering some burning questions on their returns as Jordan and Ian below.
I think it sucks. The whole story. Don’t you think out of anybody Victor Newman would be the first one to know that Jordan was out of jail or broke out of jail whatever happened. Come on writers were not that stupid.
100% correct Dolores! Saw online that Zenk said she was told in June she’d be headed back to Y&R in the fall. Right, the fact that the whack job escaped from prison wasn’t even newsworthy in this town. Griffith just wings it, doesn’t care about any kind of accuracy. The whole story is nonsense. Victor still having the prison cell….what these poor actors must go through to deliver these lines. They know this guy can’t write. And so do we.
Maybe Mariah isn’t Mariah after all and she was brainwashed, it’s actually Cassie…fans would be excited to learn their beloved Cassie we watch grow up has so much story, she’s a legal Newman, the thought of Daniel and opening the same storyline because he’s very much entrenched in the story with Cassie, more possibility to create story for Cassie then “Mariah”
I just want to see Colleen on our screens for as long as we can. I miss seeing her all the time like we did when she was on ATWT.
I agree with you 100% James. I am 58 years old and I remember watching ATWT with my mom when I was 12 and I was forever hooked. Barbara was my favorite. I thought she was so classy. I was thrilled when she first appeared on YandR. It doesn’t matter to me that this storyline looks like it might be ad thrilling as people are saying. I am just glad that the beautiful Colleen Zenk is back on daytime TV
I actually am looking forward to these two “playing” on screen together. It will be a lot more fun than all of the back and forth company/merger/acquisition angst. I just hope that there will be a youth element arriving in Spring/Summer. The show is called The YOUNG and the RESTLESS.
Mentioning Griffith’s name in the same breath as Hitchcock is beyond idiotic.
Griffith says he was inspired by Hitchcock. We all know he’s nowhere near Hitchcock in talent.
But what’s sad, is HE doesn’t know it, dilutions of grandeur or Victor Newman, which is it?
Ok,if this is like Strangers on a train, then Jordan is going after Sharon for taking Mariah from him and Ian will return the favor by torturing Victoria and the other Newmans. I dunno!! Maybe it’s Josh’s way of honoring the monumental number of episodes, by bringing back characters from the past –dunno.
A fun interview with Colleen Zenk and Ray Wise about their return. Seeing them return was a shocker – I don’t even care how they got there. I love Ray Wise.
I rarely watch Young and the Restless and now i know why. It sucks. Can’t they write a soap about interpersonal relationships without resorting to psycho and Chucky 3. The cast is way too large. The corporate drama always leads to no where. The hottest couple on the show is Nicky and Victor. The writer is mining the golden years as he doesnt have a clue. The show is a mess.
Thank you! Can’t even read the nonsense anymore the guy never knew the end game just throwing stuff against the wall to see if it sticks. The first thing that they should have done was test Sharon’s meds . Duh
Mariah is so boring no one will miss her
Tessa will!!
Well. Maybe they will finally write for Camryn. Then she would be terrific! She has 2 Emmy’s for her work their! The actor is damn talented. Enough of the newman’s and abbott’s. Use the whole town-cast for story
So this year we had Cameron come back to seek revenge on Sharon, now Ian, who’s next Matt Clark getting a third kick at the can.
And I already see coming the attempt on Victor’s life which he survives but convinces Elena to tell everyone he is dead so he can remain safe until they figure out who wanted him dead–OR, where Jordon puts Victor in a cell and everyone thinks he is dead– either way we will get weeks of Chance questioning everyone in town who had a motive to “kill” Victor– I hope I’m wrong, but if not out of two I am rooting to see Jordon put Victor in a cell because that would be a bit more interesting.
So as much as I applaud the actors playing Jordon and Ian for trying to give these one note characters depth– I missed the old days where the line between good and evil in a villain was blurry and some days you actually felt sorry for them or think they had a good reason for it, like Kevin in the early days of his character, or Michael Baldwin– heck even Adam– they all did horrible things, yet had enough humanity to make them interesting.
And if JG really wants to shock us, write a back story to help us understand why Jordon and Ian are “evil”– turn them into real characters and not cartoons because right now, whenever I see them, I think moose and squirrel might show up at any moment to save the day– and for those of you too young to get the reference “google” Rocky and Bullwinkle, because Jordon and Ian are Natasha and Boris without the Russian accents.
Here is a thought, the whole Newman family is already entangled with different story lines, Claire mixed with Kyle Abbot and that whole scheme that Jack and Diane Pulled. Victor being Victor getting Chancellor Industries from Jill and Billy. Nick was the one who needed some drama and he got it with this triangle and not to mention he has 5 kids to think about from Noah (who hasn’t been around and this would a great time to bring him back.), Faith, Summer, Mariah, and Christian. Victoria is busy trying to rekindle with Cole, Nikki is about to be busy running Chancellor. Adam being the regular Scumbag he always has been. I know Ian wants revenge on Mariah from her time in the cult. Jordan wants revenge on the Newman family for what she thinks they did to Claire by brainwashing her against Aunt Jordan. I mean Ian and Jordan teaming up does make sense, since Ian is a good manipulator as much as Jordan, what if they concocted to get Daisy out from wherever she is, since as Jordan said to Ian, “with your resources” he could get anybody out of prison or a mental hospital.
I want to know how these two horrible people met, and is he really after, Mariah, via kidnapping her baby? I will stop watching if that happens. It’s been torturous enough with the Sharon and Daniel thing.I would also think that Jordsn would want to get as far away from Genia City as. Possible.
Don’t know if I feel relieved or more frustrated. Nor did I see the program when Ian was apparently a cult leader. Jordan truly frightened me and so did Victor when she was in a cell in his basement. Nikki didn’t know about it? However, both those in the above dialog seem delightful!
Please don’t make the storylines all so dark! Nick has been on the sideline for many years it seems. I still record and watch.
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.
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.”
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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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.
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.
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers
B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
Antonio Sabáto Jr. Breaks Silence on His Son’s Arrest for Fatal Hit-and-Run
DANCING WITH THE STARS: A Shocking Elimination on Grammy Night Leaves Ballroom Silenced
Y&R’s New Head Writers Share Vision for Genoa City: Contemporary Homage to Bill Bell, Mixing Heightened Escapism and Grounded Reality
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: Episodes From New Co-Head Writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, Begin to Air
‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos
‘Days of our Lives’ Celebrates 61st Anniversary: EP Ken Corday Teases New Character’s Arrival in Spring 2027
‘Days of our Lives’ Kyle Pryor Debuts as Dominic Marino and Says of Alleged TV Mom, “Deidre Hall is the Absolute OG, Amazing” (Exclusive)
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
‘Days of our Lives’ Veteran James Reynolds Reveals Parkinson’s Diagnosis
Y&R’s Matt Cohen Talks Role as Compassionate Zookeeper in Rom-Com ‘Christmas at the Zoo’
Alice Halsey Returns to ‘Days of our Lives’ as Rachel Black – Find Out How Long!
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