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Billy Flynn, Y&R’s New Cane Ashby, to Chat Live on the Michael Fairman Channel

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: JPI

After all the talk … and talk … and talk of “Aristotle Dumas,” the man himself finally revealed himself to all his guests in the French Riviera on the Friday June 20th episode of The Young and the Restless. While we knew that former Days of our Lives favorite Billy Flynn (Currently still being seen as Chad DiMera) was “Aristotle,” it was finally confirmed that it’s an alias for his real name, “Cane Ashby.”

As speculated, the Daytime Emmy-nominated actor is now playing the recast of the role originally played by GH’s Daniel Goddard, who played the part from 2007-2019 and as of that time, Cane and his lady love, Lily Winters (Christel Khalil) had divorced. Cane also had twin children with Lily, Mattie and Charlie.

Now, Billy will chat live for the first time since the reveal that he’s playing Y&TCane. when he visits You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel next week on Tuesday, June 24th beginning at 7pm ET/4pm PT.

Photo: CBS

Ahead of joining us live, Flynn shared with TV Insider on taking on Cane, “There are a lot of things that are going to be different, but Lily is Cane’s one true love, and I know how to do that. And Christel makes it very easy. She’s incredible, she’s beautiful, she’s really talented, and she’s got a great personality. When we did our first scene, there was a chemistry that I was like, ‘OK, it’s gonna be good.’ That connection was there for me.”

Photo: JPI

In addition, Flynn noted the challenge ahead and the difference between this Cane 2.0 version, “What Daniel (Goddard) did was amazing – he was great as Cane – and obviously, the relationship that Cane and Lily had is a testament to their work. Cane is a fascinating character. Essentially, we’re going to rebrand it a bit, so they have a closer age range, and I don’t have a sexy accent. I can’t replicate it, so I’m going to do my thing. When people see this Cane and the relationship that I have as Cane with Lily, I think they’ll be happy.”

Photo: JPI

As viewers know, Billy will continue to be seen on all-new episodes of Days of our Lives as Chad DiMera until early 2026; due to the taping schedules of the Peacock soap opera which is nine months ahead of when they drop on the streamer. However, for the past several months, Billy is firmly only at Y&R and now set to put his own stamp on Cane after joining the A-list cast of the iconic soap.

Photo: JPI

So, what do you think of Billy playing the role of Cane Ashby? Excited for what’s ahead? If you have a comment or question you would like posed to Billy in the live chat, but cannot be with us Tuesday night, just drop it in the comment section below, and we just might ask it on the broadcast.

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Very bad casting, about 20 years to young for the role. Cane has adult children, Billy was probably just starting high school when Cane first came to town pretending to be Jill’s son.He is even younger than the actor playing Billy who would have been his younger brother. Why could they not get someone like Roger Howarth for the role? This show just can not get it together.

And what happened to his Australian accent? His dad was played by Tristan Rogers, also Australian. Being an Aussie is a big part of Cane’s identity.

Roger Howarth has 10 more roles to play on GH first, before he can go somewhere else.

Agreed—very common for Soaps, in general, to have 12-year old parents and 20-year old grandparents LOL. Also, what’s up with the Labyrinth??

I know nothing of this actor I’m told he is great and yes easy on the eyes I’m only afraid it’s going to be a bust because of thirteen year age difference etc between he and DG . Everybody remembers the disaster when they made Maura West as Diane my gosh she in reality would have been only ten when Diane was a model years ago look at all the old tapes. I hate that actors are given this mountain to climb because writers and producers are basically full of crap. I’m so disgusted that Josh keeps writing this junk makes you think he wants the soap to fail. Oh well

…”between HIM and Daniel Goddard”.

Between him
And DG—the object in a sentence ALWAYS follows a preposition. “He” is ALWAYS in the subjective case. Basic grammar.

This recast belongs in the same category as Jed Allan taking over as Edward for John Ingle (GH) and Kassie DePaiva replacing Mia Korf as Blair (OLTL).

or when Joan Crawford covered for her daughter on Secret Storm

I thought I was the only one old enough to remember that LOL.

If you watch Mommie Dearest which airs at least twice a year ( usually around Mother’s Day) you can catch the reference no matter how old you are.

Or Kassie DePaiva pretending to be Eve Donovan on Days, for that matter.

Could’ve been anyone but Cane. What a bust. Just like Josh Griffith’s terribly boring writing of having characters just sit around. All talk, no drama on this show. And if there is drama, it’s usually off screen and talked about after. Doubt the upcoming murder mystery will do much except kill a legacy character (if the rumors are true).

And Lane already being set in stone from the looks of things instead of testing him with others on the show? Uhh, pass. I’ve never liked Lane.

Im excited about this recast! Billy is talented, extremely handsome and charismatic. I looked him on Days! Bravo and welcome aboard!

I LOVED him on Days.

Welcome to The Young and the Restless!

I remember when, on a soap, a large gathering of actors would also mean a combination of exciting story lines that were coming to a head, coming to a conclusion, a lot of fun interactions between actors who normally didn’t share screen time. This mess that we were handed today, was nothing close to that. Characters, standing around, little interaction with others, and one story line in the backround….will Kyle fool around with Audra??? That’s the best they could do?

And I’m sorry, Billy Flynn came out flat, no excitement added by his take on this character. Adding Cane Ashby to the mix wasn’t the infusion that Y&R needed, they need a new EP/HW to save this sinking ship.

Absolutely no disrespect to Billy Flynn, but this is a terrible (and unnecessary) recast. Daniel Goddard was clearly available and has been vocal about wanting to return. Billy’s got chops, but they would have been better put to use for another character. Are the viewers to forget that Cane came to town pretending to be Phillip III? (Flynn would have been a child when that character was on the air, and even Goddard was too young at the time to have conceivably been Phillip. Kay below makes a great comparsion to Maura West being brought on as Diane.) Are we supposed to forget that Cane is Australian? Josh Griffith, et al. aren’t just asking us to suspend our disbelief. They’re expecting us to lobotomize ourselves.

Even if they didn’t want Goddard back, was Charles Mesure even considered? Or, did he close the door to soaps when he left GH mid-contract?

Was it a case of Y&R just wanting Flynn, signing him and figuring out who he would play after the fact?

Offering Charles Mesure the Cane role? I don’t think that would have worked.

I don’t see this working as much as I like Billy.

Kinda shocked. Was Daniel Goddard contacted about coming back? Just not believable.

This is the first time I’ve seen this actor perform and I liked his scenes with Lily. Months ago, I had hoped the Dumas character would be NEW because the show needs someone to knock Victor down a few pegs. I’m hoping the 6 year revelations about Cane’s transformation into a billionaire are solid, and I’m really hoping he becomes a real Genoa City tycoon; he had that Jay Gatsby swagger and hurt for the woman he lost (Daisy/Lily.) Thankfully, there was no green light– at least not yet. That said, I’ll watch and hope this new actor gets to be all that Tucker McCall wasn’t.

What a great post. Ron! I love the Gatsby reference.

Yawn – Another character turned into a multi-millionaire? Sharon inherits an unseen company, there’s a new cosmetics firm coming to town – Cane is rich and owns a company – (wonder if they will bring his dad back?) Of course we won’t see Cane and Lillie’s “adult children”, since the show wants no one who is young or restless…

Billy Flynn is a good actor and charismatic. I think he will do well in the role. Hopefully, Josh Griffith will give him the material. They could be taking Cane in a different direction, which Billy Flynn did mention. Wishing him the best.

When people make fun of soap operas, a thing like this is just one of the reasons why.

Wow, the overall reaction to this on the internet is NOT good. How did a man fully lose his Australian accent in 6 years? Australians living in the US says that NEVER happens. And that this guy is way too young to be playing this role. Billy Flynn is probably a good actor, but he’s been miscast, but I also blame Flynn for taking this role in the first place. Flynn is 13 years younger than Goddard….Flynn is only 40 years old. Bet Traci Abbott will now feel like she was robbing the cradle when she had the hots for Cane before he left town, with Traci in her 60’s. The whole thing reeks. This would make Flynn just a few years older than his 2 adult children.

There’s no sugarcoating it. This is a very bad recast. The actor is the same age as the character’s adult children. Days will be showing YawneR how to recast properly when Conner Floyd takes over the role of Chad DiMera.

Come on writers . people are smart these days .It just seems like the actors were just talking and walking around .it did not seem any acting was going on.

I like Billy on Days and I will miss him there. I am glad he is on YR but I do wish he was a new character not Cane. I also wish the show had a new executive produces and new writers. The show has been boring with people just sitting around and having too many long conversations

He is such a terrific actor but he should have been a new character. Not because Daniel Goddard couldn’t be replaced it’s because the build up for Dumas was so over the top and we get um Caine. We all know Caine and he is limited in just how far to the dark side you can take this character. Also who is his love interest going to be? Very few women on the show in his age range. That’s on the writer not the actor and I just see it as a waste.

Is Chrishell pregnant? Will Lily’s baby be Cane’s ( sp)

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Shemar Moore Makes Another Return to ‘The Young and the Restless’ as Malcolm Winters

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When Shemar Moore (Malcolm Winters) made his most recent on-screen return to his old stomping grounds at The Young and the Restless back at the beginning of April. Viewers also know that it has been teased that he was not done taping his most recent return story arc, and that he would be back to wrap it up.

Circle next week on the Monday, June 8 and Wednesday, June 9 episodes of the top-rated CBS soap opera, when Malcolm Winters, who has survived his bone barrow transplant surgery after being diagnosed with aplastic anemia, is back for some important conversations.

This time out, he will reconnect once again with his daughter Lily (Christel Khalil) and is recently discovered biological son, Holden (Nathan Owens). In addition, according to Parade, he will interface with his son’s New York City “travel companion” in Claire Newman (Hayley Erin).

Photo: CBS

THE LEGACY OF MALCOLM WINTERS

Part of the bigger story is Malcolm’s relationship with his ex Dr. Stephanie Simmons (Vivica A. Fox), who happens to be the mother of his child, Holden. Viewers can look for some unfinished business that the two need to settle in the upcoming episodes. Both Moore and Vivica A.Fox first appeared together on Y&R back in 1994 and then some 30 years later just a few months ago.

Shemar Moore made his debut as the younger brother of the late Neil Winters (Kristoff St. John) back in 1994 and stayed with the soap until 2005. A Daytime Emmy win later, and with his first television experience under his belt, Moore went on to major primetime success on CBS’ Criminal Minds. Next, he helped launch and was the centerpiece for S.W.A.T. also on CBS, until it was canceled. Now, he will soon be seen in the new spin-off series, S.W.A.T. exiles.

During a recent conversation for Michael Fairman TV, Christel Khalil shared of working with her TV dad again: “It’s always amazing to have anyone come back that’s been away for a while, but especially, Shemar. It’s all the history with him being Lily’s dad. For me, it’s been 20 years of knowing him. Obviously, I don’t get to talk to him or hang out with him and that kind of thing. So it was just nice just to see him again and have that moment around Neil’s portrait, and to be able to share that together and even talk about that off-camera. It’s just special and feels like family, which is nice.”

So, looking forward to seeing Shemar Moore for a few more episodes as he wraps up Malcolm’s recent story arc and visits with his newly found son, Holden and his ex Stephanie? Do you hope for more emotional scenes that were not played out the first time he was back looking for a bone marrow donor to save his life? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

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How ‘The Young and the Restless’ Mark Grossman Almost Became ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’s’ Thomas Forrester

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As initially reported by Michael Fairman TV, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation recently held a live daytime drama casting directors panel which featured: Greg Salmon (The Young and the Restless), Marnie Saitta (Days of Our Lives), Christy Dooley (The Bold and the Beautiful), and Kim Coleman (Beyond the Gates).

The four soap opera casting directors traded behind the scenes stories, their process to help actor’s in the audition process, the most difficult and important recasts to their respective shows during their tenure, and the challenges of casting under-five roles, which surprisingly can harder than finding the series regulars.

When the talked turned to a major recast that Greg Salmon had to find it was to fill the shoes of Justin Hartley who exited the CBS soap to star on the NBC drama, This Is Us.  The role of the black sheep of the Newman clan was previously played by Chris Engen and Michael Muhney, before Hartley. Salmon knew they found their man to be the fourth Adam when Mark Grossman entered the picture.

Photo:JPI

THE SEARCH FOR ADAM NEWMAN

Salmon explained, “That was a really tough role to recast. Before Justin, there were two other people who played the part. Adam Newman is central to the show. This is Victor Newman’s son, so it’s an incredibly important character. I remember Mark came in and read with Eric Braeden (Victor Newman) and a few other members of the Newman family. His energy was just off the charts. It felt like this is how Adam should be. Eventually, I think the audience really accepted him. Mark has playing the role for several (7) years now and he’s completely made the role his own.”

However, in an ironic twist, it appears that Grossman came very close to joining Y&R’s sister soap, The Bold and the Beautiful in the part of Thomas Forrester played most recently by Matthew Atkinson, and before that Adam Gregory and Drew Tyler Bell.

THE SEARCH FOR THOMAS FORRESTER

Responding to Salmon, The Bold and the Beautiful ‘s casting director Christy Dooley revealed that Mark Grossman was once in the running for the role of Ridge and Taylor’s son. “He tested for us,” she recalled. “Mark came in and read for the role of Thomas Forrester, and he was my choice for the role,” Dooley shared.

Dooley added, “The role wound up going to Matthew Atkinson. But then Mark came down (the hall) to read for The Young and the Restless.”

Fans of The Young and the Restless know that during his 7-years as Adam Newman, that Mark Grossman has become one of the most popular stars on the show. So it’s difficult to wrap you head around that B&B might have nabbed his first as Thomas, and if so, we wouldn’t have gotten to see him turn out those stellar performances in Genoa City .

So, what did you think of this casting tidbit? Could you have seen Mark Grossman as Thomas Forrester? Glad that Y&R had him firmly as their Adam Newman? Let us know via the comment section and you can check the full daytime drama casting director panel below.

 

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Marc Forget Exits ‘General Hospital’

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The Thursday June 4 episode of General Hospital paved way for the end of the line for Jenz Sidwell’s (Carlo Rota) butler/fixer, Pascal (Marc Forget).

In the pick of the June 3 cliffhanger, Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) was the hero and stopped the evil-doer from fleeing Port Charles for his part in aiding and abetting his boss with the cover-up of the murder of Professor Henry Dalton (Daniel Goddard) among other crimes.

Today’s episode did indeed mark the final appearance of Marc Forget who joined the ABC soap opera when he debuted back in July of 2025. Viewers met met Pascal when Kelly Thiebaud returned to the soap opera as Britt Westbourne and she was being blackmailed to work on Faison’s final project while at the Five Poppies in Dalmatia.

Courtesy/ABC

A General Hospital rep confirmed to Soap Opera Digest, that the June 4 episode, “Will be the last viewers will see of Pascal for now, but notes that in the world of Port Charles, comebacks are always possible.” So, how did Pascal get written-off the canvas? Here’s what went down:

PASCAL GIVES LUCAS KEY INFORMATION BEFORE BEING DRAGGED AWAY

After Sonny intercepted Pascal on his desperate attempt to get out of town, Sonny informed him hat Sidwell would stop at nothing from trying to get retribution for whoever killed his son, Marco, and promptly turned around and said that he would help Pascal flee the country, only if he turned on Sidwell.

An absolutely terrified Pascal had evidence for Sonny that he could use against Sidwell. However, he feared he would get killed on sight if he tried to retrieve the incriminating photos of Sonny and Laura from the safe at Wyndemere. So instead, Pascal gave the combination to the safe to Lucas (Van Hansis), so he could get the blackmail photos himself. But, did Pascal just set up Lucas to be killed since he loathes him for being the man to win the heart of the late Marco?

In the end, Sonny had one of his henchmen drag Pascal away and whisked off to an airfield to fly away to parts unknown, and hopefully never to be heard from again. But what now? Is Lucas going to end up being pegged as Marco’s killer and taken down by Sidwell if he gets his hands on the incriminating photos for Sonny and Laura? Stay tuned.

So, what did you think of Marc Forget’s run as Pascal? Sad or happy to see the character go? Do you think he will be back down the line? Share your thoughts via the comment section.

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