Sonny (Maurice Benard) and Ava’s (Maura West) daughter Avery looks quite different, starting on today’s November 9 episode of General Hospital. That’s because GH has made Avery into a full-blown teenager and the role is now being played by actress Alya Bullington.

In her debut, the Tennessee native was thrown into the deep soap waters with Daytime Emmy winners, Maurice Benard and Eden McCoy (Josslyn). Bullington weighed-in to TV Insider about her first scene which featured Avery overhearing a fight between Sonny and Josslyn.

She explained “It was something I have never done before, I did not have a lot of experience with the screaming and the crying stuff, but I got my first script, and I was like, ‘OK, this is a huge opportunity to learn so much about how that stuff works and to become this character that I have never even tried playing before.’” 

Photo: ABC

THE TEENAGED VERSION OF AVERY WILL HAVE A LOT TO CONTEND WITH

Speaking of working with McCoy, Bullington shared, “She’s incredible. I remember her just laughing and making jokes on set, and then the minute that they started taping, she just locked in and she cried immediately, and my first thought was, ‘I want to be able to do that.’

The soap opera newcomer added, “I think she just inspired me so much because she is so great and she can just lock into whatever character she wants to in the moment.” 

The character of Avery was born back in 2014, but as recently as the October 8 episode of General Hospital, the character was suddenly referred to as a teenager. This is the second young female character in recent months to be aged up following the casting of Kayden Brenna Tokarski as Scout Cain.

As for her take on Avery and what’s ahead, Alya said,“She’s emotional, and she’s curious, and she’s a really fun person to play because so much stuff is happening in her life. I think she’s kind of confused about what’s happening and what to believe.”

So, what do you think about General Hospital making Avery a teenager? Are you excited to see the conflict between Sonny, Ava and Avery now that they have aged up the character? Share your thoughts and welcome Alya to GH via the comment section below.

Alice Halsey is making a return to her Daytime Emmy-nominated role of Rachel Black on Days of our Lives. In a twist, Halsey is actually filling-in for her successor, Lorelei Oliva Mote.

According to TV Insider, an offer went out to Halsey to make a short comeback for four episodes when Mote had a scheduling conflict. The episodes Halsey taped will not be seen until late in 2027, due to Days of our Lives ongoing production schedule which tapes almost a year ahead of dropping new episodes on Peacock.

Mote has been playing Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk) and Brady Black’s (Eric Martsolf) daughter since March 2026. Halsey had stepped away from the role in which she played from April of 2025 to March of 2026, and earned a Daytime Emmy nomination along the way in the Outstanding Emerging Talent category at the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

Photo: JPI

FROM ‘LITTLE HOUSE’ TO SALEM

Halsey is now starring in the central role of Laura Ingalls in the Little House on the Prairie reboot on Netflix, which premiered this past June and in which the second season wrapped last month in October.

On coming home to Salem, Halsey shared, “It was very exciting. My parents told me that I would be coming back for a few more episodes, and I was so happy. I was freaking out. I was like, ‘I get to go back to Days. I get to see everybody again.’ And I’m just really glad that I get to be here.”

Stepping into Rachel’s skin after months away from the role, Alice explained, “I came in, and I did my work, and it was just awesome. It was fun, and it reminded me so much of back when I was Rachel before, and it made me even more grateful to be able to be Rachel again.” 

She added “Rachel has matured a little bit more than when I was there, and it’s really fun to be able to play that up. She is older now, and so, of course, Rachel has changed, but my portrayal of her is essentially the same. She’s still the little girl that she used to be.”

Now below, you can check out Michael Fairman TV’s chat with Alice on the red carpet at the 2026 Daytime Emmy Awards via the Michael Fairman Channel, where she furthered discussed being a part of the reboot of the iconic series, Little House on the Prairie, plus loving her Days of our Lives family.

So, what do you think about Alice filling-in for Lorelei Olivia Mote on DAYS? Have you watched her on Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie? Let us knoq via the comment section.

Just over a week ago, Beyond the Gates stars Ambyr Michelle and Tamara Tunie broke ground becoming the first performers in the history of daytime’s newest soap opera to win Daytime Emmys!

Michelle became the first, when she took home gold statuette earlier in the ceremonies in the Outstanding Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series category. Later, Tunie joined her when she took home the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series, the first Emmy of her veteran career.

Now, both actresses visit the Michael Fairman Channel live for two separate chats! Ambyr Michelle will be with us on Wednesday, November 11 beginning at 6pm ET/3pm PT, while Tamara Tunie follows the next day on Thursday, November 12 beginning at 7pm ET/4pm PT.

Photo: CBS

Find out what happened on their Emmy night both behind the scenes and in front of the camera, and in the celebration afterwards, plus what’s next for Eva and Anita in story on the CBS soap opera.

AMBYR TOOK A ‘SEAT AT THE TABLE’

Daytime Emmy viewers will recall Ambyr’s heartfelt Emmy acceptance speech, when she shared, “I don’t just see an award. I see every audition, every rejection, every moment I questioned my artistry. And to Eva Thomas, thank you, girl. Playing your pain made me process my own.“

She ended her speech with, “To my beautiful Black women and girls, take up space, be undeniable, create your tables, and fill those seats. When the tables are full, and those seats are full, make the table even bigger. So that the women coming up behind you never have to ask permission to belong.“

Photo: CBS

TAMARA HONORED THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE HER AND HER MOM

Tamara Tunie received a standing ovation when her name was called after her win in an enduring career. Tunie began by sharing, “My heart is so full right now. This is the best welcome back to daytime ever, There is a host of Black actresses who paved the way for me, and I feel them as I stand here tonight, beginning with the legendary Cicely Tyson, the first Black woman to appear on a daytime television show, The Guiding Light.”

Tunie went on to thank her co-stars and everyone at Beyond the Gates and soap opera fans, plus getting to share the screen with the legendary Clifton Davis as Anita’s husband, Vernon Dupree. However, it was Tunie’s mother, who at 92, was with her on Emmy night that she thanked the most.

“There is one person who has been on this journey with me every single step of the way, who has traveled across states, countries and oceans to support my dream,” she expressed. “I would not be who I am as an actor or a woman without her love, support, encouragement and mere presence, She has been my example, my role model and my inspiration. I accept this honor on behalf of my mother … who, at 92 years young, crossed the country yet again to see me take this goal tonight. I love you, mommy!”

HOW YOU CAN JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Make sure to join us in the live chat with your questions for Ambyr and Tamara in what is sure to be emotional conversations.

If you cannot be with us live, but have a question you would like posed to either actress, make sure to drop in the comment section below and we just might pose it during the live broadcasts.

So, were you happy to see Ambyr and Tamara win Emmy gold? What are your hopes for Eva and Anita as the holiday season approaches and with 2027 just around the corner? Let us know in the comment section.