News
Thom Bierdz Sings Video Letter To Y&R's EP Jill Farren Phelps: "Why Can't The Gay Chancellor Have a Date?"
In the “we-thought-we-have-seen-everything” category, The Young and the Restless artistically creative Thom Bierdz (Phillip Chancellor III) posted an open letter video-style to Y&R’s new executive producer, Jill Farren Phelps!
In it, Bierdz sings to Phelps a little ditty he wrote with lines like: “There is no gay love on the number one soap.” And, “Why can’t the Gay Chancellor have a date?” Bierdz is apparently asking Phelps to create a gay romance for Phillip and bring him back to the top rated CBS soap, where thus far there has still never been a telling of a gay love story.
So in his plea for the series to put some focus on gay love, Bierdz prepared this video complete with some retrospective clips from old soap magazines and television clips surrounding Phillip’s past and being gay, just in case Phelps is not aware, or to spike Phelps interest!
Watch Bierdz presentation and hear his tune and after the jump, let us know what you thought of it?
Days Of Our Lives
‘Brilliant Minds’ Officially Canceled After 2 Seasons at NBC; DAYS Alum Al Calderon, OLTL Alum Teddy Sears and Zachary Quinto Among the Cast
After languishing on the bubble for months, on Friday, NBC handed down the decision and canceled the medical drama Brilliant Minds after two seasons.
Brilliant Minds stars Zachary Quinto as neurology physician Oliver Wolf, who’s character and the series is inspired by the life and books of neurologist. Oliver Sacks. The series focuses on the medical mysteries of the mind, as Wolf a larger-than-life neurologist and his team of interns explore the last great frontier, the human mind, while grappling with their own relationships and mental health.
The final six episodes of what will now be the end of its second and final season were already set to air beginning on May 27, after being pulled off the network schedule in February as viewership saw a steep decline. Brilliant Minds second season became the lowest-rated drama on linear TV viewing, which didn’t bode well fo a network renewal, although it had its hard core fan base.

Photo: NBC
There are some exceptional notables in the cast along with the talented Quinto that includes Days of Our Lives alum, Al Calderon (ex-Javi Hernandez) who joined the series in its second season as Nurse Nico Silva, and One Life to Live alum, Teddy Sears (ex-Chad Bennett) who plays Wolf’s love interest and fellow physician, Dr. Josh Nichols.
The rest of the talented cast includes: Tamberla Perry, Ashleigh LaThrop, Alex MacNicoll, Aury Krebs, Spence Moore II, Donna Murphy, John Clarence Stewart, and Brian Altemus.
In an ironic twist of fate on Thursday, April 30, Days of Our Lives finally revealed the actor who was Al Calderon’s successor in the role of Javi, when they announced that actor Jacob Martinez had now stepped into the role. Since DAYS tapes ten months ahead of streaming new episode, Calderon left in the spring of 2025, but will be seen in the part for the final part this month, and then on June 20, Martinez debuts as Salem’s new Javi.
Taking to his Instagram with a sorrowful and heartfelt post on the Brilliant Minds cancellation was Teddy Sears who wrote, “Thank you, Brilliant Minds. I got the call today and I didn’t want to hear, but I knew that it would come, You have to be a particular vintage to quote Don Henley from memory, but that’s the line that came to mind earlier today after I got off the phone with our inimitable showrunner Michael Grassi who delivered the news that NBC has cancelled the series”.

Photo: NBC
Sears continued, “To say that I feel sad to be moving on from these stories, this character, and this cast and crew just doesn’t paint the entire picture. I’m sad, sure. But I’m also deeply grateful that I got hired to play this part, so proud of the stories we told, and the other actors I got to play alongside. I’m excited to see what comes next, what adventures await, and terrified to be without a professional home. A quick and heartfelt thank you to everyone, all over the globe, who found us and found themselves in us, in our characters and in our stories. We wouldn’t have been able to tell them without you. And we still have 6 fresh episodes yet to air, and I do hope you tune in enjoy the remainder of the series. They’re the best we’ve done.”
As he wrapped up his sentiments, Sears signed off with, “The more I know, the less I understand. All the things I figured out I have to learn again. I’ve been trying to get down to the heart of the matter. But everything changes…Thank you, Brilliant Minds.”
The medical drama was created and executive produced by Michael Grassi alongside Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Leigh London Redman, Lee Toland Krieger, DeMane Davis, Jasmine Russ, Henrik Bastin, Jonathan Cavendish, Andy Serkis and Shefali Malhoutra.
So, what do you think of NBC’s decision to cancel Brilliant Minds after two seasons? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Jonathan Bennett Receives 3 ‘Critics Choice Real TV Awards’ Nominations for Hallmark Series, ‘Finding Mr. Christmas’
Many things are coming up roses for Jonathan Bennett! On the heels of the news that he is set to debut this month in the role of Joe Fitzpatrick on General Hospital, who is rumored to be a new love interest for Lucas Jones (Van Hansis), comes the news that Bennett’s reality series, Finding Mr. Christmas has received 3 nomination for the Critics Choice Real TV Awards.
Bennett’s Hallmark Channel series finds itself in tough competition alongside fellow nominees: RuPaul’s Drag Race (MTV), Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix), Survivor 50 (CBS), Top Chef (Bravo) and The Traitors (Peacock). In addition, Jonathan himself is nominated for Best Show Host and the series participants as the Best Ensemble Cast in an Unscripted Series.
The Critics Choice Association (CCA) revealed the nominees for the eighth annual Critics Choice Real TV Awards on Thursday, which recognize excellence in nonfiction, unscripted and reality programming across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. Winners will be announced online at CriticsChoice.com on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at 9:00am PT/12:00pm ET.

Photo: Hallmark
Taking to his Instagram to celebrate the nominations, GH’s Bennett, enthused, “3 Critic Choice Nominations! I’m so proud of the FINDING MR CHRISTMAS and to be in the company of all the legends in all these categories is so surreal! Congrats to Hallmark Channel and to our nominated cast and nominated show and everyone who made this magical show possible. This is crazy! This gives FMC 6 Critics Choice nominations in 2 years. Not bad for a little show on Hallmark Channel. What are your thoughts on our show?” Jumping first into the comment thread was one of his new GH co-stars, Dominic Zamprogna (Dante) who expressed, “Yeah buddy!!!🔥🔥”
In the series, Bennett, the host and co-creator spends eight weeks guiding 10 aspiring actors through a series of “festive face-offs” and acting challenges alongside actors like soap opera notables, Hunter King (ex-Summer, Y&R) and Alison Sweeney (Sami, DAYS). Along the way, they develop their skills and a bond with one another. The show, which is available on Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Plus, highlights LGBTQ+ representation with openly gay contestants vying to be the next Hallmark star.
It should be noted that Traitors received the most Critics Choice Real TV Award nominations with 6 nods, followed by Dancing with the Stars with 4.
Bennett is very familiar to daytime fans having started his career as JR Chandler on All My Children in 2000-2001, before landing the part of Aaron Samuels in the motion picture, Mean Girls in 2004 starring Lindsay Lohan, which would become his breakout performance.
You can check out the full list of Critics Choice Real TV Award nominations here.
So, excited for Jonathan Bennett’s General Hospital debut this month? Have you ever watched Finding Mr. Christmas on Hallmark? Let us know via the comment section below.
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General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Kelly Thiebaud on Britt and Cassius Sibling Drama, But Who Will Ultimately Blow His Cover?
On the April 30 episode of General Hospital, Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) had some choice words and warning for her brother Cassius Faison (Ryan Paevey) who has been masquerading as his twin, the very dead, Nathan West.
As the story has unfolded, viewers learned that Britt knew all along that when “Nathan” showed up in Port Charles seemingly resurrected with a missing 7 years of his life unexplained, that Cassius was taking his place.
Now in developments on today’s GH, Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy) is figuring out that this guy pretending to be Nathan is someone else, and Cassius learns from Britt, that Joss is not just a ditzy sorority girl as he claimed, but a WSB agent! The moment stuns Cassius. Are the walls about to close in on him and his charade?

Courtesy/ABC
Daytime Emmy winner, Kelly Thiebaud spoke to Soap Opera Digest, about the story point and getting the opportunity this time back at GH to work with Ryan Paevey, when she hadn’t had the chance to before.
BROTHERLY LOVE?
Thiebaud expressed on sharing scenes with Ryan Paevey, “It’s just been so wonderful to have him back and to actually work with him! When he first came onto the show (as Nathan at the end of 2013) I was kind of heading out — it was right towards the end of my contract, so we didn’t actually work together a ton. It’s been really refreshing and so much fun to really spend time together and get to know each other and work together. I think we have really great on-camera chemistry and banter with each other. I really enjoy working with him.”
With the stakes at an all-time, Thiebaud explained how she views her on-screen alter-ego’s involvement with her more hot-to-temper sibling and why Britt revealed the truth about Josslyn to him. “People finding out about Cassius would expose what she’s involved in and what she agreed to do,” explains Kelly “And now Josslyn is digging around, and she’s connected to Carly (Laura Wright) to Jason (Steve Burton) and that whole dynamic! It’s messy!”
BRITT’S MURKY FUTURE
Britt has currently also reached her breaking point with Jason being carted away by the WSB, Rocco (Finn Carr), the child she gave birth to, shooting Cullum (Andrew Hawkes) to protect her and Jason, Marco (Adrian Anchondo) being killed after trying to help her, and Cullum holding over her head getting her Huntington’s disease medication to control her symptoms, while blackmailing her into finishing the research on her father, Cesar Faison’s, final project. Thiebaud summed it up best for Britt right now, sharing, “It’s been a really tough time for her.”
So, who do you think will be the person to blow Cassius’ cover? Will it be Britt herself? Josslyn? Liesl? Brennan? Nina? Lulu? Rocco, Maxie, Cullum or someone else? Let us know your pick in the comment section.
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Jill listen up and bring him back and sure give Phillip a gay date or love interest!
YES! WE NEED SAME SEX YOUNG COUPLES ON Y&R! SEVERAL
I agree! Bierdz’s last stint on YR was too brief. All the hype when he came back a few years ago and then he was gone shortly after. I would love to see him back on and with a storyline that doesn’t shy away from his character’s sexuality.
I hope JFP responds to Bierdz at least one to one. I thought it was insane to bring back PC3 only to dispense with him. (This was so typical of MAB’s manipulation and destruction of characters and histories to advance plots.) It was a game-changer that surprised and then left us with nothing except a mess. MAB had the satisfaction of her plot and then had nothing of interest for anyone to do. Now where are the Chancellors? This is another legacy family that needs to be strengthened as Katherine and Jeanne Coooper are not going to live forever. Please, JFP and Josh, fix the bonds of this family, and give Bierdz a meaty storyline. How nice it would be to have a storyline that is organic and beyond the coming out stage of a gay man’s life. Maybe PC3 can find romance while doing business, working with other characters in trouble, or some such. PC3 is a nurturing soul. If there is commitment by Sony, CBS, the Bells, JFP and Josh to fix Y&R, this is an avenue that is worthy of exploration.
Oh my. I must visit LA soon. Just no singing. hahaha.
I love Thom Bierdz and I have heard it all about his lack of acting ability, but I do not agree. However, that little “ditty,” if you will, was kind of (dare I say) pathetic. I respect what he is trying to do, but I had a hard time getting through it. He almost sounds like he is drunk or high or something. No offense to Thom, honesty. It is just not a good representation of him. He is quite the artist, so maybe he should have painted something instead.
That being said, unless Philip was brought back like his on-screen mom for a short 6-week arc or something, I do not see Jill Farren Phelps wanting to add Philip back full-time, especially in light of the rumors of that they want the core (veterans like Victor, Nikki, etc.) to support the YOUNG newcomers.
CHRISTINE< I think YES they should have to have same sex young couples on the show! I disagree with you on mostly everything! I see a lot of your comments on Michaels pages and I love Sharon and Nick should be with Sharon! I hate Victor and Nikki they are so over and Chelsea sucks and bores me! Chelsea is so fake! We disagree on everything. I think Phyllis should go to jail for life!
steve, I think you misread what I said, which I did not say anything about NO same sex couples. I could care less either way. You must have me confused with someone else. What I said about Thom Bierdz is that there is not much for HIM given the way the show is headed not to mention (no offense to Thom Bierdz) but there are so many people who believe his acting is “wooden.” That is not to say that they could not explore same sex couples with younger actors.
I love Sharon and Nick too. I think they are endgame, but there is major chemistry with Michelle Stafford as Phyllis. I am fine either way, but I believe that Sharon and Nick will find their way back to each other.
I don’t know what you mean about Chelsea. I don’t recall commenting on her. I liked Melissa Claire Egan as ‘crazy’ Annie on AMC. I think Chelsea and Adam work for the time being only because each one is a social outcast and they appear to know all the bad deeds the other has done. I wish I knew what Maria Arena Bell had in store for them, but with the new team, I do not see them being happy for long.
🙂
WE NEED SAME SEX COUPLES ON Y&R! SEVERAL MEN AND WOMEN!
Isn’t it sad that this is what you have to resort to in order to be seen on your show. Jill, wake up and smell the coffee. Give us a good gay storyline. We do exist…you see us everyday in real life. We are your florists, interior decorators and flight attendants. All we ask is for a little same sex kiss now and then on screen. We’re not even asking for the horizontal mombo….yet!
Jay I think you should represent Thom Bierdz. You summed it up better than he did. 🙂
I am. Let’s dance. lol
LOL singing is obviously not one of Thom’s talents!!! He looks great though:)
I always liked Thom but this was kinda strange to me. He looks handsome with that beard!
GH fans when she JFP was EP over there did she not do away with the gay storyline with Lucas? In other words it never got off the ground or am I wrong.
Jill could suggest a gay on Y&R but in the end it would be up to Sony, and HR etc..
It would not fully be JP to bring gay to Y&R ..
It has been said- Sony is active in the new direction of Y&R..
I almost peed myself…This is great Thank you for posting this..I have tweeted it out to twitter ville
Thom – simply awesome! It NEEDS to be done.
I don’t have an opinion on having a gay character on Y&R. I’m not for it and I’m not against it.
However, based on his most recent appearances, it doesn’t seem to me that Bierdz is a very good actor. The failure to give Phillip III much to do may have to do more with Bierdz’s weakness than an actor rather than his sexual orientation.
This video really is odd and seems kinda desperate. The sound was bad and the singing was on the same level. If Bierdz really wanted to reach the producers to make his point, this video doesn’t seem like a very effective way to do so.
I just looked at a couple of Bierdz’s other videos. I’m not sure what is going on with him. In one, he is warbling (very poorly) about wanting a boyfriend. These videos lead me to wonder if everything is alright with this guy?
I can only add that the poor man has had a lot of tragedy in his life, maybe that is the problem.
Why do you have to have a gay person? Just because it is a hit show does not justify that gays just have to be on the show. Gays do not make the show. Just leave it alone and move forward in doing what you are doing.
I am not trying to be rude, but this man cannot act. He couldn’t act in 1986 when he was hired, and he could not act when he was absurdly, ridiculously brought back a few years ago. The suspension of disbelief they have asked us to accept with that storyline is way beyond even soap opera. The show has us logically supposed to believe that Cain could have passed for someone in the same age range as Philip. That would mean Cain would have to be old enough to be Chance’s father. I don’t know what the writers were smoking when they conceived this storyline, but it was an EPIC fail on EVERY level. It is best to just basically forget the character and pull a Bobby Martin with him.
Totally agree that was Louise Marie Latham’s idea then MAB just puonded on more. This show has it’s work cut out for it on all levels.
It really was a bad idea. I think the writers quickly realized their mistake after Bierdz filmed about 2 scenes and it was obvious that this guy couldn’t act. There was no “pay off” from it probably because they realized Bierdz’s wooden acting couldn’t do it.
The really bad thing about it was how it impacted viable characters: Jill, Kay, and Nina had a legitimate sense of loss when Phillip III was “dead.” This allowed for scenes where they could discuss Phillip and his loss meant something. By rewriting it so Phillip III was alive and living in Australia, a lot of the subsequent action by them (Jill in particular) made no sense. For example, why did Jill seem so emotionally attached to Cane when she knew her long-presumed dead and dearly missed son was still alive yet she rarely mentioned him and never seemed to visit him? It kinda made sense if you thought Jill was, on some level, viewing Cane as a “substitute son” for her dead first born. It made NO sense when Jill knew Phillip III was still alive.
What exactly were the viewers suppose to make of these women after we learned Phillip III was still alive? These three chatted about his loss for almost 20 years and how much they missed him. Once they learned he was alive and kicking, they seem to forget about him completely.
Given his lousy acting and the amount of time that had passed, in hindsight, it would have been better if Phillip III had just remained “dead.” Bringing Bierdz back for the type of storyline that he is (poorly) crooning about in this video definitely is not the answer. Gay, straight, bisexual, asexual, transgender —- Phillip III, as played by Bierdz, really needs to just stay away.
I shudder thinking about having to “survive” the inane storyline but, it might be worth it for the writers to revisit Phillip III’s death again and put Phillip BACK into the grave —- revealing that this Phillip III is a fake and a con artist while the real one died back in 1989. Mercifully, sparing us from any more scenes with the wooden acting of Bierdz.
Barbara from Atlanta – not to mention the lack of story with Philip and Nina’s son, Chance. Speaking of which, they will probably have to recast if they ever want to explore that again because I heard the actor has enlisted in the service.
Does anyone else think that Thom has completely lost his marbles? If you watch some of his other videos, he just seems very… off. I understand him wanting a storyline, which I think a lot of people would like as well, but this really is not a professional or sane way to accomplish it.
Yes, I feel the same way that you do. If I were Phelps, I wouldn’t bring Bierdz back after seeing this video.
How about some actor sings why can’t there be any Asian Americans on soap operas? daytime soaps have been whittled down to 4 and yet up to now not a single daytime soap can boast having an Asian American core family that has lasted on their soaps. How the heck can there even be any Asian american core characters when there are no supporting ones? It’s bec of racism. Asian american males can’t be portrayed as romantic leading men by racist hollywood while soaps are pretty much romance based. People would scream homophobia if this were abt a lack of representation of gays but many soaps have had gay characters and couples. days. b&b. y&r. atwt. gl. oltl. ringer. 90210. gossip girl. desperate housewives. ugly betty. glee. smash. revenge. But this isn’t an issue that hollywood cares for bec Asian americans are being discriminated against.
Thom, put down the crack pipe and go on with your life. It aint gonna happen
Y&r does not need a gay storyline.. I don’t care to watch one and it would cause me to tune out..