News
Tonya Lee Williams Says She Won’t Ever Be Coming Back to The Young and the Restless
It’s a different time in her life and she is in a different place, but Tonya Lee Williams (ex-Olivia Barber) addressed being asked back to reprise her signature soap opera role on CBS’ The Young and the Restless.
Tonya told Soaps In Depth the last time the soap reached out to her to reprise Olivia was for its 50th anniversary, “It it would have been lovely to do but I could not imagine doing the role. It takes a lot for me as an actor. You don’t just turn up and start reading a script. I don’t know how to explain it … I trained as an actor. I go through a lot of process into who that character is. And that character was someone from 20 years ago.”
Williams’ Y&R run Williams began back in 1990 and went through 2005. She later returned in 2007 making some appearances in the several years that followed. However, the last time anyone had an Olivia sighting was back in February of 2012 for Cane and Lily’s wedding.
She qualified that she left the show on “great terms,” adding, “I absolutely love the show. It has nothing to do with the show. But I try to explain it like this: Have you ever dated someone for a long time and you don’t want to date them anymore? And you have broken up with them and like, 10, 15 years have passed and people are saying, ‘Would you go back with that guy?’ I’m like, ‘No.’ Because you’re a different person now.”
Currently, Williams is the executive and artistic director for the Reelworld Film Festival. An organization she founded in 2001. Held in Toronto, the film festival features talent from ethnically diverse communities.
So, would you have liked to have seen the character of Olivia show back on Y&R? Perhaps, helping a patient in need since she is a doctor or speaking with/being involved with the Winters family in some capacity? Comment below.
I was always surprised the role was not recast and used strongly as a supporting character through the years. It would be nice to have Olivia part of the Winters world.
Not surprised… but that won’t stop people from asking for her return, alas. Wishing her the best.
Wonder if she would go back if Victoria Rowell was able to go back. Still hate that Drucilla was never found even though I know all about the falling out between the actress and the network.
Totally agree, I heard she let on bad terms. She’ll always be Drucilla. Would love to see her back.
Oh Absolutely! I loved Drucilla and the wonderful storylines. I wish the network would pay attention to what the viewers want. She got really upset with the network and not knowing the whole unedited story from an unbiased observer, I can’t comment on how I feel about her story. If what she says is true, then I’m on her side. You just never know for sure. But regardless, I’d love to see her back. Easy enough to say she was saved had lost her memory and ended up in Europe eventually and through therapy because of recurring nightmares, she gets her memory back.
Lol. Could happen that way. It’s the miracle of soap operas or call it Magic!
She is right sometimes you can’t go back have not seen an episode in a long time . The good days are over
She was incredible in the role.It’s shame that she wouldn’t go back.
I agree !
She would not be a useful character on the show anymore
Oh absolutely! It would have been great seeing her interact with Nate, being his on show Mom. She is beautiful, intelligent and a terrific actress. I was sad when she left. But at the same time I would be okay if they found someone charismatic and equally beautiful to replace her. So much possible storyline to having an Olivia back on the show even if sadly it’s not the original one.
I can’t really blame her. If the writers or whoever is in charge of Y&R has given her old character (Olivia Hastings) more onscreen time, she probably would have returned for more Y&R episodes.
What is going with Y& R? The storylines are really stupid and boring….the Jordan story lines are pathetic…We need better writers! Have stop watching the show period.
I agree I’m over it and the Chelsea and Adam story is so bad and Lilly and Jack taking pills Nicky the drunk just over it I watch once a week before every day we need new stuff.
Someone looking to be in news.all about me
Definitely would love to see Ms. Williams reprise her role as Olivia. She was so good at it and a pivotal character. Please Ms. Williams think about it I do understand your explanation why you don’t what to come back, but perhaps you could aspire Ms. Rowell and my man Sherma Moore to come back that would be a highly rated Young and the Restless episodes. I know Christoph St. James would be smiling down from heaven.
She, Victoria Rowell, Kristoff St. John, and Shemar Moore contributed to the presence of fully fleshed, realistic Black characters in daytime, and that will forever be their legacy. They are all missed IMMENSELY. Props and much respect to Williams on moving forward and the paths she’s forged since Y&R.
I always like Olivia her part was great I think don’t she has to return as long as she’s happy with what she’s doing that’s great
She has said multiple times her time at Y n R cannot be recaptured. Olivia was smart and beautiful and a great contrast to her scrappy sister Drucilla. As I think the first doctor major character on y n r, a black actress at that and imo her storyline as a wife dealing with cheating and AIDS she has left a huge mark on y n r lore! I think the days of Olivia, Drucilla, Neil and Malcolm will go down as some of my favorite and to bring Liv back without the others wouldn’t feel right. I respect her decision and she is full filled in her behind the scenes work
Yes I would she is a wonderful actress
Yes. Different is to be expected. The same should not be expected nor is it practical. Coming back would bring a new perspective and fresh outlook.
Yes I would and could see Olivia return even if only for a short period being the next in line after Aunt Mimmie as the family legacy falls . And to see she and Nate’s relationship as mother and adult son.
Prediction: Tonya will play Lexie Carver on Days of our Lives, although I’d prefer Renee Jones to return. They’re both good actresses, beautiful and the same age.
I don’t see her coming back would bring people back to watch. We have Mamie back, once a week, and it’s a waste of time. That whole story was dead on arrival….the writers can’t make it more boring for us to watch…it doesn’t matter what actors they have reading the dialouge. Please, look how they wrap up stories, the nut finally goes to prison, and Ashley’s doctor friend has an evil twin. They don’t need Olivia back, they need new writers who care.
Yes I would,
I think Nath, Lilly and Devon need their mother’s.
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
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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
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