News
Tonya Lee Williams Says Y&R Should Recast the Role of Olivia Barber Winters, But Leaves Door Open For a Possible Return
Fans of The Young and the Restless have known since comments made last year, that Tonya Lee Williams had no plans of ever returning to her popular role of Dr. Olivia Barber Winters. However, Williams is in the news again in her home country of Canada, where over last weekend she was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame.
Williams is a known trailblazer with the work of her company Reelworld. Now, in a new interview with TV Watercooler, at first Williams doubled-down that returning to Y&R is not in her cards in the future, but then seemed to leave the door open, maybe 10 years from now to coming home to Genoa City, especially after the initial social media and fan reaction to her remarks.
Tonya expressed, “I figured after ten years of me not going (back to Y&R), that it wasn’t going to be a too hard of a blow, but it was! I love the show, but I don’t even know how to get into the headspace of that character that I’ve not played in so long. It’s just the way I work. It’s not like I would start saying lines and turn up.”

Photo: JPI
When asked if she thinks The Young and the Restless should finally recast the role of Olivia, Tonya said, “I think they should recast!” Then, she weighed-in on who might be her successor to which she replied, “Oh, no – I have no idea! Zero idea but the character was really wonderful, and I think it would be great.”
As for a possible return herself for a short arc on Y&R, Williams clarified that when she has been asked about it before, she is usually in the middle of the Reelworld festival or something else where she is extraordinarily busy.

Photo: JPI
However, Tonya finally admitted, “Who knows? Maybe in the years to come, I’ll go back and have time in my life that I could, you know, retrieve that character in some way.” Williams appeared on The Young and the Restless for two runs- 1990-2005 and 2007-2012. Her last appearance was in February of 2012 where she left Genoa City go to work for Doctors Without Borders in Africa.
You only need to look at the following accomplishments of Tonya to know that she keeps herself extremely busy in her professional life in Canada since her exit over 13 years ago. Williams is as an active board member at the Canadian Artists Network, the Telefilm Diversity & Inclusion Group, the Telefilm Authentic Storytelling sub-committee, the Canadian Media Fund Racialized Advisory Group, the Ontario Creates Advisory Industry Committee, Canadian Creative Industries Coalitions Group and the Canadian Racial Screen Leaders Collective, and as the co-founder of the Black Screen Office, where she been a board member for its first two years.

Photo: JPI
Note to Canadian Y&R fans, you will be able to catch Tonya’s induction during the 2025 Canada’s Walk of Fame Gala on July 1st, when it airs on the CBC.
So, what actress could you see playing Olivia Barber Winters in 2025-2026 on The Young and the Restless? Do you think the part shouldn’t be recast in the event, years down the line, Tonya is available to make a return? Share your thoughts and picks via the comment section below.
I find it interesting the interest in reviving families that were once so at the fore. Nostalgia is a powerful storytelling element in daytime drama, yes, but sometimes a characters’ story is just done. And more than not, a character’s or actor’s return is ballyhooed, short-lived, and then caught in a lesser story… as if the idea of coming back was more exciting than the actual comeback. And sometimes so many years go by, even loyal viewers have a difficult time trying to recall how everything played out once upon a time. I still find the Clare Never Died storyline preposterous and dumb, especially if producers/writers are killing off Cole. Through the years, I think even Victoria forgot that part of her past. Do we ever hear of Reed? If Drusilla ever walks into Crimson Lights, I may be done. :- /
General Hospital
Kelly Sullivan Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’s’ Maura West Recalling When Ava Shot Connie (Exclusive)

It was just over 13 years ago on General Hospital when Ava Jerome (Maura West) shot and killed Kate Howard/Connie Falconeri (Kelly Sullivan) in an effort to keep her quiet from revealing that Derek Wells was actually Ava’s back-from-the-dead brother, Julian Jerome (William deVry). It’s a crime that somehow Ava never has quite paid for either.
The episode back aired on August 13, 2013 and viewers had to say goodbye to Kelly Sullivan who played Kate and her alter, Connie. In the story, just before she died, Kate/Connie scrawled the letters AJ in her own blood, initially making the PCPD and Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) think that it was AJ Quatermaine (Sean Kanan) who did the deed.
Now, Sullivan recalled sharing scenes with the three-time Daytime Emmy-winning West, during a live conversation on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel. Kelly was the special guest talking about her recent return to the soaps in her new role as The Bold and the Beautiful’s Darcy Dylan.

Photo: JPI
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF MAURA WEST
Speaking of her final GH scenes and working with Maura West, Sullivan gave her then GH co-star major props. “If you’re going to be shot by somebody (on the soaps), you want to be shot by Maura West, c’mon!”
Maura West debuted back in May 2013 as Ava, and Sullivan remembered when the As the World Turns favorite began on GH. “I remember when Maura West first arrived at GH. She walked in with this cute little bob (hairdo) and she’s just delicious,” shared Sullivan.
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
Kelly revealed more about Maura, adding “I think she’s amazing! I remember right before I left the show, someone suggested, and I would still love to do this with her, if she ever want to, but someone suggested that they wanted to direct the stage play A Streetcar Named Desire with Maura and I, where I would play Stella and she would play Blanche! Wouldn’t that be great?”
Speaking of the Ava/Connie showdown scenes, Sullivan expressed, “On television and on General Hospital specifically, Maura West is able to play a character who does the most horrendous things and you still care about her and that’s the mark of a really great actor. In other words, you’re able to be liked in the midst of the most horrendous things, and as a performer not shying away from that, and to just have the courage to do what’s on the page (in the script).”

Photo: JPI
KELLY SULLIVAN PARTING THOUGHTS AS SHE LEFT GENERAL HOSPITAL
Kelly also shared her sentiments when she walked off the set of General Hospital after her run back in August of 2013. “I really was honored. Every day I would go to work and I would say a little prayer, which is I want to do justice for my character, explained Kelly. “It’s between me and my character. I get to walk this path with her and to leave the show on that note, which is, I left every out there. I just gave it my all and again what an honor it was to play Kate/Connie.”
You can catch the full conversation with Kelly where she talks about her time on General Hospital, The Young and the Restless where she played Sage Warner and now The Bold and the Beautiful below.
So, do you remember the Ava and Connie scenes where Ava shot and killed her? What did you think of Kelly Sullivan’s sentiments about Maura West? Share your thoughts via the comment section. But first, watch the reveal where Ava recalls murdering Connie below!
General Hospital
Steve Burton Reportedly Signs Three-Year Contract with ‘General Hospital’

The question of will Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) stay awhile at General Hospital after his recent extended hiatus from the show earlier this year, has reportedly been answered.
TMZ via court documents obtained in Burton’s ongoing legal battle with his ex-wife Sheree Gustin, shared that Steve actually inked a new three year deal with the ABC soap opera back in June.
That is significant because it was June when Burton returned back to work as Jason. In addition, the court filing confirmed that Burton had already moved back to California from Tennessee.

Photo: ABC
STEVE’S HIATUS AND HIS RETURN TO PORT CHARLES
GH fans will recall, it was back in February of 2026, that Burton announced via his Instagram that he was stepping away from his role of Jason Morgan for short break and pointed to wanting to spend quality time with his new wife, Michelle Lundstrom Burton with whom he tied the knot back on May 17, 2025.
Steve expressed at that time, “I’m newly married and looking forward to spending some quality time with my family.” It was back on March 25 that viewers saw Jason carted away by the WSB after taking the fall for Rocco Falconeri (Finn Carr) who shot then WSB Director Ross Cullum (Andrew Hawkes).
Burton returned to work on June 1, and due to General Hospital taping roughly six weeks ahead of air, made his on-screen comeback on the July 13 episode.
GOING FOR GOLD AT THE UPCOMING DAYTIME EMMYS
Then, Steve and his enduring fans got an extra special treat on the same day, when it was revealed on Extra that he was nominated for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Daytime Drama Series category.
Steve previously won in the Supporting Actor category for his work as General Hospital’s Jason in 1998 and as The Young and the Restless’ Dylan McAvoy in 2018.
Now with Jason and Britt’s (Kelly Thiebaud) relationship seemingly hitting the skids, plus Jason’s commitment to staying out of mob life to focus on being present for his son Danny Morgan (Asher Antonyzyn), what does the future hold for the fan favorite character? Stay tuned.
So, happy to hear that Steve Burton signed a new three year deal with General Hospital? Knowing that, what storyline would you like to see Jason get involved and with who? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section.
News
Jess Walton Memoir ‘The Young and the Rest of Us’ Set for Release in 2027

The Young and the Restless enduring favorite and two-time Daytime Emmy-winning actress, Jess Walton (Jill Foster Abbott) is set to release her memoir!
Kensington Publishing has revealed on their website that Walton’s book The Young and the Rest of Us is now available for pre-order while listing an April 27, 2027 release date. In addition, in June of 2027, Walton will mark her 40th anniversary with The Young and the Restless and her debut as Jill.
The official log lines for the memoir share, “Emmy Award-winning actress Jess Walton, known to millions as the iconic Jill Abbott on the #1 soap opera The Young and the Restless, shares her extraordinary journey to stardom, sobriety, true love, and self-discovery in this startingly candid, intimate, and star-studded memoir.”

Photo; Kensington Books
CAKE FIGHTS AND CORPORATE INTRIGUE
The book description for The Young and the Rest of Us adds, “In June 1987, Jess Walton walked through the artists’ entrance at CBS for her first day on The Young and the Restless,where she had just been hired to play the recast role of Jill Abbott. Two Emmy awards, four decades, and countless onscreen affairs, marriages, corporate takeovers, and cake fights later, she’s a beloved icon with an astonishing tale to tell.”
“In her refreshingly candid style, Jess shares her journey as a young actress from Toronto theaters to Los Angeles, where she found herself at the center of a Laurel Canyon circle that included the likes of Neil Young, David Geffen, Laura Nyro, and Joni Mitchell. Landing a Universal contract and a steady stream of guest starring roles, Jess embraced everything 1970s L.A. had to offer—including Hollywood parties fueled by limitless booze and drugs, and trysts with stars. She recounts with candor and gratitude the surprising path that eventually led her to sobriety, true love—and ultimately, to fictional Genoa City, Wisconsin, and the role of a lifetime.”
“Brimming with behind-the-scenes drama and celebrity cameos to delight fans, The Young and the Rest of Us is also rich in personal, relatable truths about marriage, motherhood, empty-nesting, self-discovery, and finding the courage to start over—as often as it takes. In a voice as fearless and frank as Jill’s, but with, humor and grace all her own, Jess Walton looks back on a life as unpredictable, and adventure filled as anything she has portrayed on screen.”
WHO ELSE PLAYED JILL FOSER ABBOTT?
Fans of The Young and the Restless know that Walton became the fourth actress to take on the role of Katherine Chancellor’s original nemesis Jill Foster back in 1987. The OG Jill was played by Brenda Dickson, also Deborah Adair, Bond Gideon and Melinda O. Fee played the part.
This year, Days of our Lives star Lauren Koslow (Kate Roberts) filled-in for several episodes for Walton who was unavailable to travel from her home in Oregon to Los Angeles where Y&R was taped. Walton is still with the long-running soap opera as Jill.
So, excited to learn of Jess Walton’s upcoming memoir, ‘The Young and the Rest of Us?’ Will it be it a must-read for you? Drop a comment below.
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