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Y&R Casting New Contract Role Of "Matt Wilkens"! Who Would You Suggest To Play The Part?
The Young and the Restless looks to be adding to its mid-twenties set of characters with the casting of another new character coming on to the canvas who is said to be going by the name of “Matt Wilkens”. The role is contract.
According to Soap Opera Digest and the casting breakdown, the number one soap opera is looking for an actor mid-20’s to the play the role described as a “handsome, sophisticated scion of a wealthy, Kennedy-esque clan.”
The role is slate to begin shooting in 2015 at the end of January.
With so many popular younger actors from the soaps who are no longer with their respective daytime dramas, or online shows, who would you suggest could play this part? Is there someone from primetime TV that would fit the bill for you? Put on your casting director hats and give us your suggestions, and why you think they would be great for the part in the comment section below!
Will this be the introduction of a new core family? Will this be someone linked to the Return of Adam storyline? Will this be another handsome man who is good at being handsome?
I know serials evolve. It’s their nature. Let’s hope for something solid and just an in-and-out character. We have had a number of them in recent years.
The Young and The Restless is getting really good now, Please no more newbies. Enough is enough, this is getting ridicoulous. Bring back Leanna Love right now, I miss her so much. Bring back Dina Abbott recast her with Marj Dusay or Elizabeth Hubbard ex Lucinda As The World Turns.
LOVE Marj! I’m tired of the newbies too when there are so many already on canvas– not to mention off canvas characters we miss.
This sounds like Kyle Abbott. If so, I would suggest Tom Pelphrey from GL and ATWT, I think he’d fit the role well. But seriously, I don’t see the need for another new character at this point, when so many characters on Y&R are expendable and essentially useless. If this role is truly a new role, with no connection to the canvas (like Hilary, Austin, etc) then I really don’t see the point. I hope the casting call is for Kyle Abbott, and I really hope they don’t even consider bringing Hartley Sawyer back – he was one of the worst recasts in Y&R history, next to Darius McCrary as Malcolm.
I am thinking the same – The return of Kyle Abbott.
They should recast Kyle because you know the moment Jack told him about Summer his mind was back in GC.
That’s exactly what I was thinking, Kyle Abbott and good call on Tom Pelphrey. I adore him! He could knock the socks off of any storyline with any of the actors on the show. He’s like Billy Miller, he can rise to any occasion. What about the guy who used to play Aaron on ATWT? He was pretty good.
I agree it’s smokescreen for a recast Kyle as well. He’s been mentioned quite a bit lately since Jack is not Summer’s daddy. It would be insta-angst for Summer’s newlywed bliss. While I don’t really care if they bring the character back or not, I’d much prefer it to yet ANOTHER newbie. So many newbies onscreen now and more still coming – write for the characters we know please instead of unloading a busload of new people and attempting to force us to care who or what they are. #snooze
Only problem with Tom Pelphrey is that he’s now in his early 30’s. That won’t work. Besides, I don’t see Tom wanting to leave the east coast and the theatre business there. Hartley Sawyer will NOT ever come back to Y&R. Hartley was an awful, awful Kyle recast. Besides, it has been highly rumored that Hartley was the one who groped Hunter King’s breasts, not Michael Muhney. Here’s who I’d pick: Chandler Massey, formerly of Days of our Lives!
I was thinking the same thing about it being Kyle, but we’re probably not that lucky. There is a new writer and with new writers come more new characters. Tom would be good in the role. I never understood why they got rid of Blake Hood in the role though. I thought he did a good job.
I liked Blake best of the Kyles, too. He had the most personality and charisma and lookswise was a natural fit for PB’s Jack’s son.
Sounds like Kyle Abbott yet again. But am I missing who else this could be? I can’t think of anyone in the Newman family that fits that bill. The Abbotts are the only other family that could claim Kennedy status.
I still miss Nic Robuck from OLTL (James Ford), and I didn’t mind his on-screen brother Lenny Platt (Nate Salinger). Either of them could play Kyle. Sounds like with Summer being a non-Abbott again, and the recent on-screen mention of Kyle after the DNA revelation, maybe they are eager to test the Summer/Austin marriage, and add Kyle to the mix, opening Austin up for Mariah.
HELLO KYLE! sounds exactly like Jack’s son…..
what ever happened to Phlylis’s son? Daniel? he was the one who took her out of genoa City…then as she recovered we never saw a moment of him?
I like Austin with Summer. he is real. I think they make a cute couple…but she needs a job..she needs focus.
Ohhh I didn’t think of Daniel. I don’t know if he’d be described as a Kennedy though. He’s more of a Hipster who doesn’t want help from anybody. He certainly should be coming to town since his mom is out of a coma. “Ohh. Mom woke up? Sweet. I shall resume sketching.”
I hope it’s not another newbie character.
I expect that this character is really for the recasting of Kyle Abbott. Now that Summer is back to being Nick’s daughter Kyle is going to come back to GC in pursuit of Summer. Mariah is destined to seduce Austin & with Summer’s marriage in tatters (& Phyllis taking advantage of this & pushing them apart) the scene is set for Kyle’s return.
My dream casting for this role would be Chad Duell of GH. He would be fantastic!
OMG Enough of Summer already. It’s only Tuesday and she’s been on both days. What is it with the writers. Do they all have a crush on her or something.How about a little more on Micheal’s illness, give Neil back his sight so he can catch Devon & Hilary.Is Phyllis ever going to find out about Jack’s affair.
What about Jesse Soffer? He played Will Munson on ATWT.
Jesse’s great but is enjoying a nice lead role on NBC’s Chicago PD. Don’t see him leaving a primetime gig like that to return to daytime. But it would be nice. 🙂
Yeah. My guess would be for Kyle Abbott or a sibling of Gabriel’s.
They could steal Zak Conroy from B&B as, sadly, they are ruining any potential for a real romance with Aly. He does not get nearly as much screen time as he deserves.
I agree that Zack doesn’t seem to be well utilized on B&B and I like him. IF this is not a Kyle Abbott recast and in fact somehow connected to the Adam Newman storyline (which wouldn’t surprise me since new writers LOVE introducing new characters) they should bring Zack in and then cast Grant Aleksander as his dad for old time GL sake.
Not a bad idea. A kid has to have a father. 🙂
Now, that is a fantastic idea!
I really don’t no who they are casting but if it is Kyle I hope its Hartley Sawyer just saying.
I hope its a former soap star from a cancelled soap. A new Kyle needs to be recast-ed BUT this news item smells like a whole new family being introduced by new head writer, Charles Pratt. Remember, when a new HW comes on board, he or she loves to write and create their own ideas and take credit. Watch and see.
You’re exactly right. Plus, (unless it has recently changed) writers only get royalties on the characters they create. So that adds to their desire to intro newbies. I always like the idea of a former soap star from a cancelled soap, or at the least a former soap actor that’s gotten the can on a soap like GH, Days, etc. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of them in that age range. The guy that played Chad on Days could be good in that role. I thought about the kid that played Jack & Carly’s son on ATWT, but I’m not sure he fits the character description. There’s the Ford brothers on OLTL and a couple guys from AMC. Who else am I missing?
And you hit the nail on the head, there are a lot of qualified actors out of work in general who can read and probably will read for the part. Having said that, you find an unknown actor, you would look like a casting genius AND they are a lot cheaper to pay.
Brendan Coughlin! Brendan Coughlin! Brendan Coughlin! Although I love him as T on DAYS, he is so underused there, he needs a place he can really shine. Kyle has always been a major dud. Brendan Coughlin steals every scene he is in.
if its kyle, pls bring back blake hood!
or cody longo from hollywood heights! he s super hot!
austin/ summer/ kyle played by cody or kyle would be really hot!!
I hope when they bring back Kyle Abbott it’s the very first Kyle we had which was Blake Hood. Does anyone remember him. He was a bit of a play boy as Jack use to be before he settled down.
I remember him. There were many, myself included, that thought he needed acting lessons. He was JUST starting to settle into it when they replaced him with that hairbag and then when many of us were just starting to get into him (after he finally got a haircut), they canned him too.
Now I am of the belief that it is NOT the actors, but the mediocre writing and DIRECTION they are given. I felt the same way about Max Ehrich (Fen) the first year he was on, but actually when Phelps came aboard, she actually had him utilized, which is saying a lot.
Nikki…HELL YEAH!!!!! To me, when Blake Hood was playing Kyle, BH PERFECTLY put the B-A-D in BAD BOY!!!!! Back then, Y&R was DUMB AS HELL for replacing Blake with that one-note pretty-boy Hartley Sawyer!!!!! Bottom Line Here: Y&R needs to bring Blake Hood back…ASAP!!!!!
Happy Holidays, Nikki. Peace.
Hi jaybird 369 Glad you like the idea. Lets hope the higher up agree. That Hartley was horrible. They seem to forget that Jack Abbott from way back (Terry Lester) was a playboy. His poor Dad ( John Abbott) was always telling him to grow-up. Then when Peter B. took over he was a little more settled down but still after the models. Now he’s a little more settled down but even Kyle’s mother was flirty, got pregnant and tried to pass it off as Victor’s child so Blake Hood was perfect. Playboy & cocky as hell. We also need a new sexy Summer. Happy Holidays!
It is “Kyle Abbott” if we are lucky. No more new characters! They need a strong actor to play the role. Tired of “Summer Newman” too, she is a pet to JFP. Hope JFP gets FIRED once Chuck Pratt takes over!
Eric Nelsen, Robert Gorrie, Casey Deidrick, Chandler Massey, Adam Gregory and so much more
Yes to Blake Hood. He looked and acted like Jack’s son. Replacing him was Phelps FIRST casting mistake.
This going to be Kyle Abbott – ya can’t fool anyone !
Especially after yesterday’s episode wherein Miss Gotta Stick Your Nose Where It Don’t Belong (Abby) talks to Summer about Kyle and the what if.
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
Y&R’s New Head Writers Share Vision for Genoa City: Contemporary Homage to Bill Bell, Mixing Heightened Escapism and Grounded Reality
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: Episodes From New Co-Head Writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, Begin to Air
‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos
‘Days of our Lives’ Celebrates 61st Anniversary: EP Ken Corday Teases New Character’s Arrival in Spring 2027
‘Days of our Lives’ Kyle Pryor Debuts as Dominic Marino and Says of Alleged TV Mom, “Deidre Hall is the Absolute OG, Amazing” (Exclusive)
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
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
Y&R’s Matt Cohen Talks Role as Compassionate Zookeeper in Rom-Com ‘Christmas at the Zoo’
Alice Halsey Returns to ‘Days of our Lives’ as Rachel Black – Find Out How Long!
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News3 days agoY&R’s New Head Writers Share Vision for Genoa City: Contemporary Homage to Bill Bell, Mixing Heightened Escapism and Grounded Reality
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Previews4 days agoTHE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: Episodes From New Co-Head Writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, Begin to Air
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Days Of Our Lives4 days ago‘Days of our Lives’ Celebrates 61st Anniversary: EP Ken Corday Teases New Character’s Arrival in Spring 2027
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