News
Y&R's Jeanne Cooper Video Interview Chat! Her Memoir, Maria Bell's Exit from Y&R & Your Questions Answered!
Courtesy/Harper Collins
Yesterday on the official release date of The Young and the Restless’ Jeanne Cooper’s (Katherine Chancellor) new tell-all memoir, Not Young Still Restless, On-Air On-Soaps Michael Fairman chatted with the legendary actress via a special Skype chat while Jeanne was in New York City promoting the release of her book and Fairman was in Los Angeles! During the video interview, an emotional Cooper discussed many parts of her turbulent life with heartfelt honesty, while at the same time laughing about the roller coaster ride of a life she has had off-screen and on-screen as the Grand Dame of Genoa City for over 39 years.
On-Air On-Soaps previously asked fans via our Facebook, Twitter, and posts here at our website, to submit questions for Jeanne and during the mid-way point in the interview she answers many of them that were chosen!
Courtesy/Harper Collins
Of course, the hot question on everyone’s mind and ours was how did Jeanne feel about the firing of Maria Arena Bell as the executive producer and head writer of The Young and the Restless, and the hiring of Jill Farren Phelps and Josh Griffith as her successor’s in each of the key roles. Here are some excerpts from the video interview of what Jeanne had to say about that, and what she would do to fix the the enormous population of new characters that have invaded Genoa City!
Jeanne on Maria Bell’s exit: “I was out of town thank God, when it happened. I was honored that both Maria Bell and Steve Kent (Senior Executive Producer, SONY) called me. And, I was honored that both people wanted to tell me their side of the story. I have to say in Maria’s defense, she was serving two hats, one with MOCA (The Museum of Modern Arts) and one with The Young and the Restless. She had a great sense of Y&R having Bill Bell as a father-in-law and learning and writing under his umbrella. But within the art world, it was going down. And Maria as the chairwoman was very beneficial in turning that around. Now that is a very important position. Now put that on top of writing a number one show and what she was trying to do, which kept her from the show a great deal of time. Maria was thinking she had the right people at her back at every turn, and she had laid out storylines assuming her writing team is taking care of that. She was trying to make it blend and teach this way of working to a show, if the storylines had been correctly done. We talked about how it is to handle two major things without paying attention to one without the other. Maria was trying to blend the two and consequently Y&R suffered for it.
Sometimes you would receive a script where you would see something that the characters would never do or say. The writers would shoot an idea rather than a storyline. For instance, you have to make Katherine do something that is very Katherine, not just saying, “Hello? You shouldn’t do that.” Maria thought everything was being taken care of and it just failed at one point. You cannot takeaway characters people have grown up with and say, “You can’t have your aunt or your uncle or your grandma or grandpa.” You cannot rob a person of their emotions, and the fans who have supported the show for years and years. I think had Maria really listened to the audience that was already there for many years, it may have helped her.”
Jeanne on her thoughts on Jill Farren Phelps and Josh Griffith: “Josh Griffith is a lovely and talented man, and I don’t know if Jill will like me. I don’t know her. I don’t know if I will like her. I have nothing against her except if she doesn’t do a great job, she will go the way of everybody else. I hate to see we have become “Birth of a Nation”! Sometimes you go to work and you see a strange face and you go, “Who are you?” This whole switching immediately on the audience … it takes a long time for them and the characters to bond, which is like real life.”
Jeanne on what she would to do fix Y&R: “Everybody is so excited when the core people come back, and none of them are old and decrepit. The point is root families! Eliminate the “Birth of a Nation” and of course there are so many! So I would say what one should do is Genoa City adopts a sister city and the sister city is going to have a tremendous charity fundraiser. And the people going to the sister city climb on board a plane to head toward the sister city and it crashes. That way, you don’t have to explain how anybody died. (Laughs) There would be one big funeral. Then, let’s go back to family dysfunction or functional drama, and it will no longer be “Birth of a Nation”. I wish Jill Farren Phelps all the success in the world, but it cannot be all about cell phones and sex! “Pardon me I am finishing up on Sharon here, I will be with you in a minute.” (Laughs)
Now below watch the entire video interview with Jeanne Cooper, and let us know your thoughts and favorite parts of our chat! NOTE: Due to the Skype chat application used to record this interview, you may need to adjust your volume levels on your computer.
Birth of a Nation???
That just means she’s been around since 1776.
Amen Jeanne Cooper!!!! Thanks so much for this Michael Kuddos!!! JFP you have been warned by us fans sit down for hours with this woman and get this show back on track. Everything she said about bringing characters over from other shows is true. I will be waiting for September to see if everybody can leave their egos at the door and get to work!!!! Oh first thing get on the horn and beg for the original Mac to come home Ashley Bauisoum was the only Mac.
So now the excuse is that MAB wasn’t around to supervise? Hello, you are the HW and EP of the #1 soap. It is up to you that the quality continues. Forget your volunteer post. This is your family legacy that is being diminished.
Jeanne, you are a class act – can’t wait to read your book!!
Amen keep core, and keep the Chancellors especially.
I can do without the Anita’s, Jeff, and the periphery but not Katherine, her son, Jill.
If its going to be just the 20 something set, I can say good bye now. They are the weakest links on Y&R. Kyle, Noah just bore me.
VERY well said, Jeanne. What a class act! Unfortunately, MAB was trusted with the task of safekeeping her family’s and the fans’ legacy, and she failed abysmally. She was arrogant, dismissive and indifferent to the fans, who have been around for decades. Now, we are stuck with JFP, and I fear that her (JFP’s) continued path of destruction through daytime will continue unabated.
Thanks A Million, Jeanne & Michael. We Love You In NW Illinois! 😀
Jeanne, I have watched since 1973 when I was in grade school. You are my favorite actress of all time and I mean that from the bottom of my heart! God bless you and be gracious to you always. I cannot wait to read your book.
i love jeanne cooper. what a classy sassy woman. michael fairman i loved your interview with jeanne cooper. jeanne is a wonderful actress. i hope that her husband rex turns out to alive. you never know. i am so happy that maria arena bell got fired. it was about time that she got the boot. let’s see what jill can do. i mean the producer. keep jeanne cooper melody thomas scott eric braeden michelle stafford, christian leblanc, tracy bregman., peter bergman, joshua morrow. fire jacks son kyle eden michael sister. hopefully jess walton comes back after 6 months. i have a feeling she won’t be back. hopefully i am wrong. maybe the new writers can bring back actors from the past. if jess walton doesn’t come back. bring back brenda dickson the origional jill foster abbott. i know she was a diva, a lot of actors had a hard time working with her. but jeanne cooper addored brenda dickson. in the beginning brenda and jeanne never got along. but they made up and were very good friends.
Thank you for this incredible interview, Jeanne and Michael! Thanks also for asking my question to Jeanne about the notorious cake fight, Michael! So fun to watch this!! Brava to you both; can’t wait to read “Not Young, Still Restless!” Every fan of the show should own it!
I love Jeanne, the actress, but I think she is getting too old to do interviews. So much of what she said was difficult to understand…rambling without making a point. She needs to stick to scripted dialog and not speak “off the cuff.”
It sounds like she is giving MAB a pass for her terrible work. “Wearing two hats” is no excuse for what she did to the show. MAB obviously can’t do two things at once and should have picked one and stuck with it.
Sorry, but your comment is the most ridiculous thing I’ve read all week. If you want scripted dialogue, then perhaps you shouldn’t be watching an interview. And, talk about rambling without a point! Wow.
Um, talk about ridiculous, your comment is the dumb one. Whether you agree or not, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
Patrick replied June 7th, 2012 at 9:43 pm
I agree… help me out here… why the fixation… all the time… victor and jack? heck victor and his brood… same old, same old. Jack is once again.. on his own… with Ashley and Traci gone… THIS IS THE TRUE CRIME COMMITTED.
By bringing back Ronin… it gives Y&R – Katherine the Great… scheming nymph Jill… busy body Esther – wanna belong chloe, understated Ms. America Nina (i must be better then cricket)… The Chancellors to regain their 1st place… in geneo city.
help out, Phillip 4th… Chance. Chancellors reign supreme.
re=post
Thanks, Michael, for conducting the interview and posting it. I am flattered that you included one of my questions. I appreciate and agree with Cooper’s answer to it. I really enjoyed the interview. Cooper is more honest than a lot of employed actors would be about their current work environment. The only remark by her with which I don’t entirely agree were her comments about Maria Arena Bell. I clearly can understand Cooper having strong loyalty to a member of the Bell family and wanting to defend/explain the missteps under MAB’s reign. However, I don’t entirely accept Cooper’s explanation that MAB was busy juggling tasks from multiple positions and that the writers let MAB down. Cooper’s take may offer some insight into the reasons for the failure but doesn’t really excuse it. If MAB overextended herself by working in the arts while also helming Y&R, any problems arising from that really were MAB’s fault and not the fault of the writing staff. Other than that, I agreed with almost everything Cooper said.
In particular, I thought her comment about scenes involving “cell phones and sex” was hilarious and dead on!! I’m still chuckling about her crack that the character would answer the cell phone call and remark that he would be over as soon as he finished having sex with Sharon!!!!
I’m not getting the “ally” thing with MAB. An allegiance to your craft… and Yes, I know Jeanne Cooper is proud to herald her Career, in “soaps”. So, let bygones be bygones…. I don’t agree with “nepotism”. when it’s not working… fix it. LOL. Oye! Who are we to step off our soap box.
She’s that “spitfire” who “hell be damned” is known for her truth. I mean, Sharon, can’t tell us… she’s the busy one…. LOL.
I really liked Brenda Dickson, as well… as the orig. Jill…. God Love Jess Walton… she’s consummate. Real Old Camp Serial Classic, would be bringing Brenda back, as a tribute… and down memory lane. if JW is happier, at home.
it’s like, how can we not miss…. the Abbotts dining…. Jack, Tracy, Ashley, John, Mamie. The Abbotts over the Newmans… were my ideal.
I realize that I forgot something important in my comment: Thank you, Jeanne Cooper, for granting this interview. I appreciate the time that you made for it and your candid and insightful responses to the questions.
Thank you Jeanne. I love watching you on Y&R. I love when a show is balanced with people of all ages. Unfortunately, some in charge don’t. They are more interested in getting the Kardashian or Jersey Shore audience in this day and age. Sad and pathetic. I think it’s possible for a show to change without wiping everything out to do so. I guarantee it if they come in and get rid of everything that has been beloved and watched for years on Y&R, the show will crash and burn or stay on the bottom of the ratings for now on. Best of luck Jeanne.
I never watched Y&R .. But I wish her god luck with her book and I hope she sells a lot of books !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Cynthia Watros Honors Former ‘Titus’ Co-Star Stacy Keach Following His Passing
General Hospital star Cynthia Watros, who can currently be seen in on the ABC soap opera in the role of Nina Reeves, has had a enduring career in television. That included her time on the 2000-2002 Fox sitcom, Titus.
In Titus, Watros starred along with Stacy Keach as Erin Fitzpatrick and Ken Titus, respectively. After the November 10th news that Keach had passed away at 85 while living in Poland, Cynthia took to her Instagram on Thursday, November 12 to pay tribute to the great actor.
Watros expressed, “My first prime time show was along side Stacy. I loved him instantly. What an amazing talent and man.❤️”
Photo: ABC
In Titus, Stacy played stand up comedian Christopher Titus’ heavy-drinking, chain-smoking, five-times-divorced father who frequently pulled cruel pranks and tried to toughen his kids up. Cynthia played by Christopher’s level-headed, big-hearted girlfriend trying to build a normal life with him. In fact, Cynthia’s role on the sitcom was first series regular role after her Daytime Emmy run of Annie Dutton on Guiding Light which ran from 1994-1998.
STACY KEACH’S WIFE ON HIS PASSING
Keach’s wife, Malgosia shared the news of the actor’s death publicly in a statement with PEOPLE. Malgosia expressed, that Stacy had, “a long and difficult battle with a serious heart condition and heart failure.”
She added, “Stacy peacefully departed this world. He fought for so long, with extraordinary courage, determination and strength. He was a true warrior, facing his illness with the same remarkable spirit and resilience that defined his life.”
Małgosia continued, “Stacy was not only a legendary actor, admired and loved by audiences the world over, but also my beloved husband, my companion and the heart of our family. His passing leaves an immeasurable emptiness in our lives. But his extraordinary spirit, his unforgettable voice and the love he gave so generously will remain with us forever.”
Now, let us know do you remember when Cynthia made her sitcom debut in Titus? Share your thoughts via the comment section on Cynthia’s many TV roles and the passing of Stacy Keach in the comment section. But first, check out the very first episode of Titus with Cynthia Watros below!
Beyond the Gates
‘Beyond the Gates’ Emmy Winner Ambyr Michelle Wants to Compete on ‘Dancing with the Stars’: ‘Pick Me’ (Exclusive)
Soap opera fans are always clamoring for when Dancing with the Stars reveals their cast each season, that they would include a familiar face from daytime drama, but it rarely happens, if ever, anymore.
Over the last several years, the series has leaned heavily into casting celebrities with massive TikTok or Instagram followers, which in turn, have helped this season and last have their best ratings numbers in years.
But, how about for next season’s cast of Dancing with the Stars, that it could include newly-awarded Daytime Emmy winner, Ambyr Michelle (Eva Thomas) of Beyond the Gates?
Photo: CBS
LOVE OF DANCE TO LOVE OF ACTING
Michael Fairman TV spoke to Michelle about her dance background and if she would love a shot at lifting the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy during Wednesday’s November 11, livestream chat on the Michael Fairman Channel.
Ambyr explained to fans (who joined in on the live chat), how she began her show business career. “I started off as a dancer, first and foremost. Acting wasn’t really something I wanted to go after. I did plays when I was younger, but it was just something we did in school, but I really wanted to be a dancer. I moved out to LA to dance, and I fell out of love with dance, which was so weird.”
This year’s Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series winner, added, “I was like, ‘What is going on?’ I moved all the way out here for dance. I found I was forcing myself to go to dance class, and I just didn’t have the passion for it. I was working at this restaurant at the time, and one of my coworker was like, ‘What about taking an acting class out here?'”
Next, Ambyr took the coworker up on the idea. “So, I took an acting class and I fell in love with it that day,” shared Michelle. “I was like, ‘I want to do this for the rest of my life.’ I thought, I would love to book a role, of course, as a dancer, but I think acting has a little bit more longevity.”
Photo: ABC
A SHOT AT THE LEN GOODMAN MIRRORBALL TROPHY
When the talked turned to if Ambyr would consider or be interested in appearing on the ballroom dance competition series, she piped up with, “I would love to do Dancing with the Stars! Pick me!”
As those in the live chat rallied around this idea, it made us think, Ambyr could be the first contestant from Beyond the Gates, and someone representing the soaps. It checks off so many boxes! To which Ambyr replied, “That would be beautiful.”
You can check out the full conversation with Ambyr below.
So, what do you think soap fans? Can we make sure Ambyr’s name gets in front of the producers and casting director for next season’s Dancing with the Stars? Would you like to see her in the competition? If so, who would be your dream pro professional dance partner for her? Let us know in the comment section.
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.
‘General Hospital’s’ Cynthia Watros Honors Former ‘Titus’ Co-Star Stacy Keach Following His Passing
‘Beyond the Gates’ Emmy Winner Ambyr Michelle Wants to Compete on ‘Dancing with the Stars’: ‘Pick Me’ (Exclusive)
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)
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’ Kyle Pryor Debuts as Dominic Marino and Says of Alleged TV Mom, “Deidre Hall is the Absolute OG, Amazing” (Exclusive)
‘Days of our Lives’ Celebrates 61st Anniversary: EP Ken Corday Teases New Character’s Arrival in Spring 2027
‘General Hospital’s’ Cynthia Watros Honors Former ‘Titus’ Co-Star Stacy Keach Following His Passing
‘Beyond the Gates’ Emmy Winner Ambyr Michelle Wants to Compete on ‘Dancing with the Stars’: ‘Pick Me’ (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
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