Interviews
Y&R’s Jess Walton Remembers Jeanne Cooper, Classic Katherine & Jill, and Talks Life in Present Day GC
For over three decades, The Young and the Restless’ Jess Walton has been a force of nature to be reckoned as Jill Foster Abbott on the CBS Daytime Drama. But couple that with the Grand Dame of Genoa City, Katherine Chancellor, played by the late great Jeanne Cooper and together these two Daytime-Emmy winning actresses on-screen chemistry was off the charts; delivering some of the most iconic and memorable scenes in soap history.
This week on Y&R, the show kicks-off its theme week of classic episodes starting with five memorable ones ranging from 1990 to 2009 with Katherine Chancellor front and center. From Katherine meeting her doppelganger Marge, to turning the tables on an alcoholic intervention meant for her, to seeing ghosts from her past, to making a mess at Chloe (Elizabeth Hendrickson) and Billy’s (then, Billy Miller) nuptials (literally!), to marrying her beloved Murphy (Michael Fairman), once you watch all these rebroadcasts, viewers will be reminded just why Jeanne is a daytime legend. And oh, yes! Look for Jill to figure prominently into the equation in several of them. So, who better to kick-off Y&R’s celebration of Jeanne Cooper this week than her longtime scene partner and dear friend, Jess Walton!
Michael Fairman TV chatted with Jess where she shared: some remembrances of her time working with Jeanne, creating the Katherine/Jill dynamic, and what she recalls about taping some of the classic moments fans will see, plus the latest developments in Jill’s life. Could Jill and Jack (Peter Bergman) rekindle the feelings they once had for each other, complex as they may be? Stay tuned.
It is always a treat to speak with Jess, and we always treasure getting a moment to shine a light on the unforgettable Mrs. C. Here’s what she had to say.

Photo: JWaltonTwitter
Do you remember your very first day at Y&R back in 1987?
JESS: I do remember when I got the job. I had to start the very next day. My very good friend was Nicholas Walker from Capitol, and he had worked temporarily on Y&R, and he was dating Eileen Davidson (Ashley, Y&R) at the time. So, he kind of had been on the set, and he had watched the Jill and Katherine scenes. He came over and ran my lines with me. The next day, everybody was coming up to me. I had worked with many of these people on Capitol because we shot right across the hall, and they were all so welcoming – the cameramen, the wardrobe people, the makeup people, etc. There was so much going on. We had a casting director who had white hair, and he was about Bill Bell’s age at that time. I thought he was Bill Bell. (Laughs) Every week, I’d go up to him and ask him how I was doing, and he’d go, “Well, are they saying anything?” I said, “They’re saying it’s okay,” and he’d go, “Then, it’s okay.” Finally, I said to him, “Your daughter (meaning Lauralee Bell) has been so wonderful to me.” He said, “I don’t have a daughter!” (Laughs) Oh, it was so funny.

Photo: CBS
What are your first recollections of meeting Jeanne Cooper, and working with her?
JESS: We were in the thick of this storyline revolving around Rex Sterling (Quinn Redeker), and what I remember is that Jeanne was really helpful to me. I had a tremendous amount of dialogue. We were just working together so much. I just grew to love her, and then I noticed how wonderful she was to everybody. Every new person who came on the show, Jeanne would take them aside. She would show them the ropes, and would give them advice. She was just fantastic. Anyone who would ever have a baby, she would always have a baby gift for that person. In her dressing room, there would be executives who would come in. You’d walk into her dressing room, and there would be the head of Sony sitting there chatting with her. I spoke to somebody last week about how she was always the first one to offer up her dressing room for AFTRA meetings. Jeanne always knew everything that was going on. She knew every rumor going around; she knew every truth going around. She was the most amazing woman I ever met.

Photo: CBS
Was there a moment when you knew that the Katherine/Jill dynamic and rivalry was solid gold, and would have legs for you and Jeanne for years to come?
JESS: Here’s the funny thing: Jeanne was coming off working for years with Brenda Dickson (Ex-Jill), and she and Brenda had tremendous success with this on-screen relationship. They had crowds in the parking lot who would meet them after work. There would be the Jill side and the Katherine side. Jeanne would tell me the history of it. It began to dawn on me how big it had been back then. Then, we got such incredible fan mail from people on different sides of the fence. Most of them were quite on Jeanne’s side, on Katherine’s side. I did not care for that! (Laughs) There was nothing much I could do, but I think I knew from the very start how special this was. But, I’ve got to tell you, we worked our asses off in the dressing room on our scenes. We would set each other up for the punchlines of the jokes, we would accentuate their character flaws, we would accentuate how ridiculous Jill was, and we would laugh about it. It was the most wonderful part of our time together. Jeanne was the heart and the soul of the show.
Now, coming up on Thursday, Y&R will rebroadcast the classic Katherine/Jill cake fight from April of 2009, when Katherine and Jill steal the spotlight at Billy (then played by Billy Miler) and Chloe’s (Elizabeth Hendrickson) wedding. What do you recall about taping the notorious cake fight?
JESS: I remember I asked Sally McDonald, (who was directing the episode), if I could be drinking mimosas during the scenes to excuse the fact of Jill’s ridiculous behavior. So, she let me always have a mimosa in my hand, and then, finally we went into the dining room, and Katherine told Jill, she wasn’t her daughter. Jill was so hurt because she really did love Katherine and hated her at the same time. I remember I had to hurl horrible insults at Murphy (Michael Fairman) and at Esther (Kate Linder), and then it culminated in the cake fight, which was a fan favorite, I’m sure.

Photo: JPI
Did you do that fight in one take, or did you have to redo it to get it just right?
JESS: Oh, we couldn’t have done it again. We were covered! Instead of trying to smear cake on me, Jeanne kept trying to lift the entire cake to put on me, (laughs) and we had people behind us. I asked Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki) because she was kind of in the middle of it, “Do you mind if I get cake on your face,” and she was like, “No, go for it.” So, I had Beau Kazer (Brock) behind me holding me up because my high heels were slipping, there was frosting all over the floor, and I kept falling down, and he kept holding me up. (Laughs) It was just hilarious.

Photo: JPI
Now this Tuesday, Y&R will air an episode from back in July of 2005. In it, Katherine (Jeanne Cooper) surprises her loved ones when they attempt to stage an intervention about her drinking problem. Obviously, Jeanne herself documented her battle with alcohol over the years in her memoir. Were you ever concerned for her playing this kind of story that was close to things that she experienced in her own life?
JESS: Never. Not for an instant. I knew her too well by that time. She was so far from taking another drink and breaking her sobriety. I didn’t give it a second thought. We just thought what a great story it was, and besides this, in the middle of that great story, she would never have been in the mood to take a drink because she was loving the story so much. That’s the way she was and I will say; this was a fabulous episode the way they wrote it.

Photo: JPI
Another memorable episode is airing on Friday when Y&R rebroadcasts Katherine and Murphy’s wedding from May of 2009. Jill caused some problems in it!
JESS: I do remember being locked in a closet. Somebody locked Jill in a coat closet because they thought I would ruin the wedding, and I got out of the closet, and Jill walked through the wedding being really snarky to Katherine. We did a lot of crazy things. I always had to make a fool of myself. I’d open up my scripts, and I’d go, “Oh no, Jill. Please don’t do this.”

Photo: JPI
Would you and Jeanne ever go to the producers or writers; if there was something that you just would not do as they had written for the two of you in the scripts?
JESS: I don’t think there was anything major. There were things we disagreed with. I remember one time she called me up. We were working on our lines at night for the next day. Jeanne said, “Every single one of my lines, Jess, should be a Jill line, and every single one of your lines should be a Katherine line.” So, we switched them all around, but we let the writers or producers know. Jeanne was absolutely right. The lines were all reversed. I also know she never liked the story of Katherine being Jill’s mother, and I always loved it, because I thought it explained the love/hate relationship so well. I think she thought it would damage their relationship, and it kind of did for a while.

Photo: JPI
Why do you think you and Jeanne, as Jill and Katherine, became so beloved by the fans of Y&R and the entire soap genre?
JESS: First of all, there was such fabulous writing and situations. Then, you have these two characters. You have this older woman, who is this fancy, shmancy dowager, and then, you have this haughty, arrogant upstart, and they were really well written in their backgrounds. Then, all of the sudden they get down and dirty. They were also so human with each other. So, the audience could see Jill being knocked down a peg or two. They’d see Katherine, who is this fancy lady also being super human. You never knew what Katherine and Jill were going to do, and it was pretty hilarious when you think of it. It was kind of the comedy part of the show, at times. I think, that was appealing to the audience, and I think we handled it really well. I mean, we rehearsed so long. Back then, we were last up in the afternoon. So, if the taping of the show would stretch out, we had hours and hours to prepare and get our lines down and figure out the beats that we could do with each other. Maybe, that was why it worked.

Photo: CBS
I’ll never forget the last scene that Jeanne did with you. Katherine goes up the staircase and says, “Goodnight ” to Jill. How did you get through that scene? (Watch the scene following this interview below)
JESS: She was so frail at that time. We had just done The Marie Osmond Show, and I remember she was just standing at the back of a chair just holding on, and I knew something was really wrong. Then, every scene after that (which wasn’t that many), I kept thinking, “Is this going to be the last one she will be able to do?” I didn’t really think that she would die. I didn’t go that far. I just thought that she would not be able to act anymore. Even during that scene, it was just one of the many that I thought, “Is this the last time that I am going to be able to act with her?” So, she went up the stairs, and she had that great dignity. Jeanne was very slow going up, and when she turned around, Jill asked if she could do anything for her. I do remember there was a great deal of communication going on between her and me. I definitely had it in my mind that this might be the last time. It was something.
Now, in the present day on Y&R, it looks like the show could be rekindling the Jack (Peter Bergman) and Jill relationship. They certainly have had a complicated past.
JESS: There is also a lot passion between the two of them. They have a love/hate thing going too. Anytime you have that kind of passion – one side or the other (and with them you have got it on both sides), that’s always a possibility. There are some great old classic shows with us. Jack and Jill always have this tension.

Photo: JPI
Do you enjoy working with Peter Bergman?
JESS: Oh, working with Peter is like falling off a log. It really is. It’s the easiest thing in the world because we both trust each other so much. We know our characters; we know each other’s characters. We have so much fun with it. We love the idea of battling, especially when there’s a lot of history behind it. It’s really fun.
Wouldn’t you love to see Jill have a romance that continues and is more long term? Do you think that would be good for her?
JESS: I’m not sure if it would be good or not for her. I really thought that was going to be it with Colin (Tristan Rogers), because she met somebody who was so, so charming. Then, that didn’t work out. I remember I went to the producers years ago, and I said, “Please give Jill somebody. I don’t just want to be an old maid running around town butting into other peoples’ business. Give me a homelife.” So, for a while, I felt like I had that with Colin, and it’s always so much more fun being in a partnership. In soaps, that means you have a partner to go to parties with, to be in scenes with, to have a home with rather than being alone… so, I do prefer that. I’d like to see that, whoever it might be with.

Photo: JPI
But, you’d be all-in for a Jack/Jill redo?
JESS: Well, I certainly wouldn’t be against it. That’s for sure.
Jill recently got her son Billy (Jason Thompson) and Lily (Christel Khalil) to work together. She gave them a shot at Chancellor Industries running the social media division. Was she trying to set them up, romantically? What was Jill’s reasoning here?
JESS: I think she still wants Billy with Victoria (Amelia Heinle) because of the grandchildren and because of the family dynamic. I think Jill was just doing that for business reasons. She thought it would be really good for the media division because as she says in the show, “They’re so different, and they will play off of each other so well that it will be a successful division.” She also was very fond of Lily because of when she and Cane were married. Jill is very fond of both Victoria and Lily. I’m not quite sure Jill took into consideration that there was a danger if Billy and Lily got together, in that he’d never get back with his family.

Photo: JPI
You and Jason Thompson seem to have a great relationship. How is working with him as your son on Y&R?
JESS: I flat-out adore that boy. I love him so much. What’s really interesting too is that he reminds me of my own son, Cole, and both of them have sons named Bowie. So, I’ve got a real grandson named B-E-A-U, but they call him “Bowie”, and Jason’s son is B-O-W-I-E. Anyway, I’ve never played with a Billy who had dark hair and dark eyes, and I don’t know why, but I love that about him; that he looks like Jill instead of an Abbott! Jason is so damn good at what he does, and he is such a quick study. He goes so deep into the character, and he even points out stuff to me in scenes that I haven’t thought of. It’s really stimulating. Billy loves Jill even though she makes him crazy. He loves her, and I can feel it. She, of course, adores him, even though he exasperates her sometimes. I just love their relationship. I love him as an actor. I love him playing that character.

Photo: JPI
What do you think Jeanne would say if she knew there was this week-long tribute of episodes “Katherine the Great” airing on Y&R?
JESS: Oh, she’d adore it! Are you kidding? Nobody would love that more than her! She loved accolades. There is no doubt. She would be the first one to admit it, too.

Photos: JPI and ABC
Jeanne won the Daytime Emmy for Lead Actress in 2008 and you won in that category back in 1997. Did the two of you ever talk about your Emmy wins?
JESS: Yes. I won Best Actress before she did, and it always made me feel really weird, because I thought that was so unfair because Jeanne had been so wonderful for so long. So, when she finally did win, I felt incredibly good about it. I was so, so happy. It was well-deserved and long-overdue, I thought.

Photo: JPI
Do you have some hopes for Jill in the future? Is there a story you would still love to get the opportunity to do?
JESS: No, you know what? The great thing about our show is that we are like a theatre company. It always reminds of how I started out in repertory theatre, and that’s what we are, and the show as a whole. I love the fact that I go around and play scenes with different people. On Y&R, I have grandsons, I have sons, I have ex-stepdaughters, etc. So, I love it the way it is. I mean, if Jill had a romance in the future, I would love that, but whatever they have in store for me, I’ll take it with both hands, believe me.
So, are you excited to see some classic episodes of Y&R featuring Jeanne Cooper along with Jess Walton? Would you say that Jeanne and Jess’ scenes over the years remain some of your enduring favorites? What are your hopes for Jill in 2020? Share your thoughts via the comment section. But first, check out a preview for this week’s Y&R, Jess and Jeanne’s Lead Actress Emmy-winning moments, plus their final scene together below.
Sweet love to them all I am enjoying the oldies god bless them all those were the days ! Good luck to all of them
Plus we will see the house in its glory, unlike today.
❤Jess Walton she seem like a fun person in real life. . Miss Katherine & Jeanne..many viewers want to see 70s& 80s classic YR. Would love to see Brenda & Terry Jill & Jack. I feel YR should do a Jill throwback and have Brenda, Deborah Adair, Jess Walton show what Jill went through. Jess, has made the role of Jill hers, but classic are not anything from 2006- present. B.Bell YR is classic and current mess they have…Josh G…pls take notes
I loved Jeanne BUT they shouldnt have killed her off. She is too important of a character. I know, impossible to replace but they could have tried. She was the heart and soul of Y&R and I’m sure the cast has many many stories to tell!
Truly classic Y&R episodes! Take note EPs & HWs – THAT is how you write drama, mixed with suspense and a little bit of comedy! Last Friday’s episode had the Phyllis that I knew and loved. She was a hoot!
Great interview Michael, thank you!
What a treat this week will be!
I d love if Mac returned for a brief visit with Katherines son Brock and for Brock and Jill to have a quick soulful love affair until Brock has to leave again for one of his volunteer works overseas and for Jill to all of a sudden try to follow along but realise that they re just too different. I ‘d love for Jill to find a different type of love even for a brief while!!
The writers need to “undo” the inane Jill Fenmore business and return the character to where she properly belongs, as the biological daughter of Bill and Liz Foster.
It also wouldn’t hurt if Jill returned to the show on a more permanent basis. The random scenes that Walton performs where we will go months on end without seeing Jill is doing the character no favors. How exactly would the writers craft a decent romance between Jill and Jack, when the woman is never around?
I can never forget when Jess Walton took the role of Jill. She was outstanding from the very start. She was true to the character right down the line.
I think the flashback and repeat episodes are so wonderful to see again. And I think of the people that have joined the show recently get a great insight about the past of favorite characters. And to us longtime viewers, to see those who have departed for real or for story or other purposes. I’ll surely be watching until we can get new episodes again.
Interviews
‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ Cast Dish on Steffy, Finn & Carter, Daphne Baby Drama! (Exclusive)

On Thursday’s October 22 episode of The Bold and the Beautiful, it was now “confirmed” by Finn and Li (Naomi Matsuda), two medical professionals, that Steffy has become pregnant as the surrogate for Carter and Daphne! BUT, what everyone doesn’t know (except co-conspirators Steffy and Carter), is that Steffy was already pregnant with Carter’s child after their drunken night together.
In an elaborate cover-up, Carter has pushed the agenda that they will lie through their teeth to their respective spouses so that their one-night tryst never comes to light which produced a baby. How far can Carter and Steffy carry on this surrogacy implantation charade in an effort to give Daphne the child she can’t have? And what twists and turns are in store now?
This week, B&B series stars: Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (Steffy), Tanner Novlan (Finn), Lawrence Saint-Victor (Carter) and Murielle Hilaire (Daphen) sat down for a conversation on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel where they took turns giving their reaction to the storyline, discussing their characters motivations behind the baby drama, and what might lie ahead, and bantering about fan’s theories that have been online and more.

Photo: JPI
REACTIONS TO LEARNING OF THE SURROGACY COVER-UP
Tanner Novlan shared he was happy that the writers did not make Finn a doofus with his shocking reaction of “WHAT!?” when Steffy told her husband that she went ahead and had the procedure to become a surrogate while he was out of town.
“It was great that the writers gave him that opportunity (to have that reaction),” shared Novlan. “We’re still having to work through a lot of that, but there’s a lot of little breadcrumbs that it’s nice that Finn picks one up every once in a while and inspects it and doesn’t just keep carrying on.”
Three-time Daytime Emmy winner, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood explained, “I did not expect the storyline, but we are so thrilled. It’s a wild ride. We’re all shocked. I couldn’t believe that we were diving into this kind of storyline and we’re still in the middle of it … in the thick of it.”
DOUBLE DAYTIME EMMY NOMINEE CLEARS THE AIR
For B&B fans thinking that since Lawrence Saint-Victor is an actor and a writer on the soap, and pulls double duty, that he was responsible for creating his frontburner story, he revealed that he has nothing to do with the writers decision on this one. “Not even a little bit, ” shared Saint-Victor. “At first, when Carter was really pushing Steffy, I had a reaction to it. I was like, ‘Oh no, this isn’t good.’ And then, I kind of had to put myself aside and lean into it. My knee-jerk reaction is what the fans are experiencing. I had to get into it and figure out why he’s doing it. But no, I hasn’t nothing to do with it, for those out there that’s thinking I’m manipulating the writer’s room.”

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COULD FINN AND DAPHNE ALREADY KNOW THEIR SPOUSES CHEATED ON THEM?
Moving forward, might we all be fooled and Daphne and Finn actually know what happened between their spouses? Tanner Novlan weighed-in, “There is a world here where Daphne and Finn, might actually think something else might have happened and think, maybe that’s best (to leave it alone).”
Some viewers believe down the line, the baby will be revealed as Finn’s biological child, since so far, Steffy never took a paternity test. The actors in the story say they have not been told anything different than what they are playing.
“I think that this story’s so wonderfully uncomfortable, everyone’s looking for the way out,” explains Saint-Victor, “If it’s Finn’s baby, then it kind of wraps up. But right now, we’re ‘all gas, no breaks,’ as Jacqui would say. We’re not letting you guys off the easy way here. So, whether it’s Finn’s child or not, that’s not an out.”

Photo: JPI
STEFFY PUT THROUGH THE WRINGER
For Wood, she has been playing the emotional weight of the story. She opened up about how Steffy has processed all that has come at her. “I believe that Steffy would like to think at the very beginning, if she led with honesty and just told Finn, ‘Hey, I was drunk, I was out of my mind and I was angry and hurt and I slept with Carter,’ we wouldn’t be in this situation. Yes, it would’ve been extremely tough, but again, leading with honesty off the heels of Sheila, it would’ve forced Finn to look inward and go, ‘Hey, well, we wouldn’t have been in this situation if you wouldn’t have kept letting your mom, back into your life.”‘
Jacqui elaborated further, “Ultimately, Steffy wanted to feel safe, protected, and her partner, or a man in her life, to come in and say, ‘I’ve got this. You don’t have to worry about this. I’ll protect you.’ And then, obviously having that release with Carter, fast-forward, hearing that moment when she realized what she did, yes, she wanted to tell the truth, but there was something about Carter saying, ‘We can’t do that. We can’t be thinking about ourselves,’ that also resonated with her.”
“Now Steffy’s thinking, she’s selfish, realizing all these people that will be hurt if the truth came out, and how they’ll be crushed. Is it the smartest decision? In the moment, you’re not thinking did you cross all your I’s and T’s. Then in Hindsight, you’re like, ‘Whoa, actually, that was really silly. That was really dumb of us to do.’ But now you’re in it, so you’re going to have to lean even harder.”‘

Photo: JPI
IS CARTER THE VILLAIN OF THIS STORYLINE?
Some viewers also consider Carter as the villain in this piece, something that Lawerence Saint-Victor has leaned into: “I love it wholeheartedly, because Carter doesn’t see himself as a villain. To Carter, it’s like, if you want to keep your family intact, if you want to make sure that we’re not in tabloids, the COO and the CEO of Forrester Creations had an affair, there’s only one way out.”
He added, “And if that means we have to suffer with the lie to make everyone else have a peaceful life, then that’s our punishment. He doesn’t understand why there’s an option here. He gets that Finn would probably forgive Steffy. I think in the back of his mind he said that’s an option. He knows. whether it’s true or not, for him, he knows it’s not an option with Daphne. She will leave. She left when he was on his best behavior. She will leave now. For Carter, there is no option.”
WALKING OUT ON HER MARRIAGE
Speaking of walking out, how does Daphne see her role in all that went down? Murielle Hilaire added, “So when Daphne decided to leave it was not because she wasn’t in love with Carter, it’s when she found out she could not give her husband a child, she was heartbroken. She actually only walked out for three hours. She didn’t want to be selfish, and she wanted him to go and maybe find someone who was fertile. I think. if maybe Carter would have followed her to the airport and begged her not to go, maybe she would have left the airport with him (and maybe what happened between he and Steffy wouldn’t have).
THE FUTURE OF SINN
Sinn fans be on the alert! Novlan punctuated that this may be the toughest challenge in Finn and Steffy’s marriage yet. “All I know is that his family means everything to Finn. The kids, his wife, so for him to walk away from that, it would have to be a pretty big lie and this would be one of those lies. They’re love is definitely going to be tested here.”
You can check out the full conversation on the Michael Fairman Channel below.
Now let us know, do you think Finn could walk out on a pregnant Steffy if he learned of her duplicity? Do you think Finn and Daphne might know their spouses slept together, but are keeping the peace, after all, Daphne wants a baby? How do you see this playing out in the months ahead? Weigh-in via the comment section.
Days Of Our Lives
Days of our Lives’ Conner Floyd Talks Dominic Marino Mystery, Chad and Belle, and Susan Seaforth Hayes (Exclusive)

Fasten your seat belts Days of our Lives fans, as the mystery of Dominic Marino continues to unravel on all-new episodes of the Peacock streaming soap opera. Last week, Chad DiMera (Conner Floyd) learned that he may have a half-brother, who may be the biological child of his father, the late Stefano DiMera (the late Joseph Mascolo) and Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall), giving him great pause, because he knows Stefano had kidnapped Marlena for four years back in the late 80s and early 90s.
Chad has already been hunting down clues with his current girlfriend Belle Black (Martha Madison) in Italy and Salem, which revealed a photo of a young boy with Stefano with the date 1992 on the back of it, hidden inside Stefano’s chess set. So, what’s next?
Conner Floyd chatted on the Michael Fairman Channel in a new virtual interview released on Sunday, October 18, where he spoke on what the new addition to the DiMera family could do to the already dangerous sibling rivalries, the state of Chad’s relationship with Belle and much more.

Photo: JPI
DIMERA RIVALRY
After finding out from EJ (Dan Feuerriegel) that Dominic Marino could be the never-before-heard-of child of Stefano and Marlena, Conner Floyd explained, “I think it blows Chad’s mind a little bit. I think there’s a lot of things working there with old Chad. Obviously, bringing in another DiMera could cause some noise and the whole situation with Marlena’s a little awkward as well because he’s dating Belle, so this could cause a little tiff there. I think his head’s spinning and he does not know what to expect, but I also think he kind of expects that from Stefano, for sure.”
As to how this will change and color Chad’s relationship with EJ, Floyd responded, “Chad knows EJ’s not happy about it and I think he’s going to be real upset if this gets in his way of doing what he wants to do with the DiMera legacy and all that. However, for Chad, I think he’s just going to keep a sharp eye, see what this guy’s about, see if he’s here to cause some trouble or here to be a friend and kinda play it by ear.”

Photo: JPI
BELLE OF MY HEART
With Chad and Belle already being sleuths, Floyd says, you can look for the duo to continue getting to the truth. “I think Chad and Belle are committed to this. They’re going full National Treasure, Nicolas Cage,” says Conner. “They’re going to follow the clues. They’re going to get some answers.”
Since beginning in the role of Chad in June of 2025 and debuting on-screen back in April of 2026, the former Y&R star (where he played Chance Chancellor), says it was Madison who helped him get comfortable in his new surroundings.
“Martha is phenomenal. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to get tagged up with when I started here, just because she knows everybody,” shares Floyd. “She knows where to go, who to talk to. She’ll get the tea if you want, and so it was kind of cool. Martha took me under her wing, showed me the ropes. She’s a sweetheart. I love working with her too. She’s a great actress.”
But, is Chad in love with Belle after such a tortured past with his beloved Abigail Deveraux DiMera? Floyd thinks so! “I think he’s into it. They’re such good friends and they have such a rich history. I think he’s in for the ride. You know, it’s one of those things you probably overlook at first and then they reconnected, and it feels easy and they’re going on these fun adventures.”
MAKING CHAD HIS OWN
Conner had the arduous task of being the successor to Billy Flynn in the role of Chad.. Flynn had played the part for 12 years before deciding to exit and head to Y&R. So, how did Conner approach learning the ins and out of Chad? Floyd shared, “I really dove into Chad when I first got this job. I liked that he kind of walks this tightrope of DiMera and not DiMera, you know. He want to so honor his family roots and really do something for the DiMera family, but he doesn’t want to fall into that trap that all the other DiMera have found themselves in. Chad is a DiMera at heart. He’s got those demons, but he’s just trying to keep them contained.”

Photo: JPI
ICONIC
When Floyd got to DAYS, it was none other than Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie Williams) who most surprised him in the most delightful way, given that he knew Hayes was a Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award winner and the current longest-running cast member on the canvas.
“I love working with Susan Hayes! I love her. She’s a sweetheart. Susan is one of the nicest people there. I just thought she was cool and it’s Susan Hayes, you know? We’ve had a lot of scenes together, which is nice,” explained Conner.
“We’ll go to her dressing room, we’ll run our scenes, and then we’ll spend about an hour just talking about life and she’ll tell me about a book she’s reading. She’s such a history buff, which blows my mind. She’ll start dropping all these historical facts on me. I learn something new by the time I walk out of her dressing room every time!”
Now below, check out the full conversation with Conner Floyd via the Michael Fairman Channel.
Weigh-in: Do you like Chad and Belle as couple? Do you think Chad will get to the bottom of the Dominic Marino mystery? If so, do you think Dominic is truly Stefano and Marlena’s son … and what about Rita (Maggie Carney) in all this? Let us know your theories in the comment section.
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Tabyana Ali Weighs In on Who She Thinks is Trina’s Stalker (Exclusive)

On General Hospital, as Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) has launched a music career alongside Gio Palmieri (Giovanni Mazza), it was recently revealed that she actually has what seems like an “obsessed” stalker! How do we know? Well, there is a collage of the young woman that said person is continuing to add more photos to as the weeks and months roll on.
There have been several obvious suspects in the way GH has presented the characters. Chief among them music executive, Simon Craft (Grady Eldridge) who continually has made statements and has been shooting daggers at anyone getting in the way of his prized recording artist.
At the same time the stalking started, Kai’s friend and former college football teammate, Quinn (Jequan Jackson) showed back up who previously had a falling out with Trina. Might he be playing nice, but wants revenge on Trina?

Photo: ABC
KEPT IN THE DARK
Fast-forward and now General Hospital fans learned that two-time Daytime Emmy winner, Alley Mills is on her way back to the show as Heather Webber, who previously was known as”The Hook” killer at one point, and is the biological mother of Trina’s sworn enemy, Esme Prince (last played by Avery Pohl).
Esme perished went she went overboard with Trina’s boyfriend, Spencer Cassadine (last played by Nicholas Alexander Chavez) a few years ago into the steely waters below. Could Esme be the one obsessing over Trina, or could it be someone else completely?
In a brand new video interview out on Tuesday, September 29, Tabyana Ali visited You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel and weighed-in on who she thinks could be the culprit! However, Tabyana shared she actually has no idea who it actually will turn out to be.
“The crazy thing is that everybody knows who it is except for me! They’re keeping that secret from me,” revealed Ali. “They want me to be as oblivious as Trina.”

Courtesy/ABC
THOSE WHO WENT OVERBOARD AND PRESUMED DEAD
After looking over the potential suspects and with all the theories that have floated about, Tabyana had her top picks! “I would love for it to be Spencer. I would love for it to be Esme. Mostly because I also just want my friends back on set, too. I would love to just see them and hang out with them. I think it definitely could be one of those two,” speculated Ali.
“I think everybody thought it could have been Quinn, or could have been Simon. I think we were all pointing in that direction for a minute, but I thinks that’s too easy”, declares Tabyana. “I think they’re just trying to throw me off, and trying to make it seem like it’s one of them. Now, nobody told me one way or the other about them.”
As soaps go, it’s usually not the first string of suspects who turn out to be the actual person behind the stalking. Tabyana agreed, “If you just know writing in general, if you just know TV in general, if you know soaps in general, you know that’s a game. You know, they set up, set up, set up, and then they really show the reveal. So. I was like, ‘This is just the setup to the reveal, right?'”
As for it being Spencer, it may not because his motives are bad. Ali shared, “It could be Spencer trying to fight his way back to Trina, or Heather trying to get revenge for her dead daughter Esme, or Esme herself. Those are all good ones, I was also playing around with what if it’s Cyrus Renault (Jeff Kober)? That would be kind of fun. Don’t know what his motive would be. I know he passed away. He’s dead because of Joss (Eden McCoy), but it’s like everybody comes back alive on soaps, so…”

Photo: ABC
FROM KAI WITH LOVE
Some fans theorized it could be Trina’s boyfriend, Kai Taylor (Jens Austin Astrup) or one another option being that the real stalker takes him out. “I think that’s kind of happened to all of Trina’s boyfriends,” lamented Tabyana. “They’ve all kind of gone that way. So, hopefully it doesn’t happen that way. Would it be easier if Kai was the stalker? Okay, yeah, maybe. He’d go to jail for a couple months or whatever. Come on out and then what? He would had to have had a brain-eating amoeba that made him do it. Who knows?” (Laughs)
In the end, are Trina and Kai truly in love? Ali shared her viewpoint and gave a tease, “I think they have love for one another, but to love someone it does take gradual time. I think it’s getting to that point. I think with this music situation as well, it is really proving to Trina that Kai is willing to be there with her every step of the way.”
She continued, “He is supporting her 10 toes down, making sure that she has everything that she needs, to going to every live show. I think this portion of their lives will definitely guide them somewhere else. I think, an ‘I love you,’ might come just around the corner.”
You can check out the full conversation with Tabyana now on the Michael Fairman Channel below.
Then weigh-in, after hearing Tabyana’s thoughts on the matter, who do you think will be proven to be Trina’s stalker? Let us know via the comment section below.
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