News
Y&R's Michael Muhney on exiting female cast members & cast-trimming measures!

Photo Credit: Glenn Harris
The outspoken Michael Muhney (Adam Newman) of The Young and the Restless spoke recently with Dose.ca of Canada for a very thought-provoking interview. In it, Michael discusses the cast-cutting measures that have recently sent daytime favorites, Maura West, Stacy Haiduk, and Eden Riegel off the Genoa City Canvas.
But, Muhney also reveals that fans can look for more core characters getting plenty of airtime towards the holiday season. Here are a few interesting excerpts!
Muhney on seeing West, Haiduk and Riegel leave Y&R: ” I will say that it’s been quite an educational experience working with Stacy Haiduk (ex-Patty/Emily), Maura West (ex-Diane) and now Eden Riegel, where all three, upon being told they were being dismissed had a final six weeks to shoot, and in their final six weeks, they happen to be in a storyline with me. I’m acting with talented actresses that have been given really sad news and they have to soldier through it. It’s been such a eye opening experience to see three very professional women handle themselves and come into work and just nail it and still find a way to enjoy what they’re doing knowing they’re one their way out.
Maura West on our final week of work, she started breaking down and said “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get this emotional” and ran off. She was trying to thank me and said, “Thank you for being the only person who didn’t treat me like a dead man walking.” And that really hit me. I come to play and at some point in time, I’m leaving the show. Three to five years, or ten to fifteen years and upon my leaving, there’s going to be that time where I know I’m gone and even if it’s on my own terms, I’ll want people being there and bringing it with me, everyday, until the very end. I’m still working with Eden and it’s been interesting. She’s another classy actress who is doing a very fine job.”
Muhney on industry-wide cast-cutting talks to help soaps and Y&R’s longevity and to help ratings: “There’s been talk by journalists, my fellow actors, by fans and by the network that we have a rather large cast. What if we streamline the cast and knock off, and this is just an arbitrary number, 10 folks and we really cut the fat off? I think that’s happening. I want to tell people that I think there’s going to be a stronger focus on core characters. I think it’s going to take some time, after Thanksgiving, but before Christmas. It’s already happening. I can sense that the show is telling stories about more core folks and getting rid of other characters.Yeah, it’s losing viewers. It’s hemorrhaging viewers at times, and you have to wonder, how do you plug that leak?”
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

General Hospital’s Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri) opened up about the burgeoning love triangle forming between his Port Charles alter-go, Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst) after recently aired scenes, plus his hopes for the future of a Dante and Liz pairing, during his appearance on the Sunday, April 23 edition of the That’s Awesome podcast with Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli).
On last week’s episodes of GH, Ric has made the decision that he wanted to propose to his ex-wife, only when he showed up at Elizabeth’s front door, he misread the scenario he walked in with Liz tending to Dante’s injured leg from the softball game. From there, the legal eagle’s jealous streak is reemerging which may cause him to act out and do something unforgivable, or will he take the high road? Stay tuned.
Speaking with Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson about where Elizabeth stands in the annals of the long-running soap, Zamprogna said, “She’s up there with Steve and Maurice (Maurice Benard) as one of the most legacy-filled people on the show.”

Courtesy/ABC
HOW DANTE AND ELIZABETH CAME ABOUT
Dominic jokes it’s a far cry for where Dante and Elizabeth previously, recalling, “We had some scenes together years ago and we were both laughing. Becky’s like, ‘Well, I guess we’re not going be paired up anytime soon.’ I remember we laughed immediately after they yelled ‘cut,”‘and said to each other, ‘Well, so much for that!'”
Fast-forward to early 2025 and as Zamprogna remembered it, “Elizabeth Korte (co-head writer, GH) came up to me at the General Hospital Christmas party, and I think it was a year and a half ago and she said, ‘We’re going to have you in scenes with Elizabeth,’ My internal monologue is going, ‘I’m not with Lulu (Alexa Havins) anymore and Sam’s (Kelly Monaco) gone, so maybe they want to see if this works.’ I didn’t want to get scenes with Becky and try to find the chemistry. I just wanted to play whatever honestly was written and came across for both of us and hope it was what people liked, and I don’t know if it is … or not.”
Knowing how beloved Elizabeth is to the GH faithfuls, Zamprogna added, “She got a big fan base with Ric … and a big fan base with with Jason … and you know, you’re going to piss somebody off. But, didn’t Ric drug Elizabeth and put Carly in a panic room?”

Photo: ABC
DANTE AND ELIZABETH PAIRING COULD STIR UP STORY FOR OTHERS IN PORT CHARLES
In closing, Dominic felt that the wide-reaching tentacles of a Dante and Elizabeth relationship is something he is 100% down for. “The triangle thing; I was happy to hear it was with Ric and her, because I felt it’s important to have her the top of it as opposed to Dante, Lulu and Elizabeth.”
Zamprogna added, “When you get into relationships on a soap, things seem to fizzle out a little bit, The buildup is what’s the fun part, and the getting to know each other, and the people who are affected by this coming together. When with this case it’s going to affect: Ric, Sonny, Lulu. There’s so much more story here. To me, it’s going to be a fun story to play.”
You can check out Dominic’s visit to That’s Awesome with Steve and Bradford below.
Now weigh-in: Are you rooting for Dante and Liz, or Dante and Ric at this juncture of the story, or neither guy for Elizabeth? Let us know your thoughts and picks via the comment section.
Beyond the Gates
‘Beyond the Gates’ Star Mike Manning Lands Role in Indie Horror Feature ‘Deify’

While Smitty tries to hold the fort down in his marriage to congressman Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) and their two teenaged children, Samantha (Najah Jackson) and Tyrell (Jaden Lucas Miller) on Beyond the Gates, Emmy-winner Mike Manning has also landed another feature film role.
According to Deadline, Manning has joined the cast of Deify with 6 other new cast members for the indie psychological horror film starring Neal McDonough and Skeet Ulrich, which was previously announced last week.
Joining Manning as the latest cast addition are: Dennis Haysbert, Ashley Greene, Casey Harnett, Kirk Avecdo, Anji White, anf Nicholas Chimera who’s directing the pic also has a part in the film.
WHAT’S THE STORY OF DEIFY?
Taking to his Instagram with the news of his casting, Manning shared, “A movie about a cult? What could possibly go wrong? Come for the enlightenment. Stay because they won’t let you leave. DEIFY is coming…”
The movie is currently shooting in Chicago and in story, “a cult leader is put on trial after causing his devoted followers to be burned alive. The film is inspired in part by events surrounding the 1993 Waco, Texas, standoff between members of the Branch Davidians church and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, one of the largest civilian firefights ever recorded on American soil.”
MIKE MANNING IS A DAYTIME EMMY NOMINEE
In addition, the multi-talented Manning is a producer on the feature. Previously, Mike was nominated last month in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards. He previously won an Emmy for his role on The Bay and for being a producer on the digital drama.
Mike’s previous credits include the role of Charlie Dale on Days of Our Lives and the Manny on This Is Us, plus various primetime and screen credits.
So intrigued to find what role Mike will play in the upcoming horror/cult film, Deify? Enjoying him as Smitty on Beyond the Gates? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
General Hospital
GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

At the conclusion of today’s August 21 episode of General Hospital, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) sings a lullaby to baby Dez, that went into a montage to close out the episode as her father Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) reports to Pentonville and winds up in his jail cell.
However, in a fun fact, the song entitled, “A Lonely Heart To Give” was actually written by none other than former One Life to Live and General Hospital actor, Patrick J. Gibbons.
Daytime fans first met Gibbons as Sam Manning on One Life to Live. At the time, when he started on the soap, he was just 5-years-old. Gibbons played the part from 2010-2013 on ABC and Prospect Park’s editions of the show. Fast-forward to 2018, Gibbons shows up on General Hospital as Wyatt Hoover, the scout who seemed always be injured, but in the thick of the drama. Patrick had appeared on GH multiple times as Wyatt including: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.

Photo: ABC
FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER’S DEATH CAME THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS SONG
Now in 2026, General Hospital fans are getting to learn about another side of Gibbons’ talent as a songwriter and guitar player after “A Lonely Heart to Give” debuted today! Michael Fairman TV caught up with Patrick, who is now a senior at Penn State entering his final year as a finance major, to get the back-story of how his song wound up on GH!
Gibbons explained he wrote the song in honor of his grandmother who passed away a few years ago with whom he was, very, very close with. “Randomly, my grandmother had a downfall and passed away during the second semester of my sophomore year. I was in my dorm a lot and I was just playing with my guitar. And at the time, I was really into finger-style playing. I wrote the lyric and music to it (with a little help from my guitar teacher Lou), and my mom showed the rough demo to Frank Valentini (EP, General Hospital). He’s like an uncle to me. Frank loved it so much he said, “Finish that up. I want to hear the whole thing, and I want it on the show.”
MAKING MUSIC FOR GENERAL HOSPITAL
Gibbons and his parents took the next steps! “So now, all we needed was a female voice, because I thought that would fit the song well,” Patrick shared. “At the golf club we go to my parents were at a dinner. They liked the singer that was performing and spoke to her about the song, and she says she would like to bring it to her ‘boss’ who ended up being Eric Bazilian of the Hooters fame!” (Bazilian also wrote the smash hit song “One of Us” for Joan Osborne).
Next, “We went in the studio and recorded it and the song came together and it was beautiful. We loved it. They loved it at General Hospital and now they’re putting it the show and they are coming in with a piano, instead of a guitar. Paul Glass, the GH musical director, has been keeping us updated over the last six months of how it was coming along, and when it would air, and how GH put their own arrangement to it. I can’t wait to see and hear what they did with it.”

Photo: JPI
PATRICK’S ONE LIFE TO LIVE FAMILY
Everyone knows that the One Life to Live extended family share a very tight bond, and Patrick said he does stay in touch with a few of his former One Life to Live co-stars, especially those from the Manning family! “I stayed in touch with Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair) and sent her little videos here and there. She was like my second mom for five years. We keep in contact with Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) over X the most, and she can’t believe how big I’ve gotten. Like, none of them can! (laughs). I also loved working with Roger Howarth (ex-Todd) and Trevor St. John (ex-Todd and Victor Jr.), and to me since I was so young, they were just my friends, ‘Roger and Trevor,’ not Todd Manning or Victor Jr.”
It was a trip to California and a visit to Port Charles that ultimately led to Gibbons second soap role of Wyatt Hoover. Patrick explains, “In 2016, Frank Valentini invited us out to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital. I think he heard me say, ‘This is so much fun. I miss being on the set.’ He goes, ‘You should come out. I’ll bring you on the show. We can make you a character.'”
A few years later, Patrick’s dream became a reality! “Then, by the summer of 2018, I was playing Wyatt, the scout, and shared scenes with Wes Ramsey (Peter August), and the best was when I shared a scene with Roger Howarth and Michael Easton (ex-John, OLTL and ex-Silas, Finn et al, GH), it was like chemistry from the old days.”

Photo: PGibbons
IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS
As to his future aspirations, it’s a career in the finance game that has piqued Gibbons’ real-life interest. But never say never to a return to acting. Patrick explained, “I’ve always enjoyed numbers. And on top of that, one of the biggest parts of finance is being personable and outgoing.”
He continued, “That’s one of the greatest skills I developed growing up. I really love the markets. I’m super interested. I’m never going to close the door to acting. I’m always open to that because I just love it so much. It’s such a great art.”
Take note! If there are any investment bankers or private equity folks among the GH faithful looking for a young analyst next year, Patrick’s DMs are open. You can find him on X at @PatrickJGibbons.”
So, what did you think of the song sung by Trina on today’s GH that was written by Patrick J. Gibbons? Did you enjoy Patrick’s performances as One Life’s Sam and GH’s Wyatt? Would you like to see him back on GH at some point? Let us know via the comment section.
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First, Latham and, then, Arena-Bell have destroyed this show. I never thought I’d see the day. The character destructions, the history re-writes and the plot driven nonsense have been allowed to go on for too long. I cannot even watch anymore because it’s simply intolerable to me. Y&R needs a renaissance like OLTL had with Carlivati and Valentini. Unfortunately, I’m beginning to think the destruction is intentional, and it’s very sad.
I have noticed recently that story lines are started on Y&R and left dangling just as they are on OLTL.
It makes it hard to keep up with show or at times care.
I suspect this ‘destruction’ as you call Jared,may be intentional.
It is a sad day…
Even sadder is the CRAP they are creating to fill its time slot.
Good interview and I totally agree with Mr. Muhney. The show needs to get back to basics. PLEASE no more new characters for a while!! At times the show is unrecognizable and I don’t know if I am watching AMC or GL.
Well, I hope he can comfort Debbi Morgan because I give it three months tops. MAB knows zip about running a soap opera. I have removed it from my DVR and watched a few minutes last night and I felt like I was at a bad high school play. And you do get the feeling they are letting her do it on purpose every actor is phoning it in. And the rumor is that there has not been this much back biting between the actors since Edward Scisssorhands rode on the back of my motorcycle!!!
With all the “cast member trimming down”, I pray that Michael Muhney’s status on “Y&R” stays intact!
To know that Maura cried and ran off set destroys me. No wonder she has no much hostility towards the show now. I hate Y&R right now.
Trimming the large cast is a start. However, even with a smaller cast, the show will still decline if better judgment and skill is not brought to the writing (quit wasting time on garbage like launching a real Jabot Cosmetics line!). It doesn’t matter if the show has 10 actors or 100. If the material continues to be as lousy as it has been for the past 3 or 4 years, this show is a goner!
I have watched Y&R since the first episode. I am absolutely stunned at how lousy this once great show has become. I can barely watch some of the episodes, let alone actually be interested in most of the plots!
Something is NOT working at this show. It just is not there. Hopefully, they will figure it out QUICKLY.
There is no excuse for the continued – destruction of each character on this show. Maria Arena Bell – is DESTROYING Bill Bell’s legacy and shame on CBS and Sony for allowing it to continue. Not to mention the idiotic casting and firing on this show. It is appalling.
We as old timers (I’m 78) have watched soaps for years.Y&R has been a favorite up until the beginning of 2011. Whoever took over the writing ( someone obviously has, or the staff has developed brain damage) has seriously damaged the shows ratings. The impression that evil always excels is not realistic. The power for persons to dominate accorded to them because they are wealthy is reasonable to assume in real life. However the limits imagined by the writers is not even conceivable. Further the reluctance for the intimidated to confront one another regarding the truth is unreal and sickening.
Y&R is now in a tie with B&B for boring, frustrating, unimaginative and unrealistic.
Maybe it’s time to get rid of writers, rather than actors.
Simple fix. Billy, Victoria and the baby girl get re-united, which reveals the truth concerning Billy’s transplanted marrow, and Victors lies.
The ratings will jump, allowing Diane’s murder accomplice and Nikki to go un-revealed for at least a year. Can’t handle anymore stupidity.