News
Y&R's Michelle Stafford chats, "I think the "Phickers" will be very excited"!
Photo Credit: JPI Studios
Late last week, On-Air On-Soaps attended the 38th anniversary on set celebration of The Young and the Restless on the series soundstage at CBS. Many of your Genoa City favorites were in attendance. We caught up with Michelle Stafford (Phyllis) to find out her thoughts on her time with the series, a preview of what’s next for Phyllis. and if there is hope for “Phick” fans. Plus, what the talented two-time Daytime Emmy winner submitted for contention for a nomination for this year’s race. Here is our ” quickie’ conversation with Michelle!
Do you like what Phyllis has been up to on-air lately? Will viewers get to see her drive her own story soon?
MICHELLE: I think what she is going to start doing soon will be very fun, and I am very excited about it. I am an honest girl, there are ebbs and flows. You are on a show for thirteen years and you do a big storyline, and then you sort of pull back to prepare for other things. So, being on a soap there are definitely ebbs and flows all the time.
Joshua Morrow (Nick) told On-Air On-Soaps in a recent interview there was hope for “Phick” fans. What would you say to that?
MICHELLE: Oh yes, there is a lot of hope for them. And, I think the “Phickers” will be very excited middle to late April. Phyllis and Nick are a good coupling. You think of them being together, so that is good storytelling on the writer’s part.
Of your thirteen years on Y&R, what has been your favorite storyline?
MICHELLE: The affair with Nick was awesome, which is the only affair Phyllis has had, really. When you look at these two characters on paper you would think no way would they be together, so that was really great. I loved the Tim Reid material, her shrink! That was so much fun to play.
You are pre-nominated in the Lead Actress category for the Daytime Emmys. What episode or reel did you go with to submit for the final round of voting?
MICHELLE: I submitted the episode where Phyllis kicks Nick to the curb! I had two montages in there that slowed it down, but it is what it is.
What is one observation you have, when you look at the entire cast gathered here today for the series 38th anniversary celebration?
MICHELLE: Everyone on this show is very pretty. I have to tell you a funny story. People will set me up on dates, and I will say, “What does he look like?” And, they will say, “Oh he’s gorgeous.” Then, I will see a picture and go, “Oh” and that is because, look at this cast we look at every day! It’s warped my judgment of the male human race. (Laughs)
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’ 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
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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General Hospital3 days ago‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos
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NO to Phick! Omg I swear if they re-re-re-re commit again I will turn the channel!
I don’t like or never did like Phick. I still don’t.
I love Phack!!! they are awesome together.
Thank you so much for the interview. I love Phick! Michelle and Joshua are amazing!
Phyllis and Nick are my all time favorite couple. Thank you for the interview.
YUCK! I can NOT stomach another pairing of this ICKY duo! I will NOT watch a redo of PUKE part 2!
Ashley you said it perfectly! A phick reunion will be the final straw for me watching Y&R. I will officially be done.
Later, kids! I can’t wait for a re-pair! Jack and Phyllis are such a bore. Give me hot sex over chemistry any day!
We will miss you. 🙂
Unfortunately for “phickers”, that couple will never last because Nick will always want Sharon when he is with Phyllis 🙂 Shick = true love. Phick = just sex.
i love nick and phyllis a lot i can wait tell they come back togther with their daugter and family they are the best couple on the show ever can see i it is better than nick and diane
go Phick you rule
OMG this is the most exciting of news, I cannot wait to see them once again grace my screen, how I have missed this coupling, first Josh and now Michelle has given this fan hope. I will once again become glued to my set. Phick fan signing in and up
Am I dreaming? I have been longing and waiting for them to come back to us and it looks like there is a definite start coming.
This show is about to explode from all that Phick chemistry being released again.
Great interview
YES!!!!!!!! I am an ABSOLUTELY GENUINE PHICK fan!!!!!!!! Never a Phyllis or Nick fan in the past until they were paired up!!!!!!! Give me my Josh – Michelle MAGIC, I can’t say anything to describe what I am feeling right now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO MICHELLE, GO JOSH, GO PHICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BLOW UP THE SCREEN!!!!! STEAM UP THE SHOW!!!!!!!!! After all, you are the best thing that happened to it!!!!!
Personally I’m one of those “Phickers” who is thrilled to hear that Phick may not be over! They are the ONLY reason I watch Y&R & the day they broke Phick up is the day I stopped watching the show. I look forward to Michelle & Joshua bringing their one of a kind chemistry back to Y&R. It’s definitely needed!
Thank you Michelle!!
Ewwww NO MORE PHICK!!!! They are disgusting together!
I want to see a re-pairing of PHICK only because I want to see Phyllis pulverize the new Diane. It’s been too long coming, and once Stafford’s Phyllis realizes that Nick has Diane-Skank on him she’s going to freakin’ lose it on her!
Yes I’m Soooooooo Excited love Phick !!!!!!!
No to Phick it was awful to watch for years!
I might take a hiatus of some sort, same old same old is not working for me!
Phick was the hottest couple in daytime ever! YES! YES ! YES! to nick and phyllis burning up the screen again! I stopped watching because of their breakup but hopefully the writers will fix that mistake. PHICK 4 EVER.
Yea!! I love Phick!! Such a terrific couple! Can’t wait!
GROSS!!!! phICK is the most nasty couple in daytime history. SHICK is the best!!
Dear Michael,
As usual another great interview. After Joshua’s interview I remember asking you to go get one from Michelle and so you did!! So thank you very much. And as usual Michelle NEVER EVER DISAPPOINTS. She is such a great lady who obviously loves Y&R very much and especially her FANS.
This is what Y&R needs right now some major BUZZ that only Phick do so well more than any other couple on the show. And the irony is they weren’t even supposed to be long-term and here we are 6 years later and they are still going strong and still have that buzz about them. Already your own board has been lit up with responses and so have others apparently. It does not matter whether people love Phick, like Phick, hate Phick, or dislike Phick..the simple and indisputable fact is that whenever Joshua or Michelle mention the slightest positive thing about Phick or talk about Phick in general, soap cyberspace goes crazy. Some people get excited or happy and some pull out their claws LOL. I LOVE IT!! Either way if I were Maria Bell, CBS & Sony I would pay attention because the soap genre really needs something to keep it alive. They can’t always live on the “we used to do it like this in the past”, they need to mix it up old & new.
And for Y&R nothing gets more buzzworthy than just the mere mention of Phick LOL!! And heavens know, this show needs some oxygen..I can’t believe I am watching CNN in the daytime vs. Y&R when all I want to do for an hour of the day is escape from reality.
Very well said… on all accounts! You rock!
Summed it up perfectly..I love reading your responses and takes. Phick fan now and always
Phick was great. They destroyed them. Phyllis deserves a real man. Not JerkNick!!!
Love, love, LOVE Phick and Michelle Stafford. Can’t wait to see what April has in store for the best couple on daytime. Its about time Phick finds their way back to one another.
Thanks for the great interview!
Great gobs of gag-me! Phick sucked then and they suck now. It is gross to see an elderly woman like MS with a baby-faced wuss like JM. The affair between Nick and Phyllis destroyed this show. It has never been the same. It was all about porn and nothing about love. Nick and Sharon had depth and were all about the sort of overall love and tenderness that made y and r the great show it was. Frankly I wish you would stop interviewing MS and trying to encourage a regrouping of a couple that was the worst pairing ever on this show. In an interview AFTER this one, JM said that there is no more Phick…that he has turned a page on that relationship. So I wish that MS and JM would get their stories straight.
Wow. You’re mean.
OK… I have to ask.. are you completely forgetting Sharon’s deeds while Nick was with Phyllis? Your 2.0 version of Cricket “the Paragon of Virtue” was out shoplifting and sleeping with any man who would have her! Don’t got hating….. just sayin!
Phyllis isn’t old by any means, but when paired with Nick the age difference does show.
How dare you be so CRUEL! You must be a miserable person. Instead of spending your time watching this show you need to spend it on a couch. MS is a REAL person with REAL feeling … what is wrong with you?
Shick is the gross couple ewwwwww! Sharon has slept with his brother and tried to bang his daddy so revolting. Whooooohooooooooo!!!!! to phick the only woman who has never betrayed him is phyllis and they have crazy chemistry can’t wait for this!.
Oh and one more thing…I have to snicker at the way MS wants to be with JM. Laugh at the notion that she thought the affair with Nick was ‘awesome.’ In more than one interview she ‘pretended’ to realize that breaking up a marriage is hardly awesome. And here she is spewing out her genuine feelnigs. Hooray! Lets break up another marriage!
You take things wayyy too seriously. It’s a TV show, honey.
This is a TV show, and maybe Michelle realized that she did enjoy the coupling, maybe it took her years to admit it, I am not sure why a realization about the fun she had acting with her acting partner is something to snicker about. And Nick or Phyllis is not married to anyone, they are both free.
I am not even going to go into a back and forth, what I am happy to see is that my two fave actors from my fave show, loves my fave reel couple.
YESssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss! Can’t wait
I liked your short interview with Michelle. I don’t know if I want to see her with Nick, though. I think she needs a new man on the scene now. The show is getting a bit stale for me now. They need a really good shake-up. I wish her luck on the Emmy’s, but don’t think she is deserving of it. We shall see….
Finally some hope for phick fans! 🙂 It’s long overdue. This was such a fantastic interview. I love MS. And I love what phick did for Y&R. Before phick I would only watch Y&R causally. But when phick started it really breathed some new life into the show and I just could not miss an episode. Shick was so over and done by then. Phick came in at the right time to make everyone take notice. I hope it can do that again real soon. Y&R is not the same without phick together.
I love Nick & Phyllis they need to be together because they are best couple in daytime history and I want to watch them on t.v.
Go phick forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love you Michelle
Good Lord! I’m so sick of all the Phick pimping, because truth be told I think they were THE WORST coupling in Y&R history. I’m sick to my stomach to think that Phick will reunite after only 1 year, while the fans of one of the best couples in Y&R history, Shick, created by the master himself, Bill Bell, will be teased and jerked around even longer. Wow. I guess I really have ZERO reason to tune back in to watching. Nick and Phyllis should NEVER reunite. They are contrived and just not believable in any shape or form. They literally make me ill.
Go lie down you’ll be okay … lol!
I agree Karlie!!! Phick is NASTY! They’ll never last because Sharon and Nick are soulmates. Shick fans have been waiting for years and yet its phick that gets questioned all the time. Who cares about phick – WHAT ABOUT SHICK?
I am so excited that we will be getting some Phick soon. Breaking them up and making Nick pin after Sharon, a woman he wasn’t even all that gaga about during the last years of their marriage was ludicrous. Nick and Phyllis are phenomenal together and sizzle up the screen together, there’s a reason TV Guide named them the most popular couple in Y&R history and why they were voted the best supercouple on the Y&R 35th anniversary site despite the fact that were going head to head with Y&R’s royalty supercouple, Victor and Nikki. It’s t9ime they were reunited and given a storyline about them and not saving Sharon, who actually sizzles with Adam surprisingly enough. Let’s get back to the heat, intrigue, fun-loving, steamy Phick that so many viewers fell in love with and stop wasting the palpable chemistry between Michelle Stafford and Joshua Morrow but pairing them with others that only produce lukewarm results. With Billy and Victoria going strong, Sharon and Adam’s wrong but right romance, and the probability of Nick and Phyllis reuniting, I just may have reason to actual tune in to the whole show again.
Nick and phyllis move faster then marcus allen.