Interviews
Y&R’s Peter Bergman Talks 30 Years Of Jack Abbott, His Co-Stars, And His Gratitude
When you think of the world of daytime drama, you can’t get any better than this man. And, this week, three-time Daytime Emmy winner, Peter Bergman celebrates his 30th anniversary in the pivotal and now iconic role of Jack Abbott on CBS’ The Young and the Restless.
To mark the occasion, viewers are in for an emotional standalone episode on Monday, November 25th, when Jack’s sister, Traci (Beth Maitland) hands him the completed manuscript of the memoir she has been working on about the Abbott clan, and lets Jack be the first to read it. As he goes through it, Jack recalls the ups and the downs of his life. Get ready for some flashbacks and have the hankies ready!
Throughout the years, we have witnessed Jack do anything possible to keep control of the family business (Jabot Cosmetics). We have watched his longstanding feud with Victor Newman (Eric Braeden), and how Jack spiraled out of control to a pain pill addiction. As for Jack’s love life, well, that has not always been too successful. There have been many wives and many divorces through the years. But for Jack, it’s all about family … from his sons, to his siblings … to his mother and father, and while there has been often rivalry, there has also been deep love and affection. All of this and more has offered 21-time Emmy nominee and soap vet, Bergman a palette to bring his honed acting skills and passion for the genre to each and every episode in which he appears.
Many a soap fan also knows that Peter got his soap star in New York as Dr. Cliff Warner on ABC’s All My Children, but who knew back then that a career-defining role was eventually going to be waiting for him in Hollywood.
Michael Fairman TV chatted with Peter as he reflects on his time in Genoa City from: his beginnings on Y&R replacing another talented actor, Terry Lester, to his Abbott family co-stars; to what this milestone means to him, to how he felt about taping the episode in his honor, and what life lessons he has learned along the way.
While we have had the good fortune to interview Peter many times over the years, this was an extra special conversation that we hope you will enjoy as we salute the one and only Mr. Bergman.

Photo: JPI
How have you liked all of the attention that has come your way surrounding your 30th anniversary on Y&R? I know you well enough to know you don’t often like all the pomp and circumstance. However, it’s been great to see you get the acknowledgements through: your own upcoming special Y&R standalone episode that airs Monday, your visit to The Talk recently, the satellite media tour you just did with CBS affiliate markets around the country, interviews with the press, and that very cool photo shoot spread in CBS Watch!
PETER: (Laughs) You know, it’s so funny. My wife, Mariellen said to me more than once in the last couple of weeks, “All of this stuff keeps coming up, and you’ve not made a big deal of this at home,” and it’s true. I feel like we just celebrated 25. That seems like just 2 years ago. But, here we are again. Approaching all of this, CBS, Matt Kane (publicist, Y&R) and Melissa Burton (publicist, CBS) said, “So, what do we want to do? A cake and a party?” I said, “No, no, no. I feel like we just did that. Let’s just go low-key.” So, their version of low-key is somewhat different than my version of low-key. (Laughs) I have my own episode, and have been on talk shows galore, and have done interviews with the likes of you, and everything over 30 years. Actually, I have to be honest, it has been great fun. It’s surprising how much fun I’ve had. Some of the conversations are just about wonderful memories that I have been forced to look at and cherish. So here are a couple insights from that. I was asked, “What did you see in 30 years of tape?” I saw a lot of storypoints that we could talk about, but I also saw all of these friendships that I have made and that I value so much. I remember when I first got to the job. I was this New York snob thinking, “What am I doing in this God-forsaken, cultural vacuum of a town (referring to Hollywood)?” Oh, if only I had just embraced it from the moment I got here. People were probably being exceedingly friendly and welcoming to me, and I didn’t even see it. I was so busy being at malcontent. It lasted for a long time. I kept our apartment for 7 years in New York. It was so clear though, that Y&R was becoming one of those gigs. But, I still held on to that apartment, just in case, because once this thing is over, I am out of here! (Laughs)

Photo: JPI
Truth be told, when I moved out to L.A, from New York I felt the same way. I was ready to hightail it back the first chance I could. I also should have embraced it earlier. Looking back on it now, what would you have done differently?
PETER: Oh, if I could do it all over again, the first day, I would have sold the New York apartment, bought a surf board, bought a set of golf clubs, joined a tennis club, embraced California, reached out to my cast members, welcomed them into my life. I didn’t do any of those things, and I am a little embarrassed by that because look at what it tuned into. I have joked before that I was dragged kicking and screaming to the best thing that has ever happened to me. These past couple of weeks have been a reminder that that’s actually true.

Photo: JPI
I remember when you first took over the role of Jack Abbott. You were a recast taking over the part last played by Terry Lester. What I always loved about all of our conversations, or conversations that I’ve seen you do with others, is that you always say that you feel a connection to those performers who come onto Y&R or any other soap, who have to step into the shoes of a character previously played by another actor.
PETER: That’s right. I do indeed. I am their best friend. I make sure I find anyone who finds themselves in that situation and I have a conversation with them; for instance: Mark Grossman (Adam, Y&R) just the other day. I said, “Mark, you’ve been here long enough. You’ve now established Adam. You don’t have to look back at what anyone else did with this character. Now we have to tell Mark Grossman’s version of Adam,” and he did welcome that advice because yeah, it’s a hard thing to do. It’s a hard thing to step into a role that’s been played by someone else before
Knowing that, was there trepidation on your part once you got the role of Jack?
PETER: Oh, yeah. I’m telling you, every prop person, every set decorator, every lighting person knew more about Jack Abbott than I did. It was daunting. It was really daunting. I’d try something, “Eh, I’m going to try this,” and they’d cut it short and go, “No, no,” and they were right! They were helping to guide me towards making this my own, but we do this in baby steps. I’m just amazingly grateful. This has been a time of gratitude, and it has surprised me.

Photo Credit: JPI
When you found out that Y&R was going to air a 30th anniversary episode in honor of you and the character of Jack Abbott, what was your reaction to that?
PETER: My first reaction was some reluctance, “Is that going to be interesting at all?” and my second reaction was, “Wow! That’s pretty damn flattering.” I’m genuinely honored and flattered by that. That really touched me.
In the anniversary episode that viewers will see on Monday, was there a scene that you did that just either gut-punched you … or made you think about something that transpired over the years differently, or was just so emotional for you?
PETER: There were several that gut-punched me. There were a few emotional highlights of stories, and emotional peaks of stories in there. If I had to pick one thing to take away from it, and this is kind of curious because I was surprised by this. I watched my relationship with so many different people and thought about how they’ve changed or grown. I watched scenes with Phyllis, and thought, “This is probably Jack’s most painful loss.” There is something just inherently oil and water with them. This old money, somewhat straight-laced guy, and this crazy-ass girl from the other side of the tracks, like no woman he ever met at the country club. I watched those scenes, and I thought, “Wow, that is terrific,” and I thought of it from Jack’s perspective, and I thought, “These two people never got out of love. It just got too painful between them.” That really stood out to me. There were scenes that I saw a lot of Jack exposed in. He covers himself pretty well with lots of people. He was pretty exposed for a while. He doesn’t give it away to just anybody. I watched those scenes and there was an emotional honestly in there that was kind of startling.

Photo: JPI
Jack has had been married several times, and had five divorces along the way. Some of the women in his life have included: Sharon, Nikki, Luan, Patty, Jill, and Phyllis.
PETER: That’s right. There was Patty. Nikki a couple of times. There were a few women, and every one of them changed Jack. The Jack that I watched in the progression of this show… … the Jack when I first got there … was a pretty selfish guy. He was out for himself and pretty much through Nikki and then through others, learned compassion. Jack earned empathy in a way he hadn’t before, and we watched him build a conscience in the progress of telling Jack’s story.
At this point, Jack needs to have a woman in is life that can be one of the great loves and relationships of his lifetime. Do you think he’d be prepared for that now?
PETER: Oh yes. Strangely enough, I think he’s more prepared for that now than ever before. Part of Jack’s problem always with these women is that all of these women paid for Dina’s sins. He expected every one of them to leave. It was almost a foregone conclusion. The most important woman of his life left when he was 14, and one by one all these other women left him.

Photo: JPI
Is there someone in a primetime series, motion pictures, daytime, the theatre, who would you love to see play your love interest on Y&R?
PETER: Who would I love to see play my love interest? Gosh, I wish I had an answer to that. I think just bring her on. I’ll make it work. I think that’s a side of Jack that we haven’t gotten to see for a while, and I agree with you. I think now, he actually might be ready for a two-way relationship that isn’t all about him, that is based on some truth, that is based on looking out for someone else as much as he looks out for himself. I think he is more ready for that now than he has ever been. We’ll see if they are ready to invest in that, and if that is something they’re ready to see.
You’ve had 21 Daytime Emmy nominations in acting categories, but I want to nominate you for “Best Chair-Throwing in a Daytime Drama Series”.
PETER: (Laughs) You can only do it in one take. They don’t have several sheets of glass, so it had better work when you do it.
Remember; when you did that now classic chair throw in the showdown between Jack and Victor (Eric Braeden)?
PETER: Yes, The first one was with Eric Braeden. My favorite part of that story is Mike Denney was directing it, and I pulled Mike aside as we were blocking it. I said, “Wouldn’t there be just crazy wind at that level, that high up? Wouldn’t the wind be nuts?” and Mike had like three fans brought in, and I looked over, and Eric Braeden’s hair was everywhere. Mine had blown from one part of my scalp to the other. (Laughs) It was this wind storm that made it all the more dramatic. I loved the finished product of that, and I got to have a little hand in it.

Photo: JPI
And the second was more recent when Jack finds out about Ashley’s duplicity and throws the chair threw the glass at Jabot
PETER: The second chair throwing through a window with Ashley was just pure animal, anger, disgust, revulsion, everything black in Jack coming out that way, and that stupid glass shouldn’t have been there in the first place, but we put that in. (Laughs)
I can’t wait for the next chair throw!
PETER: I’m practicing just in case!

Photo: JPI
I’m going to name a few cast members of the Abbott clan, and if you could just give me a few words about working with each of them through the years that would be great. Let’s start with Beth Maitland (Traci).
PETER: Beth Maitland, the beating heart and soul of the Abbott family, the conscious of the Abbotts, the keeper of the family secrets, she knows everything, and she’s kept it to herself. A generous, kind, thoughtful, hard-working, and really responsible friend.
Eileen Davidson (Ashley) …
PETER: Eileen Davidson… exotic, smart as a whip, and a lot funnier than most people know. She makes me laugh until I cry. She is at once beautiful and funny, and that is a lethal combination.

Photo: JPI
Jerry Douglas (John) …
PETER: Jerry Douglas… just a sweet, sweet man who has always had such ease in playing my father that it made it easy to be his son. He was a generous actor that way.
Jason Thompson (Billy) …
PETER: Jason Thompson … naturally cool. There are two things that Jason has that seem to be contradictory. He is cool and at the same time warm-loving and…. just sweet. Kind. That doesn’t happen. There is a cool about Jason that has always been there. It just comes totally naturally to him, and at the same time you see this love and warmth and genuine kindness.

Photo:JPI
Marla Adams (Dina) …
PETER: Marla Adams, that sweetheart of a woman who loves to break into song at a moment’s notice, just makes me smile, and from the moment she came back is a daily reminder to be grateful for work, to be grateful for this job. She is a walking reminder that we are lucky, lucky actors, and she is a very talented woman.

Photo JPI
Michael Mealor (Kyle) …
PETER: Michael Mealor, a 28-year-old man with the soul of a 50-year-old man. He is so evolved. He is so bright, asks smart questions. Michael is a wise, wise man for his age and experience. He constantly surprises me. He constantly amazes me, and all of that with a sense of humor is a cool thing.

Photo: JPI
What do you think your longtime castmate, the late Kristoff St. John (Ex-Neil) would say to you if he were here for your 30th anniversary with Y&R?
PETER: Oh, Kristoff St. John was always so generous with accolades, with commendations, with compliments. I think Kristoff would look at this as a great thing for me, and a great thing for him, and a great thing for the show. He was just that generous. I miss him on a regular basis. That was a generous, generous heart, and a tragic end to a vibrant life.
In story, and just in time for your 30th, Jack is back as the CEO of Jabot. Billy has resigned, and now upon learning Theo (Tyler Johnson) is family, Jack gets Theo to stay in Genoa City and not go to Paris to work with Ashley and become part of the Jabot team. Will Jack thrive this time as CEO?
PETER: Yes, Jack is back to taking the reins at Jabot. I think that is as it should be. I think it is very hard for the audience or anyone to see, “Wait Jabot without Jack? I’m not sure what that is.” So, yes, I’m happy to be back and happy to be working regularly with Michael Mealor and Hunter King (Summer) and the whole gang over there, and now Theo. Tyler Johnson is just fantastic. What a really neat guy… a young philosopher who is well-read and has this curious, curious mind that makes us all smile.

Photo: JPI
When did you know that the Victor/Jack feud was lightning in a bottle?
PETER: I think it snuck up on me. Ten years in, I realized, “Wait a second, this actually is a rivalry for the ages.” I knew very early on that Victor Newman’s presence in Jack’s life made Jack a more interesting character. I fully understood that and a great credit to Eric Braeden and what he and I got to establish together (what he established first of all with Terry Lester and what he and I got to continue). So, this enduring rivalry is a now part of, I think, television history. I don’t know if there is any rivalry that has lasted this long on one show … ever.
Which of these Jack nicknames is your favorite? “Jackie”, which his family calls him, “Jackie Boy”, which John Abbott called him, “Jacko”, which Brad Carlton called him, and “Goddamn Jack Abbott” which is what Victor called him! (Laughs) And, there is of course, “Smiling Jack” as the character has been referred to over time.
PETER: I hear the name “Jackie”, and it is only used by my on-screen sisters and so that makes me smile. They call me “Jackie” a lot. “Smiling Jack”, I never fought that, but “Jackie” always feels good.

Photo: F. Scott Schafer/CBSWatch!
You know when people say, “Peter Bergman” the words associated with that are: “class act”, “respect”, “gracious” and “one helluva an actor” So in closing, what would you want to say to the fans that have supported you and loved your character for 30 years on this show?
PETER: I am so grateful, and genuinely surprised with the way the audience has connected with my friend Jack Abbott. I am so grateful that they have allowed Jack to grow and change. I am so grateful that the audience always wants to know Jack’s side of the story, and just those things make it possible for me to do the greatest job that anyone could ever have. I have the greatest job thanks to all of those qualities in the people who watch the show.
Share your thoughts on 30 years of memorable performances of Peter Bergman and your favorite Jack Abbott moments via the comment section below. But first, check out the promo for Monday’s standalone episode of Y&R in honor of Bergman, a video shared with international broadcasters and the media of the milestone, and one of Peter’s Daytime Emmy-winning moments.
Petter deserves high praise for his Jack role..
30 years WOW half a lifetime, he is very committed.
but– (always a but lol)
His character is so wimpy..
Jack is a sucker
The best word to describe the Jack character is-
…..GULLIBLE …
The Abbot family is BLAH in comparison to the rockin’ Newman family..
Anyways..
Jack wouldn’t be Jack without Victor who wouldn’t be Victor without Jack.. (figure that one out lol)
CONGRATULATIONS PETTER !! FOR 30 GREAT YEARS!!
Y&R WOULDN’T BE what it is WITHOUT YOU !!
He has such a distinctive look & voice & even though he’s played Jack on Y&R for so long I still, every time I see his face I can’t help but think of Cliff & Nina on All My Children. I can hear him on that show! A part of me will always think of him as Cliff who I loved so much as an 18 yr old, ha. Y&R was lucky to get him & he’s been lucky to stay there! ALL GOOD!
Gloria most definitely the best chemistry he ever had was with Taylor Miller/Nina !!! They were what in those times they called a Super Couple!
He is who you think he is, a nice, warm individual who somehow got to shine in the gloom and doom of Hollywood! Peter, I wish you 30 more years of anything you wish for!
What a classy guy. Peter is fabulous and Jack. Congratulations on 30 years at Y&R!!!
I love him; and I loved him as Cliff on AMC.
Congratulations, “Jackie.”
Watching the episode today, the writers missed a perfect potential storyline. Rather than Theo being the son of a dead unseen brother, he should have been the John who received the heart transplant from Jack and Niki’s baby… That would have made the entire Summer connection even more interesting…
great actor and a class act
Congratulations Peter. You took Jack Abbott and made him your own. You are Jack Abbott. May you have many more years on Y&R
Interviews
‘The Bold and the Beautiful’s’ Heather Tom Talks Daytime Emmy-Nominated Scenes and What’s Behind Katie’s Deep-Seated Issues with Dylan (Exclusive)

The Bold and the Beautiful’s Heather Tom (Katie Logan) is heading into the 53rd annual Daytime Emmys next month with a chance to win not one, but two gold statuettes to add to her collection of six!
Heather is once again a nominee for the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series, and for the first time a nominee as part of B&B’s writing team in the Outstanding Writing for a Daytime Drama Series category.
Currently, Heather is tied with One Life to Live icon, Erika Slezak (Ex-Viki) as the actresses with the most wins in Daytime Emmy history. An acting victory by Tom would break the tie, although Slezak’s wins have all been for Lead Actress, while Tom literally grew up before our eyes over 35 years in daytime, and has won in all three actress categories: Younger, Supporting and Lead.

Photo: JPI
Whether Tom wins the gold this year, next year is looking even like stronger lock with Heather delivering some of the best work of her career, over the last several months. Who can forget Katie’s showdown with her sister Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) over the creation of her own fashion house named Logan, that slap from Brooke, and eventually being disowned from the Logan family by Brooke and their sister, Donna (Jennifer Gareis).
This fall, Katie is in full momma bear-mode and being overprotective of her son Will Spencer’s (Crew Morrow) heart and pocketbook. In story, Katie has a massive distrust of Melissa Dylan, who has made her move on her son, while Will is still trying to deal with the break-up with the love of his life Electra Forrester.
During a live chat this week on the Michael Fairman Channel, Heather opened up on a myriad of subjects, including why Dylan gets under Katie’s skin in such a major way, and what scenes earned her a shot at Lead Actress gold at the October 30th Daytime Emmy ceremony.

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HEATHER TOM’S DAYTIME EMMY SUBMISSION
In daytime, Heather Tom does it all, she acts, directs and writes for The Bold and the Beautiful. When deciding what material to submit for Emmy competition with its eligibility rules of episodes from 2025, it relayed heavily on scenes with her longtime B&B scene partner, Don Diamont (Bill Spencer).
“I submitted material having to do with the Luna (Lisa Yamada) storyline and having to do with Katie and Bill. I love that Katie and Bill have been really trying to find their way back to each other for, honestly, five years. He’s been trying to woo her back. Katie’s been like, ‘No.’ However, they come together, especially over their son, Will (Crew Morrow) and they have a very real relationship-type of discussion. It wasn’t an argument. It was more about, ‘I know you. Don’t do this.’ That’s always kind of been Katie’s relationship with Bill. The scenes with Don Diamont were about Katie and Bill’s history, the pain, and the drama, and especially about their son, seemed very familiar to me.”
Heather added, “There’s also a couple scenes with Will and Luna, when Katie finds out that Luna is pregnant. Katie was like, ‘Nope! Our son is having a baby with somebody, and we’re going to figure this out. We’ve got means and the ability to do this. I don’t care if we have to take this baby away from Luna because she’s crazy, we’ll figure it out.’ They were some really good scenes that I felt very proud of. I thought to myself, “OK, this is Katie really taking a stand for her son, and having these conversations with Bill where I just felt they were real and honest.”
In conclusion to standing by her choices of scenes, Heather explained, “It was nice to see Bill and Katie operating as a parental unit and have her be like, “Yep, we’re not doing this. You know, you can’t force Luna to do anything, so let’s just figure out how we’re dealing with this.” Katie was kind of the adult in the room. Then, the scenes where Bill says to Katie, “You have to come back to me and I need you,” while Katie shed a few tears, she still didn’t take him back, not yet.”

Photo: JPI
DYLAN BROKE THE ‘GIRLFRIEND CODE’
There are specific reasons why Katie has it out for Melissa Dylan. In fact, Dylan went so far as to get her mother Darcy Dylan to town to shut down Katie’s suspicions of her, but it still isn’t swaying Katie away from her stance on the matter. Heather revealed how she is playing the scenes.
“So, here’s the deal. It’s multifaceted,” began Tom. “This girl pushes Katie’s buttons. She reminds her of her sister, Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang), and what Katie’s going through with her sister right now is very unpleasant. I think she looks at this girl and says, “This girl is going to crawl over anyone to get what she wants. And right now, she wants my son, and she’s willing to throw her best friend (Electra) under the bus.”
Heather also said, “Honestly, there’s something known as the ‘girlfriend code.’ Would you like to know what the girlfriend code is? ‘The girlfriend code’ is if your girlfriend, who is also your best friend, dates a guy and is especially in love with him, it doesn’t matter if you break up, that guy is off limits. You need to find yourself another guy.”
KATIE’S TROUBLES WITH BROOKE AND DYLAN MAKE HER TAKE A STAND
Katie clearly draws a similarity to her sister Brooke and Melissa Dylan which is also driving her attitude, which Heather confirmed. “So to Katie, it’s like Dylan broke that code. She is someone who follows her heart just like Brooke and leaves carnage in her wake,” said Tom.
She continued, “I think Katie looks at her and goes ‘Okay, one, you were living in your car. You didn’t call your mother who clearly loves you and ask her for help, but you were more than willing to take help from this, lovely rich guy.’ I think Katie feels like the fact that Dylan has been so expressive of how in love she is with Will, I think she finds that a little weird. She’s telling him that she’s e in love with him, and he doesn’t say it back to you. So, clearly he’s in not in love with you.”
In story, Katie can’t trust a young woman, who knows her son doesn’t feel the same way about her and yet is still hanging around. Heather shared Katie’s viewpoint to Dylan: “He’s clearly in love with your best friend. So, isn’t it a little unsettling that she kind of keeps saying she’s in love with him? So that’s my multifaceted reason why Katie doesn’t like her. It really has nothing to do with the fact that she came from humble beginnings because Katie did too. That being said, the Spencers are billionaires, so she would have to also look out for that. However, I don’t think that’s the main reason why she doesn’t like this girl or doesn’t trust her. I really don’t.”
You can check out the full conversation from our livestream conversation on the Michael Fairman Channel below.
Now let us know, are you rooting for Heather Tom to win the Lead Actress Daytime Emmy? What did you think of the scenes she submitted? Will Katie be proven right about Melissa Dylan, or will her distrust blow up in her face and she will wind up respecting Dylan when all is said and done? Weigh-in via the comment section.
Interviews
‘The Bold and the Beautiful’s’ Kelly Sullivan Talks Becoming Darcy Dylan, Who’s Melissa’s Dad, and Future Love Interest (Exclusive)

Kelly Sullivan made her triumphant return to daytime on recent episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful in her new role as Darcy Dylan, the mother of Melissa Dylan (Sydney Bullock).
In story, Melissa, better known as just “Dylan,” phoned home to her mother to come to Los Angeles, in an effort to calm the waters with Will Spencer’s (Crew Morrow) nosy mother, Katie Logan (Heather Tom), who doesn’t trust Dylan one iota.
Soap fans remember Sullivan from her previous Daytime Emmy-nominated role sas Kate Howard/Connie Falconeri on General Hospital and as Sage Warner on The Young and the Restless. During a livestream conversation exclusively on the Michael Fairman Channel, Kelly spoke about her time on GH and Y&R, and the wonderful co-stars she shared the screen with, and her excitement on her brand new role on B&B.

Photo: JPI
As to her thoughts on if Darcy will ultimately prove to be a gold-digger, opportunist, but still has a heart of gold (as we saw in recent scenes with her daughter, seemingly), Sullivan explained, “Characters like Darcy can be dangerous. I think Darcy is a survivor and she can charm. She’s a flirt. She knows what she wants. Darcy is self-made, according to her, and she made it.”
THE DYNAMIC BETWEEN DARCY AND HER DAUGHTER, MELISSA DYLAN
However, Melissa plays a big role in what’s next for Darcy! Kelly explained, “She’s got this beautiful daughter and that was her entire life who is now making her way. Let me tell you, I don’t know what Darcy’s retirement plan is, but one would assume she doesn’t have much savings. This is a great opportunity for her to connect with her daughter and get the lay of the land.”
Finding out that Melissa has been dating Will Spencer from the rich and powerful Spencer family in Los Angeles, while initially a shock, could prove interesting if the mother/daughter were to work together for a common cause, their survival.
Sullivan explained, “Darcy’s all about the tabloids and all about this life of illusion and the haves and have-nots, essentially. She would never shy away from an opportunity to see what’s around the corner. I think the interesting thing for me, that I’m excited about is to explore the dynamic between Darcy and Melissa and what is that going to become?”
From all accounts, Darcy is here to stay in Los Angeles, and fans will see much more of Sullivan on their-screens. “Darcy’s not going anywhere”, confirmed Kelly. “I always said to Sydney Bullock, Darcy didn’t buy a round trip ticket. If you think about it, Melissa could be her ticket. She might be Darcy’s only hope. There are serious stakes here if Darcy has been waiting for this moment.”

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SHARING SCENES WITH HEATHER TOM
Last week, Sullivan had her first on-screen confrontation with Heather Tom. In the scenes, Katie was disapproving of Dylan and let Darcy know it. Eventually, Darcy takes Dylan with her to leave Will’s beach house apartment, but Will stops Dylan.
Recalling the taping of the scenes, Kelly said, “Heather Tom is a real special artist. In the story between Katie and Darcy, you’ve got momma bear and you’ve got momma bear. You can’t fault either of these women for how they feel, and how protective they are of their children.”
There are many things viewers and perhaps the writers have not totally fleshed out about the Dylans. Are their Dylan sisters coming, or to be revealed to rival the Logan sisters? Who is Melissa’s biological father? Plus, some more nuggets as Kelly revealed.
“I think there is a juicy, juicy story there of the Dylans,” previewed Sullivan. “It would also be interesting if they decide who Melissa’s dad is. Who is that? I mean, that’s interesting. You know, when I auditioned for this role, it said on the page that the character was charming, from the Midwest, and dance skills a plus. and I was a Broadway dancer. So, I hope this means there might be an opportunity to dance on the show at some point.”

Photo: JPI
DARCY DYLAN AND WYATT SPENCER PAIRING?
As for the men on the canvas, Kelly was asked what she thought of a potential Darcy and Wyatt Spencer (Darin Brooks) pairing? To which she responded, “That would be so much fun. I’m such a fan of Darin’s work. Oh, I would have a ball working with him. One of the things that really excited me about Darcy when I was coming into audition for her was that they said that they wanted her to have a comedic sensibility, comedic chops as they said it.”
Sullivan concluded, “To work with Darin, I would be so lucky. He’s such a great actor and he’s got great comedic timing and he’s just really present and phenomenally talented. He’s a great actor, so I would love that. I mean, anyone on the show would be really fun. You throw it at the wall (in daytime) and say, ‘Is there a thing? Is there something here?’ Chemistry is chemistry.”
Now below, and in case you missed it, you can check out our full video livestream chat with Kelly Sullivan below.
So, what have you thought of Kelly’s performances thus far as Darcy? Do you think Darcy will turn out to be an opportunistic woman, but who deeply cares and loves her daughter, or will it turn out to be a ruse? Would you like to see Kelly paired with Darin Brooks on-screen as a love interest, and who do you think truly is Melissa Dylan’s biological father? Weigh-in via the comment section.
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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