ALL SOAPS Comings & Goings

Sydney Walsh has landed a role on General Hospital as a prisoner named Maggie and will appear in scenes with Alexis beginning on Tuesday April 13, as first reported by Soap Opera Digest. Daytime fans may recognize the actress from playing Judge Delores Anderson on The Young and the Restless.

As we all know, even though Dante testified that Alexis wasn’t in her right mind when she attacked him, she pleaded guilty and is on her way to Pentonville to do a three-year sentence. Just yesterday, Alexis met with a consultant named Irene, who Diane arranged to help her friend prepare for prison. Though Alexis tried to keep the conversation light, Irene warned for her to keep the humor at home because it could make her enemies on the inside.

Upcoming spoilers reveal that Alexis and Maggie will cross paths in Pentonville, but their meeting appears to be beneficial to the former Port Charles lawyer, as Alexis will open up to the other inmate.

In other jailhouse news… last week we reported that Sean Blakemore would be returning to the ABC soap opera as Shawn Butler, who is currently sitting in Pentonville himself. Not to mention, Jason is also being housed there since the judge denied his bail for the murder of Franco. Even though the men and women are separated in the penitentiary, you never know who Alexis will cross paths with next…

However, fans will get a clearer picture this week when the storyline is heavily played out as Alexis is forced to answer some hard questions as to how her life ended up where it did. Get details about the special Alexis-centric episode here, then check out the photo gallery that follows the tell-all — a celebration of Nancy Lee Grahn’s 25 years in the role.

— Amy Mistretta

The Bold and the Beautiful has been teasing a major murder mystery for weeks and though what happened in the Monday April 5 episode was more of an accident, the victim was very clear. By the end of Tuesday’s show, it was revealed that Vinny Walker had died. Therefore, Joe LoCicero is exiting the CBS soap opera.

LoCicero first came on the scene in 2019 as a friend of Thomas Forrester’s during the whole baby switch debacle. When news reached Hope and Liam that their baby was alive, and had been sold to Steffy by Dr. Reese Buckingham, Thomas — who had known — hid out in his buddy’s apartment.

Watching how much his friend craved to be with Hope, Vinny was always there for Thomas and pushed him to fight for her no matter what the cost. Some would say Vinny was a loyal friend, but at times he was very toxic. Vinny was known to dabble in drugs and even slipped a few inside of a care package that Thomas delivered to Steffy, during a time when she became addicted to painkillers.

Vinny supported Thomas during another hard time when he began to hallucinate that a Hope look-alike mannequin at Forrester was real. After he was spotted kissing the mannequin, by Liam, who thought he’d been kissing his wife, Hope, things spun out of control. Liam slept with Steffy, who became pregnant, and a paternity test proved the baby was Liam’s — not her boyfriend Finn’s.

However, Thomas, who had suffered a brain bleed, which had caused his crazy actions, began to suspect Vinny wasn’t an innocent party in his family’s latest drama. You see, Vinny worked at the lab where the test was performed and admitted to Thomas — and Finn — that he’d tampered with the results to make it look as though Liam was the baby’s father. This way, Thomas could have a shot with Hope.

Following the mess, Vinny was released on bail, which infuriated many, including Bill and Liam. As we live blogged yesterday, after a promising meeting with Hope, Liam left the cabin with Bill, who had spent some time talking to Brooke at the main house, and ended up behind the wheel of his father’s car. Since Bill drank some tequila, he was content to sit in the passenger’s seat and listen as Liam relayed his conversation with Hope.

However, they stopped abruptly after a sudden thump and realized they’d hit something. That’s when Liam and Bill ran outside and found Vinny lying in the road. Though he took a few breaths, he soon died right there and then.

So, was it really Bill and Liam who killed Vinny? Or had he already been on death’s door, considering he was pretty beaten up, which could’ve been caused by the hit — or by a beating from someone else… (Hey, that could lead us to the murder mystery we were promised!)

While we sit back and watch this murder mystery unfold, take a look at our photo gallery of the latest B&B comings and goings.

— Amy Mistretta

In late March we reported that Cameron Mathison’s Home & Family had been canceled on the Hallmark Channel, and now we have great news to share with soap fans. The All My Children veteran actor is heading to General Hospital!

Our sister site Deadline has exclusively learned that Mathison will join the ABC soap opera in a new, mystery Port Charles role. Other than that, no details have been released surrounding his return to daytime. (That said, we do have a few ideas about who the heartthrob could be playing.)

General Hospital jumped in via their official Facebook page to confirm, “The rumors are true!”

Mathison has co-hosted Home & Family, alongside Debbie Matenopoulos, since 2013 and played the role of Pine Valley’s Ryan Lavery from 1998 to 2011.

We will be sure to keep our readers updated on any emerging details surrounding this casting news. Until then, take a look into the personal lives of some of the soap opera actors in our gallery filled with photos of the stars and their real-life kids.

— Amy Mistretta

General Hospital, it would seem, is about to make our favorite kind of mess — a big one! Into the combustible situation in which Jordan, Curtis and Taggert are entangled, ABC’s one and only sudser is about to drop Shawn Butler, according to Soap Opera Digest.

More: Dumbest things our faves have done… lately! [PHOTOS]

Sean Blakemore, who bagged a 2016 Daytime Emmy for his work as TJ’s biological father, is set to reprise the role that he played from 2011-15. And the timing couldn’t be more spectacular. Jordan and Curtis’ marriage is on the rocks, and she’s got Taggert crashing on her couch. Add to the equation Sonny’s former hitman — who served more time than the don or Jason ever have, and for a crime he didn’t even commit! — and the stage of set for some major drama.

More: 58th anniversary tribute to General Hospital [PHOTOS]

Since Shawn was sent up the river for shooting Liz’s half sister Hayden — again, he didn’t do it — his portrayer has nabbed recurring roles on Devious Maids, CSI: Cyber and Greenleaf, and he was a regular on the BET drama The Quad. He also played the POTUS in an episode of MacGyver. (Of note: Greenleaf creator Craig Wright told our sister site TVLine that he has further plans for Blakemore’s spineless character — but that he wouldn’t reappear until Season 3 of the in-the-works spinoff.)

While you’re here, no doubt cheering Blakemore’s imminent return to Port Charles, stay a while and check out a photo gallery of other characters we’d love to see back in action.

It looks as if Sami’s better — or at least other — half is at long last returning to Days of Our Lives. But with former portrayer James Scott having made it pretty clear he has zero interest in returning to daytime, the role has now been recast: As first reported by Daytime Confidential, it looks as if Dan Feuerriegel will be stepping into the DiMera heir’s loafers.

The tall, dark and handsome Australian native is best known in this country for his role as gladiator Agron in Starz’ Spartacus series. Days has not yet confirmed the casting, meaning there’s no official word yet as to when Feuerriegel will first appear on screen.

Scott (left) is reportedly being replaced by Feuerriegel.

Believe it or not, it was all the way back in October of 2014 that EJ was shot and supposedly killed, ironically by one of his own henchmen, at the behest of Clyde Weston. Of course, this being Days, rumors that EJ’s death might have been of the non-fatal variety began circulating almost immediately. But it wasn’t until 2018 that Kristen confirmed the news that she had helped Stefano fake EJ’s death and smuggle his “body” out of Salem.

More: Win a copy of the sexy novel set behind the scenes of a soap

“During the story which took place down in Nashville,” headwriter Ron Carlivati reminds us, “we revealed that Kristen and Xander had a warehouse full of not-dead people. We saw those doors and the initials on one of them was E.D. And we finally paid that off by revealing it was, in fact, EJ DiMera.”

Unfortunately, EJ’s was definitely not one of Dr. Rolf’s more successful resurrections. Not only was the patient left comatose by the various drugs used to keep him alive, but he sustained massive burns when the warehouse in which he was being kept exploded. Conveniently enough, this left the guy wrapped in bandages… under which we now know lurks the face of Feuerriegel.

Need a bit of a refresher as to the life and times of EJ DiMera? We thought you might, given how complicated a life the guy has led… so we’ve got you covered with this helpful gallery!

Things are heating up in the storyline surrounding Amanda and Naya, given that she’s turned to her estranged daughter for help, and now we can put a name to the man smack dab in the center of it! We can confirm that The Young and the Restless has cast Jack Landron to play the role of Sutton Ames, Naya’s father, beginning on Monday, April 5.

As viewers will recall, Naya recently come to Amanda for help — more to the point, to help her family — and explained that a reporter had accused her father, Sutton, of murder. Amanda couldn’t wrap her head around why Naya would turn to her — or more importantly, why she would even consider helping the woman out — that was until, Naya revealed that Sutton was accused of killing Amanda’s father, Richard Nyland. Apparently, Richard was killed in a car wreck and the reporter somehow pinned it on Sutton.

Considering Naya wanted to keep Amanda hidden from her family, as her dirty little secret, Amanda was stunned that her mother even came to her, knowing their relationship would become public knowledge, and as of yet hasn’t agreed to take on the case. If she does, this storyline is about to reach a new level of drama!

Do you think Amanda will represent her grandfather — the man accused of taking her own father’s life? She’s a good lawyer, though some would say the case would be a conflict of interest, so we’ll just have to wait and see!

In regards to another high profile profession, and in celebration of Doctors Day, we’re counting down soaps’ greatest MDs of all time with a photo gallery of our 25 picks.

— Amy Mistretta

Ah, we thought something like this might happen when Alyvia Alyn Lind landed one of the leads in Syfy’s upcoming Chucky series (inspired by the Child’s Play movies about a doll possessed by a serial killer). Per our sister site Deadline, the rising star is being replaced as Faith on The Young and the Restless by Reylynn Caster, who’ll first air as Nick and Sharon’s troubled daughter on Monday, April 12.

Though you may not recognize the new Faith’s name, chances are, you have already seen her work. She was a regular on Netflix’s The Big Show and Me, Myself and I, and played out a memorable arc on American Housewife as Oliver’s now-former girlfriend, Brie.

That’s Lind on the left (obviously), Caster on the right.

As for Lind, even after landing the part of Faith in 2011, she continued to score one gig after another, recurring on Transparent and Future Man, and playing (obviously) a young Dolly Parton in Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors and Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love. It always seemed like only a matter of time before she was stolen away by primetime or the movies.

That said, the Faith swap takes place at a critical juncture in the teenager’s storyline. As regular viewers know, the character is currently reeling in the aftermath of a vicious bullying plot. And to put it mildly, she isn’t handling the upset well: On the contrary, she’s downed some tequila and taken to the road in one of the Newman ranch’s trucks — this despite the fact that even if she wasn’t upset and drunk, she doesn’t know how to drive anything but a golf cart!

While you’re absorbing this news, catch up on all of The Young and the Restless’ latest exits by perusing our photo gallery of actors passing through the show’s revolving door.

Michael Lowry will be checking into Days of Our Lives on Friday, April 2 as Dr. Snyder in scenes with Heather Lindell’s Jan Spears, Belle and Shawn, as first reported by Soap Opera Digest. When we last saw Jan she had thwarted Shawn and Belle’s attempt to remarry by taking Belle hostage and forcing Shawn to marry her, in a totally not legal ceremony. When Jan then claimed to have killed Belle, John snapped and attacked Jan, and they were both arrested. The last mention of Jan indicated she had fallen into another coma.

Lowry is no stranger to soap operas. He’s probably best known for playing Jake Martin on All My Children from 1996 until 2001, but he’s also appeared as Les Sweeney on As the World Turns from 2004 until 2005, Dr. Hillman on The Bold and the Beautiful in 2006, Ross Rayburn on One Life to Live from 2009 until 2010, and had recurring roles on Nashville, Powers, and Tainted Dreams.

What brings Jan back this time, and how does Lowry’s Dr. Snyder fit into the picture? You’ll have to tune in to find out! In the meantime, take a look at our gallery featuring 20 photos of other crazy daytime happenings.

– Dustin Cushman

It’s going to be Winters in Genoa City this spring: The Young and the Restless has tapped Jacob Aaron Gaines to step into the role of the late Neil’s SORAS’d son, Moses.

The character, last seen in 2016 with Dax Randall playing the part, turns up in Genoa City to bond with his half sister Lily, adopted brother Devon and cousin Nate — which might be easier said than done, considering that Devon and Nate keep sleeping with each other’s girlfriends.

Or is it ex-girlfriends this week?

More: Brytni Sarpy reflects on two years as Elena

Moses, you may recall, was born in 2011 to Sofia Dupre and… Well, at the time, she couldn’t say for sure whether husband Malcolm was the father or his brother, Neil. (Shades of Malcolm/Drucilla/Neil, no?) After a paternity test revealed that Neil was, in fact, Moses’ dad, not his uncle, he and Sofia briefly took a stab at marriage themselves.

Make that… very briefly.

More: Melissa Ordway shares her daughter’s new smile

As for Moses’ new portrayer, you might recognize him from Netflix’s Fatal Affair, with Omar Epps and Nia Long (Kat, Guiding Light), or from the half-dozen commercials in which he’s appeared.

While you’re here awaiting Gaines’ debut on April Fool’s Day, why not stick around awhile and check out our brand-new photo gallery, in which we rate all — yes, all — of Victor Newman’s wives: the hits, the Mrs. And everything in between! Suddenly, Neil and Sofia’s short union might seem more successful by comparison!

Well, fans, if you want an uptick on the craziness level in Salem you’re about to get your wish. As per the new spoilers, Heather Lindell will once again be making her way back to Days of Our Lives as Jan Spears during the week of March 29.

Though her first appearance in Salem was back in 1999 (with actress Natalie Ramsey), the last time we saw Lindell’s Jan surface was in September 2020, when Sami called her as a witness against Nicole in the custody battle for Allie’s baby. Nicole’s jaw dropped upon seeing Jan, who slyly stated, “Bet you thought you’d never see me again.”

During her visit home, Jan befriended Claire, much to Belle and Shawn’s dismay, and even briefly joined forces with Xander (can you say, toxic!) in order to nail Philip.

However, what really landed her previous return into the Salem history book, was when she kidnapped Belle then posed as her nemesis — on Belle’s wedding day — decked out as Shawn’s bride-to-be! Oh, and she didn’t stop there… Jan forced Shawn to marry her in exchange for the location of his real true love.

After Marlena pronounced them husband and wife, Shawn refused to kiss his bride, but Jan simply countered, “Fine, then your bride will kiss you.” It wasn’t until Jan claimed to have killed Belle, when John lost his mind and attacked her. In the end, she fell into a coma.

So, what brings the crazy back this time? Well, it wouldn’t be any fun if we told you — you’ll just have to wait and see!

When it comes to storylines like these, we often find ourselves saying, “Only on soaps!” Take a look at our gallery featuring 20 photos of other crazy daytime happenings.

— Amy Mistretta