ALL SOAPS Comings & Goings

As Amanda gets more deeply involved with her birth family, and with the criminal court case that could solidify her reputation as a legal eagle, Young & Restless viewers will once again get to see her interact with her half-sister, Imani Benedict. Their first encounter was hard to forget — and not end well — as Imani filed a restraining order on Amanda… though fans were definitely left wanting more.

When Leigh-Ann Rose first appeared on Young & Restless, Amanda and Imani, both headstrong young women, clashed after Amanda first reached out to their mother, Naya, in an attempt to connect with her biological parent. Imani showed up at Amanda’s suite to warn her away and accused her of being an opportunist who was after the family’s money and prestige. Having been through a lifetime of hard knocks, Amanda was quick to set her straight, but Imani’s walls were up where she was concerned and even Naya’s confirmation that Amanda was telling the truth wasn’t enough to quell her anger.

The fiery Imani reminded fans of their other late half-sister, Hilary Curtis, and became an instant favorite. Now that Amanda is set to defend the family patriarch, Sutton Ames, in a criminal case, and Naya assured her that Imani’s restraining order had been dropped and that Imani had accepted the family’s decision that Amanda needed to be involved in the case. But will she welcome her into the family? Is it bad that we’re kind of hoping Imani will be resistant to the idea so that we get to see her and Amanda do verbal battle again?

Rose is set to reappear on Young & Restless on Thursday, April 29, so be sure to tune in! And before you run to mark your calendar, take a look through our Winters and Barber family photo gallery to learn more about the background of Amanda’s beau, Devon, including his history with the late Hilary.

Remember that eye injury Mishael Morgan recently suffered? The one that left her “rocking a new, sexy pirate look”? Well, it took her out of commission at The Young and the Restless for long enough that, according to Soap Opera Digest, the CBS soap had to call in a ringer to step in as Amanda: The Bold and the Beautiful alum Karla Mosley.

“The only hesitation that I had about doing this,” Maya’s former portrayer told Digest, “is that I was stepping into such big shoes because Mishael is so beloved… ”

Luckily, Mosley was able to connect with her predecessor before slipping on Amanda’s stilettos for the first time. “It was great that I could talk with her,” Mosley enthused, “and say thank you for leaving me such a wonderful path to follow.”

The CBS sudser is grateful, too, that “a seasoned actor and consummate professional [like Mosley] was able to step in to the role of Amanda during Mishael Morgan’s temporary absence,” read a statement from the show’s executive producer Tony Morina and co-exec producer/headwriter Josh Griffith. “Mishael is a valuable member of the Young & Restless family and will be back on air soon to continue her journey as Amanda.”

Mosley, who said “so long for now” to her groundbreaking Bold & Beautiful character in October 2020, will make her first appearance as Amanda on April 26. “I am so grateful this beautiful and talented woman stepped in for me on such short notice and allowed me time to heal,” tweeted Morgan. “I can’t wait to be back, but It comforts me to know that Amanda is in such great hands.”

I am so grateful this beautiful and talented woman stepped in for me on such short notice and allowed me time to heal. I can’t wait to be back, but It comforts me to know that Amanda is in such great hands ❤️ @karlamosley @SoapDigest #yr @YR_CBS https://t.co/BHOOKBpQMW

— Mishael Morgan (@MishaelMorgan1) April 15, 2021

While you brace yourself for the short-term switcheroo, check out some other temporary replacements via this photo gallery, which singles out both the best-ever substitutes… and the worst.

If ever a part was made for an actor, it was this one: Caitlin Reilly, the daughter of beloved General Hospital alum John Reilly, has been tapped to play the daughter of his character, Sean Donely, in the ABC soap’s upcoming tribute to the late scene stealer.

In reporting the news, Variety quoted Caitlin as saying that “words can’t describe how honored I am to be playing my dad’s daughter on the show. I grew up on the set of General Hospital, watching him work for years, so it’s exciting to dive into a new character in honor of him.

“He’ll absolutely be by my side in spirit on set rooting me on,” the TikTok star added. “It fills my heart with gratitude to be a part of this tribute to him, and to feel so close to him working on a show he loved so much doing.”

Born in 1995, Sean and true love Tiffany Hill’s daughter was named after their good friend Anna Devane — but now goes by Annie. She was last seen in 2013 when her dad had been stricken with polonium poisoning courtesy of the nefarious Jerry Jacks. (At the time, Courtney Halverson played the part.)

Sean, you may recall, also has a son, Connor Olivera, from a past relationship. But the former Outback manager hasn’t been seen around Port Charles since the early 1990s.

While we wait for more details on the soap’s tribute to Reilly, who passed away in January, pay your respects by perusing the below photo gallery, a collection of images of the stars we’ve lost already in 2021. (Sheesh — and it’s only April.)

Could General Hospital fans be about to get, ahem, Lucky? The character’s original (and longest) portrayer Jonathan Jackson suggested that it wasn’t out of the question when he recently taped an episode of Dishing With Digest.

“When I left in 1999,” the five-time Emmy winner said, “I always had it in my mind to come back periodically, so I’m always open to that.

“I’ve never really been of the mentality of closing that door,” he added.

Already, the actor has returned to the role of Luke and Laura’s son twice, for a two-year run from 2009-11 and again for a visit in 2015 to facilitate the retirement of on-screen father and off-screen mentor Anthony Geary. But even if the show was ready to welcome Jackson home to Port Charles — and he was ready to come home — there would be a new kink in the works: He now lives in Ireland with wife Lisa Vultaggio (ex-Hannah) and their three children.

“It is a strange thing,” he muses, “that Lucky left for Ireland, and I’ve ended up living here.”

That obstacle probably wouldn’t be insurmountable for a vagabond like Jackson, who’s lived in Washington, L.A., Nashville and now abroad. But a taller hurdle remains: the workload. When he originally left the soap, he told the podcast, it was in part to tackle other roles but also in part to relieve the exhaustion of trying to finish high school while taping the soap. In 2011, “it was a combination of the amount of work and the type of work…

“It was a bit relentless the dramatic situations that were happening,” he added. “I remember in the ’90s — I could be wrong — it seemed as though you’d have a three-month story of massive intensity, then it would shift and you’d have a bit of time to recover from the immensity of it.”

More: General Hospital’s Laura, her life and times [PHOTOS]

Not so in the 2000s. It was, he recalled, all intense, all the time. He’d actually wanted to re-sign back then but had been just too depleted to do so.

While we wait — and hope — that the show and Jackson can come up with a scenario that would make it possible for him to reprise his beloved role, check out a photo gallery of other characters we want to see back in Port Charles. At least a couple of folks on our wish list are already back in the mix!

Fans of General Hospital‘s Alexis got a real treat via the April 8 episode, in which the much-loved character at long last addressed her deep-seated issues before heading off to Pentonville to begin her three-year stint behind bars.

The episode was entirely Alexis-centric, ending with the character beginning her new life… which left some fans fearing that both she and portrayer Nancy Lee Grahn were being written out. After all, the outing did seem to neatly wrap up some of the character’s longest-running stories, especially where Alexis’ history of choosing wildly-inappropriate romantic partners was concerned.

Just please tell us the rumor is not true that you left GH! I can not go on watching if you are not a part of anymore. Today’s episode brought me to tears!

— Angie Marie (@AMJ0416) April 8, 2021

Fortunately, this was one cliffhanger which was quickly resolved as Grahn — who was live-tweeting the episode with fans — set the record straight. “I’m not going anywhere,” she assured concerned viewers — more than once — even going so far as to joke that “they’ll have to drag me out kicking and screaming.”

They’ll have to drag me out kicking and screaming. ❤️ #NLG25

— Nancy Lee Grahn (@NancyLeeGrahn) April 8, 2021

Grahn  then went on to share some backstage details about the episode, which was designed to celebrate her 25 years on the show (although her actual anniversary isn’t until September). Among the tidbits? That when it came to picking scenes for the montage highlighting Alexis’ many storylines, she was able to provide some input; that she was loving the storyline… and that she wasn’t necessarily looking forward to her prison wear, as “beige is not my color.”

As it turns out, not only is Alexis not going to spend her sentence sitting on the back burner, but she’ll be, as Grahn teased, meeting a few new folks while at Pentonville. This, we presume, is in addition to Sydney Walsh, who popped up the next day as Alexis’ cellmate Maggie.

Since we’re all here breathing a sign of relief, why not join the celebration of Grahn’s anniversary by checking out this special photo gallery chronicling some of her many adventures as the one-and-only Alexis!

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!