BREAKING NEWS: Darnell Williams joins the cast of The Young and the Restless! | Michael Fairman On-Air On-Soaps | Daytime Soap Interviews, News, Updates and Previews, Video and Audio Interviews

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30 January 3rd, 2012 BREAKING NEWS: Darnell Williams joins the cast of The Young and the Restless!

Jesse

Courtesy/ABC

Got to hand it to Y&R for knowing how to obtain some of the biggest names in daytime. And now, you can add Daytime Emmy winner, Darnell Williams (Ex- Jesse, AMC) to the list.

Word out this afternoon from Soap Opera Digest is that Williams had been hired on the number one CBS soap opera and will join longtime on-screen acting partner, Debbie Morgan (Harmony, Y&R). We hope with the addition of Williams that it might spark a better story for the uber-talented Morgan as well!

This will be the fourth time that this popular duo will be appearing on the same soap together, counting: Loving, The City, All My Children and now Y&R. We will keep you informed of more details as they become available as to what character Darnell will play in Genoa City and his on-screen debut.

So are you happy to see Darnell again? Or, are you concerned at how Y&R might utilize his talents based on the other key talent acquisitions that have been part of the canvas in the past several months? Let us know!

Tags: All My Children, Darnell Williams, debbi morgan, harmony, Jesse Hubbard, The Young and the Restless

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barbara t says:

January 3, 2012 at 4:27 pm

OH NO,every one is leaving my soaps ,one buy one .I am happy for him.I love jessie and angie ,how I miss all my children,I want it back ,If there is a miracle and the soaps are saved by pp, everyone will be gone ,it will never be the same.you cant go back to pine valley and landview ,and be on the other side of the tracks with all new names ,It wont work.

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Heather replied January 4th, 2012 at 3:54 am
All My Children is over. It is not coming back.

I would love to see Williams and Morgan reunited on Y&R. If Maria Arena Bell has a one quarter brain left, she should dump that stupid Harmony character and bring Angie and Jessie to Genoa City. They could say that “Harmony” had amnesia, got her memory back and found out that she is actually Angie Baxter. But it probably wouldn’t be possible because ABC probably own the rights to the Angie and Jessie characters.

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1loveabcsoaps replied January 4th, 2012 at 10:50 pm
Join us in sending soap bar’s to ABC studio’s in NYC to show our disappointment and disgust. PASS THIS ON.
Post it on the abc.com blog, and on FACEBOOK. We are Bombarding the ABC studio with bar’s of soap.
Eileen Hargis says:

January 3, 2012 at 4:40 pm

A winner, for once they got it right.

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lisa says:

January 3, 2012 at 4:44 pm

Darnell and Debbie are such a magical pairing – they would work well together in anything…..I do hope they will work together on Y&R.

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Tom says:

January 3, 2012 at 5:39 pm

I hope and pray Y&R treats Williams and Morgan better than they treated Maura West, Tristan Rogers, Eden Riegel, etc, etc. Otherwise, fans won’t bother.

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BETTYEJ says:

January 3, 2012 at 7:19 pm

I am happy for him because he is a great actor, but Young and Restless don’t even know what to do with the cast they already have.

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aria says:

January 3, 2012 at 7:53 pm

i never saw what the big deal was about darnell williams, he really didn’t impress me as jessi on amc, his character always seemed bother by everyone else problem yet the character was always doing the wrong thing too, an darnell always overacted, yet everyone acted like he was one of the great talents of daytime, sorry but not for me, as for him joining the y&R hope he gets a better storyline then Genie Francis or Debi Morgan are, because all i hear is them being stunt casting whose talent is being wasted.

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kay killgore says:

January 3, 2012 at 8:19 pm

Could he be a recast for the character of Malcolm?

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Justin replied January 6th, 2012 at 4:24 pm
My first thought was exactly that. Would be much better than that guy from Family Matters.

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Lynda says:

January 3, 2012 at 9:02 pm

Would be great if he is recast as Malcolm Winters. The writers at the Y & R need to utilize the cast they have. They seem to get really good talent ie: Tristan Rogers, Maura West, Jeff Branson & then just throw them out in the wind. The established talent they have now ie: Eric Braeden, Melody Thomas Scott, Michael Muhney, Greg Rikkart, Michelle Stafford, etc. have been reduced to reciting recycled storylines and have been unrecognizable as the fabulous characters they portray. I hope that the writers are not trying to commit daytime suicide and write the best daytime drama into oblivion

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lew says:

January 3, 2012 at 10:49 pm

I think Darnell Williams is a great actor, but Y and R is no longer a great soap. MAB has totally ruined it! He deserves better, along with Genie Francis, Debbi Morgan, Jeff Branson, Jess Walton, Judith Chapman, Eileen Davidson, Christian LeBlanc and Tristan Rogers. Ignoring the fans and outrageous storylines are killing our shows. Writers: OPEN YOUR EARS!!!!!!

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Devoted Fan says:

January 4, 2012 at 6:11 am

Harmony’s dealer or perhaps Anna’s dad? Coming to GC to cash in on Devon’s family fortune? I wish TPTB would focus on the core characters instead of all of this stunt casting. Are the AMC actors more important than the Y&R actors? It does not seem to me that they want to make the show better for the Y&R fans.

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Susan says:

January 4, 2012 at 6:31 am

As much as I hate to say it, Y&R writers won’t know what to do with him. They have misused and discarded great talented actors this year, not to mention treated a few of their own very popular cast members like dirt…. They don’t need new cast members, they need new writers!

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Iakovos replied January 4th, 2012 at 11:20 am
Your post to God’s ears!

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Gloria replied January 4th, 2012 at 1:08 pm
Agree 100%. They need some fresh ideas at Y & R. Same old, same old.
Matt says:

January 4, 2012 at 11:12 am

Don’t have a great feeling about this. Y&R has a horrible track record of getting great talent and not knowing what to do with them. Recreating the magic of Jesse and Angie won’t work. It never does, from Alice and Steve on ‘Another World’ becoming Pat and Tony on ‘One Life to Live,’ to the mess of Genevieve and Colin on Y&R. Great acting needs great writing and Y&R is sorely lacking in that department.

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Jenna says:

January 4, 2012 at 12:39 pm

I am thrilled! I started watching Y&R when Genie Francis came onboard, was delighted when Debbie joined and now Darnell? Couldn’t be happier.

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David replied January 4th, 2012 at 5:52 pm
Totally! But do you remember when Darnell was on GL? He was uber evil.

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kay killgore says:

January 4, 2012 at 12:51 pm

Amen to everything from the previous posts. And Darnell is to old for a recast. Here is a list of the characters that were previously on AMC and now on Y&R. Billy,Victoria,Chloe,Heather,Ronan,Chance,Harmony,Chelsea,(Jack and Genieve) though Genie Francis and Peter Bergman were long ago. Darnell Williams is 56 and Kristoff St.John is 45 so I was way off on thinking he was a Malcom recast. Bottom line MAB is ruining this show.

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David replied January 4th, 2012 at 5:50 pm
Chance was from GL.

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Jenna replied January 10th, 2012 at 6:54 pm
Amelia Heinle has been with Y&R for at least 10 years. You can HARDLY indicate that she is new to Y&R by saying she was previously on AMC. And Billy Miller has been on for a few years now before the demise of AMC.

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Devoted Fan says:

January 4, 2012 at 1:19 pm

I guess he’s the rapper they were talking about today…

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Brian Greene says:

January 4, 2012 at 3:35 pm

I’m keeping my fingers crossed for both Darnell & Debbi on Y&R!

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Writing Connoiseur says:

January 4, 2012 at 9:15 pm

I think Darnell is a very talented actor but Y&R needs a major change in the direction of their storylines. The show is unwatchable to me and I’m putting it mildly. I recently heard someone say that they thought the Y&R was great and the writing was great– clearly this person never watched the show when it was truly good. I wish Y&R would have the courage to release MAB from her duties and trust the creative work to someone who is truly passionate about writing good thorough, heartfelt storylines and fully formed multidimensional characters, instead of cardboard cut outs.
That being said, I hope the writing magically improves (somehow) and by the time Darnell’s character (some think he will be Ana’s daddy) arrives on the GC landscape, hopefully his talents won’t be wasted.

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1loveabcsoaps replied January 4th, 2012 at 11:06 pm
Join us in sending soap bar’s to ABC studio’s in NYC. PASS THIS ON to abc.com blog/comments. Also post on Facebook. Help to pass this on to this site and other’s, so ABC can be BOMBARED with soap at their prized studio for their other shows.

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kay killgore says:

January 5, 2012 at 9:23 am

Thanks David I realized that after I posted but we will trade him for the character of David Chow. Thanks!

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kay killgore says:

January 5, 2012 at 9:57 am

The rumour is he is coming in as a rapper so he will be sterotyped as Debbi Morgan with her characters ain’t usage all the time. This woman MAB is a racist for years she had Esther wearing a maids uniform like old planatation days. I guess she forgot a little thing called Civil War being fought & Civil Rights. Ever since she came on she has been portraying African Americans as 2nd class citizens. So think the Lord she has left a gay storyline alone. Anyone who comes on this show as a new character needs to know it is short term under MAB.

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JT says:

January 7, 2012 at 7:35 pm

Im not happy at all about this casting. Harmony is already in many story lines. Stunt casting for her is the dismissal of those already in her story and frankly I resent it.

If Darnell takes the place of characters on board and those intricately related to core families I have had it. Harmony is in between two existing families. I have no use for this abuse of AMC casting with a AMC casting director now in charge belittling those who were not on AMC

NO APPLAUSE

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Sal says:

January 9, 2012 at 3:42 am

I hope everything works out for Darnelll at Y&R…before
He was annouced I was hoping for Debbie be paired with
Stephen Nicholas…..I think Tristan Rogers was giood.with
Jess Walton..Y&R dropped the ball with them..

They need to ask the sexy and talented IR to come
To.Y&,R and cast him as a wealthy businessman…
I think TR was good on Y&R…
I would love to see IR on Y&R

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