Soap Opera Guest Stars Who Stole The Show

Published on November 19, 2020.

Soap operas are known for their crazy and outlandish storylines, so whenever a celebrity pops up to stir things up and add to the drama, things can get pretty interesting! Whether it is a talk show host, film or primetime star, celebrities always seem to enhance a daytime storyline. Below are some soap opera guest stars who truly have stolen the show over the years.

12. Sean Young – Young and the Restless

Known for such films as No Way Out, Blade Runner, Wall Street and Ace Ventura, movie actress Sean Young had a recurring role on the Y&R in 2010, playing Meggie McClain, a bartender from Canada who had a little thing for Victor Newman. Their friendship never really turned into anything more than that because as we all know, The Moustache’s heart belongs to Nikki.

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11. Carol Burnett – All My Children

Legendary comedian Carol Burnett was a huge fan of All My Children and was given a dream role when producers of the show created a part for her in Pine Valley. In 1976, Carol would play Langley Wallingford’s long-lost daughter, and Burnett caused a ton of chaos for step-mom Phoebe Tyler-Wallingford. Carol would make appearances on the soap now and again, stealing the show here and there over the daytime drama’s tenure, and even reprised the role in 2011 during AMC’s last episode.

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10. Meredith Vieira – General Hospital

Actress and talk/game show host Vieira played a high-end call girl in 2012 known as Bree Flanders. The character, who had a history with Luke Spencer, decided to put her prostitution career behind her and jump into the cosmetics business. Who knew Vieira could be that convincing as a hooker? She had some incredible scenes with Lucy Coe, which kept fans wishing for a return.

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9. George Kennedy – Young and the Restless

Legendary film and television actor George Kennedy ended up being the perfect candidate to play Y&R’s Victor Newman’s estranged father in 2003. As The Moustache was diving into a storyline where fans would see a different and vulnerable side to him (for once), the late and great Kennedy flawlessly portrayed a selfish father who abandoned his son, and didn’t show any remorse about it.

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8. Sheryl Underwood – Bold and the Beautiful

Sheryl Underwood, one of the hosts of CBC’s The Talk, has made multiple guest star appearances on the B&B, playing sassy and spunky county clerk Emmy, who also happens to have a thing for Bill Spencer. Can anyone blame her? All joking aside, the character debuted in 2016 and has since popped up here and there, much to the delight of B&B fans.

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7. Jerry Springer – Days of Our Lives

We all know Jerry Springer from his scandalous talk show, and the crowd- chant of “Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!” Having said that, he also had quite the entertaining guest spot on Days in the summer of 2007. At that point in time, Nick Fallon was trying to woo Chelsea Brady in Las Vegas. They fall upon a successful gambler known as Pete (Springer), and Jerry shows Nick a thing or two about Blackjack to help him with his game.

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6. Snoop Dog – One Life to Live

Who knew Snoop Dog had connections in Llanview? Well, he did, and was friends with Bo Buchanan at that! Snoop did a pretty good job holding his own on a soap opera in 2010, and would wind up even rapping it up in the little town with a performance that had Nora cutting up a rug.

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5. Bronson Pinchot – Young and the Restless

Most remember actor Bronson Pinchot from his loveable “Balkai” character from the hit comedy T.V. show Perfect Strangers; however, he’s also been in a slew of movies including two Beverly Hills Cops films, as well as Risky Business. In 2008, he entered the world of daytime drama playing in the guest star role of Patrick the publicist, and won Y&R fans over.

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4. Roseanne and Tom Arnold – General Hospital

Remember when Tom and Roseanne were a thing? As a long-time fan of GH, Rosanne was recast into an already-established role in 1994, and brought husband Tom in for the ride. The two would appear on three GH episodes and struck up a deal of sorts where actor Anthony Geary (Luke) and Genie Francis (Laura) would in turn have a guest stint on their T.V. comedy Roseanne for one show.

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3. Betty White – Bold and the Beautiful

From 2006 to 2009, the legendary Betty White had a recurring role on the B&B, playing Ann Douglas, Stephanie Forrester’s mother. White dove into about 23 episodes with the show, and was placed in a powerful storyline around “dying with dignity”. Refusing to spend her final moments in a hospital, Ann pleaded with daughter Stephanie, and she was taken to Paradise Cove, where her character passed on in peace.

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2. Elizabeth Taylor – General Hospital

As the story goes, acting icon Elizabeth Taylor was a huge fan of GH and super couple Laura and Luke. Taylor approached the show, and asked the executive producer at the time for a featured role on the soap opera. In 1981, the actress appeared in the land of Port Charles for some episodes as Helena Cassadine, and a daytime drama villainess was born!

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1. James Franco – General Hospital

Celebrities truly adore GH, don’t they? Much like Taylor, James Franco approached the soap opera, seeking out a role within the show in 2009. Having the same agent as GHer Steve Burton (Jason Morgan), the actor signed on for about 20 episodes, and the eccentric artist known as Franco emerged on the Port Charles scene, which really stirred things up on the show.