Five Things That Happened On December 20 In Soap History

In 2001, Alicia Leigh Willis debuted as Courtney Matthews on General Hospital. She had previously appeared on Another World as Alli Fowler. In 2021, Willis reflected on joining the Port Charles ranks in an interview with Soap Opera Digest, saying, "When I joined the cast, Maurice [Benard, Sonny] really took me under his wing. He and Steve [Burton, Jason] were always there for me when I needed any kind of help or if I felt I was struggling with a storyline. It was a really good feeling to have that support system. I was still so young. I made mistakes at times, but I think I developed that character over the years and she became a really interesting person to play."

In 1996, Adam Chandler (David Canary) and Liza Colby (Marcy Walker) wed on All My Children. Though the duo eventually fell in love, they originally staged an engagement in an effort to make their former paramours — Brooke English and Tad Martin, respectively — jealous. The unconventional ceremony took place at the Chandler mansion, overseen by New Age officiant Silvana. As the marriage ritual came to an end, Silvana intoned, "I now pronounce you united as one. What the cosmos has joined, let nothing part. In the spirit of the mother, sister, Juno, Isis, Aphrodite, I bless this earthly convergence. You may now bestow a token of your contract on the chosen male." Adam was stunned — because Liza, as part of the plot she and Adam had cooked up, was supposed to ditch him at the altar!

In 2006, Daytime Emmy-winning veteran Julia Barr exited All My Children as Brooke English after a 30-year run. Fans were outraged by AMC's decision not to renew Barr's contract, which led to her decision to leave altogether. She told Soap Opera Weekly, "Things changed and decisions are made [behind the scenes] for any number of reasons. Generally speaking, I’ve had an excellent run. It’s been 30 years — which is something astounding to me — and I’ve enjoyed it and had a great deal of fun while doing it 90 percent of the time.” She ultimately returned to the show in 2010.

In 2013, Young and Restless's Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott) blasted Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) for drafting a new version of her will to exclude Dylan, her newly discovered adult son. Victor described the move as an "insurance policy" that would ensure Nikki's ability to know that Dylan wasn't after her money. Outraged, Nikki said, "I can't believe it. You had no right to do that!" Victor shot back, "You had no right to include that guy, okay? He shouldn't be treated as we treat our other children."

In 2017, JJ Deveraux (Casey Moss) contemplated ending his life on Days of Our Lives and crafted several heartbreaking suicide notes. JJ was despondent after accidentally shooting Theo Carver, mistaking an unarmed Theo for a criminal. One of his notes was to Theo, and it began, "Dear Theo, I said I wanted you to have all the things you wanted, and now you have nothing, because of me. I’ve come to see that I can only pay for taking your life by taking my own." Gabi Hernandez ended up intervening, stopping JJ from harming himself.