Five Things That Happened On June 17 In Soap History

In 1994 on Young and Restless, Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) tied the knot with Hope Wilson (Signy Coleman), the blind woman he fell in love with in Kansas when he was presumed dead back in Genoa City. While the duo's marriage didn't last, it did produce a son, Adam. In 2023, Braeden told Soap Opera Digest that the duo's love story "resonated" with him, adding, “It was very touching... I enjoyed working with Signy; she was wonderful. I loved that storyline, I really did."

In 2009, One Life to Live's Marcie Walsh McBain (Kathy Brier) and Michael McBain (Chris Stack) learned they were expecting as they exited Llanview together. Brier had made her OLTL debut in 2002, with Stack assuming the role of Michael from Nathaniel Marston in 2007.

In 2019 on Days of Our Lives, Will Horton (Chandler Massey, r.) and Sonny Kiriakis (Freddie Smith) remarried. As with their earlier nuptials, Will's grandmother Marlena (Deidre Hall) served as the officiant. Beamed Will, "Sonny, I must have done something right to deserve this second chance with you. I can’t believe how lucky I am. My grandmother said that our lives are never long enough when we have love in them. And she’s right. No amount of time would ever be enough with you. I love you. I’m so proud and so blessed to be your husband… always.”

In 2019, Cynthia Watros assumed the role of Nina Reeves on General Hospital, which had just been vacated by Michelle Stafford, the character's originator, who opted to return to her role of Phyllis Summers on Young and Restless. A Daytime Emmy winner for her work as Annie Dutton on Guidng Light, Watros told Soap Opera Digest shortly after coming aboard the show, "I love Nina, but this is one of the most challenging jobs that I’ve ever had, because Michelle is so amazing and I have never taken over a role before. I still watch my scenes with one eye closed because I don’t think I’ve gotten her completely."

In 2022, General Hospital marked its 15,000th episode with a standalone show that featured a cross-section of veteran Port Charles players but centered around the character of Laura, played by Genie Francis. Co-Head Writer Chris Van Etten admitted to Soap Opera Digest, "You see these numbers looming and I won’t speak for anyone else, but they strike terror into my heart because there is a lot of expectation, I think, for the audience — for the longtime audience, especially, who has stuck with the show for so long — to see an episode that does justice to the longevity of the show and is at the same time contemporary. It’s a lot to encapsulate in a single episode!” Co-Head Writer Dan O’Connor added, “What was helpful to us is that episode No. 15,000 happened to dovetail with Genie’s [Francis, Laura] 45th anniversary with the show, which allowed us a fantastic springboard to honor both the show and the entire cast and one of the more iconic characters in daytime history.”