There’s not much in the world of soaps that hasn’t been done – making it more and more difficult to smash through boundaries put in place over the years.
But over and over again, soap operas have done it.
From characters spanning decades to momentous occasions reflecting real life progress – such as the first gay wedding on primetime TV – soaps are at the forefront.
READ MORE: Denise Richards ditches bra in glam Barbie transformation after OnlyFans price slash
It’s easy to forget the world of American soaps when you’ve got Coronation Street’s Bill Roache as the longest-running actor in a single role ever, but shows like Days of Our Lives and All My Children are right at the cutting edge.
Daily Star takes a look at the times US soaps made history through the years.
First lesbian snog
The honour of airing the first ever same-sex kiss in American soap opera history goes to All My Children, when Lena Kundera and Bianca Montgomery shared a sweet smooch on the show back in 2003.
Bianca, played by Eden Riegel, shared a kiss with Olga Sosnovska’s Lena – and the actress said fans at the time were “ready” to see such a storyline play out on-screen.
She said: “I know that on Internet message boards there is a small but vocal minority who didn’t want to see this. But the vast majority of fans were ready, excited and with the storyline.”
But things weren’t easy for the pair, as Lena was actually employed by a baddie to help take down her mother’s cosmetics company.
When things developed into genuine feelings between the pair, what resulted was a heart-wrenching storyline with Lena heading back to Poland, and breaking up with Bianca over the phone.
Speaking of performing their first kiss, Riegel confessed: “I was a little nervous because I wanted it to look natural and organic and real and true. I didn’t want it to seem tentative.
“We thought about maybe trying it out in the dressing room first, but then we just thought, ‘We are professionals. This will be fine.’”
First cot death storyline
(Image: NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
Deidre Hall has been involved in a lot of firsts in her soap career, and when filming Days of Our Lives played a part in the first ever Sudden Infant Death Syndrome plots.
Her character Marlena Evans welcomed her first child with Don Craig in the show, named DJ, who sadly died from cot death shortly after his birth.
Marlena worked closely with “professionals” while working on the SIDS storyline, explaining: “I didn’t understand. I wasn’t a mother at that point.
“I didn’t know about crib death, and how it happens, and what people do afterward. I spent a lot of time with professionals that regaled and astonished me with stories of people who had been through it.”
Hall later said of her expansive soap career – which somehow involved being possessed by a demon which was ultimately exorcised from her body – “Over the years there were a lot of firsts on our show, I played the first crib death or Sudden-Infant Death Syndrome, the first twin sister story, and we performed the first gay wedding, but it will be the possession story that will be on my tombstone.”
Longest-running black character
(Image: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
In 2021, James Reynolds – Abe Carver in Days of Our Lives – became the face of the longest-running black character on television when he marked his 40th year in the role.
The star had an entire episode dedicated to him to mark the special anniversary, gushing: “I was kind of blown away. I called my wife and told her. I was so pleased, so warmed by that, by the fact that I’m apparently thought well enough of and respected enough to have this show dedicated to me.”
He added: “I hope I did it justice! It’s not all flashbacks of Abe! There are some things I hope I did well and right during the show, but it’s a lovely tribute.”
First gay wedding
(Image: NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
The first male-male wedding in US daytime drama history came in 2014, when Sonny Kiriakis and Will Horton tied the knot in Days of Our Lives.
Originally played by Chandler Massey as Will and Freddie Smith as Sonny, Will was also played by Guy Wilson and Zach Tinker recast as Sonny for a spin-off series.
One of soap’s most beloved couples, the pair have been through thick and thin together – even Will’s death before he was found to be alive after all.
They both exited the show together in 2020, returning briefly on-and-off before a final exit in February 2023.
Speaking about making history with the wedding, Guy Wilson said: “I truly feel blessed to have the opportunity to take part in something that is so important, not just in the context of the show, but on a wider scale.
“I’m thankful we’re creating something that resonates with people and makes a positive impact.”
It’s not the first same-sex marriage on a daytime drama, however, as that honour wen to Eden and Tamara in a 2009 episode of All My Children.
Longest-running US character ever
(Image: CBS via Getty Images)
Though Bill Roache has the Guinness World Record for playing the longest-running character internationally through his Corrie stint as Ken Barlow, the honour for the US title goes to Helen Wagner.
She played Nancy Hughes in As the World Turns for more than half a century, beginning with its debut in 1956 until her death in 2010.
Helen passed away after a battle with cancer at the age of 91.
Don Hastings nearly caught up to Helen with his role as her son Bob in the show, a role he held from 1960 until 2010.
First lesbian character
(Image: Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.
The first lesbian character ever to appear in a US soap was Dr Lynn Carson, a psychiatrist supporting divorcée Devon McFadden.
Played by Donna Pescow, Lynn soon set her sights on romancing Devon – and the storyline became “pretty big”.
Pescow told Entertainment Weekly: “The thing I remember most were the fan letters. They were so extraordinary and would make me cry. People finally felt like there was a representation that fit.”
But showrunners ABC were “fearful” of the relationship going any further, with Pescow added: “There were people who didn’t like I was playing the part, but I think they would have been angry at anybody playing the part.
“It was the early days of this being presented in any way.”
READ NEXT:
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
