10 Most Divisive Daytime Soap Storylines in 2025

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And why did Dumas think someone was trying to bump him off when the only killer on the estate was his unbalanced aide Carter (Vincent Stalba)? Why did Cane trust Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) to get within two feet of his AI software? Why did Cane think that taking control of all the companies in Genoa City would endear Lily and their kids to him?

The Bold and the Beautiful: Sheer Luna-cy

Beautiful “have-not” Luna Nozawa (Lisa Yamada) wanted to nab herself a rich Forrester so she could live on Easy Street. She accomplished that by getting RJ (Joshua Hoffman) to fall in love with her, but then she went off the rails and became determined to ruin her life. She pretended to be zonked out on “happy mints,” and slept with Zende (Delon de Metz). Next, Luna had everyone believing media mogul Bill Spencer (Don Diamont) was her long-lost dad. In an effort to keep that ruse going, Luna killed two people, kidnapped Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood), and threatened to kill her. Soap fans love to root for have-nots who fight to get a better life, but Luna was just plain nuts!

Next, she set her sights on hottie Will Spencer (Crew Morrow), drugged him, and sexually assaulted him, becoming pregnant with his child. She broke out of jail using the old “hide in the laundry cart” bit before taking one last shot of getting Will to respond to her. This. Girl. Would. Not. Give. Up. Deputy Chief Baker (Dan Martin) told everyone that Luna was dead after being hit by a car, which might be for the best in that there was no redeeming her. Still, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Luna pop up again. Yamada won the Daytime Emmy for in the category of Emerging Talent.

General Hospital: The Math Ain’t Mathing

The show’s writers were anxious to tie Gio Palmeri, played by talented newcomer Giovanni Mazza, to some core characters, so they made him the product of a summer fling between teens Brook Lynn Ashton (Amanda Setton) and Dante Falconeri (Dominic Zamprogna).

Brook Lynn’s mother, Lois (Rena Sofer), and her “Ma,” Gloria (Ellen Travolta), had cousin Carmilla raise Gio, but when Gio was only 12 years old, Carmilla died, leaving him an orphan. That was the time for Lois to step forward and go to the Q’s, Ned (who didn’t know), played by Wally Kurth, and Brook Lynn, and tell her the truth. Some teen girls give away their kids because they can’t afford to raise them, but Brook Lynn’s dad, Ned, came from a family of millionaires, the Quartermaines.

It’s not just the financial numbers that don’t add up. Gio’s about 20, and his half-brother, Rocco (Finn Carr), is about 17. The three-year age different doesn’t track unless Dante just skipped his 20s. Still, no one can deny that Mazza is a find. He delivered at the Nurses Ball not only with his violin playing, but also when Gio broke down and blasted everyone who lied to him about his secret origin.

The Young and the Restless: Give (Rest in) Peace a “Chance”

Chance’s (Conner Floyd) death at Cane’s estate would at least result in some subsequent powerfully dramatic episodes, right? “My God, this is going to destroy Nina [Tricia Cast] and Jill [Jess Walton],” Jack blasted to Cane after Chance, Nina’s son and Jill’s grandson, went to that great soap in the sky.

Well, we had to take Jack’s word on that. Both women found out about Chance’s death off-camera. (Insert face palm emoji, here.)

Speaking of off-camera, that’s where Chance’s funeral took place. Cole (J. Eddie Peck), who also died, got a reception (kind of), but he also was denied a funeral and a proper send-off. We’ve seen other soaps do heartfelt tributes to characters including DAYS‘s John Black (Drake Hogestyn) and Doug Williams (Bill Hayes) and GH‘s Dr. Monica Quartermaine (Leslie Charleson). Why didn’t Y&R bring back Nina for Cole’s memorial, and Nina and Jill for Chance’s?

If soaps think that funerals will be too depressing then maybe don’t kill off the characters to begin with. We did get a nice payoff when Amy (Valarie Pettiford) and Nina blasted Cane at Cricket (Lauralee Bell) and Danny’s (Michael Damian) wedding, but that was months and months later. In some ways, the opportunity was lost.

Days of our Lives: “He Had It Coming,” But Not Really

The DAYS writers were looking for a way to break up Sarah (Linsey Godfrey) and Xander (Paul Telfer), and boy, did they find it! Sarah split from Xander after finding out that he’d beaten Philip (John-Paul Lavoisier) to a bloody pulp. Soap fans love watching estranged characters find their way back to one another, but can that truly happen this time? Xander’s in therapy with Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall), but Sarah seems pretty firm in her resolve to never, ever get back together. Fans are asking not will Sarah and Xander get back together, but should they?

The Bold and the Beautiful: (Not) Always in Fashion

The road to hell truly is paved with good intentions. Sure, Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) wants his father, Eric (John McCook), to enjoy his sunset years, but springing a forced retirement on his dad seemed so…disrespectful. Ridge kept pointing out that Eric nearly died doing his last fashion line. Sure, he was ill but it wasn’t from being overworked. It was from a soap opera illness that his grandson-in-law Dr. John “Finn” Finnegan fixed!

Ridge invited his father to his office and had a banner waiting for him that read, “Congratulations! Happy retirement, Eric!” It would have been better if Ridge had gone to Eric’s wife, Donna (Jennifer Gareis), and gotten her input on the family’s plan for Eric rather than springing it on him this way.

Ironically, Eric’s biggest supporter, after Donna, was Daphne Rose (Murielle Hillaire), who said, “I come from a different part of the world, a culture that views elders with more reverence than this… Perhaps don’t count him out yet. He still has a lot to offer. Shouldn’t Eric be allowed to do what he wants and decide his own future?” Go, Daphne Rose!

Beyond the Gates: Murder, She Wrote

Soaps are all about secrets so it was great see that Vernon Dupree (Clifton Davis), a former U.S. Senator, and his congressman grandson, Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon), were carrying around a doozy! One night, the two men were threatened by two thugs after their car got a flat tired. After using threatening slurs, Martin defended himself and his grandfather, killing one of his attackers in the process.

It was surprising that given Vernon’s and Martin’s status in the political world that they decided to try to cover it up, as it left them open to being blackmailed by the surviving attacker. Martin fought back in self-defense in order to protect not only his life, but the life of his grandfather.

It’s tragic that they felt that they wouldn’t have been believed. Vernon and Martin were hardly nobodies; both are members of the Dupree family of Fairmont Crest. We’ve been hearing since the show’s premiere how influential the Dupree family is. What district attorney would want to prosecute a man who was defending his grandfather, a former U.S. Senator?

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Days of our Lives: When life gives you lemons, don’t make Lyme disease

No one is expecting widowed Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) to jump into a new romance so soon after the death of her beloved John (the late, great Drake Hogestyn). But why did the writers have Marlena get diagnosed with…Lyme disease? It’d make more sense to have Marlena suffer from takotsubo cardiomyopathy (AKA broken heart syndrome – yep, it’s a real thing).

General Hospital: Murder, They Wrote

Fans are wondering if two murders are ever going to be solved. And they didn’t even occur in 2025! In 2023, Austin Gaitlin-Holt (Roger Howarth) was killed. Last year, Sonny (Maurice Benard) shot lawman Jagger Cates (Adam Harrington) in cold blood. Both of these unresolved killings need to be addressed. We’re rooting against charming Jenz Sidwell (Carlo Rota) because he’s a bad guy, but how different is his killing Prof. Henry Dalton (Daniel Goddard) than Sonny eliminating Jagger?

BTG‘s attempt at synergy with Y&R and B&B fizzles out

It’s great that BTG exists in the same universe as Y&R and B&B, but Y&R‘s Devon (Bryton James) offering Anita (Tamara Tunie) a recording contract that she turns down, and B&B‘s Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) offering Dani (Karla Mosley) a modeling gig that she turns down feels like a waste.

In 1992, Y&R‘s Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown) relocated to Los Angeles, on the lam from the law. Viewers were screaming at their screens, “Forresters! You’re in danger!” Within six months, B&B climbed to the No. 2 spot in the ratings. Crossovers should matter. They should raise the stakes! Maybe, if B&B‘s Luna is alive, she could relocate to Fairmont Crest!