Michele Val Jean, the Head Writer of CBS’s upcoming soap opera Beyond The Gates, recently used her social media account on X, formerly Twitter, to issue a gentle warning to soap fans.
No Bashing Allowed
Val Jean, who joined Twitter back in 2009, knows how easy it is for fans to take to social media to rant about every aspect of their favorite soaps. However, she draws the line when the negativity reaches her personal feed. Recently, she felt the need to make a kind request to her 8,000-plus X followers.
“Soap fans, I appreciate your passion and hope to inspire it,” The Gates executive producer began. “But I’m asking you not to bash other shows on my timeline. I understand you get unhappy with things but this isn’t the place to air your grievances.”
Over the years, Val Jean has written for General Hospital, Generations, Santa Barbara, and most recently, The Bold and the Beautiful. Earlier this month, the award-winning writer supported Tabyana Ali (Trina) after the GH actress responded to her haters shortly after the 2024 Daytime Emmys. In her reply to Ali, she wrote, “We haven’t met. I was looking for you Friday to say hi. Sorry we didn’t connect. But my question here is — why would anyone hate you?”
In another reply, Val Jean continued, “And by the way, this question is rhetorical. I don’t expect you to answer it. It’s there for the haters to examine their biases about why there would be animosity toward a talented, personable, young black woman for doing her job and taking up space on the planet.”
This year, the Emmy winner left the writing staff at B&B and was recruited to take the behind-the-scenes lead on an upcoming new CBS soap. The Gates will focus on the lives of a wealthy African-American family. The newest daytime drama on the block will premiere in January 2025.
In the last week, Val Jean fueled the fire for this much-anticipated project by posting a message designed to gear up soap opera fans. In the post, she said, “You guys! The team for #TheGates is coming together and it’s 🔥🔥🔥. I couldn’t be happier. Exciting announcements coming soon. Stay tuned!” (Check out which actresses Soap Hub would love to see on The Gates)
What do you think about Val Jean’s message to her followers? How about her upcoming project, The Gates? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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