Katherine Kelly Lang and Ashley Jones Have Y&R Pasts

A strong contingent of stars from The Bold and the Beautiful, including Katherine Kelly Lang and Ashley Jones, were in attendance at The Young and the Restless 50th Anniversary gala last month in downtown Los Angeles. Soap Hub caught up with the actresses who play Brooke and Bridget and chatted with them about the time they spent in Genoa City.

Katherine Kelly Lang: Life Before Brooke

In 1981, which was a good five years before Lang came to the attention of the folks at B&B, she landed her first soap role. Lang was hired for a short stint at Y&R. “I played Gretchen,” recalls the actress. “I came on as a summer character [who] went after Danny [Romalotti, played by Michael Damian]. I had a lot of fun.”

Rock Out, Brooke In

As Damian plays a rock singer on Y&R, it’s no surprise that he’d have his share of admirers. It may have been a bummer for Lang at the time that her stay in Genoa City was rather brief. However, it all worked out in the end. She auditioned for the role of B&B’s Brooke Logan in 1986, and the rest, as they say, is soap opera history!

Katherine Kelly Lang and Ashley Jones

Lang walked the Y&R 50th anniversary party with TV daughter Jones, who had a lengthier run on Y&R. From 1997 to 2000 and briefly in 2001, Jones played ingenue Megan Dennison. After dating Alec Moretti (Andre Khabbazi), Megan fell for Tony (Nick Scotti; Jay Bontatibus).

After Tony’s untimely death at the hands of her sister Tricia (Sabryn Genet), Megan left town, relocating to Boston. In real life, Jones headed west — to Los Angeles! Like her TV mom, Jones called Y&R her home before moving over to B&B. “I just saw Scott Reeves [ex-Ryan],” Jones said of one of her Y&R co-stars, who also attended the 50th-anniversary party. “[Both shows] work in the same building, so it’s nice to see everyone!”