The late Jeanne Cooper, who played the imperious Katherine “Kay” Chancellor on The Young and the Restless (YR) from 1973-2013, certainly knows how to tell a gripping story!
Her 2013 autobiography, Not Young, Still Restless, is a master class in how to write the perfect memoir, balanced between gossip, insight, and self-promotion, and should be required reading for any future celebrity considering writing a book of their own.
Behind the Scenes of Genoa City
Cooper understood that the majority of her readers would be Y&R fans looking for backstage stories about life in Genoa City and the personalities who’ve passed through it.
There, Cooper doesn’t disappoint, telling tales about costars like Eric Braeden (Victor), Terry Lester (Jack #1), Peter Bergman (Jack #2), Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki), Brenda Dickson (Jill #1), Jess Walton (Jill #3), Doug Davidson (Paul), Kate Linder (Esther), and more.
She plays up the good without shying away from the bad… or at least, the we-can-laugh-about-it-now. Cooper also details her professional relationship with Y&R creator William J. Bell, and her longterm romantic relationship with Beau Kayzer, who not only was 21 years younger, but also played her onscreen son, Brock.
Golden Age
But Y&R wasn’t Cooper’s only credit. Prior to landing in Genoa City, she appeared in major Hollywood movies like The Redhead From Wyoming alongside Tinsel Town’s biggest stars, and clocked 1000s of hours during the Golden Age of TV on such shows as Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Wagon Train, and Perry Mason.
Rest assured, she spills the tea there, too. And yes, she kisses (and more), and tells.
All In the Family
Finally, Cooper turns the spotlight on her own family, starting with her parents and siblings, through her marriage to a man who repeatedly cheated and stole from her, to her beloved children and grandchildren.
She doesn’t talk about just Corbin Bernsen, whose mother she was Emmy nominated for playing on LA Law, but also his less well-known brother and sister.
Not Young, Still Restless is fun, funny, honest, dishy, and a must read for any Y&R — or general — soap fan.
The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS. Share your thoughts, leave a comment in the section below. Win exclusive member-only Y&R spoilers, prizes, and more: sign up here. Also, join the conversation on our Facebook page.
Victor Newman Through the Years
Share this: