Y&R's Kristoff St. John Speaks Out!

The Young and the Restless star Kristoff St. John (Neil), and his six-year old daughter Lola were guests on BuzzWorthy Radio last night. He spoke out about issues of Y&R and his on-screen fam. Maybe the wreck the Winters clan has become is what due to what St. John said: "There are no black writers. There are no black producers or directors."

We Love Soaps' Roger Newcomb translated what St. John said about the LML era and roadblocks such as the Adam/Rafe storyline.

I really enjoyed the Lynn Marie Latham year and a half that she was there. Never did I work more. We were starting to get back to the roots of my character and my family. One thing that's mising in the Winter's family is the clan itself, and black culture. Lynn and I talked about that for quite some time. Let's put some church into it, some God, not too much, we don't want to ram it down anyone's throat, but you want to get something there. We need to be on par with the Newmans and Abbotts.

If you look at the storyline on our show with Adam and Rafe. That whole thing peted out and turned out to be such a crock. And forgive me for going there with it, but if you're giong to do a gay storyline on the show, then do something topical and current. And what could be more topical than Proposition 8 in California but doing a same sex marriage thing. You don't have to go there with that character whose going through so many things - being blind, screwing over Victor, doing the thing with Mary Jane, the baby with Ashley - man, come on. Don't cheat the audience out of a really hot, good storyline that would reflect what is actually happening out there in our world and in our nation. That's the kind of stuff that bugs me. Maybe Hogan Sheffer wants to write comical stuff with chipmunks and all that. If I get my head handed to me on a platter for saying this then so be it. We need to get more family-oriented, get back to the old school stuff, what originally made this show what it is before I got there.

Newcomb also noted that St. John did not have a negative tone, and was speaking as someone caring about the genre.