CBS’ Soapy podcast, hosted by Greg Rikaart and Rebecca Budig, has been a gift to fans who love behind-the-scenes stories about the daytime dramas they’ve adored for years. Decades for some viewers! On Tuesday, August 26’s episode, The Young and the Restless‘ Christian Le Blanc and Tracey Bregman will be popping by the studio for their turn in the pod’s sudsy seats.

Soap Hub has an exclusive first look at a conversation between LeBlanc and Rikaart, where they talk about Joan Van Ark. She originated the role of Gloria Fisher (a role later taken over by Judith Chapman), Michael and Kevin’s mother. But she wasn’t on the soap for even a year. The actors explain why as they reminisce about her debut.

Why Joan Van Ark Left Y&R

LeBlanc and Rikaart affectionately referred to Van Ark as Joan Van Mommy during her tenure at Y&R, but she was on the daytime drama for less than a year. This wasn’t because she didn’t have the chops. Van Ark is soap opera royalty. She played Valene Ewing on Knots Landing, a Dallas spin-off, from 1979-1993 and starred in 327 episodes. However, Van Ark was used to a primetime schedule.

As Rikaart put it: “Bless her heart, [Joan Van Ark] was incredible, and it was such a gift to watch her work. But as seasoned as she was, and as successful as a career she had on Knots Landing and working primetime, she could not handle the pace. And would be the first to tell you.”

Bregman points out that this was before Y&R started going fast, back in 2004. But, as Le Blanc states, Van Ark was never supposed to play a recurring character. The actress confirmed as much in an interview with Daytime Confidential: “The original idea for me was to go in and do a story arc—a short burst of character—and then I’m outta there.”

Joan Van Ark Took Christian Le Blanc By Surprise

In the Soapy episode, Le Blanc shares that Van Ark’s first appearance on Y&R wasn’t teased. There wasn’t any buildup. Gloria arrives as this “trailer trash mom” that Michael (Le Blanc) has cut from his life. Their first scene together was tense. Kevin (Rikaart) was in the hospital, and Michael “railed” against Gloria. He told her to stay away from Kevin.

Le Blanc remembers Van Ark’s ability to read the room that day. It would later be revealed that Kevin’s father had been abusive, and Michael had abandoned him to the situation because he couldn’t handle it. Hence, the guilt Michael carries.

But, at the time, neither Van Ark nor LeBlanc had been filled in on their backstory. They talked a bit, and just before the cameras started rolling, she leaned in to hug him to set the moment for them. That confidence gave them both the “amazing scene” they would film.