The Young and the Restless

BREAKING NEWS! Y&R Names New Co-Head Writers in Major Creative Shakeup

Y&R has officially named Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor as its brand new co-head writers, replacing outgoing head writer Josh Griffith.

Published

2 weeks ago

July 30, 2026

Amber Sinclair

Young and the Restless Spoilers (Y&R Spoilers) Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor

Y&R’S WRITERS’ ROOM IS GETTING A MAJOR SHAKEUP

The Young and the Restless has found its new writing team, and the announcement marks a major shift behind the scenes for the CBS daytime drama.

Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor Named Co-Head Writers

Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor have been named co-head writers of The Young and the Restless, replacing departing head writer Josh Griffith, according to a TV Insider report. The search for Griffith’s successors began at the end of June after he made the decision to step down as head writer, having previously relinquished his executive producer role on the 53-year-old soap.

Giddens currently serves as a writer on Beyond the Gates. Prior to joining that CBS drama, he wrote for Days of Our Lives and its streaming spin-off, Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem. A Writers Guild of America Award and Daytime Emmy winner, Giddens is also nominated for two Daytime Emmys this year for Outstanding Writing Team for a Daytime Drama Series, for his work on both Beyond the Gates and Days of Our Lives. Before television writing, Giddens co-founded the website Daytime Confidential and served as its editorial director. He also co-created the primetime drama Ambitions with Will Packer, which starred Robin Givens and aired on OWN in 2019.

O’Connor began his daytime career as a writers’ associate on One Life to Live. After that soap’s cancellation, he joined General Hospital in 2013, where he held several key creative roles, including associate head writer, breakdown writer, and most recently co-head writer, before making the jump to The Young and the Restless. Like Giddens, O’Connor is both a Writers Guild of America Award and Daytime Emmy Award winner.

A Historic Hire for Y&R

The appointment marks the first co-head writing team hired at The Young and the Restless since Shelly Altman and Jean Passanante shared the role in 2013. Following their departure in 2015, Charles Pratt Jr., Sally Sussman Morina, and Mal Young each held the head writer position before Griffith returned to the soap in 2019, having previously worked on the series from 2006 to 2008.

Griffith remained in the role while the search for his successors was underway. Giddens and O’Connor are set to officially begin next week, with the cast and crew already notified of the change. According to insiders, the soap, created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell in 1973, is aiming to recapture the classic storytelling style that helped make The Young and the Restless the No. 1-rated daytime drama, a position it has held in the Nielsen ratings since the 1988-1989 season.

What do you think this new writing team means for The Young and the Restless? Head to the comments and share your thoughts!

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Author

Amber Sinclair
Amber Sinclair — Editor-in-Chief
Amber Sinclair is the Editor-in-Chief of Soap Opera Magazine, appointed in February 2026. She oversees editorial strategy, content development, and daily coverage across all major daytime dramas including The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, and Beyond the Gates.
With more than a decade in the soap opera industry and over 25,000 published articles to her name, Amber has pretty much lived and breathed daytime television for as long as she can remember. Before taking the helm at Soap Opera Magazine, she served as Managing Editor at SoapHub, Editor-in-Chief at Daily Drama, and Senior Editor at Soap Shows. She's hosted podcasts, gone toe-to-toe in interviews with daytime's biggest stars, and covered more red carpets than she can count.
When she's not crafting headlines that drip with drama or deep-diving into the latest storyline twists, Amber can be found in Ontario, Canada — probably rewatching a classic episode and taking notes. Want to share your wildest soap theories? She actually reads every email at [email protected] — and yes, she will reply if your take is unhinged enough.
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