Soap Stars Shine in the Hollywood Christmas Parade!
It wouldn’t be Christmastime in Tinsel Town without Southern California’s beloved holiday tradition: the Hollywood Christmas Parade! After being canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, the annual display of holiday merriment, giant balloons, marching bands, and celebrities galore made a triumphant return to Hollywood Boulevard on Nov. 28 — with several soap stars representing the wonderful world of daytime!
Led by Grand Marshal Sheryl Underwood from THE TALK — with THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL alum Erik Estrada (ex-Eduardo) and GUIDING LIGHT guest star Montel Williams (Clayton) serving among hosts at the grandstands — the celebration traveled along the streets of downtown Hollywood. Vintage cars and festively-decorated floats carried the parade’s VIPs, which included GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Laura Wright (Carly), Wes Ramsey (Peter), Carolyn Hennesy (Diane), Tristan Rogers (Robert), and Ian Buchanan (ex-Duke); B&B’s Sean Kanan (Deacon), Kimberlin Brown (Sheila), Patrika Darbo (ex-Shirley), and Andrea Evans (ex-Tawny); DAYS OF OUR LIVES’ Deidre Hall (Marlena) and Judi Evans (Adrienne); and THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS’ Kate Linder (Esther) and Michelle Stafford (Phyllis).
Based on a hilarious video shared on Instagram by B&B supervising producer Casey Kasprzyk, it seemed as if there was a bit of a race between the car carrying him, Brown, and Evans, and the DAYS car ahead of them. “We can’t let them win!” he joked.
Of course, the rivalry was just some good-natured fun, because based on the social media posts made by the actors in attendance, they were all thrilled to participate and see one another outside of work. “Super fun night at the Hollywood Christmas Parade!” Wright, who rode in a vintage ivory convertible with Ramsey and Buchanan, raved on Instagram. Linder, who shared a car with Darbo, had an equally good time. “So enjoyed being at the Hollywood Christmas Parade,” she captioned an Instagram photo of her posing on the red carpet. And Stafford told Buchanan, “It was so amazing seeing you!”
The Hollywood Christmas Parade is held in support of the U.S. Marines Toys For Tots program, which provides toys to millions of underprivileged children each year. Parts of the live parade were taped for various network broadcasts that will air throughout the holiday season, and a two-hour primetime special of the 89th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade will debut on The CW on Friday, Dec. 17, at 8 p.m. ET.
