When Y&R’s Jess Walton Met Muhammad Ali!
It wasn’t Throwback Thursday, but THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS star Jess Walton (Jill) shared an amazing photo to social media of herself backstage at the soap in the ’90s with none other than the iconic Muhammad Ali!
“Throwback to a moment that’s forever stamped in my memory,” she captioned the pic. “The day when a legend who didn’t just float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, but also left an indelible mark on history, walked on set in the early ‘90s. Your legacy lives on and your spirit continues to inspire.”
Y&R has welcomed plenty of special guest stars over the years like George Takei, Smokey Robinson, Wayne Knight, and Nichelle Nichols, but Ali wasn’t actually appearing on the soap. The famous boxer did dabble in acting — playing himself in the movie The Greatest (based on his autobiography) and starring in the TV mini-series Freedom Road — but he didn’t appear on Y&R, even as himself.
Don Diamont (ex-Brad, Y&R; now Bill, THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL) commented on Walton’s Instagram post to ask, “Do you remember who brought him in for the visit?” But it seems like perhaps Diamont was just joking as he appears to have been responsible for the boxer’s appearance at the studio. Over on X/Twitter, former Y&R editor Kimberly Gray Everett exclaimed: “I met him too that day! What an honor. Thanks to Don Diamont!”
It was obviously an experience that Walton and everyone else working at Y&R that day will never forget!
