Susan Walters is best known to many for playing Diane on The Young and the Restless. However, she’s been in all sorts of shows throughout her career. Recently, it’s been announced that she’s going to reunite with a former co-star from one of her past works. This also comes out during an interesting time for Diane, even outside of Genoa City.
Susan Walters First Joined The Cast On The Young & The Restless In 2001
Walters started her career in soap, playing Lorna Forbes Perelli for a few years on Loving, starting in the original pilot. However, she is best known to many for playing Diane Jenkins on The Young and the Restless, first appearing in 2001. She made her most recent return to the soap in 2022.
Over the years, fans have seen her in all sorts of shows. These include Seinfeld, The Vampire Diaries, One Tree Hill, and Teen Wolf.
In 1990, Walters had a starring role on the sitcom Dear John. An American remake of the sitcom of the same name, the series revolved around a support group for divorcees. Walters joined the series during the second season, playing a wealthy Southerner, Mary Beth Sutton, who finds work as a soap opera writer.
Recently, it’s been announced that Walters will have a bit of a Dear John reunion with veteran actor Jere Burns joining the cast. According to TV Insider, Burns will play a new character, Dr. Laurence Markham. He will also share scenes with Walters’ Diane.
This Comes Out As Fans Recently Saw Diane Appear In Another Soap, Beyond The Gates
Notably, the new character’s introduction comes out as Diane has been off-screen for weeks following a fallout with her husband, Jack Abbott. Their marriage took a turn after Patty Williams drugged Jack as part of Victor Newman’s latest revenge scheme. This led to Diane finding Jack in bed with his ex-wife.
Diane’s whereabouts have remained an unanswered question as fans last saw her on the soap in mid-May. However, the recent news suggests fans will soon get some answers.
Amid this time, Diane recently appeared on the soap’s recent crossover with Beyond the Gates. Due to being part of a different production timeline, Diane could be seen attending a fundraiser with Jack despite her currently being missing in Genoa City.
Walters also spoke with the outlet about the upcoming reunion. She expressed her excitement, sharing, “I loved working with Jere Burns on Dear John, so I was thrilled when I was told that we’d be working together again on Y&R. He was a fantastic scene partner in this upcoming story arc.”
On Dear John, Burns played Kirk Morris, a narcissistic ladies’ man. The character was loosely based on the character of the same name from the British version, played by Peter Blake. While the British version famously revealed that the character developed his “Kirk” persona as an alter-ego of sorts, his American counterpart’s love life was treated as being quite real.
EXCLUSIVE: Jere Burns joins #YR for ‘Dear John’ reunion amid Diane’s disappearance. https://t.co/tVeqtgOyHQ
— TV Insider (@TVInsider) June 11, 2026
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John Witiw has been a writer since at least 2015. He’s covered a variety of topics, especially when it comes to film and television.
