Kay Alden | |
|---|---|
 Alden (left) with daughter, Conci Nelson | |
| Born | Priscilla Kay Alden (1946-10-24)October 24, 1946 (age 79) |
| Occupation | Screenwriter |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Children | 3 |
Priscilla Kay Alden (born October 24, 1946) is an American television writer and the formerhead writer for the soap opera,The Young and the Restless.
Alden began writing forThe Young and the Restless as a script writer in 1974 while researching her dissertation at theUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison.[1] She was promoted to associate head writer in 1987, then to co-head writer in 1997.[2]
She took over ashead writer the following year when series co-creatorWilliam J. Bell stepped down from the position. With Alden as head writer, the show lost about two million viewers (most of the loss occurred in 2004 when Alden co-wrote the show with longtimeY&Rscribe and producerJohn F. Smith), but all soap operas during that period experienced a similar scale of massive audience erosion.[citation needed]
She quitThe Young and the Restless in late 2006, and was then hired byBrian Frons, president ofABC Daytime, to consult on its serialsAll My Children,General Hospital andOne Life to Live. She left ABC Daytime after decliningAll My Children's head writer position in Spring 2007, and was hired byBradley Bell in May 2007 to be an associate head writer for anotherCBS Daytime drama,The Bold and the Beautiful. On July 18, 2008, it was announced that Alden would be appointed co-head writer ofThe Bold and the Beautiful in the coming weeks.[3]
Alden, formerly a member ofWriters Guild of America, East, left and maintainedfinancial core status while working forThe Bold and the Beautiful during the2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike.[4]
In 2012, Alden was spotted on the set ofThe Young and the Restless for the taping of the show's 10,000th episode, leading many to believe she'd re-joined the show as a writer or story consultant.[5]
However, this never came to pass. On September 21, 2016,Daytime Confidential reported that after ten years since being with the show, Alden had been hired to bestory consultant at Y&R, underSally Sussman's tenure asHead writer.[6]
On July 31, 2017,Daytime Confidential announced that both Alden and Sussman would be departing from the show, withMal Young being named as the new head writer.[7]
There is a scholarship in Alden's name fromEmporia State University, inEmporia, Kansas.
She has three children and lives with her husband in Illinois.[citation needed]
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| Preceded by | Head Writer ofThe Young and the Restless (withWilliam J. Bell: February 14, 1997 – July 3, 1998) (withJohn F. Smith: December 23, 2002 – November 10, 2006) (withTrent Jones: August 21, 2000 – August 5, 2004) (withLynn Marie Latham: February 16 – December 22, 2006) (withScott Hamner: October 26, 2006 – December 22, 2006) February 14, 1997 – December 22, 2006 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Head Writer ofThe Bold and the Beautiful February 5 – April 15, 2008 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Head Writer ofThe Bold and the Beautiful (withBradley Bell andMichael Minnis) January 2, 2009 – October 2, 2013 | Succeeded by Bradley Bell Michael Minnis |
Daytime Emmy Award[1][permanent dead link]
Writers Guild of America Award