“Beyond the Gates” star Jen Jacob was thrilled to be reunited with her pal Melissa Claire Egan on the Daytime Emmy red carpet. “The Young and the Restless” fan favorite gave the new CBS soap star advice that changed her life, and Jacob used the reunion to shout out Egan.
What Did Melissa Claire Egan Say to ‘Beyond the Gates’ Star Jen Jacob?
Taking to Instagram, Jacob posted a carousel of photos from the Daytime Emmys, where “Beyond the Gates” was honored for the first time since it premiered on CBS in February 2025. Jacob shared pictures of her with her cast, but the focus of her post was the photo with Egan.
“One last EMMY photo dump for the road. Starting with a huge shoutout to @missyclaireegan. When I first booked @beyondthegatescbs my friend @thenatalie_hall put me in touch with her friend Missy to help me decide if I was going to take the plunge and say yes to playing Ashley for as long as they let me,” Jacob began her caption.
The soap star went on to add, “I’ll never forget that on that call Missy told me if I ever envisioned becoming a mom this was the best job in our industry to be able to make that possible. I’ve always been scared to become a mom as an actor. This industry isn’t always kind to our changing bodies’ and our shared focus — I’ve heard all the horror stories. From women being dropped by reps or let go on jobs…it always seemed like an impossible decision. An either/or. What a full circle moment to be able to finally embrace Missy in person and tell her how right she was.”
The “Beyond the Gates” star recently announced she’s pregnant with her first child with her husband Jesse Ruben. Jacob and Ruben are expecting a baby girl in March 2027. Since Ashley isn’t pregnant on the CBS soap, the show will hide Jacob’s growing belly behind the nurses’ station, tables, baggy clothes, and more.
Jacob gushed over her “Beyond the Gates” family in the same social media post, admitting she’s so “lucky” that her dream of being an actress and a mother is coming true. Then she gave some words of wisdom to other actresses.
“If you’re an actress and worried about making this choice for yourself, I hope you know that there are people ready to be on your team and support you in all the ways. Don’t settle. And never give up on your dreams. Every last one of them.🌹💫 #newmom #workingmom #beyondthegates #cbs #emmyawards @beyondthegatescbs @cbstvstudios,” Jacob stated.
Egan hopped into the comments to react to Jacob’s kind words. “The best gig in the biz! Especially for a Mommy!!💞 So thrilled for you and LOVED finally meeting you in person!🥰,” she expressed.
‘The Young and the Restless’ Melissa Claire Egan Reveals ‘Beyond the Gates’ Crossover That Was Cut
Jacob and Egan nearly got to work together on ‘Beyond the Gates’. Soap fans know that several “The Young and the Restless” cast members have ventured to Fairmont Crest for various reasons.
It turned out that Egan’s Chelsea and Mark Grossman’s Adam were supposed to be part of one of those crossover events. Speaking with TV Insider about who Egan would like to work with in the soap world, she stated, “I would love to do a little something on Beyond The Gates. That would be so fun. Mark and I were actually supposed to, but they brought a different group instead.”
There have been three ‘Beyond the Gates” and ‘The Young and the Restless” crossovers. Devon (Bryton James) was the first to head to Fairmont Crest in August 2025.
In June 2026, Devon, Abby (Melissa Ordway), Victor (Eric Braeden), Jack (Peter Bergman), Diane (Susan Walters), and Kyle (Michael Mealor) were part of Martin’s (Brandon Claybon) political fundraiser that was hit by a tornado.
Most recently, Devon returned to Fairmont Crest with his sister Lily (Christel Khalil) as he produced the latest album for The Articulettes.
“Beyond the Gates” and “The Young and the Restless” air weekdays on CBS.
‘Beyond the Gates’ Star Reveals Life-Changing Advice ‘Young & the Restless’ Melissa Claire Egan Gave Her