'The Bold and the Beautiful': Original cast member Ronn Moss exiting after 25 years -- EXCLUSIVE

by Tanner Stransky

Tags: Daytime Soaps, EW Exclusive, Scoop, Television, The Bold and the Beautiful, TV Biz, TV Scoop, News

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Image Credit: CLIFF LIPSON

After more than two decades on The Bold and the Beautiful, Ronn Moss is leaving the CBS soap where he’s played fashion magnate Ridge Forrester since the show’s 1987 inception, EW has learned exclusively.

An insider tells EW that CBS imposed cuts on the show’s production company, Bell Phillip Television, which were passed on to actors via salary cuts just as Moss’ contract was up for renewal. The actor decided the reduced pay was unacceptable and left on his own accord. Moss could not be reached for comment.

Production company Bell Phillip Television confirmed the exit. “Ronn has spent an amazing 25 years with B&B,” a rep for Bell Phillip said in a statement. “We will always consider him family, and we wish him only the best in all of his future endeavors.”

Moss was one of the so-called “core four” on Bold, referring to the foursome of original actors still on the show, including Susan Flannery as Stephanie Forrester, John McCook as Eric Forrester, and Katherine Kelly Lang as Brooke Logan.

If Moss was leaving because he was upset about trash he would have split when Ridge made out with Bridget...

I don't think that is Moss' problem. I honestly believe he is insulted that he is being asked to take a cut. Ronn strikes me as very confident and self aware, so he'd walk before he accepted less than he thought was owed to him - nonacting chops aside. The man has been on the show since day one and 1 of 4 of the original cast. That is big business, and Ronn knows it.

In short, SoapsInDepth commented on the GH TL that Carly was the worst mother ever for running around the house half naked with handcuffs and her boy toy with a small child somewhere in said house. LW must have seen it and she responded. Something to the effect, "GH is kicking ass. Watch the whole story play out before you slam (um LW, this schlock has gone on long enough, and there's nothing left to see)...Alot of people are working very hard here".

That response always works my nerves. Just because people are working hard doesn't mean the product is any good. It just means that you are working really hard at making garbage.

In that clip a few pages back, Moss is obviously working hard. Does that make it any less awful?

I don't think that is Moss' problem. I honestly believe he is insulted that he is being asked to take a cut. Ronn strikes me as very confident and self aware, so he'd walk before he accepted less than he thought was owed to him - nonacting chops aside. The man has been on the show since day one and 1 of 4 of the original cast. That is big business, and Ronn knows it.

It's his choice. I don't get the mentality of some actors like NLG chastising these actors who won't take a cut. It's his choice and B&B is doing the right thing also by not giving into demands they can't financially. Paycuts only get you so far. This is not like a teacher taking a pay freeze until the economy improves. This is not an industry in a slump that's going to start booming again.. And you can only cut pay so far. He's 60 and could have easily taken the cut and hung on.mhe chose not to. I don't think Peter Reckalls decision to leave Days was a whole lot different than this. Maybe just maybe these folks are just ready to move on.

If Moss was leaving because he was upset about trash he would have split when Ridge made out with Bridget...

Eww, don't remind me of that horror! B&B has always been slightly incestuous, but that crossed the line.

As for recasting Ridge...

It will be incredibly difficult, but I'll reserve judgment for now. It's not like Ridge is center of attention anymore, and he will probably be even less visible in the future.

I agree with Errol. They should reunite Ridge and Taylor and have them sail off into the sunset together, making visits from time to time.

Brad is like a kid in the sandbox who doesn't know how to share. Cuts do have to be made, but he can't even take the blame for causing those cuts to have to be so much more dramatic.

I agree with Errol. They should reunite Ridge and Taylor and have them sail off into the sunset together, making visits from time to time.

There's not enough time to make that exit work

Are you kidding? This is B&B, where couples meet, fall in love, have sex with other people (accidentally), break up, reunite, marry, have babies, have sex with other people again (accidentally!), break up and go on the rebound with each other's sibling before the credits roll.

Believe me, there's plenty of time to make a Ridge/Taylor reunion and send-off happen.

Are you kidding? This is B&B, where couples meet, fall in love, have sex with other people (accidentally), break up, reunite, marry, have babies, have sex with other people again (accidentally!), break up and go on the rebound with each other's sibling before the credits roll.

Believe me, there's plenty of time to make a Ridge/Taylor reunion and send-off happen.

lol. Too funny! I just love your posts!

Not only funny but completely true. It takes about an episode or two for Bradley to completely change pairings, marriages and minds.

Not only funny but completely true. It takes about an episode or two for Bradley to completely change pairings, marriages and minds.

Very true. I am all too familar with BB's drive thru romances. Nick and Donna were on the same eppy one day, and this was after she was supposedly so devastated over the loss of her offscreen marriage to Justin. 2 days later, they are sailing, gazing into one another's eyes and doing some heavy making out. Before I began scratching my head, I realized it was the norm.

After 18 months or so, Moss returns to B&B; this Ridge "recast" will be the equivalent of Pumpkin-in-a-Wig on GH who replaced Genie Francis for the better part of a decade. He'll show up once in a while, mumble "Now, mother" to Stephanie at FC board meetings and hop on the Forrester jet back to Forrester International.

Pumpkin-in-a-Wig... haha, that made me chuckle

Bold & Beautiful is so schizophrenic and tells stories at warped speed with people falling in & out of love, and getting over deaths of loved ones quicker than the time it takes to toast bread, but you always had the 4 constant tentpoles of the show played by the same faces (even if cosmetic surgery altered them somewhat). Although it was bound to happen sooner or later (especially with rumors popping up every other year of Susan Flannery retiring), this will definitely change the landscape of B&B. Luckily, they seem to have already made the right transitions before this Ronn Moss news even hit.

The thing is, even though the love stories are basically a joke on B&B , you always had the major characters to keep things grounded, even if Ridge was a ping pong ball, bouncing off Taylor and Brooke repeatedly. The other couplings are so obviously thrown together and not taken seriously (Donna & anyone, Thorne & anyone, Nick & anyone, Felicia & anyone, etc. etc. etc.) so to have the one mainstay now leaving, it's going to be a free-for-all of pointless couples that the powers-that-be aren't really that committed to. Brooke & Ridge and Eric & Stephanie were the only 2 main couples, despite their make-ups and break-ups. For awhile some 10-15 years back it was Ridge & Taylor, but that's been out the window for quite a long time.

Okay, end of B&B rambling. It's such a superfluous soap, this is the first time people are really giving a damn about discussing this show.

Edited August 15, 201213 yr by Gray Bunny

Are you kidding? This is B&B, where couples meet, fall in love, have sex with other people (accidentally), break up, reunite, marry, have babies, have sex with other people again (accidentally!), break up and go on the rebound with each other's sibling before the credits roll.

Believe me, there's plenty of time to make a Ridge/Taylor reunion and send-off happen.

No I'm not kidding. He had his last tape date yesterday. There literally is no time for him to be written out with Taylor. She could always go join him in the future but they aren't leaving together

Edited August 15, 201213 yr by Cheap21

From one bad actor to another...LMAO

You can't seriously think that Lane Davies is a bad actor, can you?

Blasphemy!

Edited August 16, 201213 yr by juniorz1

No I'm not kidding. He had his last tape date yesterday. There literally is no time for him to be written out with Taylor. She could always go join him in the future but they aren't leaving together

True. But who's to say Ronn Moss didn't tape some scene (or two) before leaving that might be inserted into a future episode?

It takes about an episode or two for Bradley to completely change pairings, marriages and minds.

An episode or two? He must be slowing down in his old age.