All Of The Soap Operas Jon Lindstrom & Estranged Wife Cady McClain Have Been On
Soap opera stars Cady McClain and Jon Lindstrom first met on the set of "As the World Turns," and the two got married in 2014. After a decade of marriage, they decided to split up in 2024. Aside from the soap where their romance started, McClain has appeared in three additional daytime dramas: "All My Children," "The Young and the Restless," and "Days of Our Lives." Lindstrom has worked his way through five other sudsers: "Rituals," "Santa Barbara," "General Hospital," "Port Charles," and "Days of Our Lives."
Lindstrom shared the announcement of their split in a now-deleted Instagram post on April 27 (via Soap Opera News). Lindstrom referenced the fact that some of their previous posts had indicated their relationship was on shaky ground and added: "After serious consideration we have decided that our goals have been taking us in different directions and to end our marriage. We remain friends and wish each other every happiness." He went on to ask for privacy during their transition.
A few days earlier, McClain posted a rather ominously prescient quote on Instagram from novelist Paulo Coelho that stated: "Maybe the journey isn't so much about becoming anything. Maybe it's about un-becoming everything that isn't really you, so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place." While this is a likely reference to the end of the marriage, it could just as easily refer to their long careers in soap operas, which have played a pivotal role in their lives.
Cady McClain is a record-holding Emmy winner
Cady McClain's acting journey started at 9 years old and includes several TV shows and movies. She also created a one-woman play called "Mona7," which she starred in and co-directed. She produced and directed the acclaimed documentary "Seeing Is Believing: Women Direct" in 2018, as well as a host of award-winning projects. Her soap opera appearances have garnered her five Daytime Emmy nominations and three wins.
Her soap journey began in 1989 when she played Dixie Martin on "All My Children." For that part, she won the 1990 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Juvenile Female. In 2007, Dixie was killed off by poisoned pancakes, and the actress told Entertainment Weekly in 2020 that it was "a dig at me by one of the writers that very much wanted to put me in my place." Ultimately, she enjoyed the pancakes and ate them all up just to spite the writer.
In 2002, her run as Rosanna Cabot on "As the World Turns" was fraught with misdeeds, and the role earned her the 2004 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress. She briefly played Kelly Andrews, the bane of Jack Abbott's (Peter Bergman) existence, on "The Young and the Restless" from 2014 to 2015. But it was her role as Jennifer Horton on "Days of Our Lives" from 2020 to 2023 that would clinch her third Emmy for Outstanding Guest Performer, making her the record holder for winning three different shows that were also on three separate networks.
Jon Lindstrom briefly pinch-hit on Days of Our Lives
Jon Lindstrom started in soaps earlier than former spouse Cady McClain, when he was in "Rituals" in 1985, but his character Brady Chapin was only in a handful of episodes. He then moved on to "Santa Barbara" in 1985 playing the dastardly Mark McCormick, whose death set off a murder mystery in 1988.
On "General Hospital," he was initially contracted to play serial killer Ryan Chamberlain in 1992 for a short run. In order to keep Lindstrom on the show, the writers came up with Ryan's good twin, Kevin Collins. After being presumed dead in 1993, Ryan returned in 2018 until being killed in 2023. Despite Ryan seemingly dead for real this time, Lindstrom was pragmatic about it, accepting the character's fate. Lindstrom's Kevin had jumped over to the spin-off series "Port Charles" from 1997 to 2003, and his 2013 appearance on "GH" for the 35th anniversary was also supposed to be short, but in 2024 he's still playing Kevin – creating the same pattern for both characters.
From 2006 to 2010, Lindstrom played the beloved Craig Montgomery on "As the World Turns," who had a romance with McClain's Rosanna Cabot. He also had a brief turn as Jack Deveraux in a 2020 episode of "Days of Our Lives." Because of the pandemic's safety protocols, and McClain's Jennifer Horton needing to have close scenes with husband Jack (Matthew Ashford), Lindstrom jumped in to act with his then-real life wife.