Melody Thomas Scott, famed for her role on “The Young and the Restless,” unveils harrowing details of her past in her 2020 memoir, “Always Young and Restless.”
Born into a Hollywood tapestry, her early life was marred by dark shadows.
Enduring sexual abuse at the hands of her grandmother and neglect from a mother who turned a blind eye, Scott’s home life was a stark contrast to her public success.
Her sanctuary was the acting world, where the staged dramas paled in comparison to her personal horrors.
After leaving her toxic household at age 20, she struggled to find peace and forgiveness.
Now a mother and advocate, Scott channels her pain into awareness, battling the stigmas of abuse with her own
Another one of Kristoff St. John’s Young and the Restless co-stars is remembering the late actor following his death earlier this month.
Melody Thomas Scott, who starred on the long-running soap opera with St. John since he joined the cast in 1991, stopped by The Talk on Monday and explained why she had to remain “stoic” after learning that he had passed away.
“We still had shows to shoot, and I had to remain stoic,” she said. “I said backstage when I come out and anybody asks me, ‘I’m going to remain stoic.'”
Thomas Scott went on to reflect on how much she loved St. John and what she’ll miss the most about him.
“I adored him. We all adored him,” she said, clearly emotional. “There was something very unique and magical about him. He would just draw you into his wonderful world. And all of his bear hugs, I can’t believe I’ll never get a bear hug.”
When the pair attended the same events, Thomas Scott even made it a point to quickly locate St. John in the room.
“Going to any kind of event, any party, the first thing I said when I got there was ‘Where’s Kristoff? I want to find Kristoff. I want to be with him. I want to be in his air space,'” she recalled. “Because that’s the kind of guy he was, and I think that came through on camera. I think everybody sensed that. I mean everybody adored him.”
St. John died on Feb. 3 and, though an autopsy has been preformed, a cause of death has been deferred pending additional investigation. At the time, the LAPD told ET that they responded to an incident that was considered to be a “possible alcohol overdose.”
Days after his death, The Young and the Restless’ Twitter account released a video honoring St. John and assuring fans that the show will “feature a storyline that pays tribute to both Kristoff and his character.”
Last week, ET spoke to St. John’s ex-wife, Mia St. John, who said she was texting her ex just before his death and he was “just so depressed,” specifically over the death of their son, Julian, who died by suicide in 2014.
“When Julian passed, he died of a broken heart,” she said. “These mental health issues are real. Kristoff suffered from bipolar, our son had schizophrenia and I just felt like it was so hard for people to pay attention.”
“I have never been so determined to change how we treat the mentally ill in this country,” she added. “I give you my word that my fight is never going to end, and I’m going to make my boys proud.”
