How ‘Y&R’ Brought Matt Cohen Back to Daytime 6 Years After ‘General Hospital’ Exit

Matt Cohen will make his debut as Detective Burrow on The Young and the Restless on October 16, six years after his last soap appearance as General Hospital‘s Griffin Munro.

Cohen says he’s been looking for an opportunity like this for a while. “I read the audition, and I had been wanting to play a very similar role to this for a long time,” Cohen explains. “It’s a really fun detective. He’s good, he’s bad, he’s everything in between. He’s got a lot to deliver for the audience. Sharon (Newman, Sharon Case) and Nick (Newman, Joshua Morrow) have a big situation going on and he’s involved. He’s investigating and he’s going to get to the bottom of it in one way, shape, or form, and the result is going to be astounding.”

In addition to the excitement of joining Y&R, the new gig allows Cohen to reconnect with a host of familiar faces. “I started my career in Hollywood with an old friend producing a movie, and that old friend happened to be Michael Graziadei (Daniel Romalotti), who I love thoroughly,” he shares. “When this project came up, I said, ‘Man, I know Graz is back on the show, and Michelle Stafford‘s (Phyllis Summers) my dear friend from General Hospital (where she played Nina Reeves), and Hayley Erin (Claire Newman; ex-Kiki Jerome, GH) is there, too.’ I introduced her to her husband Adam Fergus, who is one of my best friends in the world, and they have a beautiful family together. My dear friend Roger (Howarth, ex-Franco, GH) is also here, as is Tamara Braun (Sienna Bacall). So, we are really having fun. It’s a bunch of old friends getting to play around on the stage again, and it’s really been rewarding.”

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Even with the comfort of his pals around him, Cohen still experienced a few first-day jitters. “I was nervous, and I always say to myself, if I’m not nervous on the first day of anything I’m doing, I’m doing the wrong thing,” he notes. “I don’t want to do something that doesn’t make my stomach tingle and make my heart palpitate a little bit. But I was welcomed here with really open arms, and nobody made it hard for me.”

His return wasn’t completely without obstacles, however. A few weeks into filming, Cohen faced a setback when he ruptured his Achilles’ tendon while playing tag with his son, Macklin, 10, and needed surgery. “Everybody’s helped me out,” he says. “It took me out of work for almost a week, and then we got back to it. I applaud the team for helping me get by. I’ve been on a knee scooter. I’ve been on crutches. I’ve got a cast on my leg. It’s been thing after thing, and everybody has propped me up and allowed me to perform and be welcomed here. I’m so grateful, honestly.”

 

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Fortunately, Detective Burrow won’t be similarly injured, Cohen reveals. “The team has done brilliant work here. All the directors that I’ve worked with so far have been absolutely incredible and lovely. I’m willing to push my body as much as I can, but they’ve had creative designs for the scenes that have helped us move through without any issue.”

Setback aside, 2025 has been a very busy year for Cohen. In January, he directed and had a starring role in the feature film, Exes, and produced and co-created, Public Domain, an adult animated comedy, which features several alums from Supernatural, where Cohen played a young John Winchester. (The first episode is available on the show’s YouTube page.) “I’m just trying to do everything,” he explains. “I love making people laugh or cry or be scared. I’m trying to make moments for people, and instead of watching the news and all the nonsense, I’m going to make some random moments of entertainment.”

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Outside of his career, Cohen takes the most pride in his family life. He and wife Mandy Musgrave (ex-Chelsea Brady, Days of our Lives) have been married since May 18, 2011, and have a 10-year-old son, Macklin. “Mandy is fantastic,” he reports. “She is a full-time homeschool teacher to our son. I’m a kid that grew up without a mom. My mom was out of the picture since I was 18 months old, so to watch my wife mother my son, I could just cry telling you about it. I’ve never seen something so great. For the first time, to witness a mother’s love for her son, is just the best. Every day I’m astonished that I get to be part of it.”

That sense of gratitude carries over to his work on Y&R. “I’m 43 years old. I want to go to work happy. I’m not looking for anything else whatsoever,” he reflects. “I want to be around people who want to be around me, and I want to make them smile. End of story. I don’t care where else that puts me, but if I’m around those types of people, I know I can show up, I can deliver, and I can uplift spirits.”

And with his first Y&R appearance on deck, Cohen is excited for viewers to meet Detective Burrow — and to see what comes next. “I want more,” he says. “I’m waiting for stories to break. I can’t wait to tell the audience. I can’t wait to show them me in this new outfit, this new feel, this new name, this new character, and I’m excited to do it with some people you’ve seen me on screen with before, as well as some new additions that are paving the way for me to fit in here somewhere. It’s been brilliant. It’s just the best situation to walk into you possibly could.”

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