Jay Kenneth Johnson, who assumes the role of Philip Kiriakis from the recently-released Brandon Tyler on December 27th, juggled his interest in theater with his passion for athletics while growing up in Springfield, Missouri. "That was a challenge," he says. "I had to take small roles in the high school productions because the plays always fell during football season!" After graduation, Johnson decided to focus his attention exclusively on acting. The young star-to-be realized that if he was serious about making it in show biz, he'd have to make the requisite move to Los Angeles. "I was watching VH1's Before They Were Stars," he recalls, "and I realized that I wanted to do this: take a risk and give it a shot. My parents [mortgage broker Ken and Yellow Pages employee Janice] at first didn't really approve, but they came to respect my decision." Johnson briefly appeared as Brendan on Y&R before landing the role of Philip.
Philip Kiriakis certainly has unusual parentage. His father is Victor Kiriakis and his biological mother is Kate Roberts. However, he was born from a stolen embryo that was implanted in the womb of his mother’s arch-enemy, Vivian Alamain. With his father in a nursing home and his mother determined to destroy the woman who gave birth to him, Philip certainly has problems. He is always making fun of/being made fun of by Chloe. Is it possible for these two to have a future together???