“The Young and the Restless” Cast Celebrates 13,000 Episodes with Glitzy Event as They Reminisce Over the Iconic Soap

"It was such a fun-filled celebration for the cast and crew ... that I just knew I had to share it with the fans of the show who have kept us #1 for decades," Lauralee Bell said in a statement

The Young and the Restless celebrated its latest milestone with glitz and a little bubbly.

To honor its 13,000^th episode, which aired Wednesday, Nov. 13, the popular soap held a celebration on set in Hollywood, California. Lauralee Bell offered a glimpse at the event on Instagram, showing cast members in good spirits and raising a glass of champagne.

“Cheers to us and cheers to you because #thereisnouswithoutyou 🥂🥂,” Bell, 55, wrote in the caption. “That’s why it’s a good day! Happy official 13,000! You got us here! #yr #13k. Thank you so much @mattykane1 for all your work on this incredible milestone! 📸 Sonja Flemming (yr group photo) #highfive with @bradleybell in honor of #momanddad.”

In a statement to PEOPLE, Bell added: "It was such a fun-filled celebration for the cast and crew creating this episode of The Young and the Restless that I just knew I had to share it with the fans of the show who have kept us #1 for decades. Everyone was in the mood to celebrate and when I held up a glass of champagne, I suddenly had a lot of volunteers to toast."

Bell added, "But then I had to break it to them that it was only sparkling apple cider because we were in the middle of a long day of taping and many had to go back to work right after I shot this. Cheers to the best cast and crew anywhere!"

Related: Lauralee Bell Celebrates 40 Years on The Young and the Restless: 'It’s Gone By in a Blink' (Exclusive)

For Lauralee, who celebrated her 40^th anniversary in November 2023 portraying fan favorite Christine “Cricket” Blair, it was a particularly meaningful moment. Her late parents, William Bell and Lee Philip Bell created The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful, which premiered in 1973 and became a hit with daytime viewers.

Lauralee’s brother Bradley, meanwhile, is an executive producer and head writer on The Bold and the Beautiful.

At the The Young and the Restless’ celebratory event in October, Lauralee told PEOPLE how much her parents would have appreciated the landmark episode.

“I had to take a moment and think like, ‘Oh, they would've really loved tomorrow,'” she shared. “But the wonderful thing was they were at many events like this, enjoyed, beamed at everyone. I always say to people, my father, not in a cocky way, but just felt that this show was so solid and he loved these characters.”

Related: Soap Star Colleen Zenk Returns to Daytime TV with 'Scores to Settle' in The Young and the Restless (Exclusive)

“He never saw it going off the air,” she continued. “He's like, 'Why would we go off? We're going to adjust some challenges to just keep it good.' So he wouldn't be surprised. But I am sure he would reflect and think like 13,000 is a very impressive number.”

Lauralee also reflected on her time on the show, which includes a highly-anticipated Bold and the Beautiful crossover in August with Michael Damian. The actress, who essentially grew up on camera, praised the show’s fans for their unwavering support over the years.

“I was pretty much hooked from the beginning in terms of wanting to do more. I just knew I needed the training,” she recalled. “The fans were very kind. I had to really grow up on camera.”

She also recalled some of her favorite moments on the soap, which included the “massive, massive” amount of dialogue she had during courtroom scenes, from opening and closing statements to cross-examinations.

Related: 12 Stars Who Appeared on 'The Young and the Restless'

“That was very hard. We had the entire cast basically in the viewing areas,” she recalled, adding, “That scared the s--- out of me because they're all watching. They just all, they're all watching. … And that’s when you know we're all rooting for each other and there's no one trying to be the star. I mean, everyone's happy for the other.”

For Melody Thomas Scott, who portrays Nikki Reed Newman, the show has played a significant part in her life for decades. Having joined The Young and the Restless in 1979 — she made her debut in episode 1,508 — Scott, 68, discussed how one of the soap’s longest-running plotlines remains a particular favorite.

“There's been thousands of storylines,” she said. “For me, it's the continuing saga of the Victor/Nikki love story, which has continued on since 1981, and that's a very special thing for both Eric and me, of course, to learn how to work together and start to fill that chemistry. That elusive word that nobody knows how to describe.”

Joshua Morrow, who joined the cast as Nicholas Newman in 1994, opened up about how the show has changed his life. His son Crew joined the cast of The Bold and the Beautiful in August.

Related: Joshua Morrow Says Watching Son on The Bold and The Beautiful Is 'Awesome': 'I Couldn’t Be More Proud' (Exclusive)

“It allowed me to take care of my family in a way that I never dreamed was possible,” he admitted. “I'm just this little lake rat from Oklahoma dreaming about playing football. If you would've told me when I was 12 that this is what I was going to be doing when I'm 50 now, I'd have been like, you got to be kidding me.”

“It's really been a fairy tale of a career and it really suits me,” he added. “I'm never on location. I'm home for dinner every night. I coached my sons in every sport they played. I'm always home and that's what I like about it.”

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The Young and the Restless airs weekdays at 12:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. PT on CBS.