Beyond the Gates: Jen Jacob's Heartwarming Journey

On Beyond the Gates, Jen Jacob plays Ashley Morgan. Ashley is a nurse at Garland Memorial Hospital in Washington D.C, the best friend of Naomi Hamilton Hawthorne, and the girlfriend of firefighter Derek Baldwin. Beyond the Gates is the much anticipated new daytime soap from CBS. The groundbreaking series is the first daytime soap opera to premiere in over 30 years and the only to ever launch with a primarily black cast.

Beyond the Gates’ star’s New York State of Mind

Jen Jacob posted a heartwarming story on her Instagram page that is much needed, especially now. Jen Jacob and her husband live in New York City. Beyond the Gates is filmed in Atlanta, GA, and the two are moving together to Georgia. Jen took to her Instagram account to share the last day her husband, Jesse Reuben, will be in NYC.

Jen talked about all the things that made NYC great and what the couple shared there, from running marathons to making art to attending parties. They grew as a couple, fell in love, rode subways, and squeezed into apartments they describe as bursting at the seams. Jesse proposed to Jen at the corner of Houston and Allen, where they shared their first kiss. Jen says NYC was theirs for so long that it felt impossible to let it go.

The big move from NYC to Atlanta was an easy decision for Jen to make, but it's been a lot to ask of Jesse, and she feels so blessed that her husband believes in her and wants to do this with her — and with support and excitement. Jen says in her post, “I'm so grateful to have a partner who is all in on what's best for me, not just us. Atlanta, I hope you take care of us the way NYC did.”

Midnight Train to Georgia

You might wonder why a show set in an affluent area of Washington, DC, is filmed in Atlanta, Georgia. There are many reasons for this. Beyond the Gates is being filmed in Atlanta mostly due to the significant tax incentives offered by the state of Georgia to the film industry, which makes it a cost-effective location for film production; essentially, taking the filming to Atlanta allows the show to save money compared to other potential filming sites. The city of Atlanta offers so many diverse locations that will be used to represent the different environments needed for the show, and Atlanta is known for having a well-developed film industry with many studios and production facilities readily available.

Beyond the Gates premieres on February 24th, so we don't have too long to wait to see all the hard work and long hours pay off as we are taken to the gated community of Fairmont Estates and watch Jen Jacob become Nurse Ashley Morgan — and maybe become your new favorite soap star.

What are you most looking forward to about watching Beyond the Gates? Share your thoughts in the comments. Watch Jen Jacob and the rest of the new cast when Beyond the Gates premieres on February 24, 2025, on CBS and Paramount Plus.