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Vinessa Antoine Recalls Her Time as the OG Jordan Ashford of General Hospital

Photo: ABC

When General Hospital’s Jordan Ashford first came to Port Charles in 2014, she was played by popular actress, Vinessa Antoine.

Antoine played the former police commissioner and DEA agent four four years, before exiting the show when she landed the lead role on CBC’s new dramatic series, Diggstown.  It was there that Vinessa became the first black Canadian woman to be the lead of a Canadian TV drama series.

As the story goes, believing she would be able to take a break from the show to film her other series, GH made the decision to recast the part of Jordan with Briana Nicole Henry.

Vinessa talked to TV Watercooler back in 2020 on her GH departure: “I thought that I would get to stay. It was quite a shocker for me. I never planned to leave the show. I was hoping to get to do what the other actors get to do…go on a little sabbatical. I knew that we were only going to be gone for the summer, so I thought maybe my character could go away on an undercover mission or fall into a coma. But they had other plans, which was out of my control.”

Photo: AntoineIG

Now in 2023, Antoine took a walk down GH memory lane via her Instagram account, where she shared some photos from her time on the show.

Accompanying the pics in the post, Vinessa said: “Some memory photos came up from my ABC soap days at General Hospital. Original Jordan Ashford. Feels like a lifetime ago now but what an amazing workout space for the brain of an actor. A great experience to sharpen your tools in the craft. It’s like going to the gym. Mad respect to everybody still in the soap game.
Grateful for all of the moments and for the GH fans along the way.  You guys remember when Jordan was actually undercover DEA? That’s the Jordan I liked playing.Anyway, just sharing some pics for the lifelong GH fans who remember #ogjordanashford”

Since Diggstown ended its run, Antoine has also been seen on The Resident, Interrogation, So Help Me Todd and more.

Did you like the OG version of Jordan, who was undercover DEA? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

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Diggstown only did 6 episodes a year, so it’s ridiculous to think she couldn’t have done both. Granted, the COVID epidemic would have made things more difficult, trying to work both in Canada & the US (this is why Julian Jerome was killed off, because he wanted to live in Canada – a country with an actual healthcare system – during the pandemic)

But this wasn’t the case when Diggstown started, so at the very least she could have started out doing both shows… then maybe dealt with the border crossing difficulties when that became an issue.

Of course now Diggstown is over, as is the “emergency” designation of COVID. So this may be wishful thinking on a Devil’s part, but I’d really like to see the original Jordan return.

Hey Satan

Canada’s is a good place to be ! Here in Manitoba…it’s pretty sweet with cold hard winters… what is it like there when hell freezes over?

Hell hasn’t frozen over yet. But I have some sweaters on hand, just in case I need them… for example, if a certain orange mortal with 70 + indictments against him (with more to follow) is actually convicted and sentenced to prison… well, there’s going to be a fully functional ski resort on Beelzebub Mountain when that happens, but I’ll be happy to wear the itchy old wool sweater that day!

That will be a heavenly day indeed!

I would like to see her return as well

I really would love to see her return. The new one just don’t get it.

I totally agree..I think the current Jordan lacks any kind of depth or acting abilities..Shes just a one dimensional character..Loved VA and her chemistry with Anna as she worked under cover for her..Love to see her come back !

Me to.

Wish she would come back,this jordan isn’t as good,she is to fake.

But she was so good comforting Taggert. She can act! She might just be too subtle and understated for some folks who like actors who mug it up.

That is not the reason Julian was killed off. He had no plans to move back to Canada then; he hasn’t even moved there now. William DeVry was completely blindsided by the decision to kill Julian off.

It would be interesting to William DeVry return as a new character as well

I couldn’t agree with u more

I hope GH does what it always does… bring her back as a new character.

Bring her back, the new Jordan is easily the worst actor on the show. Antonine and Henry were both great in the role.

% agree..She lacks any kind of emotion or depth..She’s a one dimensional character who has no acting abilities..Love to see her go and take Curtis with her..Hes become such a hypocrite!

Really? I love the current actress playing Jordan. She’s understated but that’s in keeping with the stoicism required of a police commissioner. I also think she’s a goddess.

I agree and she has grown in the roll especially with her little romance. But, I agree about dropping Curtis, he’s a one tone actor!

I agree Harry. Your “goddess” is a model. Have you seen her IG account? She has some great pics from her photo shoots. As for her acting, I thought she was awful when she first came to the show; very stilted (like what’s-his-face was who played Nathan). And personally I liked Briana who she replaced, so it was difficult for me to accept Tanisha Harper. But then I saw her improve and now I really like her; she made the character her own. She’s a much more sophisticated Jordan in her look and demeanor, than Vinessa or Briana. The others came across grittier. She looks like she’s on her way to a shoot after she leaves a shooting. (see what I did there? lol.) She brings a different vibe which I’ve become used to and like.

I did like Vinessa, too. I was familiar with her from a Canadian show she was in that I loved, “Being Erica.” So it was interesting and surprising for me when she came to GH.

I seriously want her back on GH. She is Jordan.

Me to. Shes the best .

Yes I agree! I miss her!
She played that role!

Vinessa is Jordan! She won awards every year she was on the show. Its painful.to watch the recast a try to play the part
The execs made a horrific mistake by not allowing her the small amount of extra time she.needed to do Diggsville. Correct the miistake

I liked her with Shawn Butler, T,J’s dad and also her close relationship with Anna. Hasn’t been the same with the other Jordans.

I agree !!

Got that right! GH needs to bring her back

Bring her back!! Pleeeeeaase!

LOVE LOVE LOVE The Current Actress playing Jordan! Wonderful actress and very beautiful! I am so excited about her upcoming storyline with Zeke. Hope she is around for a long time!

Nice to see a positive comment about the current actress. Tanisha Harper’s Jordan is strong, courageous, dignified and drop dead gorgeous. She contrasts sharply with Portia, who acts like a silly, giggling sixth grade girl.

She need to come back as Jordan on GH. Don’t t like the this one or all the replacement . They should of let her come back.

Need to let her come back to General Hospital as Jordan. Don’t like those replacement. She’s did a great job as Jordan.

She was a great Jordan! I wish she could come back to the show.

Agree completely. She was great in the role of GHs Jordan. Such stage presence!
Wouldn’t she make a great Michele Obama?

Vinessa was easily the best actress to play Jordan. Brianna Henry was alright, but this new Jordan is awful. She looks far too young to play the role, and is extremely wooden. She and TJ look much more like brother & sister than mother & son. I was hoping to see Mishael Morgan step into the role after she wrapped on Y&R, but sadly that didn’t happen.

The current Jordan is soon to be 38; Briana before her is only 30 and Vinessa is basically 40. If anyone looks really young it’s Portia, even though the actress is soon to be 50.

How do we as viewers get this point across to the producers at GH. Almost every comment is the same – bring Vinessa back!

She was the best Jordan. The new lady just doesn’t have the charisma that is needed. GH, please bring her back!!!!

Wish she was back on GH. The new Jordan is robotic and nothing like a Police Commissioner should act.
The new one won’t move fast like she thinks her eye makeup will fall off

Loved her on that role…dumb to let her go . The new woman is great but she was out standing

I started watching GH in 2014. Vinessa was Jordan and I really loved her. It’s a shame she was treated this when her other costars were given the time to do other projects while also doing GH. It took me some time to get use to Briana Nicole Henry, but eventually did and then poof, she was gone. I LOVE ❤️❤️Tanisha Harper, she’s killing it. I would love to see Vinessa return to GH as maybe a former/current coworker, DEA or law enforcement agent, of Marcus Taggert. Taggert could use the support right now. She could help heal his broken heart .
She could also be a relative of Stella Henry who comes to visit her for the holidays. Or a long lost daughter of Hat Daddy Marshall Ashford. We don’t really know much about his time spent away from his family. Maybe he was a rollingstone, he is a musician after all. So, she comes into town hell bent on getting revenge on the father who abandoned her and her mother while she was pregnant, but then finds out eventually he had no idea she excited. So many exciting ways she could be written in and expand on the #BlackHospital stories.

Loved her and miss her as Jordan! So talented and beautiful. Absolutely loved the character with her in the role, been boring since she left.

General Hospital

Dee Wallace to Play the Late Jackie Zeman’s On-Screen Sister on ‘The Bay’

The Daytime Emmy-winning streaming series,The Bay, has revealed some major casting news. Former General Hospital guest star, Dee Wallace (ex-Patricia Spencer), who is best known for her roles in the blockbuster films ET and Cujo, is joining the show for its ninth season.

Wallace will take on the role of Charlotte Grace, who in story, happens to be the sister of Sofia Madison, played by the late Jackie Zeman (ex-Bobbie Spencer, GH).

In an intriguing twist, Dee came to General Hospital as the older sister of Luke (Tony Geary) and Bobbie. Patricia was key to the plot in the “Fluke” storyline where GH played out the harrowing backstory that Luke killed both his parents to protect himself and his siblings.

Photo: JPI

Dee was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 2016 for Outstanding Guest Performance in a Daytime Drama Series for her work on GH.

Additional casting news from The Bay for season 9 includes: Mack Wilds, best known for his role as Dixon on 90210, joining the show as a recast Will Campbell. The character was last seen in season 3.

Photo: Oliviadabonet

In addition, Olivia d’Abo who played Karen Arnold on the the sitcom, The Wonder Years joins the show in the role of Felicia “Fifi” Garrett-Martin, the daughter of Lex Martin played by Tristan Rogers.

What do you think of Dee Wallace playing the on-screen sister, once again to the late Jackie Zeman on The Bay? Comment below.

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General Hospital

GH’s Adam J. Harrington Reveals the Behind the Scenes Story of Becoming John “Jagger” Cates

When Adam J. Harrington showed up on all-new episodes of General Hospital, it shocked viewers of the long-running ABC soap opera, because he was the recast John “Jagger” Cates.

The character was previously played more than 30 years ago by Antonio Sabato Jr., and as fans of the soap have seen, Harrington’s version of Jagger and his circumstances are quite different. As it turns out, Adam was in the dark at what GH role he would be eventually cast in.

Speaking with GH co-stars, Steve Burton (Jason) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli) on their Daily Drama podcast, Harrington shared the behind the scenes journey that led him to being the new version of John.

Photo: ABC

Adam shared, “I went into a chemistry read with Laura Wright (Carly) for a different character. I was told I wasn’t going to get the character, but hang tight, there’s something else. Then, that kind of took a couple of months and now we’re in December (2023), and then all of a sudden it was like, ‘here you go.'”

Once Adam was given a role on GH, he explained, “I still didn’t know who I was playing. I should have asked at that point. So the deal gets done, and I go, ‘By the way, who am I playing?'”

Photo: ABC

That’s the point where the GH powers-that-be let him in on just what he was about to take on. “They sent me a one sheet with John “Jagger” Kates in the description,” shared Adam. “It wasn’t until I went on YouTube and spent a good three or four days, watching all of Steve (Burton’s) storylines in the nineties (that I figured it out). By the way, they were fantastic. The production value … it was amazing the level of the acting, and the relationships you guys had. I really enjoyed it. So, that’s how I found out (about the character).”

Burton and Anderson asked Harrington about his thoughts on being a recast. “I thought it was important to go back to his circumstances and his upbringing, because that wouldn’t change no matter what he had become in the 20 or 30 or 70 years since we’ve seen him,” Adam shared. “I looked at what Antonio Sabato Jr. did and thought, ‘There was no way in hell I can even touch that or even come close, nor do I want to.’ The only thing I recognized was given his upbringing and what he’d gone through, it was a common sense of humor in there that’s either used defensively or as a way of getting through the world.”

Photo: JPI

As to how Adam should approach the part given it was a recast, he noted, “What I had been told from the brass is don’t worry about following that same emotional storyline. He’s gone away for a very, very, very long time, become successful and he’s come back. Basically, they were saying, you bring in you.”

Being part of the fabric of GH for awhile now, Harrington expressed, “I will say this about my experience so far. I am in absolute awe of the cast and the crew and watching how you do this on a train that refuses to stop. I said to a friend, ‘I’m on a train that’s going a hundred miles an hour, and they slow down to about 90 to kick you off after your scene is done.'”

So, what are your thoughts on Adam as John “Jagger” Cates after now seeing how the role has evolved and changed since its original version over 30 years ago? Comment below.

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General Hospital

John J. York Back at General Hospital

On Friday, May 10th, General Hospital fans received some wonderful images and news. John J. York who has played the beloved Mac Scorpio on the ABC daytime drama series is back at work and taping all-new episodes of the show.

“Mac is back!” read the General Hospital social media post hashtag. John is pictured with longtime leading lady, Kristina Wagner and in other pics with Wagner, along with his TV son, Josh Kelly.  York has played the younger brother of Robert Scorpio (Tristan Rogers) since 1991.

Previously, York announced he was taking time off from GH to undergo treatment for myelodysplastic syndromes and multiple smoldering myeloma (two blood and bone marrow disorders). This included chemo treatments, finding a blood doner match for  blood stem cell transplant and more.

Courtesy/GHIG

Late in 2023, York shared an update on his health on social media. At that time, John expressed, “(Things) are actually going along very well. I’m still in the middle stages of everything.” He added, “I’m feeling really good. Hopefully, hopefully, things go the way they are, maybe be back on the show late spring, early summer.

York’s return pics were greeted with wonderful excitement from his GH co-stars on the Instagram post, including  co-stars Finola Hughes (Anna) and Cameron Mathison (Drew).

Michael Fairman TV is wishing John well, and thrilled to see he is back at work.

Share your thoughts as “Mac is Back” to General Hospital via the comment section below.

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