General Hospital
Adam J. Harrington Talks on His Final Scenes as John “Jagger” Cates, Changes in Direction of Character, Maura West and His GH Co-Stars
Just last week, viewers saw the demise of John “Jagger” Cates when in a major confrontation in the rain, Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) shot the FBI agent twice in the chest ending the run of Adam J. Harrington. The actor was first seen on-screen in the role back in February of this year.
Leading up to his final days of taping, Harrington was given a juicy arc, where Cates became a man so obsessed with bringing down the mobster for his crimes and past transgressions on those he loved and cared about, that he could not think clearly, but was laser-focused on putting Sonny behind bars by any means necessary. Those “means” included getting a “confession” out of Ava (Maura West) about the night Kristina Corinthos-Davis (Kate Mansi) came to see her, fell through a window, and lost her baby, and threatening Kristina.
Now, Adam exclusively appeared on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel for a livestream conversation for the first time since being killed-off the legacy soap opera. Harrington opened up about his time as the recast “Jagger”, previously played by Antonio Sabato Jr. and more. During the streaming broadcast, Adam appeared clean-shaven and with shorter hair as he teased a new role he was prepping for, that for now, needs to remain hush-hush.
Courtesy/ABC
During the conversation, Harrington spoke on “Jagger’s” climatic scenes with Sonny, working with many of his GH co-stars, how he met and worked with the late Billy Miller (ex-Jason/Drew, GH) when they appeared together on Major Crimes, and how the GH co-head writer shake-up affected Agent Cates story on the canvas.
Courtesy/ABC
Last Day on Set
Harrington revealed what it was like to finish his job at GH, when Cates was shot by Sonny and left soaking in the rain, and then having to say his farewells to the cast and crew. “I finished on a Friday,” Adam shared. “The shooting was filmed on a Wednesday, and on Thursday, I was partly laying on the ground, soaking wet with rain going up my nose. On Friday, it was wonderful and sad, and bittersweet and everything. But, it was a really intense day because it was a last day before everyone goes on hiatus for a month. Everybody was working really hard. I had 70 pages of dialogue to do that day, and the cast and the crew, and the producers, were all amazing just to try to get me through it. Then, we all had a big, and really sweet hug fest at the end. I jokingly said, ‘It was my time at soap opera school,’ because it was kind of a semester.”
Photo: ABC
Stone and Michael Sutton
One of Adam’s biggest regrets was not getting the opportunity to work somehow with Jagger’s brother, the late Stone Cates played by the incredible Michael Sutton. “I’m just making observations on my own. I’m not a writer, not paid to be a writer. I’m not executive producer. I wouldn’t want those jobs. They’re just high stress and a whole other skillset,” Harrington began. “But, I personally would’ve loved to have gotten the chance to work with Michael. I do understand though, that visually it might become difficult for an audience to keep investing in a new ‘Jagger’ when you are seeing Michael and I, unless it’s (under) really dim lighting. He added, “I think it would have been cool if ‘Jagger’ visited Stone’s gravesite. I often wondered that for myself and my own back stories, has ‘Jagger’ gone to the grave or not?”
Photo: ABC
Writing Regime Changes
As viewers watched Cates’ storyline, it evolved from what seemed to be a more upstanding FBI to thinking he is doing his job, to a revenge-filled, single-focused man, who is driven by his desire to make Sonny pay for his crimes. Harrington clarified, “We have to remember that there was three executive head writer changes. I think in the six months I was there, I only shot four and a half months because of the breaks (the show) would take. I think the first writers were gone within a month. And then, the second writers, I don’t know how long they lasted. And then the third came in. So, every time a new writing team comes in, they’re going to want to put their own stamp on it to show their bosses why they got hired. So, I knew after the first writer change, everything might be up in the air as far as why I’m there, because ‘Jagger’ was so newly re-introduced. I didn’t know ahead of time that there were changes in his motivation, but I understood why they were once I clued into them and why they were happening, just because it was coinciding with the writers changing.”
Photo: ABC
Finding Out He Was Going To Be Killed-Off
I had a friend point out to me, who said, ‘Listen, just so you know, two things are going to happen. Either, half the town goes to prison, or you’re going bye-bye,'” shared Harrington. “So you bring in an FBI agent, two things are going to happen. People are going to go to jail, and/or he disappears, right? They had let me know in May, I think, that I was going to be done. So that final chunk of story, I knew it was going to wrap up. It was just a matter of how. That final arc was just backtracking from the confrontation with Sonny and how to plot that. ‘How do we get the audience to buy into the conceit that an FBI agent would show up without a gun?’ And the other one for me personally, was, ‘What happens to my son Stone?”
Courtesy/ABC
GH Co-Stars
Adam shared his thoughts on working with several of his key scene partners, chief among them Maura West as Ava Jerome, whom he felt that if he had stayed on the show that Ava and Cates would have potentially had a budding on-screen relationship that continued.
On Maura West: “I just absolutely loved, absolutely loved working with her. I think my favorite moments with her were the most tender I think of his interactions with the other characters. I always saw Jagger, and it got supported in the script, as incredibly lonely. I thought Ava could try to kill him and Jagger would still forgive her and understand.”
On Maurice Benard: “Maurice and I had very few conversations and when we did, they were really lovely. We would talk when we got to set … we’d figure things out. It just kind of clicked right away. I trusted it, he trusted it. The intense hatred they had to play in the world of Port Charles, which culminated in Sonny unloading his gun on Jagger, ended when the cameras stropped rolling. There was a big hug after we shot the final (scene). I have an enormous amount of respect for him and he is such a delight to work with.”
On Steve Burton (Jason) “I love the back and forth between the characters, but working with Steve, he’s just such a pro and has such amazing energy. I always looked forward to the scenes we had together. I think my first real chunk of scenes was with him and it almost felt like a ‘Bourne Identity’-style interview sequence. That was a ton of fun to play.”
On Finola Hughes (Anna): “Everything Jagger was saying was right, and she wouldn’t budge. I was trying everything including pleading with her, then being argumentative, and she never budged. That’s why Finola was so much fun to work with. She is just a wonderful person. We had a lot of endless conversations about stuff. But man, did she make me angry in those scenes…”
Photo: JPI
Working with Billy Miller
Adam had the opportunity to work with the late, great three-time Daytime Emmy winner, Billy Miller, when they both appeared on the series Major Crimes. Harrington offered up the highest praise to the beloved star. “There are people that come along in your life and they just make an impact right away. Billy was one of those people,” expressed Harrington. “I remember there was a lot of laughing between takes and then watching his work, I was like, ‘Wow, this guy’s good. This guy is really good.’ And then we would see each other around town every once in awhile and have a conversation. But I’d always thought, ‘Man, I’d love to go toe to toe with him again in some work.’”
John Cates/Jack Brennan
While Adam was playing John Cates, at one point Brennan (Charles Mesure) was known as John Brennan before having his first name changed to Jack, causing some confusion on the show. Adam shares what went down behind the scenes on the name change. “I had met Charles, we got along really well, and then I decided to stick it to him and steal his name!” laughed Adam. “I had auditioned (for GH) and then there was a lot of conversations and them wanting to find me something (on the show). So, the mix-up could have just simply been they had John Brennan or Jack Brennan, and then they realized they were going to bring ‘Jagger’ back, because they were trying to find something for me and that’s where I stole his name!”
You can watch the full conversation with Adam below.
Now let us know, will you miss Adam as John “Jagger” Cates? Do you hope GH might bring him back down the line as a new character with a new look? What did you think of the way the series killed-off the character? Would you have been intrigued to see an Ava/Cates pairing? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
So we can assume he wouldn’t have been killed off if Chris van Kill Everyone hadn’t been brought back. It’s a shame; they should’ve had Jagger presumed dead and held somewhere. There still could have been an investigation/crime story. Or, they could have had him arrested for the attempted murder of Ava and carted off to jail. Instead, Van Kill-Etten killed off another legacy character and got rid of a great-looking actor who could have returned as a love interest for Nina or Lois at some point down the line…
Oh come on…Cates was NOT a legacy character! No ties to any family in GH, only Stone, and he wasn’t even there when Stone died. Just because he had a part back in the day doesn’t make him legacy! Hardy’s, Quartermaines, Weber, Spencers….THOSE are legacy characters!!
I’d also add Scorpio and (yes, at this point) Corinthos to legacy/core family list.
I also thought it strange that he didn’t visit Stone’s grave, or is there none, I wasn’t watching during that time.
This is going back through 30 years of Fuzzy Devil Memory, but I seem to remember Stone being cremated and Robin doing something with his ashes. I might be wrong about that, but it would explain why there’s no grave to go to. As tiny as the Port Charles cemetery is, it wouldn’t be likely that he would have visited Karen’s grave without also visiting Stone.
Makes sense to me, thanks.
I actually liked John Jagger Cates character in the beginning but it very much makes sense that the three sets of writers turn over messed any new development up. He had a lot of potential with many various loves as well as storylines. The cast is bloated, and has been for quite a while. GH is all over the place. I hope they finally figure out which characters they want to keep and provide them with storylines that ultimately make sense.
As for Adam Harrington, I can see him being Sharon ‘s new therapist (love interest) on Y and R. Have them do an in-patient clinic stay in Paris and run into Ashley. Could provide some fun.
I’m so freaking tired about all of the corporation switching roles, new start ups, etc.!!!
We need drama, mystery, and most important, romantic love on our daily televisions.
I wonder if he will return in a new role.. I really like him, just not Jagger v2.
Yeah…. He can be the long lost (glimmer) twin “Richards Cates”
it was interesting he said there was 3 changes in writing team during his time there, as a viewer its hard to keep track of whose writing what or when, still in my opinion some writers still need to be fire because they are making horrible decisions, so now they have sonny outright kill off jagger, Carly is gonna cover for sonny because she’s loyally blind, Michael also is covering for him, and well sonny can abuse Jason, disowned him try to get him kill and this dumb stone cold Jason will still be loyal, its just sick, are we suppose to love these characters? are we suppose to be cheering for a CarSon reunion? are we suppose to watch these 3 amigos act self righteous with other characters? Are these writers so desperate to impress the hire ups that they want to out do each other at the expense of these characters they want us the viewers to love blindly? I’m not impress with these writers sorry to say, its like they have no moral compass, its a soap I’m an all but its hard to be force to have to wanna see what three main characters on this show that are murderer and want to root for them. we all know they are gonna get away with it, and its disappointing because back in the day, when Robert and Anna and company were the leads, they actually solve crimes and got the bad guys put away, its gonna be sad to see Robert and Anna not be able to catch these murderers.
Good points, I’m feeling you!
I STILL THINK, somehow Kristina is the one that shot Kate’s. From behind or off to the side of Sonny,,, I think in her frame of mind she can’t recall any of it.
And as for Anna, she needs to get what’s coming to her!! Secretly working with that Cassidine! She acts so pure and virtuous, I am so sick of her! She definitely should not be COMMISSIONER!
If they recover the gun Alexis threw off the bridge, it will show whether it had been fired. As for Anna, I’m more than sick of her self-righteous butt! The way she turned on Sonny and romancing Valentin was enough for me.
Agree !!!
Yes! Thinking Kristen could have. And Anna needs to chill! Her British crying butt!
1. No
2. No
3. Not smart or how Sonny operates usually
4. No
General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Sonny Tells Dante, “I Don’t Want a Son Like You,” While Michael Tells Brook Lynn to Bide Her Time Till Chase and Willow Have an Affair
On the Thursday, October 1 episode of General Hospital, both Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and Michael Corinthos (Rory Gibson) had some things to say and what they had to say didn’t go over well with whom they were talking to!
Sonny had a confrontation with his son, Dante (Dominic Zamprogna), while Michael leveled with Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) over Chase (Josh Swickard).
GH is setting up a scenario where everyone is going to make it look like Sonny was responsible for having Sidwell (Carlo Rota) beat up in Pentonville; while viewers already know Ava (Maura West) and Drew (Cameron Mathison) were behind it.
Courtesy/ABC
A VISIT WITH DAD
Now, Dante comes to Sonny’s house. He wants to know straight up from his dad if he ordered the attack at Pentonville. Sonny flatly denies any culpability or responsibility, but Dante refuses to believe him.
Dante informs Sonny he has video footage of Sully and Vito at the prison. Sonny explains to Dante he doesn’t know why Sully beat up both Curtis and Dante. Things escalated when Sonny was deeply hurt that Dante refused to believe him. Dante says he was disappointed that his father didn’t respect him enough to be truthful with him!
Sonny asks Dante to consider that he was being set up. He says all he did was to tell Vito to instruct Sully to keep a watchful eye on Sidwell, not to harm him. No matter what Sonny said, Dante continued hammering him with how he knew deep down, even though he said he left the mob, he had to finish off Sidwell for himself.
Next, Sonny explains everything he has ever done was to provide for and to protect his family. Dante fired back that he doesn’t want to deal anymore with Sonny’s half-baked truths. As the two men argue, Gio (Giovanni Mazza) shows up at Sonny’s front door and overhears Sonny losing his temper and shouting at Dante, “Get out of my house! I don’t want a son like you!” The scenes featured an excellent performance by Maurice Benard.
Courtesy/ABC
MICHAEL THE MANIPULATOR
While this is going down, outside the Quartermaine boathouse, Brook Lynn opens up to Michael about living at the Q’s with Chase being there, since he only came back due to legal advice from his lawyer, Monet Mitchell (Blythe Howard).
Brook Lynn questioned whether they should get legally separate. Michael insisted that would be a big mistake. When she asks why, Michael tells Brook Lynn to bide her time until Chase and Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) have an affair; then she’d have full custody of Phoebe.
An angered Brook Lynn pushed Michael into the water and accuses him of moving Willow back into the gatehouse with intent on putting Chase and Willow in closer proximity and sacrificing Brook Lynn’s family in the process. As the two cousins bicker, Chase shows up asking Brook Lynn if she is OK. Michael punctuates their talk with “You know, I’m right.”
CURTIS FIGURES OUT A WAY TO GET OUT OF THE SLAMMER
At GH, Willow visits Curtis (Donnell Turner) in his hospital room. Curtis wants Willow to get him pardoned and keep him out of jail, and in return, he will help her nail Sonny.
Next, Willow tells Dr. Tristan Roberts (Dean Geyer) she wants Curtis held for observation for three more days. He agrees to do so under one condition, that she understands that he may need to call in a favor from a congresswoman.
So, what did you think of how Dante accused his father and refused to believe Sonny’s answers? Is this the end of their father and son relationship for good? Is Michael the most manipulative person of all, except for Willow? Do the two deserve each other? Do you want Chase and Willow to have an affair? And what of Curtis? Does he have many redeeming qualities left? Share your thoughts via the comment section, but first check out the talk Michael had with Brook Lynn.
General Hospital
GH Alum Tajh Bellow and Y&R Alum Loren Lott Star in New Tiktok and Microdrama ‘Love Island’ Spoof
Two soap opera alums very familiar to fans of General Hospital and The Young and the Restless are paired together in a new short-form digital series from none other than Issa Rae’s production entity HOORAE Digital.
Look for Tajh Bellow (ex-TJ Ashford, GH)) and Loren Lott (ex-Ana Hamilton, Y&R) as part of the cast of The Compatibility Experiment, premiering on October 14, 2026, exclusively on TikTok and its companion microdrama platform, PineDrama.
In the video teaser, it appears that Bellow and Lott play a couple, Kelvin and Camila, set in a Love Island reality show-esque environment trying to win the one million dollar cash prize, only what could go wrong?
Photo: HOORAE
The Compatibility Experiment loglines share that it brings a fast-paced, relationship-focused reality check—much like Love Island with a twist. The show takes a participant’s current relationship, introduces them to a potentially more compatible partner, and forces them to navigate the differences with life-changing money on the line.
The new series is part of a groundbreaking content deal between HOORAE Digital and TikTok to develop premium short-form storytelling. The ensemble cast also features; Ayona, Reggie Luck, JaNa Craig, Tosin Morohunfola, Jessica Jacoby, Georgia Warner, and Nick Cassidy.
General Hospital fans know Tajh Bellow for his performances as TJ Ashford, and who earned two Daytime Emmy nominations along the way during his run. Bellow took over the role in 2018 and last appeared on the ABC daytime drama series in December of 2024.
Loren Lott first appeared as Devon’s (Bryton James) sister Ana Hamilton on The Young and the Restless from 2018 to 2019; making a brief return in 2024. She has continued to perform on the stage and screen with recent credits including: Bel-Air, Cherish the Day, and All American: Homecoming.
Check out the trailer for The Compatibility Experiment below and let us know what you think of its concept and if you are glad to see Tajh and Loren again? Hoping they might return to daytime in their GH and Y&R roles at some point in the future? Weigh-in via the comment section.
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General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Ava and Drew Revealed to be Behind Framing Sonny for Sidwell’s Prison Beatdown
If you thought that the person responsible for the Pentonville brawl that saw Sidwell (Carlo Rota) and Curtis (Donnell Turner) taken to General Hospital was Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) or even Sidwell himself, you were dead wrong! On the Wednesday, September 30 episode of GH, it turned out that the culprits were actually Ava (Maura West) and Drew (Cameron Mathison).
In story, Drew apparently bankrolled the attack on Sidwell and framing Sonny. He told Ava their planned worked (she came up with it!) but was horrified when Drew informed her that Curtis got caught in the crosshairs. Ava is visibly upset because of her longtime friendship with Curtis’ daughter, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali). Drew tried to make Ava see the bright side. Curtis was witness to it and his presence will cast doubt on Sonny’s claims to that he had gotten out of the mob and gone legit.
Later, Vito shows up at Drew’s. They informed him that his guy on the inside of the slammer made a big mistake by hurting their friend and ordered him to leave town.
Courtesy/ABC
BOATHOUSE BRAWL
In other major developments, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) and Rocco (Finn Carr) have a blow out fight as Danny blames his “brother” for the reason Charlotte was sent off to boarding school.
Rocco told off Danny for Charlotte’s (Bluesy Burke) reckless behavior and he explains he had to protect his sister. He went in on Danny saying that his mother Lulu (Alexa Havins) has been right to send Charlotte to boarding school and far away from Danny.
However, Rocco went a bit too far when he shouted, “And if your mom was alive, she would send you away too!” Next, Danny punched out Rocco, leading to a terrible brawl. An angered Danny yells at Rocco to, “Stay away from me and everyone in my family. And don’t you ever mention my mom again!” Danny storms off.
Courtesy/ABC
Now alone outside the boathouse, Rocco flashes back to his first kiss with Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarksi), hoping that his fight with Danny will not escalate and ruin their budding romance. Meanwhile, a bloodied-mouth Danny heads over to Sonny’s and Jason (Steve Burton) is there at the same time. He then admits that he has a bad fight with Rocco and they are both beaten up.
WILL SCOUT WISE UP?
At the end of the episode, Scout, who had a fight with Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) over Drew, and who keeps telling everyone how good a man her dad truly is, comes upon a suspicious scene.
Scout hides behind the wall outside Drew’s. She sees her dad, Ava and Vito talking. Next, Scout seems to overhear Vito assuring Drew and Ava that their business dealings are done, and he’ll be leaving Port Charles for good.
So, what did you think of the reveal that Ava and Drew were behind framing Sonny for the prison beatdown of Sidwell (and Curtis)? Do you think Danny and Rocco’s relationship can be repaired, or do you think the teenagers will continue to be at each other’s throats? Finally, do you hope Scout gets a clue and stops thinking her dad walks on air? Weigh-in via the comment section, but first check out how Ava and Drew conspired below.
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