General Hospital
Anthony Starke Fills-In For Jon Lindstrom On Yesterday's Episode Of General Hospital!
Courtesy/ABC
If Laura Wright’s Carly talking to a strange man who all of a sudden was “Dr. Kevin Collins” was alarming, we can assure you Carly was not having a meltdown of her own and needed a therapist!
Instead, actor Anthony Starke filled-in for fan favorite Jon Lindstrom as the good doc, since Jon was busy filming his role in the new season of HBO’s hit series True Detective!
In story, Kevin revealed to Carly that he has never met with, or had a therapy session with “Jake” (Billy Miller), alarming Carly and Dr. Collins!
What were your thoughts of seeing Tony Starke? Do you want Jake’s head to clear up with some assistance from a mental health specialist? Comment below!
The latest ratings are out for the week of October 26-30, 2026 and the big takeaways include: that CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates was separated by only 23,000 viewers behind third place (of the soaps) General Hospital! For the last several weeks, Beyond the Gates has been closing the gap on this year’s winner for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, and continuing to best GH in the key demos.
According to the latest Nielsen ratings breakdown from Soap Opera Network, the final week of October brought Beyond the Gates 1.790 million on average tuning-in and the show set a season high in total viewers. Meanwhile, General Hospital hit a new season low! The long-running ABC soap had 1.813 million for the week, and once again the series did not go over the 2 million mark.
Meanwhile, in the key Women 18-49 demo, Beyond the Gates was firmly ahead of GH with a rating share of 0.21, while General Hospital had 0.17 rating share.Then, in the key Women 25-54 demo, Beyond the Gates was once again ahead of the ABC soap with a ratings share for that demo at 0.30 while GH came in with 0.26.
Photo: CBS
MORE BY THE NUMBERS
In addition and comparatively, Beyond the Gates +22,000 viewers week-to-week, and had the largest gains in viewership year-to-year in daytime TV with +267,000 from this in 2025.. However, General Hospital seems to be going in reverse. The show was down -56,000 viewers week-over-week and down -22,000 year-over-year .
BEYOND THE GATES
Let’s take a look at some of the storylines that had people tuning-in to Beyond the Gates during the ratings week:
Hayley (Marquita Goings) attempted a massive shocker regarding her pregnancy and tried to use it to extract money from Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett). Although, Bill saw right through her game, he demanded a paternity test, and made it clear he has no intention of raising the child—planning instead to pay her off to take the baby and leave. Meanwhile, Hayley confided her plan to her cousin Randy (Maurice P. Kerry).
Jacob Hawthorne (Jibre Hordges) and Naomi Hamilton (Arielle Prepetit) clashed over Jacob’s ongoing investigation into The Impaler, causing significant strain in their marriage. At the same time, Smitty (Mike Manning) considered taking matters into his own hands—including potentially heading to Mexico for evidence—while Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) worried about what comes next.
Photo: ABC
GENERAL HOSPITAL
Over at General Hospital for the ratings period, the story served up included:
Carly (Laura Wright) and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) teamed up to investigate what really happened to Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna). Later, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) leads them to Jack’s dead body.
Jude (Wil Traval) dropped a bombshell claim to Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn); that he is Phoebe’s father, while Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard) signed their divorce papers.
Then, Danny caught Rocco (Finn Carr) and Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarski) sharing a kiss, plus the shocking return of Heather Webber (Alley Mills) capped the week.
Now the questions become; without having much promotional synergy in the ABC day-part to draw more eyeballs it is not helping but hurting General Hospital. It seems Beyond the Gates is also a benefactor of a one-two-three punch of CBS soaps (Y&R, B&B and BTG) and promotion.
However, that still doesn’t take away the fact that Beyond the Gates is close to besting GH in all ratings category as they go head-to-head in some markets across the country.
So, are you excited to see Beyond the Gates climb in the ratings? Are you concerned for General Hospital? Do you think they can stave off Beyond the Gates in total viewers or will the upstart soap overtake them in the next ratings report? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Antonio Sabáto Jr., the former Jagger Cates of General Hospital and GH: Night Shift, and the former Dante Damiano of The Bold and the Beautiful has issued his first public statement since the incident involving his son, Jack’s arrest in Alaska for a fatal hit-and-run.
Jack is the son of Sabáto Jr. and Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, and according to court documents obtained by KTUU Jack, was allegedly driving a white Chevy Tahoe when he hit and killed Carl Simmonds, 42, near an intersection in Anchorage around 5:35 a.m. on Monday, November 9.
The reports indicated that Jack fled the scene — but later decided to called the cops to say he hit “something” that “suddenly appeared in the road” while he was “doing late-night DoorDashing.”
Photo: NBC
Now, Antonio has taken to his Instagram breaking his silence on the situation, sharing, “At this time, my family and I are navigating an extremely sensitive and deeply personal matter.”
He added, “As a father, my love for my children remains unconditional, and my priority is the well-being of my family. We ask that the public and members of the media honor our privacy during this difficult time and keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.”
The soap alum concluded, “I also wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the gentleman who tragically lost his life. My thoughts and prayers are with them as well. We sincerely appreciate your compassion, understanding, and respect for the privacy of everyone affected.”
Jack Sabáto was arraigned in court on Tuesday, November 10 with bail set at $5,000, and a no-driving order and the potential of $5,000 penalty fees if he fails to attend future court appearances.
Antonio is the father to Jack, 34, daughter, Mina Sabato, 24 and son, Antonio Sabáto III, 15.
This is a developing story. You can check out Antonio’s official statement below.
So, let us know your thoughts on this tragic hit-and-run, which claimed the life of another man, and Antonio’s statement, via the comment section below.
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Sonny (Maurice Benard) and Ava’s (Maura West) daughter Avery looks quite different, starting on today’s November 9 episode of General Hospital. That’s because GH has made Avery into a full-blown teenager and the role is now being played by actress Alya Bullington.
In her debut, the Tennessee native was thrown into the deep soap waters with Daytime Emmy winners, Maurice Benard and Eden McCoy (Josslyn). Bullington weighed-in to TV Insider about her first scene which featured Avery overhearing a fight between Sonny and Josslyn.
She explained “It was something I have never done before, I did not have a lot of experience with the screaming and the crying stuff, but I got my first script, and I was like, ‘OK, this is a huge opportunity to learn so much about how that stuff works and to become this character that I have never even tried playing before.’”
Photo: ABC
THE TEENAGED VERSION OF AVERY WILL HAVE A LOT TO CONTEND WITH
Speaking of working with McCoy, Bullington shared, “She’s incredible. I remember her just laughing and making jokes on set, and then the minute that they started taping, she just locked in and she cried immediately, and my first thought was, ‘I want to be able to do that.’
The soap opera newcomer added, “I think she just inspired me so much because she is so great and she can just lock into whatever character she wants to in the moment.”
The character of Avery was born back in 2014, but as recently as the October 8 episode of General Hospital, the character was suddenly referred to as a teenager. This is the second young female character in recent months to be aged up following the casting of Kayden Brenna Tokarski as Scout Cain.
As for her take on Avery and what’s ahead, Alya said,“She’s emotional, and she’s curious, and she’s a really fun person to play because so much stuff is happening in her life. I think she’s kind of confused about what’s happening and what to believe.”
So, what do you think about General Hospital making Avery a teenager? Are you excited to see the conflict between Sonny, Ava and Avery now that they have aged up the character? Share your thoughts and welcome Alya to GH via the comment section below.
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers
B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
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THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: Episodes From New Co-Head Writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, Begin to Air
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It didn’t bother me they had a stand in, I just figured JL was busy. I think his presence was needed to progress the story so Carly would realize this man is not a saint and something is definitely wrong with him.
I’m happy for Jon getting to work on True Detective but was always disappointed in how they used him on GH when they brought Kevin back. Or better said– how they didn’t use him when they brought him back. I’m torn between being happy that vets like Lucy, Bobby, & Scott are back and upset that we see them a couple episodes a month. I would MUCH rather see them than the continuing John… I mean Silas saga. And instead of recasting Kiki we could have used more screen/story time with the vets.
Please fix Jason!
Does it really mater. Kevin is one of the many favorites who is underutilized on the show. Enjoy “True Detective” Jon.
My thoughts on seeing another actor in place of Jon Lindstrom is that it was totally ridiculous. It was a one day thing and therefore totally unnecessary.
Carly could have easily found out that Jake never met with Kevin in a number of ways. She could have found out from someone else at the hospital, a colleague or secretary, that Kevin was out of town on that day. She could have spoken to Kevin on the phone and we heard her end of the conversation. There was absolutely not one reason to use another actor for the day to get that piece of information to move the story along, not one. It was too weird to see “Jimmy” from Seinfeld as Kevin and just totally ridiculous.
Because Jon Lindstrom is such a well known/ veteran character, having another actor there undermined any impact or credibility that the scenes might have, and again, there was no information in those scenes that could not have been presented to the audience in a number of different ways.
Given how much of GH is told offscreen and how many story details and beats are skipped, that they chose to do this is mindboggling.
Excellent points…totally agree.
I agree too…I had to google just to make sure John wasn’t replaced.
It’s not like Jon Lindstrom was replaced permanently. This guy filled in for a couple of scenes. If Lindstrom is replaced on the show permanently, then I can totally understand being upset. I’ll be upset too if that happens. But for a handful of scenes in one episode, I don’t see it being a big deal whatsoever.
Kevin has been “out of town” on several occasions when his name has been brought up in recent months, so I do think it was necessary to see the character on screen this time.
Personally, I’m happy for Jon that he is getting work on an awesome show like True Detective. That’s wonderful for him.
I totally agree with you
Here here, AJQ! My first thought was, “What the….?” Then, “Give me a break!” Just…so….unnecessary.
I just want Fluke exposed(Its LUKE!) and i want Jason Quartemaine finally remembering who he is before i need a shrink…well, im seeing one anyway…lol…just watch, as soon as Jake realizes he is Jason, Helene will do something to cause him to loose his mamory again…lol…then when GH celebrates its 60th anniversary all of PC and Jake will finally know he is Jason…lol
I’m with you on this– Fluke is really Luke. I think Bill was alive at some point and was the mob boss– and that is why Julian met him while in the witness protection program– but I think he died, so Helena brainwashed Luke into thinking he was Bill Ekert when he was kidnapped the first time and locked in Miscavage. The programming is causing Luke to have a mental breakdown, the real Luke is imprisoned in Fluke’s mind, causing him to project seeing his real self as a helpless victim, but when Dante wakes up he will find Luke is really decaying body of Bill E.
And Jake will find out he is Jason during February sweeps
Thats what another poster said too…fluke/luke has gone all norman bates and its Bills body in that chair…i love it but still cant wait for it to end!!!
I find myself really enjoying the pacing of the Jake/Jason sl, which is unusual for me because i am so over the whole Luke/Fluke thing. I dvr the show so when Luke comes on I ff through it. It bores me to no end. But I even enjoy the interaction between Jake and Helena, who I’ve never been a fan of. Maybe it’s just Billy that I’m diggin on.
I thought it was crappy. The show hasn’t used Kevin/Jon Lindstrom since last May. But all of a sudden, for a Carly/Jake plot point, it was VITAL that we see Kevin? Blech.
In watching Carly with Kevin, I wished she had taken the opportunity to use Kevin’s expertise to get to the bottom of her own mental issues. I can’t imagine that Kevin wouldn’t love to get into Carly’s head after all the crap she’s pulled over the years and fix some of the broken gears in her head. Just recently she could use an objective opinion about her letting Franco into her life and why she can’t seem to get Sonny out of her system, and how her actions and choices have landed her on the outs with Michael. But from back in the day, from dumping AJ in an alley via laundry cart or pathologically lying about Michael’s paternity several times while she was pregnant, to shooting Tony Jones in open court, and plotting her revenge against Bobbie from day one, EVERYTHING Carly has done could use some analysis. Wish Carly would have recognized or acknowledged this when she started talking to Kevin about instincts.
Oh well. If ANYONE needed therapy, it’s Carly. Jake/Jason will be fine, if Helena just loses his phone number.
I don’t mind Tony Stark filling in for Jon. BUT I am so sick of the fluke story. I know it’s mercifully coming to an end, and I know Tony Geary is working his hardest. Just don’t like the style he’s using to deliver his lines, and his scruffy, unkempt look. How can the good folk around him not think something is off by just looking at him. Looking forward to a more fun-loving, nonchalant Tony…please.
Very true about the Fluke stuff, Rose. The time is past overdue for this storyline to call it a day….no matter how much AG is enjoying the ride! You’re also right about the most disgusting aspects of Fluke/Luke’s physical appearance(s)…..they’re enough to make one retch watching these dueling dualities up close and personal. In addition to being subjected to Fluke’s surly comments about the basement’s stench over and over again, the sight of both of these motley men have about caused me to lose my lunch. Not to mention the fact that posters have been reduced to ruminating for weeks now upon what possible “facilities” are or are not available for the chair-imprisoned Luke, which just goes to show that this tale has gone on for far too long!
I have been waiting the uber hottie talented sexy Jon Lindstrom to grace our screens again…. to be helping Jake along for this ride
quality stuff to move this story
Tony is very attractive, eye candy lol.
It’s good to hear that Jon Lindstrom is busy with other acting jobs. If Anthony Starke can keep the character active, that’s fine with me, too. I enjoyed him on THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, and was sad when it was cancelled.
If GH ever needed a psychiatrist it is now. Most of the chatacters are looney and could use sme mental help. The actor was ok…kind of a cutie!
You know, considering how few times we actually see Kevin, I’m surprised that Jon wasn’t available to film these scenes. But wow, this guy cannot act whatsoever. I really hope Jon can get back to taping episodes soon because this Starke guy is terrible, I didn’t like him at all.
Tony Starke was no super hero er therapist. I hope that Jon Lindstrom can return soon to the role.
That was weird. Tony Starke seemed like he was an okay actor, but he’s no Jon Lindstrom. Please don’t do that again. It totally took me out of the scene. All I could think of the whole time was “Where is Kevin and who is this guy?” lol. I don’t even remember a word that was said in that scene.
As far as “Jake” goes…love Billy Miller, but not digging this storyline at all. Sorry. JMO. (I blame the writers, not Billy Miller.) And it doesn’t have anything to do with seeing him as “Billy Abbott” I loved him as Richie on AMC too.
I love Anthony Starke, he is a very good looking man. He is 51 years old and a wonderful actor. I hope he stays on General Hospital.
It was jarring and unexpected.
I like Jon Limdstrom as Doc. He has a comforting, steady presence. I love his friendship with Mac and how he handled yet loved Lucy. Was surprised to see this other actor and missed the first five minutes so I’m not sure if they mentioned he was playing the part of…Prefer Lindstom. Hope he comes back to Port Charles to shrink Jake thru hypnosis. He could probably undo Helena’s mind control…just don’t want Doc to fall victim…
Anthony Starke is a really good actor who has an interesting anddiverse resume; But in my opinion he was miscast as a fill in for Jon Linstrom because of the physical differences between the two actors specifically their stature. Jon is at least 6’1 and Anthony is around 5’9 or 5 ’10. It was a shock to see him standinding in the doorway of the office for his appointment withas Doc
The comment above was sent before i could edit it and make corrections. The ending sentence should have been: The difference was most obvious and disconcerting upon seeing Anthony for the first time as he stood in the doorway of the office,there for his appointment with Jake.
lol
the new guy is probably a stage hand..
as for seeing the Doc. it will most likely be a couple of times..
nothing to go ape over, its no big deal …
As long as they are not test driving this guy to see if he could replace JL I’m fine with a one day recast— but why couldn’t he just played a doctor who was taking over for Dr. Collins while he was away at some conference? That would have gotten the same point across and been less jarring for regular viewers to see another actor in the role.
They need him to see Kevin because he will be a good part of the Jake finding himself story..
It’s no big deal there was a stand-in..
Jon is returning and when he does the story has to flow..
the stand-in was needed to hold the story for Jon/Kevin .. 🙂
They should have had Jon literately phone it in and Carly just talked to him over the phone or just go to Jake and have Carly say she talked to Dr. Collins and he never saw you in his office. It was just wasted screen time and thats nothing against the replacement actor.