General Hospital
Chloe Lanier Makes a Return as General Hospital’s Nelle
Things are about to get even juicier next week on General Hospital, when Daytime Emmy-winner, Chloe Lanier returns for a short-term run as Nelle Benson.
Nelle, who was last seen going over a cliff, after a tussle with Carly (Laura Wright), is returning to the ABC soap opera at a very interesting time.
First, her sister, Willow (Katelyn MacMulllen) has leukemia. Might Willow need a bone marrow transplant from a donor who is a match? Does Nelle even have any idea that Willow is her sister? If not, and she were to find out, what would she do? Take custody of her son, Wylie?
Then, there is the matter of Nina (Cynthia Watros) and Nelle, never having a moment as mother/daughter … will that finally go down? What would Nina do if she found out Nelle was actually alive?
Some are speculating that mean girls, Nelle and Esme (Avery Pohl), could actually be in ca-hoots! What would you think of Nelle and Esme teaming up to bring down all their enemies in Port Charles? Did Nelle have anything to do with the attempted murder of Ava Jerome (Maura West)?
In the upcoming issue of Soap Opera Digest on newsstands this Friday, Lanier said of jumping back into the role: “I was looking at videos of Nelle online for days, like, ‘It has been two years since I had played this role. What did I even do? What were my speech patterns? How did I walk as Nelle?’
Lanier had previously played Nelle from 2016-18 and again from 2019-20.
So, what do you think will happen when Nelle is back on our GH screens in the days ahead? Share your theories in the comment section below.
The girl that we love to hate and provides a few laughs is back!!
Speaking of girls we love to hate there’s still Esme out there somewhere.
Forgot to add double trouble at GH.
I think the thought of Esme and Nelle teaming up would bring alot of excitment to the show. I can’t wait.
Told y’all she wasn’t down here!
HA!!!
Nelle could try to take custody of Wylie but Sonny would never let her near the boy. In my opinion, Nelle is not fit to raise a child. How shorty of a run will Nelle have?
anne
No run at all if I get my wish. We knew she couldn’t be alive and between Nells dream and Nina’s pipe dream, the whole thing was not only stupid but what did it serve except for Carly to have another go at Nina and this time I had to back her up.
Now—Willow and Michael will have trouble – Nelle is Whiley’s mother…
Blackmail story for sure-
..And– Nina will not be outed as Willow’s mom for a very long time—
it will be another year before Nina knows Willow is her daughter..
Looking forward to having Nelle back..
aha Nina has not one but 2 daughters/children..she’s gonna love that–when it becomes known, but Sonny having Nelle back and involved with Nina, hhhmm not good..
Oh Su000, I can’t wait for Nelle to return. Willow, Michael, and Carly all need a major comeuppance for their holier than thou attitudes. Maybe she and Avery watched “Strangers On A Train” together and decided to do each other’s evil bidding. Either way, glad Chloe is returning.
Soaphound
Sorry, I can’t stand this girl, and you didn’t really mean Avery did you? Maybe Esme?
Violet, I was referring to Esme’s portrayer, actress Avery Pohl. Sorry for the confusion.
Soaphound
Thanks, doesn’t take much to confuse me these days!
I hope you mean Esmae not Avery. Avery is still a very cute innocent little girl !
Do Gh not have enough evil in Port Charles already I’m sick.
Yes, please bring back some good guys. Laura and Kevin?
Laura’s usually back right around the end of September. Didn’t even realize Kevin had left town with her until yesterday when they had Sasha & Brando meeting with a day player shrink, instead of Kevin.
Genie Francis is still on her annual summer break.
BORING!
I’m so excited GH has been so boring! So happy Nell is coming back
Welcome Back Chloe Lanier! Outstanding actress that will stir up Port Charles. GH needs a ratings boost and she is the ticket. Loved her past scenes with Carly!
short term? a few weeks? months ? cause I’m down for that, I can see Nelle coming in causing some damage and the finally paying for her crimes behind bars. We get to see Nina reunite with at least one of her Daughters or Nelle saving her sisters life( unwillingly of course) but is this is a few episodes only then I doubt she’s alive. its probably flashback scenes or she’s in somebodies dream or nightmare depends on who thinking of her.
Dont know and dont care I just cant wait to see her back, I only wish she could stay longer
Seriously, stories like this make GH very amateurish. It was the same way you had bombastic stories like Peter August coming back from the dead and looking as fresh as a petal. Same thing after jumping off a cliff, no bruises, nothing. Plus all the other goofs like traveling to Greece from Port Charles like one traveling from New York to New Jersey.
If you must bring her back, she can return as another character. To bring her back as Nelle is unreal, unbelievable and uninteresting. Fake!
Relax, its a soap!
There’s no confirmation the character “is alive”. Could be a ghostly visit?
No one ever stays dead especially going off a cliff. So Esme is still alive as well. Probably who hurt Ava.
How about Jason? If you want to bring someone back, bring Jason back.
I still say Jason will be home in time to eat Thanksgiving pizza with his family.
I don’t know how in Hell’s name they could rescue Holly from Cassadine Island without Jason being involved, since that was his last known location.
It hasn’t been established that Holly is being held on Cassadine Island. Granted, that’s highly likely. Still not feeling the Jason return possibility. Lulu, almost definitely.
When Drew was still being held prisoner on the island, there was a scene where “Nurse Chloe” (the real one, not the fake who delivered Maxie’s baby) was treating his wounds in his cell. They heard a woman screaming from a nearby cell, and one of the guards made some sort of remark that this woman didn’t like being moved to less luxurious accommodations than her previous location. Had to be Holly, right??
Oddly enough.. when all the jail breaking & rescues & tunnel cave-ins happened which eventually resulted in Drew going home and Jason NOT doing so, this woman seemed to have been forgotten. But who else could it have been? And for that matter.. what happened to Nurse Chloe? Not that she was all that important of a character… just odd that she disappeared, like my Former Employer “raptured” her off the island or something??
As far as Lulu’s return, I agree that’s long overdue. Maybe she’ll be a surprise return with Laura, whenever she returns from “summer vacation”.
Could’ve been Holly or Hayden. Less likely Cassandra.
I’ve been thinking the same thing, that Esme is the one who hurt Ava.
It’s either a ghost Nelle or a figment of someone’s imagination. She dead.
No she’s not! Believe me, we all know exactly where she would be if she were dead. And I haven’t seen her down here.
Satan
Well, there’s always that other place, ha, ha.
I can honestly say that MY chances of getting back upstairs are probably better than Nelle’s!
shes the ava attacker and she gets metro court and big winner in revenge
Do we know that Nelle is returning as an alive person and not in some sort of flashback or fantasy sequence? I have read it will be very short-term? I love Chloe and anybody who is able to bring down Carly is alright with me! (: I guess we will find out soon! (:
Did we all forget how she became friends with Ryan Chamberlain???
Sounds like she has re-studied her character from a few years ago, so should be interesting if it is flashbacks with dream scenes, for the flashbacks can be filmed anytime without her return, or if Nelle is actually alive and returns to PC for a short bit. If I recall, Nelle and Ryan connected when they were in Shadybrook, and we currently believe that Esme is Ryan’s daughter, and Ryan is obsessed with Ava, and Nina and Ava are now “besties” even though Nina attempted to steal Avery from Ava at her birth. Oh, and Non and Willow despise each other and Nelle is Wylie’s biological mom. And Avery found the necklace when Nelle went off the cliff.
Lots to figure out. Hope it is some fun and that they do this storyline a better job than they did with the demise of Neil being stuck with a syringe in Alexis’ bed via Harmony and the cult.
Good to see Nelle return and add some life into GH. Too many characters, not enough good writing right now. Having Nelle, Willow, Nina, Carly, Ava and Esme poking around each other will be great! They can all act. It will be exciting. I wish Nelle was long term. That character brings so much drama to each of the other ladies lives. I cannot imagine being able to do a good story in a short amount of time. I do think that somehow Esme meets up with Nelle and they plan to wreak havoc on Ava, Carly and Nina. and if Nelle and Esme are not connected, I do believe it was Esme that slaughtered Ava and she will relish one of her enemies taking the heat for it.
And what will Nelle say happened just before falling over the cliff? And what if she and Willow find out they are sisters and who knew who their mother was? And what happens when Nelle wants Wylie back from her sister? And Michael finds out ghat his Mom knew who his mother-in-law was?
Put her back on contract GH
She’ll probably be a ghost.
I think it is ridiculous to bring back dead characters.
The dead characters were never found, so without a body, just like Sonny did not die even though they had a funeral or Memorial.
Oh this is going to get good but Carly has the key and can’t wait to see Nina find out the truth
Please STOP, please don’t bring ths characters back!!So sickness to think the writer would bring her back, enough is ENOUGH!!!
She’ll be back as a ghost.
Maybe Nelle is Esme’s mother?
While soaps often play loose with ages, the parent/child difference has to be somewhat believable.
On the other hand, as Lisa LoCicero amazingly doesn’t age and Dominic Zamprogna does, someone just tuning in wouldn’t believe they play mother/son.
I don’t care to have Nelle or Esme again. Who stabbed Ava? Why is Sonny so mesmerized with Nina? I hope Carly follows her mind and not get with Drew(for goodness sakes he’s Jason’s brother)! Sasha doesn’t want Help. She enjoys being geeked up. Brando needs to find someone worth living. He is a good guy. Michael needs to let it go him hating on Sonny. If Carly is okay(I know she’s not)then Michael and Joss should get on with their lives. I hope Valentin will partner up with Drew and they put ELQ to rest. I hope Willow will be ok and I hope she NEVER learns that Nina is her mother. This is getting really wild. To much of nothing is going on.
Karen
Nothing going on you say? You need to reread your comment which really says there’s a hell of a lot going on. Maybe, it just doesn’t interest you.First of all what does Jason being Drew’s brother have to do with the two of them being together? Sasha needs help more than she knows, she’s just fighting it because she’s full of drugs. Sonny likes having Nina with him because she feeds his ego. Michael hates his father because he’s an ass that can only see his mother’s side of the story. I can only assume that Joss will eventually fall for Dex who is a man and not Cam who is really still an immature boy.
They found Nell’s body and buried her. How can she come back. Enough is enough.
They found A body. Which nobody apparently bothered to properly identify. Even though the detective they sent to pick up the corpse was somebody who had literally seen Psycho Nelle naked while she was alive (though a few years earlier).
Decomposing mortals lose their looks after a while. Particularly when they decompose in water.
My own theory is that Nelle killed some poor unsuspecting tourist who was driving down whatever scenic highway is closest to Sonny’s cabin & the cliff that she fell from. The driver would have been a woman with a body type close enough to Nelle’s to “pass” for her, under the circumstances of decomposition. As I said above, it would appear nobody really checked all that closely… probably because they were all so glad to be rid of Nelle that they didn’t question it.
Which of course, is never a good idea when you’re dealing with a psychopath. Never assume they’re dead without 666% certainty!!
I hope today wasn’t it. Bring her back full time.
So it turns out that the version of Nelle that lives in Nina’s head is even crazier than the real thing.
Who could have seen that coming?? Yeah… of course I did.
I knew Nelles little visit was just a dream/nightmare one character was going to have and that this big hyped announce return was gonna be really “short term”. so much social media hype, well done.
All I know is that if there is going to be another evil person at GH…dream, alive, dead, or not…I way prefer Nelle over Esme. And probably because as an actress I have admired Chloe since Fluke days. But only for a little while. Like another commenter said we don’t need more evil in Port Charles. I want to add I think Esme is a very good actress or I wouldn’t dislike her character so much. Nelle and Nina were great playing off each other at the cemetery. But I didn’t like that Wiley was frightened in his sleep by what seemed like random Nelle influenced dreams floating around. And secondly, Carly opening her big mouth as usual, never acknowledging all the trouble she has caused.
rose
Iam sick of Esme who I’m pretty sure we’ll be seeing more of, and most likely pregnant in the near future.I didn’t like the Whily sequence either, especially since he doesn’t know or have any remembrance of Nelle. This show loves evil characters so I guess we have to go with the flow.
She’s a good actress, but I hope it’s just to give Willow a kidney and then get out.
Wait! Is she even eligible to give her a kidney since one of hers isn’t really hers?
General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jacinda Executes Her Plan to Drug Willow, Jason Tells Tracy He’s Out of the Mob, Sonny Quits Too!

On the Thursday, August 6 episode of General Hospital, Sonny (Maurice Benard) seemed to get a clue from Jason and also decided to leave the mob. Speaking of Jason (Steve Burton), he went to tell Tracy (Jane Elliot) that he quit working for Sonny, which Tracy says would be music to Monica and Alan’s ear.
Michael (Rory Gibson) gets caught in Serena (Kelly Kruger) and Lucy’s (Lynn Herring) scheme, and Jacinda (Paige Herschell) slips a blue pill into Willow’s (Katelyn MacMullen) iced coffee as payback for the restraining order she filed against her. All this, as the closing arguments from Molly (Kristen Vaganos) and Martin (Michael E. Knight) are delivered before the jury in the Isaiah (Sawandi Wilson) vs. Curtis (Donnell Turner) court case.
Let’s break this all down: In the most heartfelt of scenes, Jason shows up at the Qs to see Tracy. He explains he told Sonny he can’t work for him anymore and quit. He tells Tracy he has to be a better role model for his son, Danny.

Courtesy/ABC
GETTING OUT OF THE MOB IS EMOTIONAL
Jason gets teary-eyed. Tracy says what Jason wants for Danny is all that his parents, the late Alan and Monica Quartermaine would have wanted for him. A gutted Jason feels so badly for his previous behavior towards his parents and wishes he could apologize for all that he put them through. Tracy says if they were here now, they would be happy that he had come to this decision for himself.
At Sonny’s, Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) gets an earful from his father, who informs him that Jason had decided he wanted out of the business for Danny’s sake. Suddenly, Dante is worried for Sonny’s safety. However, Sonny says he shouldn’t be. Sonny claims he’s getting out of the mob too and plans to focus on business opportunities that opened up after Sidwell’s arrest. (This makes no sense, because Sidwell was involved in shady dealings too!) Next, the two men hug it out as Sonny explains he won’t be a problem for his son with the PCPD anymore.
At Nina’s (Cynthia Watros), Willow wants her mother to stop confiding in Jack Brennan about her children. Nina explained to her that her quest to reopen the investigation into Michael as a suspect in Drew’s shooting, could implicate Jack, since he had gotten rid of the traffic cam footage of Willow, the night she shot Drew. Nina is mortified when she also learned Willow has a restraining order against Jacinda.
JACINDA WANTS PAYBACK AIMED AT WILLOW
Jacinda asked Ezra (Daniel Cosgrove) to return the blue pills she’d left at his place a few months back, claiming she needed to take the edge off after Willow served her with a restraining order. She explains Willow wants her nowhere near Amelia and Wiley. Ezra is concerned for his escort/friend.
Later, Jacinda arrives at Nina’s where she runs into Willow. When Willow and Nina leave the room, it leaves Jacinda to spot the iced coffee lattes marked for Willow and Nina. Next, she slips one of the blue tablets into the cup marked “Willow.”
Elsewhere, at the Metro Court Pool, Serena Baldwin lays on Michael’s pool chaise lounge chair. When he gets out of the water, he goes over to his chair only to have Serena laying on it. She gets a bit flirty, but explains she is concerned for her mother and Deception. Michael explains he will vote fairly with his shares given to him by Maxie. (You can check out the scenes entitled “Ambushing Michael” below).
Now weigh-in: Do you think Sonny is truly going to get out of the mob? And take up some of Sidwell’s, of all people’s business opportunities? Did you enjoy the touching scene between Jason and Tracy? Do you think Nina will wind up drinking the coffee that is laced with the drug Jacinda put in it instead of Willow?
Do you think Willow is going to try to paint Michael as a bad father and use drugs against him as well? Do you see a spark yet between Serena and Michael, or no? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section.
Days Of Our Lives
Jean Lodge, British Actress and Mother of ‘Days of Our Lives’ and ‘General Hospital’s’ Charles Shaughnessy, Producer/Director David Shaughnessy, Dies at 99

Our hearts and condolences go out today to Charles Shaughnessy (ex-Shane Donovan, Days of Our Lives and Victor Cassadine, General Hospital, and Maxwell Sheffield, The Nanny) and his brother, David Shaughnessy, one time executive producer and director at The Young and as well as The Bold and the Beautiful, on the loss of their beloved mother, Jean Lodge.
Lodge was a British actress who appeared with Alan Ladd in the 1954 medieval adventure film The Black Knight. She died at age 99 on August 5 just one day after she celebrated her birthday. News of her passing came from her granddaughter, Amy Shaughnessy who took to Facebook with a tribute to her beloved grandmother.
Throughout her motion picture career, Lodge was featured in 1949’s Dick Barton Strikes Back and Dr. Morelle: The Case of the Missing Heiress. Later credits included: Brandy for the Parson (1952), White Corridors (1951), Final Appointment (1954), Accidental Death (1963), The Eyes of Annie Jones (1963) and Invasion (1966).

WATFORD/Mirrorpix via Almay
THE SHAUGHNESSY BROTHERS CARRY ON THE FAMILY LEGACY
Talent runs in the Shaughnessy family as Lodge’s late husband, Alfred Shaughnessy, had developed and served as head writer and producer on the acclaimed 1971-75 UK series, Upstairs, Downstairs.
As daytime fans know, Charles Shaughnessy was one-half of the Days of Our Lives super couple of Shane and Kimberley (Patsy Pease) and has appeared on the soap opera on and off for decades starting in 1984 up until his more recent appearance in 2025 at John Black’s memorial. In addition, Shaughnessy was the last actor to play Victor Cassadine on General Hospital, a role he played from 2021-2023.
David Shaughnessy has continued his career behind the scenes mainly as a daytime soap opera director with a list of credits from Santa Barbara to Y&R, B&B and since 2019, Days of Our Lives.
HEARTFELT REMEMBRANCES
When Amy Shaughnessy took to Facebook to announce her grandmother’s death, she expressed, “Jean Margaret Shaughnessy (neé Lodge) left us today, one day after her 99th birthday. She passed, as she would say, “quite quietly” and peacefully in her sleep. My grandmother was a beautiful, talented, complicated, passionate, emotional, energetic woman who was always on the move and full of life.”
She continued, “The perfect hostess Jean enjoyed parties, friends, socializing, the theatre, feeding the ducks, museums, gardening, music, culture, long walks in nature, animals, painting (she was amazing!), cooking, art, traveling… the list goes on. She loved her two sons, Charles and David, her daughters-in-law, Susie and Annie, and her five granddaughters, Amy, Jenny, Katie, Maddy, and Josie. She was blessed with two great-grandsons, Julian and Noa.”
“An ever-present matriarch, her silliness, stubbornness, joyfulness, and her love for storytelling will continue on through her family. Us. Forever. We will miss her. We will carry her with us always. We love her all the world and then some.”
Share your thoughts and condolences to Charles, David and Amy and the rest of the extended Shaughnessy family on the passing of Jean Lodge via the comment section.
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General Hospital
Chris McKenna Reportedly Out as ‘General Hospital’s’ Jack Brennan

As ABC’s General Hospital continues to make casting additions in front of the camera; a new report indicates that Chris McKenna is the next contract player to be written out of the show as his storyline as Port Charles WSB bureau chief, Jack Brennan, is coming to end this fall.
According to sources close to the situation, who informed Soap Opera Network, McKenna will exit the long-running soap opera when Jack is killed-off the canvas. The outlet shares, Brennan’s death will come about as the soap, “leans heavily into storylines surrounding the World Security Bureau (WSB).”
McKenna, who previously appeared on the soaps when he was 12 as a young Joey Buchanan on One Life to Live from 1990-1993, then as an adult as Mark Harding on The Young and the Restless from 2014-2015, and next on The Bold and the Beautiful in the short term role of Dr. Hayden, began his run as GH’s Brennan back in February of 2025, replacing Charles Mesure in the role.

Photo: ABC
JACK’S ROCKY ROAD TO ROMANCE
In fact, McKenna won the part over Daniel Goddard and Daniel Cosgrove, who eventually were cast in other roles on General Hospital, that of Henry Dalton and Ezra Boyle, respectively. Chris informed his fans via X, back in August of 2025, that he was put on contract at the daytime drama and thanked them for helping make it happen.
Chris told Michael Fairman TV how it was to step into the role previously played by Charles Mesure, “I knew the challenge it was going to be and I had a like 0nly five days to get my head around it, so I was ready for it. Sure, it was challenging, but I was up for it. I was a recast before on The Young and the Restless.”
On-screen, Jack became romantically involved with Carly Spencer (Laura Wright), but that went bust when Carly learned Jack was not up front with her and had secretly enlisted her daughter, Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy) to join the WSB. Over months, Carly plotted to get revenge on Jack, and suddenly, Valentin Casssadine (James Patrick Stuart), Jack’s mortal enemy, came into the picture and he had fallen for Carly and she for him.
Now, Jack has started up a relationship with Nina Reeves (Cynthia Watros) and has found himself in situations stooping to lows to help Nina and her criminal daughter, Willow Cain (Katelyn MacMullen) out of jams, especially where Drew Cain (Cameron Mathison) is concerned.

Photo: ABC
REUNITING WITH ERIKA SLEZAK
Last fall, Chris got a thrill of a lifetime when his OG on-screen mother from One Life to Live, the iconic Erika Slezak (ex-Viki) took on a guest role on General Hospital as Ronnie Bard, the secret sister of Monica Quartermaine (the late Leslie Charleson). While the two did not have a storyline together, Chris did share some tender moments reconnecting with Erika on the set,
McKenna has a laundry list of primetime credits including: State of Affairs, Good Trouble, Lucifer and Castle, where in an ironic twist he appeared alongside another Joey Buchanan none other than Nathan Fillion.
So, how do you feel if the report holds true and GH is killing off Brennan and Chris McKenna would exit the show? How do you think Brennan will die on GH? Will he be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and someone will take him out? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section.
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