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CONFIRMED: OLTL Alum Bree Williamson Cast As General Hospital's Claudette West!

By Michael Fairman

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Photo Credit: Jeff Lorch

Photo Credit: Jeff Lorch

General Hospital executive producer, Frank Valentini will be reuniting with one of his former actresses from the cast of One Life to Live, when Bree Williamson takes on the role of the much-talked-about Claudette West, the ex of Nathan’s!

A rep for GH confirmed the casting news to On-Air On-Soaps. Meanwhile, late Thursday evening, Williamson confirmed it herself with a humorous tweet on Twitter and then an Instagram post starting with: “Power outage?!? What?!? #jokes #GH #excited”

During Bree’s One Life run she played Viki’s (Erika Slezak) daughter, Jessica Buchanan.  As viewers know, Jessica developed DID like her mother, which provided much story for Williamson.

Now in her new role as Claudette, it seems Williamson will definitely stir the pot and give Maxie a run for her money in the romance department with Nathan.  Daytime Confidential first broke the Williamson GH casting item.

And there is still that mystery surrounding how Nathan and Griffin (Matt Cohen) know each other.  Did Claudette cheat on Nathan with Griffin?  Oh, the tangled web we weave in Port Charles.  Look for Bree to make her GH on-screen debut in July!

What do you think of the confirmed casting news that Bree Williamson will play Claudette? Comment below!

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Gorgeous, talented, dynamic–and gone too long from my TV screen. Welcome back, beautiful lady.

Ditto!

LOL. I am torn!!!! Torn between screaming ANOTHER POINTLESS NEWBIE ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? and screaming WHY HAS THIS GIRL NOT BEEN PICKED UP BY A SOAP YET?????? I love her…love her acting. I am so glad she is returning to daytime, but to put her in story with Ryan Paevey?? In quite an understatement, she will eat him alive with her acting chops. Isn’t she also taller than him?
it’s good news…I love her…but I know how this story goes. Unless there is some REALLY good writing involved, that weaves this character into the canvas in a good way, Claudette West will be headed south in less than a year.

I am SO sick of the way GH brings in so many new characters instead of writing for the legacy cast! Nothing against Bree, I’m sure she has many fans. But Frank needs to write for the cast he has instead of bringing in new players for each story that gets told. It just gets old. Maybe ABC will buy a clue and find their own new EP from the other side of the pond.

I definitely want to see her cross paths with Roger Howarth and Michael Easton.

Of course we do.

So Claudette is from Canada and Bree is from Pickering, Ontario, Canada. Coincidence?

Probably…

So she can use her real accent and say “aboot” and so on

🙂 still don’t think that went into the decision.

LOL. Just for the record, VERY few Canadians actually say ABOOT. That is a stereotype which actually fits better for people from Fargo, North Dakota. One thing I did notice very early on in her OLTL work was that she pronounced the word MOM like mum, which is something most Canadians do, as we took the British pronounciation. Most Americans pronounce MOM as it rhymes with TOM.

As someone who has spent a fair amount of time in Fargo, I can tell you I never, in all that time, heard anyone who pronounced the word “about” as ” “aboot.” That isn’t the dialect in North Dakota.

Wow, another new character with an axe to grind. Wow, another love triangle with Maxie. Wow, even less time for Liesel, Monica, Tracy…yeah, I’m excited. YAWN.

I hear ya. Meanwhile, Hayden’s family has their bags packed and are on their way to Port Charles.

Ugh! Not a fan of Hayden.

Nothing against Bree, I’ve never seen her work but this cast is so crowded we never see legacy characters anymore. I mean Monica & Tracy weren’t even at the Nurses Ball & Monica is Chief of Staff & Tracy is a huge benefactor of the hospital. Not looking forward to this storyline at all, I hope it doesn’t drag on & Claudette doesn’t become a long timer like Hayden.

She was a force as Jessica Buchanan and did a ton of primetime..asemi regular on syfys Haven..Rebecca and Bree deserve the airtime..I love Hayden.. Monica and Tracy aren’t 20 or 50.. they don’t have the same stamina.. It seems some viewers want the “legacy” characters propped up by crutches and on 24/7. Lee/Gail/Audrey/Diana/Jesse/peter/Steve were all legacy characters for me way back in the day but the show had to keep moving.. Characters came and went and the good ones stayed.. It’s the nature of these shows

Bree is an excellent actress…sexy as hell and is probably going to be quite the threat to Maxie. Perhaps to others too.
Maxie hasn’t had a story of her own in a long time; it’s overdue. I think every character is worth a story once they’re a regular player on the show.

I agree with davlestev1 to a point; eventually legacy characters will go…hopefully by choice as in retirement or on to something else. But here I go back to the age issue again. The show should have a mix of the goings on in all the characters we’ve invested in regardless of their age. I like the stories equally…if they’re engaging, well written. I love Maxie, Spinelli, Nathan, Munro, Dillon, Kiki…but I also love Anna, Finn, Franco, Lucy, Scott, Ned etc, etc…AND I love Tracy, Monica, Our dearly missed Scorpio..my point is the ages run the gamut and that’s good. Monica and Tracy are around 68, 9… So what. That’s no reAson they should be seen less or shouldn’t have been at the Ball. There’s a lot of stories left for these characters if the writers write them.

I guess we’ve completely given up on any characters associated with GH Legacy. 🙁

That’s how I feel. There are a lot of talented actors out there that are no longer on soaps. Does that mean I need/want to see them all on GH?? NO. I’ve always said this cast is too bloated to care about any given storyline.
Does anyone even care about Lucas and Brad anymore? They’ve had no story then poof, they’re getting married.
We have too many characters with no point to be on the show: Hayden, Curtis, Valerie, Nina, Nathan, Sabrina…. oh, the list goes on & on ..
and fan favorites like Genie & Jane get airtime whenever!
Genie signed a new 3 year contract, but you wouldn’t know it since she’s on like 1x a month!
GH – enough already – this isn’t the unemployment line for ex-Soapers!

Hi Ces- I wonder if these actors are all ” part time”? And therefore getting less pay. I mean to your point about these stories not holding any interest is so true. They have the talented actors- now how bout stories?!?!?!!

hi Patricio – I bet some are recurring like Wally Kurth is which is sad.
Sad also to hear Lulu and Dante once again discuss having a baby; I mean, haven’t we been there already?
Carly/Sonny/Ava conversations feel like Deja vu
And the rest of them are seen so infrequently, I don’t even know what story they have?
Now, we’re getting Hayden’s mom, Claudette and who know who else coming onboard…
pathetic.

I agree soap hound. Why can’t Tracy or Monica or Lesel have a long lost daughter who comes back to find get Mama! Give these actress’ some story.

I am sick of the various Ava plotlines. Why anyone even talks 2 her in Port Charles now is beyond me. Lying scum.

From the moment those mysterious white gloves came into play; I did say that, sooner or later, Claudette would materialize. So happy to see Bree on daytime again!! Love you, Bree!!

And then, out of nowhere, this mysterious, young Beauty named Celia appears out of thin air!

HaHa, Timmmy. You are teasing, no? It’s Double C. LOL. You KNOW that, AND, I thank you so much for the compliment, sweetie-pie. Needed new email address for personal reasons. Plus, an illness in the family kept me away.
My name is Cecelia, afterall, Timmmbo; and, my parents DO call me Celia. Love you still, my friend.

“Aloha” Ms. Celia

your name reminds me of Celia Rae Foote… from “The Help”… by the FAN tastic’ Jessica Chastain

only one of… my all time favorite movies… PURE COMFORT… with a glass of wine

love this movie for a lot of reason…

most notably…. WOMEN rock rule and roll

it’s good to share with you

Ahhh, my poetic Patrick!!!! Missed parlaying with you, dear friend.
I appreciate the comparison, and I thank you…too sweet.
Women DO rock! So true, that!! LOL. We make the world go round…oh, yeah!!

Yaaaaaayyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would rather have her then Rebecca Budig. And to put more to that rather then all the new cast how about pay Tristan and Wally to come back full time as Ned and Robert!!!!!! Legacy characters

I am hoping Tristan returns to help solve this mysterious organ story

Anybody from OLTL is welcome on GH as far as I am concerned. I loved that show so much. My only beef is that Bree won’t be playing Jessica but we know whose fault that is. Anyway, I do want to see what kind of trouble Claudette will cause for Maxie and Nathan.

Yes, but this is GH, not OLTL. that show got canceled.

And what’s your point? We all know OLTL was cancelled. James is just saying that Bree is welcome. Are you saying she’s not welcome on GH?

I’d much rather that we all FORGET that OLTL was cancelled…. and more than anyone I wish Frank Valentini would forget it. I am SICK to death of him hiring actors for every reason possible without any awareness of how overcrowded the cast is already!

Love her, and happy she got some work but saying that GH’s cast is already bloated may be the understatement of the decade. And the new characters keep coming.
As Jim (Leave it to Beaver) said, perhaps we ought to get Donald Trump to put up a wall around Port Charles.

The wall now is pointless…they’ll just fly them in over that dang wall or dig a tunnel underneath!!!

Love ya, Jim. You are just so damn smart and funny, and yet endearing at the the same time.

Have him take over elq!

Thanks, Michael, for sharing this news. Looking forward to Ms. Williamson’s story on GH.

Love Bree Williamson and have missed her on my screen. Awesome news!

Next week…Jerry Ver Dorn cast as Rachel’s father…..the following week….Susan Lucci cast as Rachel’s ‘ younger’ sister Judith who gets involved in a love triangle with Rachel and Nik……following this……Godzilla joins the cast as Roxie The Lizard’s ex, Lizard Mobster Tokyo Joe, who is in a love triangle with Roxie and Hamilcuberry Finn and puts a hit out on Finn recruiting for the job his sidekick the Taco Bell Dog-‘Here, Lizard! Lizard!…..lol

Jesus take the wheel we are circling the drain we are on our way to cancellation budget cut cast these people should not be in charge of a dog pound

ROFLMAO, that’s great JimH, and sadly it’s kind of frightening because it’s within the realm of possibility with this show.

This is hysterical! You should think about taking over as head writer.

Hey Jim…as far as I’m concerned, your posts are TOTALLY SPOT ON AND/OR HILARIOUS!!!!! And Carol is SO RIGHT ON…you should write for GH!!!!! Just saying……….

Later.

Next week, I quit the show if more EX soap stars keep coming over ….

lol, actually, I’d love to see Jerry on GH. He’d actually be a great fit with Tracy!

i agree…..

certainly right.I loved them together on G L

Love Van Dorn since another world! Then OLTL! Can’t wait to see him on daytime again! Wait….you’re tricking us. Godzilla wouldn’t fit in th GH! You crazy!

I hope Maxie kicks her butt. Maxie and Nathan are one of my favorite GH couples. I’ve never seen or heard of the new addition – Bree Williamson/Claudette – but I’m sure she’s no match for our Kirsten Storm/Maxie.

Unfortunately she won’t be acting w/ Kirsten Storms, she’s being temporarily re-cast as Nicholas has. I read her replacement is Molly Burnett formerly of Days.

Sad, isn’t it, Kay P? As I said previously, Molly never struck me as the Maxie type. But, she is an actress, a professional. As such, I do hope she will be able to deliver Maxie to us in a neatly wrapped package with a prettily colorful bow as bright as Kirsten’s /Maxie’s magnetic personality.

Believe me, Bree is more than a match…

Well FV is on his way to casting every out of work actor on his show! But yet RH & TC can’t get their contracts solved please put me in charge I could straightened this shit out in thirty days !

Here is the thing–it seems Frank is still smarting over the cancellation of OLTL and I get that. But he seems to be trying desperately to inject OLTL into GH which will not work.
I just wish ABC could just bring back OLTL because Frank’s attempts to incorporate OLTL into GH has been disastrous.

Who is running abc? Why not stop this?

I don’t think that’s what he’s doing, Harry. Initially when OLTL got the boot…everyone was shocked—actors, writers, fans. I and many OLTL fans were thrilled and excited to see McBain, Todd and Starr. It made going cold turkey a bit easier. When it didn’t work out, we had to lose them all over again. And then, great news for many of us (I know not all of us) they were back! I thought it was a brilliant idea to merge the worlds. The genre is seemingly on its last hurrah, many of the older actors are retired or gone and some of the “legacy” characters many of us want back are never going to be what they were. Gone is the WSB, most of the Cassadines, many of the Quartermaines, the Spencers, Robin, Frisco, Sean Donnelly, Tiffany, Holly, Luke…my point is the show is nevsr going to be the show it was.

I think they’re trying to respect GH and fans looking for the legacy characters…we have Laura, Anna, Ned, Dillon, Scott, Bobby, Robin, Sonny, Tracy, Nick, Lulu, Maxi, Nicolas…they’re trying to recapture the “feel” of the hospital by centering more stories and characters around it…they’ve even triying to recapture the levity with new Amy. Will it be the same? No, But it can’t be. The actress and time has passed…
I don’t believe Kristen Alderson left. i think they thought she wasn’t right for the part and they let her go. Of course I could be wrong, but if I’m not well then there was no favoritism…they replaced her with a non OLTL actress.
As for Bree, she’s great and they needed a Claudette. Why? Because other characters have stories and she’s now part of Nathan, Maxie and possibly Munro’s.
Doesnt mean I wouldnt love to have Scorpio back, see Scotty more, definitely more of Ned…but it also doen’t mean I won’t appreciate a new arc if it’s well done. and if it’s told with some of my fav actors from another show, I see that as a bonus.

AMEN!

Such happy news!!! Congrats Bree and welcome to GH!!

Glad to see her again and on GH, Great News!! 🙂

Was hoping they would go for older and cast Kassie Depaiva, but oh well!

How is she Claudette West? Wasn’t he James Reeves then? I thought he adopted the alias to secretly investigate Silas? And kept it after his mother’s betrayal? How hard would this little bit of continuity have been?

You’re right BreckRoy. Great catch! Unless it was just reported incorrectly/accidentally here; I haven’t read other “news” yet so maybe that’s not her last name???

perfect weekend news ! love her acting very much !

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Bree Williamson and have said before that she should join the cast. I also figured that Claudette would be introduced for story purposes at some point since she’s been mentioned so much. But I don’t see the use for this character moving forward, especially with such a bloated cast.

And since GH has GREATLY struggled to incorporate newly created characters into its canvas after their initial story has concluded (Silas, Nina, Franco, Hayden, Valerie, Lesil, etc.) I’m not very hopeful that this will play out well. Which is a shame, because Bree Williamson is very talented, and seems too good to be wasted on a poorly contrived character.

Oh damn Jimmy–you said it well.

I’m so sick of the word bloated! Lol, can someone come up with something else?

over saturated?

I guess that’s better than puffy!

Bree is a fantastic actress. It’s a shame Ron Carlivati isn’t still the headwriter — he gave her some amazing material on OLTL.

He gave her multiple personalities. Don’t think we’ve had that yet on GH. Maybe Jessica Buchanan had a Claudia persona too! Lol…hmmmm.

Uhhhhh, cept for Luke. (Can’t believe I forgot that already. Lack of sleep, precious cat has been meowing on and off thruout the night for weeks!)

We got a D.I.D. storyline when Ron was at GH; Kate Howard was a personality for Connie Falconeri.

Ron created Jessica’s alters Bess and Wes but Dena HIgley was responsible for the introduction of Tess.

Scott (ATWT Fan) I forgot that one too!!! Yet when I was writing my comment I kinda felt like I was leaving something out again. I’m still blaming sleep deprivation…lil cat meowing her head off as I type! Time to recheck her thyroid.

Yes, I’m excited to see this beautiful and talented actress back on my screen, but GEE-WIZ!, enough with all the new characters!!! Just stop it for a while. PLEASE!

Hey folks, this is GENERAL HOSPITAL, NOT OLTL — remember that. Not everyone wants to see every OLTL reject come to this show. We already have a cast of 50+!

lol, I wouldn’t call them “rejects.”

Lol!! You know what I mean ….

🙂

terrific, maybe i’ll start watching again

Love love love Bree!! This news made me cry. So happy and I can’t wait. I hope she stays forever and ever.

Welcome Bree. Look forward to seeing you on GH.

Such good news! Bree is a fabulous actress.

Valerie is a Spencer, so there is a lot they can do with Valerie. I just wonder when we will be any getting Carly and Valerie scenes. Carly and Valerie are family, yet they don’t have scenes together. Plus we barely see Bobbie and Valerie together.

That Nathan story line is so boring to me because Nathan is boring. Ugh!

Too little too late ABC you ruined daytime when you took away the fan favorite soaps. Know you are going to push the veteran GH actors aside and bring in actors from the old soaps just to appeal to the OLTL and AMC fan base. Get real and bring back the soaps/

Disagree, get some one else. The talent just not the looks so much.

They should bring back Emily Quartermaine played by Natalia Livingston! Helena hated her, she could have faked her death & held her on Cassadine Island! Then get rid of some of the pointless newbies such as Valerie and irritating characters like Ava Jerome! I really like Kiki, have Nina be her Mom, & Finn be Silas ( he was in the Witness Protection Program, but couldn’t bear being away from Kiki so the Program helped him create this new persona). Create a storyline where Monica & Bobbie are injected with tainted Botox & Juvederm!!!lol

I am going to miss Kirsten Storms as Maxie, but I read that she’s going through a divorce so she understandably needs some time off from being perky. I really liked Bree Williamson as Jessica on OLTL. Hope that she will have the same success playing Claudette. Happy that they did not make Griffin be the transgendered Claudette! A Transgender storyline would be fine, but not that one!!!

I loved Bree on OLTL and look forward to seeing her again on GH! She’s gorgeous and a talented actress.

all I know for sure

Bree Williamson… is a lauded and revered actress

dang it… and I believe it… @Rebecca1

it’s agonizing…. to say the least

when an actor (this gifted) is brought on… as a plot point… and is supporting… Nathan and Maxie… and she steals the show

AND… she features with Nina and Dr. O

just saying… it’s nice to see high caliber actor… who solidify any show… and brings attention to…

what I’d rather see… is more familial relations with… Nathan… Nina… and Dr. O

if Claudette is on for the long haul… all the better… all these strong women around Nathan… MAN

Hi Patrick..”good post and I agree!

Out of curiosity, does Bree speak French? I hope so if she is to play a French Canadian.

Lol a character should say you’ve spent your life French Canadian and now you come to America without a HINT of an accent or a loaf of French bread.. And where’s your scarf and beret.. HUH CLOWDETTE???

Not everyone in Canada has a French accent or speaks French even. There is a big misconception where the French/English languages are concerned.
Quebec has been trying to separate itself from Canada since its birth….for obvious reasons.
Canada is a bi-lingual country. Only the province of Quebec is where French is spoken by most. There are those citizens living in Quebec who cannot speak a word of French.
The US is also considered a bi-lingual country, Spanish being the second language. Does everyone speak Spanish? I surely don’t.
Bree is a Torontonian. Only French teachers and their students speak French….not the general public. LOL.
I am assuming Claudette is from Montreal, if she speaks French. I am anxiously waiting to see what Bree will do with her affectation of a French accent. But, considering she has been living in NYC for a prolonged period of time, she has probably lost the accent, oui?

Ummmm I was just being goofy but OK thanks lol

Welcome Bree. Loved seeing you on Castle.

@Colleen…I love Ava (hated her for what she did to AJ and the only way I can get back into her character is to push that horrific act out of my mind). But she’s such an interesting character: ruthless, cunning, seductive, manipulatuve yet loving, loyal, vulnerable. And Maura West is magnetic. Am loving her with Nicolas and hope they evolve them into a couple.

I’m glad to see Bree on General Hospital and I also miss the cast of one Life to live.

MELISSA (ARCHER) NEEDS TO & SHOULD COME TO GH ASAP!!!!! AND FV IS SMART HE WILL BRING HER ON!!!! SHE NEEDS TO BE REUNITED WITH MICHAEL!!!!!!!!!! I CANNOT STAND HAYDEN BARNES AND DO NOT WANT HER PAIRED WITH ME AND I FOR ONE WILL BE COUNTING THE DAYS UNTIL THEY ARE OVER!!!! AND IT WILL BE VERRRRY SHORT-LIVED THAT IS FOR SURE!!!!!

General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

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Dominic Zamprogna

General Hospital’s Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri) opened up about the burgeoning love triangle forming between his Port Charles alter-go, Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst) after recently aired scenes, plus his hopes for the future of a Dante and Liz pairing, during his appearance on the Sunday, April 23 edition of the That’s Awesome podcast with Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli).

On last week’s episodes of GH, Ric has made the decision that he wanted to propose to his ex-wife, only when he showed up at Elizabeth’s front door, he misread the scenario he walked in with Liz tending to Dante’s injured leg from the softball game. From there, the legal eagle’s jealous streak is reemerging which may cause him to act out and do something unforgivable, or will he take the high road? Stay tuned.

Speaking with Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson about where Elizabeth stands in the annals of the long-running soap, Zamprogna said, “She’s up there with Steve and Maurice (Maurice Benard) as one of the most legacy-filled people on the show.”

Courtesy/ABC

HOW DANTE AND ELIZABETH CAME ABOUT

Dominic jokes it’s a far cry for where Dante and Elizabeth previously, recalling, “We had some scenes together years ago and we were both laughing. Becky’s like, ‘Well, I guess we’re not going be paired up anytime soon.’ I remember we laughed immediately after they yelled ‘cut,”‘and said to each other, ‘Well, so much for that!'”

Fast-forward to early 2025 and as Zamprogna remembered it, “Elizabeth Korte (co-head writer, GH) came up to me at the General Hospital Christmas party, and I think it was a year and a half ago and she said, ‘We’re going to have you in scenes with Elizabeth,’ My internal monologue is going, ‘I’m not with Lulu (Alexa Havins) anymore and Sam’s (Kelly Monaco) gone, so maybe they want to see if this works.’ I didn’t want to get scenes with Becky and try to find the chemistry. I just wanted to play whatever honestly was written and came across for both of us and hope it was what people liked, and I don’t know if it is … or not.”

Knowing how beloved Elizabeth is to the GH faithfuls, Zamprogna added, “She got a big fan base with Ric … and a big fan base with with Jason … and you know, you’re going to piss somebody off. But, didn’t Ric drug Elizabeth and put Carly in a panic room?”

Dom and Liz

Photo: ABC

DANTE AND ELIZABETH PAIRING COULD STIR UP STORY FOR OTHERS IN PORT CHARLES

In closing, Dominic felt that the wide-reaching tentacles of a Dante and Elizabeth relationship is something he is 100% down for. “The triangle thing; I was happy to hear it was with Ric and her, because I felt it’s important to have her the top of it as opposed to Dante, Lulu and Elizabeth.”

Zamprogna added, “When you get into relationships on a soap, things seem to fizzle out a little bit, The buildup is what’s the fun part, and the getting to know each other, and the people who are affected by this coming together. When with this case it’s going to affect: Ric, Sonny, Lulu. There’s so much more story here. To me, it’s going to be a fun story to play.”

You can check out Dominic’s visit to That’s Awesome with Steve and Bradford below.

Now weigh-in: Are you rooting for Dante and Liz, or Dante and Ric at this juncture of the story, or neither guy  for Elizabeth? Let us know your thoughts and picks via the comment section.

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General Hospital

GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

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Patrick J. Gibbons

At the conclusion of today’s August 21 episode of General Hospital, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) sings a lullaby to baby Dez, that went into a montage to close out the episode as her father Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) reports to Pentonville and winds up in his jail cell.

However, in a fun fact, the song entitled, “A Lonely Heart To Give” was actually written by none other than former One Life to Live and General Hospital actor, Patrick J. Gibbons.

Daytime fans first met Gibbons as Sam Manning on One Life to Live. At the time, when he started on the soap, he was just 5-years-old. Gibbons played the part from 2010-2013 on ABC and Prospect Park’s editions of the show. Fast-forward to 2018, Gibbons shows up on General Hospital as Wyatt Hoover, the scout who seemed always be injured, but in the thick of the drama. Patrick had appeared on GH multiple times as Wyatt including: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.

Photo: ABC

FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER’S DEATH CAME THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS SONG

Now in 2026, General Hospital fans are getting to learn about another side of Gibbons’ talent as a songwriter and guitar player after “A Lonely Heart to Give” debuted today! Michael Fairman TV caught up with Patrick, who is now a senior at Penn State entering his final year as a finance major, to get the back-story of how his song wound up on GH!

Gibbons explained he wrote the song in honor of his grandmother who passed away a few years ago with whom he was, very, very close with. “Randomly, my grandmother had a downfall and passed away during the second semester of my sophomore year. I was in my dorm a lot and I was just playing with my guitar. And at the time, I was really into finger-style playing. I wrote the lyric and music to it (with a little help from my guitar teacher Lou), and my mom showed the rough demo to Frank Valentini (EP, General Hospital). He’s like an uncle to me. Frank loved it so much he said, “Finish that up. I want to hear the whole thing, and I want it on the show.”

MAKING MUSIC FOR GENERAL HOSPITAL

Gibbons and his parents took the next steps! “So now, all we needed was a female voice, because I thought that would fit the song well,” Patrick shared. “At the golf club we go to my parents were at a dinner. They liked the singer that was performing and spoke to her about the song, and she says she would like to bring it to her ‘boss’ who ended up being Eric Bazilian of the Hooters fame!” (Bazilian also wrote the smash hit song “One of Us” for Joan Osborne).

Next, “We went in the studio and recorded it and the song came together and it was beautiful. We loved it. They loved it at General Hospital and now they’re putting it the show and they are coming in with a piano, instead of a guitar. Paul Glass, the GH musical director, has been keeping us updated over the last six months of how it was coming along, and when it would air, and how GH put their own arrangement to it. I can’t wait to see and hear what they did with it.”

Photo: JPI

PATRICK’S ONE LIFE TO LIVE FAMILY

Everyone knows that the One Life to Live extended family share a very tight bond, and Patrick said he does stay in touch with a few of his former One Life to Live co-stars, especially those from the Manning family! “I stayed in touch with Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair) and sent her little videos here and there. She was like my second mom for five years. We keep in contact with Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) over X the most, and she can’t believe how big I’ve gotten. Like, none of them can! (laughs). I also loved working with Roger Howarth (ex-Todd) and Trevor St. John (ex-Todd and Victor Jr.), and to me since I was so young, they were just my friends, ‘Roger and Trevor,’ not Todd Manning or Victor Jr.”

It was a trip to California and a visit to Port Charles that ultimately led to Gibbons second soap role of Wyatt Hoover. Patrick explains, “In 2016, Frank Valentini invited us out to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital. I think he heard me say, ‘This is so much fun. I miss being on the set.’ He goes, ‘You should come out. I’ll bring you on the show. We can make you a character.'”

A few years later, Patrick’s dream became a reality! “Then, by the summer of 2018, I was playing Wyatt, the scout, and shared scenes with Wes Ramsey (Peter August), and the best was when I shared a scene with Roger Howarth and Michael Easton (ex-John, OLTL and ex-Silas, Finn et al, GH), it was like chemistry from the old days.”

Photo: PGibbons

IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS

As to his future aspirations, it’s a career in the finance game that has piqued Gibbons’ real-life interest. But never say never to a return to acting. Patrick explained, “I’ve always enjoyed numbers. And on top of that, one of the biggest parts of finance is being personable and outgoing.”

He continued, “That’s one of the greatest skills I developed growing up. I really love the markets. I’m super interested. I’m never going to close the door to acting. I’m always open to that because I just love it so much. It’s such a great art.”

Take note! If there are any investment bankers or private equity folks among the GH faithful looking for a young analyst next year, Patrick’s DMs are open. You can find him on X at @PatrickJGibbons.

So, what did you think of the song sung by Trina on today’s GH that was written by Patrick J. Gibbons? Did you enjoy Patrick’s performances as One Life’s Sam and GH’s Wyatt? Would you like to see him back on GH at some point? Let us know via the comment section.

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Admits That He Didn’t Expect the Role of Michael Corinthos to be Recast, and Would Consider Working on Another Soap (Exclusive)

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Chad Duell, the Daytime Emmy-winning actor, who stepped away from the pivotal role of Michael Corinthos on General Hospital, opened up about: his previous decision to leave the series after nearly 15 years, where’s he’s at now after time away from the demands of a daytime soap opera, and took a stroll down memory lane with some of Michael’s most-acclaimed storyline during his run, during a livestream chat on August 19 on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel.

Viewers last saw Duell on-screen as Michael in January of 2025, and with his successor in the role, Rory Gibson making his debut at the GH Nurses’ Ball in episodes that aired later in May. It was clear that during the conversation, Chad was a bit surprised that the GH brass decided to recast him when he thought he was just taking some much needed time off.

Burn-out of the daily grind of being on a soap was definitely a part of Chad’s decision to take a break. Duell explained “People know when you’re doing something for so long or your character is kind of in the same place for so long or doing the same stuff over and over again, you do get a a little burnt out, you get a little stiff, stale, a little stiff at times. I didn’t want that to be any sort of lasting impression. I have 15 years of a body of work of I’ve done on that show, which is fantastic.”

Chad Duell

Photo: ABC

WHILE CHAD WAS AWAY GH RECAST MICHAEL CORINTHOS WITH RORY GIBSON

Chad shared, his mindset when leaving GH was, “I’m taking some time away, we’ll see what happens.” Then he added, “Obviously, they decided to go in a different direction with Michael when I was gone. I didn’t think they were going to bring somebody back in my place. But you know, it’s the business. You never know what can happen.”

Duell also shared he has not watched a single episode of General Hospital since he left the series, but now feels he reenergized following the loss of his father and stepping away from the GH, “I’m in a place now mentally, where I’m ready to sink my teeth into it again.”

Courtesy/ABC

Even though he is no longer Michael on GH, Chad was very happy with his final storyline where Michael was set on fire when a bomb exploded at Sonny’s (Maurice Benard) penthouse. “It was fun to put him in a dangerous situation, because I was wanting Michael to be in something scary instead of trying to be a hero character or just things happening around him, but to be the center point of tragedy happening to him. (I always saw) Michael as the heart of the (Corinthos) family.”

When Michael was badly burned the show chose not burn his face, which normally a soap does when they are recasting role and switching actors. Chad weighed-in, “They didn’t burn my face because I told Frank Valentini (EP, GH) I’m willing to come back. It was just a little bit of a break. So, I assumed that if they would have burned my face, they could have brought somebody back looking different than me… if that’s what their plan was.”

Courtesy/ABC

MEMORABLE MICHAEL STORYLINES

One of Chad’s most memorable performances was the in the storyline of Michael’s rape while he was sentenced to prison in 2010 and the confession of it in 2011. “It was so well-written and I was very nervous,” recalled Chad. “When I get really nervous about something, it ends up being really good when I do it, because it just means I care a lot about it”

“I have to put a lot of effort and work into it, and I really want it to be good.  I was working with Dominic  Zamprogna (Dante) and Steve Burton (Jason) a lot during those scenes, and Laura Wright (Carly). It was great working with Steve and Dominic, especially, during that storyline.

A NEW SOAP ROLE FOR CHAD?

As to a future soap opera role, Chad is open to the idea and would love to jump back in to a juicy role, “I know people over at The Bold and the Beautiful, and The Young and the Restless. They know that if they’re interested, I would love to come in for a screen test or something, and they can see what I’m doing.”

Meanwhile, Chad has been busy putting out new music under the moniker Duelly and during the interview he explains how he creates his EDM tracks and much more. You can stream his latest single, Static in the Quiet Room on Spotify, Apple Music and You Tube Music.

You can check out the full conversation with Chad Duell below.

Now let us know: what show would you like to see Chad cast on down the line? BTG, DAYS, B&B, Y&R, or a new role on GH? What did you think of his thoughts on the casting switch while he was away in the role of Michael? What was your favorite Michael storyline during Chad’s 15-year run on the ABC soap opera? Let us know via the comment section.

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