General Hospital
Emme Rylan Shares ‘Disappointment’ and Confirms General Hospital is Recasting Lulu
Many General Hospital fans were hoping that when and if Lulu Spencer finally woke up from her coma that Emme Rylan would pick back up where she left off in the role. Yesterday we shared that GH has put out a casting notice for the role of “Lauren” which sounds exactly like the character of Lulu.
Now, it has been confirmed by Emme Rylan herself (who took to her Instagram Story) that she was not asked back to reprise the role of Luke (Tony Geary) and Laura’s (Genie Francis) daughter.
Emme shared, “Yes it is true. GH has decided to recast Lulu. Although I am very disappointed with their choice, I am glad to finally have closure. (And thank goodness GH brought all of you fabulous people into my life! Love you guys!)”
Photo: JPI
Rylan took over the part from Julie Berman and began her run as Lulu from 2013 -2020. It was cut short, when a tragic series of events occurred. Dustin (Mark Lawson) was about to propose to Lulu when there was a bomb blast at the Floating Rib. Dustin was killed. However, Lulu was OK and told her ex-husband Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) she still loved him only to collapse in his arms and land in an life-altering coma for the last four years.
Photo: ERylanIG
So, are you disappointed to hear that Emme Rylan is not coming back to GH as Lulu? With that said, who do you think would be a good fit for the part since the show is now set on recasting the part entirely? Comment below.
I loved Emme in the role of Lulu, cast Marci Miller or Martha Madison as the new Lulu. My prediction is Emme will go to Days or The Bold and The Beautiful as Mary recast Sheila’s daughter.
FOR REAL???
C’MON!!!
Who makes these stupid moves?
Bring on Marci Miller – Make it work Mark Teschner. Marci is your best bet!
Super disappointed. I’ve loved her in all of her roles & was so hoping she’d be back as Lulu.
Yes!!
I just never could see her as Lulu. They need to try to get JMB back. Interesting to see who they cast
I agree. I loved Julie Marie Berman as Lulu. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they reached out and asked her to return, but she turned the opportunity down.
agree and that is in no means anything against Emme. She is a wonderful actress, and did a great job. I just always saw Julie in the role.
Yeah like JB has has so many job offers you know people beating down her door. What a joke
Agree loved her on Guiding Light with Tom Pelphrey
I thought she was great as Lulu and I don’t understand why they chose to recast.
Julie Berman will always be the “real” Lulu, but bringing Emme back would make 666% more sense than another recast. Lucky & Lulu back in Port Charles at the same time… at least they should be recognizable as brother & sister. Sadly the opportunity for a real Nikolas return is gone forever now, of course.
Once again GH is dropping the ball here, Emme was more then willing to return, she’s beloved, and other then Julie Bergman returning, why invest on a new actor ? throwing away all flashback scenes they could of used to re intruduce the character back. I love you GH, but a lot of times I just don’t understand you.
This is stupid. Frank likes to find new pets that he loves, but the audience is lukewarm to. Who wants to see a stranger wake up from a 4 year coma?
Emme has been a successful recast as the daughter of three soap power couples! She is arguably the most consistently successful recast in soap history. There are a few others including Robkn Mattson, Judith Chapman, and Kassie DePaiva. First she was Philip and Beth’s girl Lizzie on GL, then as Victor and Ashley’s girl Abby on Y & R, then as the offspring of Luke and Laura on GH.
I hope they rethink this decision and ask her back. They have had her in limbo for 4 years. She would make a great Abigail on DAYS!!
Going to respectfully disagree. Rylan is not in the same league as the three legends you mentioned. Mattson made Heather her own. Also excelled as Janet from another planet. Chapman created Ginny and remains outstanding as Gloria. Kassie was so good, you almost forgot her predecessor was a different race!
Rylan was dropped to recurring on Y&R and eventually dropped entirely from GH. Doesn’t mean she’s a bad actress, but never made long time viewers forget the original portrayer of the characters she played.
I agree, Steve. Emme was just too perky and bubbly for my taste. She was never Lulu. Now, if they created a role that called for a young woman to own a surf shop called,” Gidget Goes Surfing,” I could see Emme crushing that part!
she may not have made SOME FANS forget julie HOWEVER FOR MANY she surpassed julie. id rather Emme came back and played lulu. she fit perfectly with dante, they had great chemistry. for me and many others Alexis although great as babe on AMC is not lulu. i dont see any chemistry with dante. its hard to want to watch.
Very disappointed! I loved Emme in the role!
I didn’t watch during Julie’s time and I have nothing to go on. I like Emme but I always saw her being a good fit for a different character. I feel bad for her though and I think she’s conducting herself impeccably right now. I agree with those that feel Marci Miller would do a great job playing a Spencer.
I’d love to see Julie Berman come back but GH will never pay her, give her shorter hours, or put in a daycare set for her young kids. Darn them. With that said… it’s sad that GH won’t bring back Emme. She handled herself very well and SHE should be the one to wake up to Dominic (Dante). Yeah… loyalty to some cast members but not to others.
Amanda Setton has young children and is featured in main storylines. Reduced episode count isn’t an issue. Ask Kelly Monaco, who was in one episode the month of July.
I’m team Emme, she was an awesome Lulu, sweet, sassy and great chemistry with Dante! Don’t fix something that not broken!
Totally agree.
This is a big disappointment GH.
While I’m never happy to hear about an actor being out of work, I’m relieved that she wasn’t rehired as Lulu. Emme was never Lulu for me. She was just too perky, bubbly and eager for the role that Julie Berman fleshed out so well. Julia was the perfect mediation of Luke’s gritty cynicism and Laura’s unwavering idealism.
Agree. If Julie wants recurring part time GH should give it to her.
I am definitely disappointed. She knows the part and she meshes well with cast members. So tired of recasts. It takes a long time to accept them if at all.
EXTREMELY unhappy they’re bringing Emme back in the role!!! TPTB are really striking out on this fumbled decision. Emme was wonderful in the role. Having her wake up as Lulu is what we need to complete the circle. Having someone else wake up as Lulu will be just like having a brand-new character we’ll be told to care about but don’t. SMH!
I am very disappointed!!! Wth…Is wrong with them?? Unbelievable….
They do this way too many times. Will DeVry was fired, blindsided, shocked, as was the dearly departed, Stuart Damon, who was left reeling as were the viewers. They fired Marcus Coloma as Nikolas; we still don’t know why and I don’t think he does either. Then Roger Howarth, Michael Easton. Also surprised and blindsided. They kept Emme hanging since her character went into the coma. She told them she’d love to come back if/when Lulu wakes up. No loyalty to their actors at all.
Can’t disagree with any of your points. What is the alternative? Should we all just stop watching and let GH live in our minds like AMC & OLTL?
Television as a whole has rapidly changed in the recent years with people using streaming platforms rather than traditional TV …let alone show moving only to a streaming platform, aka DOOL. So.. if viewership drops to a certain point.. guess the final curtain will draw.. and then what do we do?
There is nothing to do; viewers will be annoyed and keep watching or not. It’s an individual decision. Last I read ratings were down, which is why they keep playing musical-writers chairs until/if they can bring them back up again if that’s their goal. I only still watch GH, so I don’t really know what the other three remaining are doing (although I really like DAYS and hope to get back to it). But my feeling is that soaps used to always be about continuity; legacy families with multiple generations throughout the years. Viewers who went way back still had their familiar favs, and as newer viewers came aboard they caught on quickly to the central families, grew to love the older and younger generations of these core families. But on GH, they destroyed the legacy families. There’s barely any left of the Quartermaines; only Ned (who’s never on), Tracy (who thankfully came back; let’s hope she stays), Brook Lynn and Jason who hasn’t even been to to the Quartermaine house since his return. They could have kept AJ, they could have kept Dillion, they might have tried to bring back pseudo Q, Skye, they could have had Jason return to the fold…but instead we get Olivia, Leo, Chase, Sasha, Cody, Joss, and Trina filling up the Quartermaine space…
We no longer have the Cassadines. Nikolas should be back, Victor shouldn’t have been killed off, Valentin should still be on, and Alexis should have still been part of Cassadine stories…
Newer viewers don’t even know the legacy characters; or care. Younger viewers have no interest many times in older legacy characters they never “knew.” If GH had kept the legacy families intact as much as possible, each new generation would be more invested.
I feel now we have many older viewers invested in the GH we remember, and newer viewers feeling this version is GH. It’s not; it’s almost a different show with the same name.
I feel my point was missed. Lack of viewers will eventually mean GH will be cancelled.
Unless of course you have some way to be hired as a writer
Your point wasn’t missed. You’re concerned that people will stop watching and we could lose the show. My point was that’s the reality. Those who are unhappy with certain things will continue to complain and some will come to a point where they will stop watching. Others might not be happy, but will still watch. In the end it’ll come down to whether the show is still cost effective for ABC to keep producing it.
I just added my thoughts as to why I think viewership is down which is more than dropping fan favs, recasts, etc. My hope is that if and when it gets cancelled, maybe it’ll run on Hulu (for a small subscription fee) since Hulu is a streaming service owned by Disney, which also owns the ABC network.
Hulu is not available in Canada. Many American streaming sites are.. but no Hulu.
A little confused as to if ABC did cancel GH, why would Hulu pick it up? Isn’t Hulu owned by ABC/Disney? Seems like a far reach to expect that would happen. Wouldn’t increased viewership of GH be better?
I will say thou… better writing is clearly needed… this entire Willow and Drew situation totally turns my stomach and If they do end up in bed… it may be enough to lose me after all these years.
Yes, yesteryear shows were much better.. a character with class such as Lila is needed… fast. Add some real drama rather than constant affairs.
Hulu picking up GH would be the equivalent of Peacock picking up Days of Our Lives. They already stream the show. Only difference is it would go to “streaming only”, like Days did.
The CBS soaps could arguably do the same thing with Paramount + though this seems less likely now that CBS is actually adding another daytime soap (The Gates) next year.
Plus.. I have watched faithfully since 1978 when a Betamax arrived in my home.
This is a terrible decision. GH casting and the producers need a reality check because they could’ve easily recasted Emme Rylan. The only other person that can or should please Lulu is Julie Berman. It’s obvious that their casting sucks because look at who they casted for Nicholas. And they’re actually bringing this guy back too! That’s what they need a casting call for! Who’s making these lame decisions??? Someone needs to be fired immediately!
Adam Huss is a terrific actor. He depth and emotion that parallels the late Tyler Christopher.
Not even close. He seems like a nice guy but he doesn’t compare to Tyler Christopher. If they bring Huss back, maybe he’ll improve as he goes.
If GH gave Adam Huss a solid contract, and allow him the time to make the role his own, granted Tyler Christopher WAS the best Nicholas, rest his soul, I am certain you would see what I see in Adam Huss.
Unfortunately GH seems to use him only for drop in appearances.. which is not the best.
So glad she is not coming back. Never liked her as Lulu. She made Lulu unlikable
The role should not be recast if you cannot get her back just let it go
Bring back the real Lulu, you put her in the coma. Why would you bring back somebody different? Your viewers want the real person that you put in the coma not somebody different!
Emme Rylan, herself, was a recast. The “real” Lulu, to use your vernacular, was Julie Berman. Please don’t claim to speak for all viewers. There’s likely many that are intrigued by what a new actress can bring to the role.
Yes! Disappointed to get a new Lulu. Loved both Emle and Julie. Would have been happy with either one but NOT a new one. Familiar face is the true joy of bringing a character back.
So dumb of these people (men lol)who probably make these decisions! We want the actor who experienced the actual trauma on the show, to make a full recovery and see everyone happy. Not some random person who didn’t perform the scene! Not to mention Emme is a great actor and Julie is on a show already. She would be the only other acceptable replacement. Come on!
Extremely disappointed that the writers of GH are not bringing back Emme.
I think the writers are making poor choices .
Storylines are hideous. so many characters that don’t have an actual storyline should be let go but instead are still on the show .
Why is Alexis still there she has the most boring storyline and Lois also and Eva enough with her getting away with everything . Your storylines are so boring and repetitive.
Why isn’t GH bringing Emme Rylan back as Lulu, perfect opportunity to bring some continuity & chemistry!
If you saw the conversation between Dante & Tracy in the hospital chapel and “read between the lines” it was pretty much an admission that Emme Rylan’s version of the character was a total mistake and she didn’t resemble Luke & Laura’s daughter at all.
Now the hopeful interpretation of that would be that they’re bringing Julie Berman back. But I wouldn’t bet your soul on that happening just yet.
I think it is a shame that G.H is not bringing back Emme. Where is the loyalty! I wish her well.
No I’m not disappointed in them giving the part to someone else! I loved Julie as lulu and not emme! I’m not gonna watch it Anymore since they are killing Sam off but I might change my mind if they bring Brit back to Jason!
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)
Antonio Sabáto Jr. Breaks Silence on His Son’s Arrest for Fatal Hit-and-Run
DANCING WITH THE STARS: A Shocking Elimination on Grammy Night Leaves Ballroom Silenced
Y&R’s New Head Writers Share Vision for Genoa City: Contemporary Homage to Bill Bell, Mixing Heightened Escapism and Grounded Reality
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: Episodes From New Co-Head Writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, Begin to Air
‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos
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THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
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