General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: An Attacker Is Loose at the Q’s and the Cassadines Play Cover-Up (Promo)
Monday’s highly-anticipated episode of General Hospital, will pick-up where Friday’s major cliffhanger left off with Ava Jerome (Maura West) being stabbed with a hook, but the question is, who is responsible?
Many fans are feeling it’s going to be revealed to be a very much alive, Esme Prince (Avery Pohl), since we never found evil Esme’s body after she went over the parapet in her fight with Ava. Still others are betting that the culprit is Ryan Chamberlain (Jon Lindstrom)!

Courtesy/ABC
Now, in the latest promo for the ABC daytime drama series, whoever attacked Ava is on the loose, and PCPD are on the scene to investigate.
In the preview, all of the Cassadine men are looking guilty, and certainly that they know something about the crime, especially given that Spencer (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) just found out his father, Nikolas (Marcus Coloma) had slept with Esme.
Then, there is the matter of the confrontation between Austin (Roger Howarth) and Mason (Nathanyael Grey) that Ava witnessed. Did Mason try to silence her?
Watch the promo below. Then weigh-in, who do you think is the one trying to end Ava’s life? Share your theories in the comment section.
Suspects include Nicholas, Spenser, and Austin’s hometown buddy but we all know it was Esme that gave the hook to Ava!
I was very impressed with this week of GH. It reminded me somewhat of the Jill Farren Phelps Era.
Now say what you will about JFP, but her 11 year reign as EP of GH was remarkably successful. And some of the sweeps stories (call them stunts if you will) were epic in a time when soap budgets were more generous.
The bus crashes, the disease outbreaks, the Black and White Ball, the Carnival … etc
They were riveting displays of entertainment.
This week was obviously not as lushly produced, no big budgets or new sets. But, veterans were used in a meaningful way, many stories were propelled forward, and it had that “Can’t wait for Monday!” element that soaps rarely produce anymore!
And poor Ava! This chick has been shot, thrown off a bridge, battled cancer, thought she was taken off life support, was horrifically disfigured in a fire she caused, had her daughter murdered by the man she was sleeping with, and now she gets a hook to the gut!! Not to mention dealing with years of sanctimonious nattering from Snarly Carly!!!
I think she has done due penance for killing Connie!
I think it is Ryan. Iam sure he’s blaming Ava for Esme’s absence in his miserable life right now.
Violet…I tend to think Ryan right now, too. At least a guy. If Spencer can sneak out of jail for a few hours, I’m sure Ryan could find a way out of his facility for a while as well. Something about this attack seems really personal. While Nellie and Esme are devious, I think it takes a kind of ruthlessness they don’t have. Or the physical strength. So for now Ryan.
Spencer got out of jail on a “day pass” easily because he had Uncle Victor pulling some strings to make it happen. It would be more difficult for Ryan as he’s locked in a solitary cell, is supposed to be a catatonic vegetable, and has no allies working with him (at least that we know of) now that Esme is AWOL. Ryan’s a smart psycho, so I’m not saying it’s impossible that he could have broken out, but it would have been far more difficult than what Spencer did. And I suspect if Ryan had gone to that much trouble to get out of Spring Ridge, he probably would have stayed out, possibly to search for his missing daughter himself. Because it probably would have been just as difficult for him to sneak back IN to Spring Ridge & his solitary locked cell without being seen.
Satan…Yes Ryan was probably a stretch. Could be Victor orchestrated the whole ting because Ava was becoming a liability to the Cassadines.
If it was Victor, I think his motive might be slightly different. Since he believes in some twisted version of “Cassadine Family Unity” (with him in charge, of course) then he would consider hurting Ava as a means to that end. He’s already kidnapped his own granddaughter to keep his son in line, so it would be consistent with his previous behavior.
So by putting Ava in the hospital, he gets Nikolas by her side in the hospital (though Ava herself decided she didn’t want him hanging around) and because Trina was close to Ava, that brings Spencer into the mix, causing him to put his own bad feelings about Ava aside, temporarily.
It’s some Grade A manipulation, if that’s what’s going on. Machiavelli would be proud!
Been thinking about my theory and others that Ryan might be the attacker, but I’d forgotten that he only has one arm and I don’t know if he’d have the strength to slam that big hook into someone the way that person did with only one hand.
She didn’t have her daughter murdered, he did it thinking that’s what she wanted. Now who done it. Nicolas, Spencer, victor, Elizabeth, Esme, nelle,Ryan, Mason,and since their bringing back the dead, Morgan. I read an article about this and they talked about how shocked we’re going to be when it’s revealed who the person is that did it. So if we’re to be shocked I’d say Nicolas or Morgan the others wouldn’t shock me. By the way send Nina and wimpy Mike back to Nixon falls permanently, his acting has really went downhill. When you’re with a talented actress you give good acting. I think the lady playing Nina is ok but Laura has much more talent and it brings out his talent even more so
Peggy
BOLOGNA!
The success of the Jill Fred Phelps era wasn’t so much about Phelps as it was about Bob Guza, who was an excellent writer. All those storylines you referenced were his doing. There has been nothing since February 2012 which remotely compares with that quality of writing.
Did Guza have his favorite characters? Sure. What writer doesn’t? Hell, look at the current writers and their attempt to make Nina the center of EVERYTHING, for example.
Because I’m the Devil, and it’s in my unholy nature to think of bizarre coalitions working, I’d actually like to bring Guza back as head writer and see what happens when he works with Frank Valentini. And does that mean they would correct the huge mistake they made right around last Thanksgiving?? Yeah, you can bet your soul on that!!
I am so sick of the old bastard uncle and what he’s doing to and not for his family. I never thought I’d feel pity for Valentin but keeping his own son’s daughter away from him, just forcing him to do his bidding is unforgivable. I hope someday we’ll see his old grey head hanging off the parapet at Windemer.
And Uncle may have had something to do with almost killing Ava. Do really like Actor Charles Shaughnessy though. He was so nice on Franny show.
Initially I thought that Victor might have had Ava “hooked” as a bizzare means of getting to his idea of “Cassadine Family Unity” with everybody circling their wagons around the wounded Ava, rhetorically speaking.
But Victor would have no reason to go after Joss or Brando, so he’s not looking like a viable suspect anymore. I’m thinking it has to be the AWOL (and definitely not in Hell, yet) Esme. She has motive to attack both Ava & Joss, and – not being very mentally stable – would have attacked Brando in a panic, if she thought he saw her stalking Joss.
Satan…GH just had bad girl Nelle drift in and out during a dreamland hour, so it seems reasonable time to resurrect Esme. But something in me just doesn’t see her as the “hooker.” She has a small frame so it would be too big and unwieldy for her to use in a physical attack. And physical isn’t her m.o. especially if she might be pregnant. But I can’t think of any of the “other usual suspects.” Ohhhhh, the mystery continues.
I love Victor! Not because he’s a good guy, but the Cassadines have always had a dangerous element which has been sorely missing since the show lost Helena. And, I love Charles Shaughnessy. He brings an air of class and sophistication to a menacing character. I just wish they’d do more with the role. The old cat and mouse that Helena and Luke used to play comes to mind. I think he and Anna play well off each other…Either way, I hope they don’t kill him off. Too few Cassadines as it is.
By the way, Helena used Spencer as a way to control Nikolas. I think she once kidnapped him, too. Also not unlike Carly who disgustingly used Cyrus’s mother as leverage.
At Sonny’s bar today, who better to have a hook like that, than a one armed man?
Except this is a typical “hay bailing hook” with a handle, as we saw when it was hanging on the wall in the Q’s boathouse (should have been in the horse stables really)
So it’s not a “Captain Hook” prosthetic type of thing that an amputee like Ryan could slip over his stump arm.
Satan
Your idea of the hay bailing hook which ordinarily would be found in a horse stable equals our boy Cody Bell , but what motives would he have for him to becoming a Serial Killer? Also the idea of Esme wielding that big hook with the strength we saw it took, as Rose says, I still can’t accept her being an attempted murderers, yet. Any more ideas?
Psychopaths like Esme can be stronger than they might appear, especially when the insanity overrides the normal mental impulse to not attack somebody bigger & stronger than yourself, that most mortals have.
As far as these attacks go… the killer got Ava from behind, so she didn’t have time to react. Brando on the other horn, is ex military and obviously capable of responding to a physical attacker…. so why did he not do so here? I’m guessing the sudden rainstorm was made up as a convenient plot point, so they can say Brando slipped on wet pavement in the alley and couldn’t keep his footing to fight off the killer.
I didn’t know where else to put this comment, but what is happening at GH? One story after another unfinished and then another started…Trina/Rory…Esme…the “hook” killer…Lucy…Ava/ Nickolas…Spencer…Victor/Anna…Holly back…Joss/Cameron/Dex…Sasha…Willow/Michael…Brittany/Cody/Peter…Elizabeth…and now Heather Webber.
Everything seems all over the place. Not very satisfying to me.
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

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?”

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

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.
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)

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.”

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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