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GH’s Brighton Hertford Opens Up on Reprising B.J. for Bobbie Spencer’s Memorial, The Gift Jackie Zeman Left Her, and Meeting Kirsten Storms

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: ABC

It was two and half weeks ago that General Hospital fans received a beautiful surprise twist during Bobbie Spencer’s memorial episodes when Angela, the reporter from the Associated Press in Amsterdam turned out to be a grown-up B.J. Jones visiting Port Charles from Heaven.

In real-life, GH brought back Brighton Hertford who was last on the show back in 1994, when her character, a very young B.J. Jones was killed-off in school bus accident, and B.J.’s heart when to Maxie to save her life. That storyline is one of the most iconic in soap opera history and certainly in the stories 60-year history of General Hospital.

Brighton’s on-screen mother was played by the late Jackie Zeman mwho passed away at 70 following a short bout with cancer in May of 2023.  When GH finally was able to move forward with how to finish Bobbie’s storyline and pay proper tribute to Zeman, the show called Hertford to come back and reprise the role. Brighton lives in Utah and has a whole other career in the tech industry at this juncture of her life making this all the more special.

Photo: ABC

Last week, speaking with the Michael Fairman Channel for an exclusive livestream interview, an emotional Hertford shared her journey of coming back to the set of the ABC daytime drama series some 29 years later to help send-off Bobbie and to honor Jackie.

During her visit, Hertford met the grown-up Maxie Jones for the first time in GH fan favorite Kirsten Storms, and expressed, “I can’t say enough about Kirsten, and how wonderful she was. I had never met her, right? I was so jazzed because I loved Zenon Girl of the 21st Century.  She was just so welcoming, and offered to run lines with me in the Green Room because it is very fast paced and high octane and wanted to make sure that I felt comfortable. We exchanged phone numbers. She was like, ‘Let’s go out for lunch next time you’re in Los Angeles.” Kirsten is just a wonderful, wonderful.”

Photo: ABC

When Brighton was only 8 and killed-off the show, on her last day she received a special gift from Jackie Zeman that she has to this day. Hertford elaborated, “Jackie gave me a butterfly ring that has an opal in it. We had this really special moment where she gave it to me and she talked to me about the significance of butterflies in her life. She told me that in order to make sure that the opals never crack, that I’m supposed to take my pinky and rub it on the inside of my nose, where your natural body oils collect and and rub it on the opal. It’s always been a very, very special keepsake of mine. And to this day, none of those opal have cracked. Anytime, I see people who have opal jewelry, I’m like, ‘Oh, you have to remember to keep like this.‘ Jackie gave it to me as a way of saying goodbye.”

Coming back to ABC Prospect Studios where GH is taped, Brighton was astonished at how no one had aged! “They must sleep in Tupperware, because everyone looked exactly the same,” she expressed. “I saw Lynn (Herring) and I touched her on the shoulder and I said, “Hey, Lynn. I don’t know if this is going to be spooky, but it’s Brighton. It’s B.J.  Her face just lit up. She was like, ‘Oh, my gosh. Of course it’s you!’ Kristina Wagner (Felicia) was there, and Maurice Benard (Sonny) was there too, and we had a wild trip down memory lane.”

Photo: JPI

Part of Bobbie’s final story paid homage to the fact that a younger Bobbie was prostitute, and in the end was helping other women who were the victims of human trafficking. Brighton shared while she didn’t understand Bobbie’s past as an 8-year-old, she did late on. “I will say, in my direct experience, my lived experience, I think GH has always done a good job of things like that,” she elaborated. “I’ll call back really quickly to when I was in the coma, and the show promoting the importance of being an organ donor, because that’s what that whole storyline was about. B.J. was lifeless, aside from being kept alive by machines, and because she was able to donate her heart Maxie lived on, and this too can happen for other people. The message was, ‘So please become an organ donor now.”‘

As to how GH connected the dots of the difficult life Bobbie led in her death, Brighton said, “I thought that what GH did was really beautiful by doing a great job of encapsulating Bobby … the character as a whole person with a journey. I think there’s so much beauty in telling the whole of the story and not just saying, ‘Oh yeah, they were perfect,’ and then move on. Because they have past, because they have histories, it makes who they are all the more beautiful, not in spite of it.”

You can watch the full livestream conversation with Brighton below.

Were you touched by seeing Brighton back on GH to honor Jackie Zeman and the character of Bobbie. What do you think of the sentiments she shared about Kirsten Storms, returning to the set as a woman after being a child actor on the show, and the beautiful gift Jackie gave to her when she was killed-off the show? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

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General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Carly Fears Escalating Tensions Between Sonny and Josslyn: ‘I’ve Already Lost One Kid Because of That Man. I Won’t Lose Another’

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General Hospital

On the Thursday, November 12 episode of General Hospital, as battles line are drawn by Carly’s (Laura Wright) ex-husband, Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and her daughter, Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy), she realizes things are about to get a whole lot worse, and she expressed her fears to Valentin Cassadine (James Patrick Stuart).

After Sonny came to see Carly to get her daughter to back off of him; especially when Josslyn lit into him in front of nuAvery (Ayla Bullington), Carly is terrified that Sonny could retaliate against Josslyn. Realizing, Josslyn is in danger, Carly won’t sit by and let anything happen to her. She tells Valentin, “I’ve already lost one kid because of that man. I won’t lose another.”

Viewers won’t soon forget the devastation Carly felt when Morgan (Bryan Craig) died in a car bomb explosion back in 2016 because of Sonny’s dealings in the mob in a complex story involving Julian (William deVry) and Olivia Jerome (Tonja Walker).

Avery

Courtesy/ABC

SONNY IS READY FOR WAR

Meanwhile in the aftermath of his visit with Carly, Sonny told his brother Ric what went down when Josslyn disrespected him in front of his own daughter and hurt Avery. Since Josslyn already make it known that she no longer considers herself part of Sonny’s family, he’s decided to treat her accordingly.

Sonnys first step in payback is to take away her support system at JJE by approaching Hudson Parker (Troy Lennon Appel) again, but this time in a much less-friendly way.

Ric points out that this would go against every move Sonny made as a legitimate businessman in Port Charles and would mean he’s back in the mob? Sonny doubles down, saying Josslyn changed the game when she involved Avery. While he showed concern of how bad Carly would feel over all this year, he said he is ready to finish what Josslyn started.

At the Metro Court, Ava (Maura West) is listening to Avery explain what happened between Sonny and Josslyn and how much she hates Josslyn right now, which Ava seems to be OK with.

WILL JOSSLYN’S WORLD BLOW UP ON HER?

Speaking of Josslyn, she is on the pier still after her talk with Hudson and still crying over her confrontation with Sonny and Avery overhearing it, and what she told her sister. Lucas comes across her at the pier while out for his run.

Explaining how badly she feels for what she said about Sonny to Avery, Lucas says that eventually Avery will discover the truth about Sonny. He explains to Josslyn that even though Avery hates her now, she will come to realize that what she said about her father was the truth, and that Josslyn was not lying to her at all.

So, what do you think about Sonny ready to play dirty to take down Josslyn? How will Carly ensure her daughter does not wind up dead? Who do you think is in the right here? Is Josslyn’s vendetta against Sonny justified, at the cost of the relationships with her family? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Cynthia Watros Honors Former ‘Titus’ Co-Star Stacy Keach Following His Passing

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Stacy Keach and Cynthia Watros

General Hospital star Cynthia Watros, who can currently be seen in on the ABC soap opera in the role of Nina Reeves, has had a enduring career in television. That included her time on the 2000-2002 Fox sitcom, Titus.

In Titus, Watros starred along with Stacy Keach as Erin Fitzpatrick and Ken Titus, respectively. After the November 10th news that Keach had passed away at 85 while living in Poland, Cynthia took to her Instagram on Thursday, November 12 to pay tribute to the great actor.

Watros expressed, “My first prime time show was along side Stacy. I loved him instantly. What an amazing talent and man.❤️”

Photo: ABC

In Titus, Stacy played stand up comedian Christopher Titus’ heavy-drinking, chain-smoking, five-times-divorced father who frequently pulled cruel pranks and tried to toughen his kids up. Cynthia played by Christopher’s level-headed, big-hearted girlfriend trying to build a normal life with him. In fact, Cynthia’s role on the sitcom was first series regular role after her Daytime Emmy run of Annie Dutton on Guiding Light which ran from 1994-1998.

STACY KEACH’S WIFE ON HIS PASSING

Keach’s wife, Malgosia shared the news of the actor’s death publicly in a statement with PEOPLE. Malgosia expressed, that Stacy had, “a long and difficult battle with a serious heart condition and heart failure.”

She added, “Stacy peacefully departed this world. He fought for so long, with extraordinary courage, determination and strength. He was a true warrior, facing his illness with the same remarkable spirit and resilience that defined his life.”

Małgosia continued, “Stacy was not only a legendary actor, admired and loved by audiences the world over, but also my beloved husband, my companion and the heart of our family. His passing leaves an immeasurable emptiness in our lives. But his extraordinary spirit, his unforgettable voice and the love he gave so generously will remain with us forever.”

Now, let us know do you remember when Cynthia made her sitcom debut in Titus? Share your thoughts via the comment section on Cynthia’s many TV roles and the passing of Stacy Keach in the comment section. But first, check out the very first episode of Titus with Cynthia Watros below!

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Beyond the Gates

RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers

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Beyond the Gates and General Hospital

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.

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