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Chris McKenna Speaks Out On His Final Day as ‘General Hospital’s’ Jack Brennan with Words of Wisdom to ‘Finish Strong’

By Michael Fairman

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Chris McKenna
Photo: ABC

When Jack Brennan was found dead and floating in the Metro Court pool on the September 1 episode of General Hospital, it unfortunately meant the end of the road for Chris L. McKenna, who had returned to the soaps to play the WSB Port Charles Bureau Chief.

As with any death on the soaps, and a litany of subjects in this whodunit, Brennan’s death opened the door to more story, as fans are still grappling with the decision to kill off the character.

The bittersweet exit was not the first time Chris had been written out of a soap. On The Young and the Restless, Chris played detective Mark Harding from 2014-2015, who ended up dead, and guess who was in that scene? None other than GH’s Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) when he was over at the CBS soap opera taking on the role of Dylan McAvoy.

Now. on an all-new episode of the That’s Awesome podcast with Burton and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli, GH) released on Friday, September 18, the duo welcomed Chris McKenna direct from Clearwater, Florida.

Paige and Michael

Courtesy/ABC

MAKING SURE PAIGE HERSCHELL WAS OK

During the conversation, Chris explained how his last day went and how he went about lifting the spirits of the GH cast and crew with very special attention to Paige Herschell (ex-Jacinda Bracken).

McKenna shared how he knew for a bit about his departure, before the rest of the cast knew he was exiting the show, explaining. “I had time to process it. It had been a surprise to many, to me, and to many people in the building when it first happened. But by this point, Paige Herschell found out at the same time that she wasn’t going to be coming back. She had her last day, the day before mine.”

“Paige hadn’t been through this before. I had,” shared the soap vet. “I had a show that was on the air and it was in primetime, and then it got canceled. I thought it was devastating, and that I was never going to work again. So, this has happened so many times to me (throughout my career), that I don’t get rattled anymore by it.”

Photo: ABC

WHEN YOU GET BAD NEWS …

McKenna said he wanted to go out on a high note: “It was important to me to make sure, first of all, everybody else felt comfortable because everybody felt bad and felt sad and felt upset. I was like, ‘It’s fine. We’re okay. I’m going to be fine. So, let’s make sure everyone’s okay.'”

Out of concern for his exiting co-star, Chris recalled, “I wanted to make sure that Paige got her flowers, and she had her attention and got her send off appropriately. I wanted to make sure I hugged her and told her to finish strong. It it was important to me, and also I was working with the kids (Scarlett, Danny). I try to be a mentor to some of the younger actors as well.”

LEAVING PORT CHARLES

The message Chris wanted to impart before he left the GH studios for the last time was, “I’ve been doing this so long, so I wanted to show them how to handle it. When you get bad news, it doesn’t have to devastate you, and it’s not the end of the world, and to make sure everybody’s laughing and having fun. I tried to make the the last day fun for everybody else, so that everybody could enjoy it with me.”

You can check out the full discussion with Chris with Steve and Bradford below.

Now let us know, are you still sad over the departures of Chris McKenna and Paige Herschell? What do you think about Chris’ motivational message to “finish strong?” Share your thoughts via the comment section.

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I miss Chris. I have watched him on Y&R and OLTL as well. He’s a great actor and needs to come back to GH. It would be great if his body disappeared from the Sanctuary only for him to bring down Drew and Ava.

I miss Chris.

Agreed. He and Nina, proving to be a great actress, tho Britt is the best these days, would have been a good pair.

I would buy that storyline in a heart beat!

I agree. But I had read that OUTBACK went on a little excursion into the woods and found where Jack was buried. While Brennan was coming out of his “coma” OUTBACK found him and dug him up. Now it is the SOAPS so I don’t know… I guess anything is possible!!

I heard the same thing. Outback never misses an opportunity to go back to the nature preserve to dig but she keeps getting foiled by the humans who only see a cute family pet instead of a highly intelligent dog. Beagles are natural trackers with a sense of smell much keener than the average human. Outback will prevail but will need an equally smart human with tracking abilities by her side.

He seems like a real sweetheart.

Honestly I may Never Recover! I have Not Been Able to watch another episode of GH Ever since that Horrible Day/Night? that Jack was found in that pool. I will also Forever Miss what could’ve been with Jack and Nina.

Agreed!

And it’s funny how nobody is talking about who actually killed Brennan. Don’t know how he got from the elevator to the pool. I hope we have a lot of good twists and turns ahead.

Yuppers!!

He is so cuddly!

It was a colossal mistake to kill off Jack but of course it does not surprise me as the lazy writing and Frank Valenti continue to ruin this show

Yes, I will miss them both. Hope they return sometime in the future.

Oh HELL NO! I’m pissed!!! I love Jack ❤️ and he belongs with freaking Carly ❤️

Bring back Jack ditch Peter

yes yes

Totally agree!!!

Will he be coming back as a recast

I will miss Chris ! Good Lucky !

General Hospital needs a whole new staff of WRITERS, it’s amazing they pay all this money to them and can’t write a decent scene if they tried. All they are doing is rewriting scripts from previous years, only thing different is the Actors and Actress. They are slowly removing all the Soaps from TV, can’t wait until they remove GH. And not to mention how racist they are, let’s see, Ava has killed two to three people on GH and has never been found guilty or done jail time, Curtis hits another black man and gets 10 years in jail, out in two for good behavior, and you call this being fair, how long is Portia suppose to be scarded up, you sent Ava right away to have her face restored. You all are not writing on how people should love one another, all of your story lines have everyone being killers, criminals, liars, and how to destroy relationships. Should be ashamed of calling yourselves writers. And you have the young adults turning out just like their dysfunctional families, what a farce.

LAR, is this your first soap opera? Soaps are not intended to be PC (no pun intended) happy-go-lucky reflections of real life. It’s elevated angst with rich, entitled, powerful families. GH has been airing daily for 63 years, so yeah, there are going to be variations on a finite number of themes. Inevitable. Is the writing uneven? Sure! But there are times when you can’t look away, and those moments require a slow build. Emotions are heightened as are actions. “Guest” characters get whacked by regulars (funny that you pick on Ava, but you have no problems with Sonny’s list of crimes) who cannot be permanently removed from the canvas, or your ratings go in the toilet. And if the young adults all turn out like Beaver Cleaver, from where will the angst come in the future? If you don’t like the show, nobody’s holding a gun to your head and forcing you to watch.

Jordan is the one scared not Portia.

Jordan is scarred not Portia. Other than that, I agree with you 1000!

Spot on. More live in the afternoon. And they could have soften up Drew a bit. And, did I read Scout will not be his child and that Jason is the father? Hope so! Miss the old Scout but aging her up and the new actress works for me, she’s talented!

I am heartbroken that Chris was let go. I love his work and will miss him everyday. Jack Brennan was a great character. I wish Chris tremendous success in the future.

I was a mixture of sad and disappointed because I felt like the writers could have done so much more with Chris McKenna character. He is a good actor. So, I know that another opportunity is right around the corner. I like what he said about finishing strong. I’m going to borrow that. I think that we could use that through out life.

I enjoyed him on OLTL and G.H., didn’t want to see him go.

The podcast was awesome! He really seems like a great person.

I looked forward to watching Jack Brennan he and Carly were the perfect couple bring him back dont like storyline now HE was an asset to Gh and the other old actors that came and left

I miss Kenna was surprised they killed him off

I truly hope he returns one day to get revenge and save Nina! McKenna s a powerful actor and deserves to be a mainstay on GH!

I totally agree, bring back Jack, ditch Peter, PLEASE. Wanted to see love mix w/Jack & Nina. Sick of Drew, Willow, Ava & Chase! Writers do better, FV!!!

I would think female GH fans would be happy he is gone. They are the ones who wrote mean and horrible posts about Chris when he first took over the role. Something about the older man with an accent who first played the role but who did not like doing daytime television.

Something about the older man with an accent who first played the role but who did not like doing daytime television.

It had nothing to do with not liking daytime television. He did not like what he found to be a toxic backstage political environment. It had nothing to do with the genre.

Fake news! I’m not buying your theory about “toxic backstage politicial environment” at GH- backstage on the GH set, is not toxic, believe you me!

Uhm, those are Charles Mesure’s own beliefs of how he viewed the backstage of General Hospital. If you take it that seriously, then that’s on you. But several actors have discussed the backstage politics of GH on several occasions, and they’re all similar stories.

back up yo claim… “several actors”… sure!

Well, that was hilarious. I especially appreciated the concluding line,”believe you me,” on the heels of you saying you don’t believe the commentator with whom you’re taking umbrage.

@ Harry, girl you be cray-cray.

Don’t know why they did it unless Ava or Drew are leaving the show and will be sent to jail, etc. Jacinda, actress, leaving was a big mistake. Serena has no pizzaz, don’t really want to see her with Michael. Bring back the bad girl! And Vanessa Marcil!

Yes, still shocked and so disappointed, especially since he is a hometown boy where I live and I knew his parents when my son played football with Chris’s younger brother. I was so happy to see him on the show I’ve been watching since 1st grade and I’m now 67!

This is all made worse by what a terrible actor Cameron Matheson is. He delivers every line leaning forward, eyes bulging, hands flailing with his condescending throat pinching tone that adds nothing to the scenes. He plays one note and it’s not a good one. This is a stupid storyline but could be very soapy with Maura West’s boundless talent if she had a scene partner who wasn’t overacting every line. It is amazingly irritating to watch.

Bring back Roger Howarth! he and Maura West had a very unique and dynamic chemistry, and he IS definitely talented. Too bad Y&R snatched him up, shame on GH for letting Roger go. I agree with everything you say JJJ, especially, the “throat pinching tone” from Matheson…the streeching!!!

I really don’t like the way Drew has become. He was such a nice fella in the beginning, but this character is just not real. I don’t like him at all.

Why couldn’t there be a who killed Drew story?!
Why did it have to be Jack who all the fans actually adore!!

OMG I love this man! I loved Brennan and thought he was a true asset to the show. Frank is an idiot for letting this one go! Not to mention, the man is gorgeous.

I keep hoping when they find the grave just beyond the Quartermaine property where Drew and Ava buried Brennan that the hole is empty. Maybe the pills that Ava slipped him were powerful enough to put him into a comatose state that could be mistaken for death, but he didn’t die, instead he woke up, climbed out of the hole, dusted himself off, and Jack Brennan is alive out in the world somewhere.

Hey, it’s a soap, much stranger things have happened, lol.

For someone that didn’t like him as Brennan initially following Charles Mesure in the role, Chris McKenna really grew on me, and I grew into liking him and enjoying his take on the character. They made a big mistake getting rid of him.

Would love to see Jack back and get together with Nina- pretty couple!

General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Who Winds Up Hitting the Sheets First? Jordan and Michael or Curtis and Monet?

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Curtis, Monet, Michael and Jordan

After today’s Friday, October 9 episode of General Hospital, Monet Mitchell (Blythe Howard) informs Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner), that not only is she Jordan’s (Tanisha Harper) half-sister, but the best damn lawyer there is to get him out of spending the rest of his prison sentence in Pentonville. Does he believe her?

If Monet can come through, would Curtis look at her in a whole new light, especially since his girlfriend, Jordan has headed to Europe with Michael (Rory Gibson) to visit the burn clinic to restore her face and remove the scars that have plagued her since the car accident with him?

It appears GH is ready to shake-up the couples and the romance on the long-running ABC soap opera. We already know Tanisha Harper previewed that the series is trying out the chemistry between Harper and her GH co-star Rory Gibson, and that Michael and Jordan might explore their burgeoning feelings for one another since both currently work together at Aurora Media, and understand what the other went through following horrific sets of circumstances that left them scarred.

Photo: ABC

As for Monet, she would like nothing more than to stick to her sister as their is still a deep troubled history between the two yet to be fully revealed. It would seem Monet would love to flaunt a relationship with Curtis. And knowing Curtis, he will be so eternally grateful to Monet for helping him gain his freedom that this might be a possible scenario. But the question becomes, who cheats on who first?

Do you think Jordan and Michael hook-up while away from Port Charles? Does Monet take advantage of Curtis, if and when, he becomes a free man? Does Curtis already sense Jordan pulling away from him but is keeping that inside, or will this all come as shocker if he were to learn Michael and Jordan have become closer?

Tanisha and Rory

Photo: ABC

While much of this is speculation, it does seem like the trajectory of the storyline; given that Michael’s recent love interest Jacinda (Paige Herschell) was written-out of the story, and it appears that Serena Baldwin (Kelly Kruger) is now being put in the romantic path of Jason Morgan (Steve Burton).

GH spoilers for the week of October 12-16 indicate that on Wednesday, October 14, Michael reflects on his past, while on Thursday, October 16 Monet advises Curtis.

So, do you think that Jordan hits the sheets with Michael, and Monet and Curtis will hook up? Or, do you think it will all be a giant tease? If it becomes true, who would you be rooting for to end up together? Any of them? Let us know in the comment section below.

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GENERAL HOSPITAL: Chase Turns a Blind Eye to the Scathing Headline About His Ex-Wife and Runs to Her Defense

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Chase

By the end of the Thursday, October 8 episode of General Hospital, we were left scratching our heads at how utterly indefensible Chase’s (Josh Swickard) complete and utter blind eye to his ex-wife, Willow’s (Katelyn MacMullen) actions and his knight in shining armor antics are so misguided.

Let’s break this down! After Lulu’s (Alexa Havins) piece in The Invader has the whole town of Port Charles talking, Carly (Laura Wright) laughs in Drew’s (Cameron Mathison) face about how he was trapped in a wheelchair with a paralytic drug for months, while Tracy (Jane Elliot) filled Michael (Rory Gibson) and Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) in on the article, which to this point they have not seen.

Said article, comes on the heels of Lulu’s little chat with Sidwell (Carlo Rota) in his hospital room. The headline reads: “Motion Denied: Congresswoman Gives Husband Paralytic Drug For Months!”

Michael and Brook Lynn worried that Willow will lash out do something vengeful and blame the Quartermaines for this. They hope that Chase will finally see the light to who Willow truly is.

Willow

Courtesy/ABC

WILLOW CAN DO NO WRONG?

Meanwhile, Chase is meeting with his lawyer Monet Mitchell (Blythe Howard) to discuss his separation from Brook Lynn, when he suddenly gets a text from Tracy. He opens it up and tells Monet he has to bolt. Something has come up. So, Chase being Chase, shows up in the Quartermaine kitchen and blames Brook Lynn, Michael and Tracy for a hit piece on his ex-wife.

The three deny involvement. But Chase being Chase, doesn’t believe a word they are saying. He then makes a VOW to stop them from trying to destroy Willow’s reputation any further! After he storms out, Brook Lynn is angered and devastated that no matter what, Chase is standing by his ex, and not trying to save his marriage to her.

FRIENDLY SUPPORT INTERUPPTED

Meanwhile at the gatehouse, Willow is opening up to Britt (Kelly Thiebaud), who came by to see her to offer her support. Willow admitted the story is true and that Sidwell gave her the paralytic drugs to use on Drew, in return for having her implanted in congress to do his bidding and to take Drew’s seat. Willow’s concerned that the mere existence of this article will cause massive problems with her political career and the custody arrangement over her children she has with Michael.

As Britt tries to help Willow figure a way to save herself, Chase arrives fuming mad. He tells Willow he is absolutely sure that Brook Lynn, Michael and Tracy were behind the article and he knows exactly how they could fight back.

So, does it seem to you that even if Willow admits to Chase to what she did to Drew is true, that Chase will just feel bad for her and not see anything but desire for her? Is Chase going to continue to be the dumbest male character in daytime? Weigh-in via the comment section, but first, check out the scenes between Britt and Willow below from today’s GH.

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‘General Hospital’s’ Hudson West Wins Big as Contestant on ‘The Price is Right’

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Hudson West

You just never know when one of your favorites from a soap opera will pop on TV on another show! Such was the case on the Tuesday, October 6 episode of the number one daytime game show in America, The Price is Right on CBS!

Hudson West, who has played Jake Webber on General Hospital from 2016-2019, and then has been recurring since 2021 and used very sporadically in story, was in attendance in the audience for a taping of The Price is Right. He wound up selected as one of the players and eventually won a car.

Here;’s what happened: West bid $3,000 on a five-night stay at the Bandon Marina Inn in Oregon. His opponent, Charles, bid $4,550, which was too high, so West got the chance to play the game “Any Number” for a prize.

Hudson West, General Hospital

Photo: ABC

The drama became intense as West picked the numbers needed to win a new car with host Drew Carey presiding over the game play. After he won, Hudson fell to the floor in shock before getting up and running in excitement towards his new car!

Later in the show, Hudson got the opportunity to spin the wheel to try to advance to the “Showcase” round, but his opponent named Jenny spun a higher number to qualify, ending West’s run in the game. But, he came away with the new car.

General Hospital viewers know that Hudson’s Jake Webber is the biological son of Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) and became the legal son of Lucky Spencer (Jonathan Jackson).

Apart from his role on GH, TV fans have seen West on NCIS: Los Angeles, Dancing with the Stars: Juniors and Grace and Frankie to name but a few.

You can check out what happened when Hudson won a car on The Price is Right on the video below.

Now let us know, what did you think of Hudson’s big win? Do you hope that GH finally has Jake back in story since he is the son of Elizabeth and Jason? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

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Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

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