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GENERAL HOSPITAL: Dante Leaves A Devastated Lulu Again; What Did You Think Of The Exit Story?

By Michael Fairman

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Courtesy/ABC

As we head into the new week, last Friday’s General Hospital brought with it some mighty tears for fans, and the actors, who invest in the couple known as “Lante”.  In story, a fractured Dante (Dominic Zamprogna), after being tortured on his mission that took him away from his wife, Lulu (Emme Rylan) and the rest of his family, must leave Port Charles to get help from the WSB to try to deal with his severe PTSD condition,   While his mission seemed accomplished to bring down Raj, in the process, Dante suffered horribly while in captivity in Turkey.

Thus set the stage for the quick exit of Dominic Zamprogna.  The Daytime Emmy-nominated actor came back for a short ten-episode run to further the story along, while he remains off-contract with the show.

So, how does Dante tell Lulu that he is leaving her again?  At home, he begins by telling his wife he should never have come back.  Lulu is confused as Dante tells her he doesn’t feel like himself and that he has changed, and he doesn’t know how to change back to the man he was before the mission – afraid he could hurt her and his family.  Dante sadly, but firmly, tells Lulu that the kids Rocco and Charlotte, and her, are the most important things in the world to him.  He has to get help away from Port Charles to protect all of them.

With a bag packed in hand, Dante said he already has said his goodbyes to their son.  A devastated, hurt, and emotional Lulu asks, what should she tell his parents and everyone else who asks for him? Dante expresses that he is broken inside him and he had to get it fixed.

Then in an important point to note, which opens up the possibility of story for Lulu, Dante wants his wife to promise him she’ll be happy and to live her life.  Lulu responds that she will not give up on him, and that she can’t have a full life if he’s not there with her.  With tears flowing, she tells her man that she will wait forever for him if she has to.  But, Dante makes it clear that forever is a long time. Dante exits, but not before telling Lulu he loves her.   Her life turned upside down again, Lulu through her tears says, “I love you, too.” Dante walks out the front door.   We end with a shot of Dante heartbroken on the other side of the door as he is leaving behind the woman he loves, but he knows what he has to do.

So, what do you think about how GH chose to write-off Dante this time?  Do you think this helps free up Lulu?  Do you hope GH and Zamprogna eventually reach a new deal to bring him back to the show full-time? What did you think of these final scenes, for now, between Zamprogna and Rylan?  Share your thoughts via the comment section bellow.

 

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In a perfect world Zamprogna would return, but if that is not possible then at least recast. I would suggest Jeff Branson!

I would like no recast. I want to see Lulu finally come to the realization that Dante is permanently gone. No more waiting for Dante to show up or not. Time for Lulu to accept what Felicia long ago accepted. Dante, like Frisco, chose to go off for parts unknown rather than stay home. Lulu needs to find another man who is willing to stand beside her and co-parent the children on a daily basis.

Well at least they didn’t kill him off… other than that, it reminded me of Bo Brady’s “return” to Days of Our Lives from a few years back… most of it wasted on scenes out of the country. At least Dante got to play out those scenes in Turkey with Sonny. But not much time with Lulu or the rest of his family.

Realistically, how long could a WSB “un-brainwashing” program take?? I would think he should be back within a few months. And they can pay him with the money they were wasting on a dead-end character like Nina.

I wish they would bring him back for good, he is good he’s like a very important presence that’s missing from this show.

This was an incredibly sad exit storyline for Dante and Lulu. It’s not going to be the same without Dom as a part of the GH cast.

Wonderfully told and thoughtfully acted!!

No mention of the welts on his back or the overturned table? Seemed rushed, just like his previous exit.

Similar to his last two years when DZ was under contract- the writers wasted his skills.

No need to recast, when they can’t write for the character.

Totally agree!

Love Dante and Lulu together wish he would come back and stay.But he has other things he wants to do.

Mike -AND – Dante : RING IT UP. knocked out perform IE: this past Wednesday

heart searing tug: as Dante “can I share something in confidence ” the total honesty as best Dante – COULD – share; him not even fully knowing the full extent of what happened to him

so he shares his fears with Grandpa… AND Max Gail DELIGHT as ever… is just as heart rendering.. BECAUSE PEOPLE.. this was Mike best lucid moment.. and he shared it with Sonny son.. his grandchild.

from the start of their conversation : Mike : “I use to be some one who is all their; what you going to do ?” “my head may be full of holes, I can still tell when some thing is going on”

to bring this spotlight full : “Mike to Dante” sharing one of his best times .. the night you spent the night in jail with me. (when Dante volunteered , so he wouldn’t be alone) and when Mike shared when he was working at “Charlies” he rented a room to Dante. you know, this just hit, home run after home run. thee one bond between two solid actors.

leaving me with the impression… that this is @GH farewell… to Mike and to Dante. AND to @GH and their audience.

what more is their to do ? it’s been dragged out so much…. I WILL SAY emphatically… I saw not one scene that bonded or meant any thing between Mike and Sonny ; Mike and Carly ; SURE their were hugs and smiles all around but nothing like what we witnessed with Max Gail and Dominic Zamprogna.

as for Dominic acting : from this time around.. we saw layers of intrigue with so much potential.. to be tapped REELED and continue his EMMY Nominations. he’s that GOOD.

what the eff is going on with Frank / Shelly / Chris … let me give you proof on his dullard troupe. EVERY ACTOR who is being swallowed up in the Shiloh debacle just stink.

COME ON !!!! did big daddy Sonny truly … have to go to TURKEY .. to get his son and bring him home… did Sonny “faking” is death , and/or taking one for the team.. leave us all that bereft … NO .. because , what ? Robert Scorpio couldn’t have brought him home? and it’s not Robert fault that he doesn’t know that Dante feels like he has been brainwashed ? whatever is going on with Dante… with good writing… he can truly ring up shade, intrigue, genuine softness, AND his dark side is just as illuminating as Jon Lindstrom. PLUS he looks good in a suit… so corporate him.

@Frank Shelly Chris – this was the tourdeforce scene in which to culminate in the most endearing “HIRE” of the past year… hiring Max Gail. YOU are not going to ring out any scenes with either Sonny or Carly. they do not ring up that way. it’s time to leave well enough alone now… say goodbye to Max – AND – Mike. that was his most powerful scene… AND its just stupendous that Dominic brought down the house.

Stunner AND know he’s capable of MUCH MUCH MORE.

Max Gail lit a fire under all his co-workers. the one other actor who truly .. TRULY, shined w/Max Gail.

Rebecca Herbst, Liz… she was at the chapel the night of the earthquake, waiting for Franco. another stunning HOUR as he waited with Liz…

notwithstanding, the always remarkable.. Stella.

WOW do these three actors have something to remember.

recall post : I was all of 14-16 years when I first happened upon Max Gail.

his smile… lights up our world

so lame

Why bother with him. Should have just killed him off. The character of Lulu should meet and get involved with a dynamic actor. GH needs some freshening up!

I was revisiting the whiplash I got when they wrote him off the first time. As the scenes with Lulu played out, I kept asking why it was so difficult for him to tell her that he felt he’d been brain-washed. Why did he (or better yet, the writers) feel the need to keep those words from his lips? It would have softened the blow a little. And is Anna going to reveal that he’s in a WSB facility for de-programming?

Dominic was a true asset to GH. They lost any focus on him years ago. However, when he was given something to play he knocked it out of the park.

I hope he returns full-time soon.

the – one – scene which riled

it’s like they have to put them in every way they can… meaning Frank Valentini and Shelly AND Chris… speaking of Carly and Jason @metro as Dante is sitting their having a drink

as Dante acknowledges them… as they share they are glad to see him and glad he’s back.. which would have been OK… good enough… serious overkill. but no.. they have to show Carly sharing what Sonny told her about his and Dante TURKEY trip.

bit by bit; blow by blow… as Carly loud mouths ALL her scenes and is the least feminine. as she shares something like your father beat out the WSB and brought you home. UGH ! it’s just near torture

I hated that when the bar back dropped a ??? cart of dishes… the sound just affected Dante AND he picked up a knife… and lickety split he man himself with dead pan eye boldly holds Dante like imprisoned.. rendering him helpless

Dante … uncharacteristically weakened apologizes like meekly.. AND he leaves

it just smarts that this scene was unnecessary.. wasn’t the dream enough and flashbacks of.. with Lulu.. enough.. as if any audience hasn’t seen with. they had to have Carly and Jason sitting there after the fact… exclaiming what was that all about. ??? made me sick of them that much more

Over the past ten years phenomenal actor Dom Zamprogna has taken the character of Dante off the script pages and created an amazing, indelible character. Cocky, fearless Dante, as undercover Dominic, ( & madly in love with Lulu) courageous and steadfast as family man/ cop Dante and now a new Dante, as broken and scarred. Dom has amazing range and chemistry with everyone on the canvas. I was ecstatic to see Dom return and to be willing to reprise his role in the future. Dom is Dante, there are no substitutes, IMHO. I couldn’t see replacing him anymore than I could see replacing Maurice, Tony or Genie. The connection Dom shares with Emme Rylan is unparalleled on current GH, as evidenced by the way Dom’s exit blew up SM and had even non Lante fans saying they cried like a baby. This visit showed just what Dom ( and Emme) can do with the right material and intriguing story line. I hope TPTB Take note and bring back Dom sooner rather than later.

This was a great way to exit. The acting was so powerful. I agree with Phil, if Zamprogna returns that would be great but if not, recast with Jeff Branson. Or bring Jeff Branson in as the new police commissioner as Jordan would have to resign because of health issues and take her character in a different direction. As police commissioner, he would have great chemistry with the DA, Margaux Dawson and create a triangle with Lulu. Hmmmm.

Would like to see a PTSD storyline play out. This hasn’t been given that much attention in the soap world as of yet..

Wonderful acting and SO sad. My heart was breaking for both of them. NO recast of Dante for me. It wouldn’t be the same with someone else.

Bring Dante back

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‘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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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’ 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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