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Genie Francis Talks Luke and Laura’s Rape Scene, “I Won’t Defend it,” GH Stars Gone Too Soon, and Teases Her Upcoming Book on Two-Part ‘State of Mind’

By Michael Fairman

Published

10 months ago

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Photo: StateofMind

General Hospital icon, Genie Francis (Laura Collins) is making a rare appearance in a sit-down style conversation with her longtime co-star Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos) on his mental health You Tube series, State of Mind. Part one, which drops tomorrow on November 16 will be Genie in a one-on-one raw interview with Maurice. However, part two airing the following Sunday on November 23 will include Genie’s husband, Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Jonathan Frakes.

While we have already previewed Genie talking about her Daytime Emmy Lead Actress snubs and an upcoming key scene between Laura and Sonny that will air a few weeks from now that included how Francis was able to connect to the material because of a previous real-life trauma; ahead of the part one premiere, Michael Fairman TV can share some additional sneak peek clips and topics.

In a key moment with Genie and Jonathan, Maurice reads a question from none other than Sarah Brown (ex-Carly, GH et al) about how Genie feels now, decades later, about Laura being raped by Luke (Anthony Geary). The moment happened in story back in 1979. During State of Mind, Genie shares her stance: “As a kid, I was following directions… I played rape.” At the time, Genie was just 17 and she recalls Anthony Geary being a gentleman with her about having to play this tough material.

Photo: ABC

However, Genie remembers that on-camera, “It was just us dancing and then us dropping down out of frame.” But she added, “Looking back on it as an adult, I won’t defend it… It was wrong.”  The legendary star who debuted on the soap back in 1977 also revealed she is writing her memoir and that she has new insight on the hot topic flashpoint in soap opera and television history that she will revisit. Speaking on how the Luke and Laura love story played out and looking at it through a different lens, Genie expressed, “If you were truly raped, I don’t see you fall in love with the guy.”

On Sunday’s show, look for a heart-tugging moment when Maurice asks Genie to reflect on those they have lost from GH history and the cast which included: Tristan Rogers (Robert Scorpio) Leslie Charleson (Monica Quartermaine), Jackie Zeman (Bobbie Spencer) and Tyler Christopher (Genie’s former TV son, who played Nikolas Cassadine).

Francis said of Tristan Rogers: “Delightful… so talented… a very bright star. Brighter than where he landed. He deserved to land in the movies.” For Leslie Charleson, she recalled, “Sweet, warm. My first time ever in live television having the other actor go up was with Leslie Charleson, and watching the terror in her eyes, she forgot her line and I knew she forgot her line. When the scene ended she wept and we held each other and I cried. Utterly terrifying.”

Photo: ABC

Genie spoke of the great Jackie Zeman: “I loved her so much. And I was so afraid when she asked me to go out for lunch or to do something. I had this weird abnormal fear of somebody. She was like on a pedestal, she was like a cool big sister, I wanted to be like her. I yearned to be close to Jackie but it was also, my thing (social anxiety) came up and I was scared, and at some point she stopped asking. And that’s my thing. Missed opportunity.”  And sadly, how life came to a tragic end for Tyler Christopher: “A beautiful angel. So beautiful and so vulnerable,”  recalled Genie. “He was not equipped to live in this world. He was so pure (that) he couldn’t live in this dirty place.”

Make sure to check out the full conversation with Genie Francis premiering at 10am PT, Sunday, Nov. 16 on State of Mind via YouTube and all major podcast platforms. But before tomorrow, check out these preview clips below.

So, what did you think about Genie’s comments on Luke and Laura’s controversial 1979 rape scene, and that she is now writing a book, where she will reveal more of her thoughts on the subject, plus her touching remarks on those we lost from GH? Let us know in the comment section.

 

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I think if you take a step back, it was just a messed up time back then for young girls. Even before Luke was in Port Charles, look at how the Laura character was treated in the David Hamilton storyline. The newspaper headlines were along the lines of Teenage Lolita kills lover. Laura was made to be the villain in the David Hamilton storyline when she was the victim. They held little girls to the same standard as grown women. Look at Bobbie. In order to get ahead of the media and to not lose her nursing job, she went to Steve Hardy and told him she had been a child prostitute, like it was her choice to have ever been a child prostitute in the first place. No, she was technically pimped by her Aunt Ruby. And don’t even get me started on Aunt Ruby. The irony of how we all overlooked Aunt Ruby’s role in Bobbie’s prostitution. And how we all still fell in love with Ruby in spite of it. Didn’t they actually write Ruby, a former Madame who prostituted her niece, to nanny Rick Webber’s son after Leslie died? Just weird times. It was all around us….it was creepy for young girls and how they were portrayed. Look at the sexualized commercials and movies a very young Brooke Shields was in. Disturbing. Laura falling in love with her rapist?….just another day back then. Ick.

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You make excellent points. I always struggled with the way Aunt Ruby was later portrayed as some kind of Saint after prostituting out her underaged niece. You’re right- different times that is hard to process now.

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I don’t think much has changed. Girls still dress like hoochie mamas. I saw a girl who was probably around 16 today who was wearing shorts at Outback Steakhouse so short you could see the bottoms of her butt cheeks…..

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When you think about it, Rick Webber had poor taste in housekeepers. First, Alice Grant is convicted of killing Diana Taylor (but is given a slap on the wrist because she was supposedly protecting Heather). Later, Rick hires former madam Ruby Anderson. Yet, she somehow became beloved in the community and offered sage advice for the young ‘uns.

And, as much as I loved the pairing of Alan and Monica – he did plot to murder her and Rick. A fine live between love and hate, indeed.

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Bravo, Carrie! Such insight! Amazing memory and great points throughout.

Genie Francis is an icon, an incredible actress, and a thoughtful, intelligent person. I like the way she is able to frame her feelings and thoughts on defending that ludicrous storyline (i.e., falling in love with your rapist): she won’t do it anymore!

On a tangential matter, I’m blown away that Benard didn’t seem to know much about the rape storyline; I know it was many years before he joined the cast, but the whole “Luke and Laura” phenomenon, including its inception, not only brought GH (and daytime soaps) its best ratings ever, it was also a pivotal, controversial storyline and one of the benchmarks in GH history.

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James
Always appreciate your insights…

Benard seems to have a select memory as it pertains to GH history. In part 1 of Genie’s interview, he claimed to watch Luke & Laura when “he was growing up” and mentioned bring 14. Mo was 14 in 1977 (before Luke arrived in PC).

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Maurice (whom I greatly admire) may not have the best memory sometimes. In part 1 of this State of Mind episode with Genie, he says he can’t imagine doing a live broadcast. But they actually did a live broadcast in May of 2015. I remember him in that ordeal and I thought he did well. Whenever I’ve seen GH actors in interviews over the years, Tristan Rogers’ mind and memory was like a steel trap. He recalled old storylines with complete accuracy. Kin Shriner has a great memory as well. Given what these professionals are expected to memorize everyday in their jobs, it’s amazing they can remember anything else once they get home each day. 🙂

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I was on a break from GH when Benard came out, but didn’t he have sex with an underage Karen Wexler (Scott’s daughter) when she was on drugs? So technically isn’t he as much of a rapist as Luke Spencer?

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General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Trina Demands Answers from Brook Lynn, Scout Questions Rocco, and Can Anna Pull the Trigger on Britt?

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18 hours ago

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September 7, 2026

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This week on General Hospital, the week kicks-off on Labor Day with a rebroadcast of the special episode dedicated to Anthony Geary (ex-Luke Spencer). The eight-time Daytime Emmy winning star passed away in December of 2025 and come February 2026, GH crafted a tribute in his honor with the story centering on Luke’s daughter, Lulu (Alexa Havins) mourning the loss of her father.

Then, all-new episodes begin on Tuesday, September 8 and in the video teaser for it, Trina (Tabyana Ali) continues confronting Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) at the Quartermaines, demanding to know if BLQ was behind the wheel of the other car that “caused” the accident that injured Jordan (Tanisha Harper) and her father Curtis (Donnell Turner), who is now spending jail time after being found guilty of assaulting Isaiah (Sawandi Wilson) believing he was the other driver who caused the accident.

Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarksi) questions Rocco (Finn Carr), if their first kiss together was “OK?” What will be his answer? Meanwhile, Isaiah continues to question Ava (Maura West), wanting to know where she has been in the last 24 hours that she would have had a very dangerous tick stuck in her scalp? What will she say to get out of the fact that along with Drew (Cameron Mathison), she was burying Jack Brennan’s body in the woods.

Photo: ABC

Then, Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) is seen talking with Sonny (Maurice Benard), where she says, “It’s time to change tactics!” Most likely, she is talking about dealing with Drew’s threats. Meanwhile, Drew is on the warpath and Ava tries to talk him down by saying, “Don’t you think calling the sheriff is a little extreme?” Why does Drew want to call the sheriff?

Finally, in the pick up from last Friday’s cliffhanger where Anna (Finola Hughes) pulled a gun on Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) in the middle of nowhere, Anna says, “I’m not going to let you stop me!” Who is she talking to? Is it Jason (Steve Burton) who found out Britt’s location … or Britt herself? Stay tuned.

Now below take a look at the official GH spoilers for the rest of the week.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 
An encore presentation of the February 20, 2026 episode honoring the late Anthony Geary as Luke Spencer as loved ones come together to share memories from Luke’s life.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
Britt’s life is on the line. Jason makes a desperate plea. Trina is livid. Drew lashes out. Portia and Isaiah are caught off guard.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
Willow gets a surprise guest. Josslyn stands her ground. Gio demands answers. Hudson gets an eyeful. Emma gets startling news.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
Jason issues a warning. Chase opens up to Dante. Brook Lynn gets a reality check. Trina gets an unwelcome visitor. Emma regrets her actions.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
Jason clashes with a loved one. Drew toys with Willow. Valentin fears for Nina. Tracy goes behind Brook Lynn’s back. Jordan makes a revelation.

Check out a preview for tomorrow’s September 8th episode below.

Now let us know, do you think Jason will stop Anna from shooting Britt? Is Drew going to keep Rocco and Scout apart? What will Brook Lynn’s response be to Trina about where she was the night of the accident that Jordan’s car crashed? Share your thoughts via the comment section.

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‘General Hospital’s’ Braedyn Bruner Reveals Her Daytime Emmy-Nominated Scenes and How Emma is Getting Her ‘Edge’ Back

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2 days ago

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September 6, 2026

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Braedyn Bruner

The 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards are now just a little over a month and a half away, and General Hospital’s Braedyn Bruner picked up her first nomination for her performances as Emma Drake.

Braedyn received a nod in the Outstanding Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series category along with: Al Calderon (ex-Javi, DAYS) Alice Halsey (ex-Rachel, DAYS) Giovanni Mazza (Gio, GH) Ambyr Michelle (Eva, BTG) and Arielle Prepetit (Naomi, BTG).  The winner will be announced in a ceremony held on October 30 in Hollywood, California.

Now, for the first time, Bruner spoke about what she chose to put on her nominated reel that landed her a chance to go for gold. The 25-year-old actress discussed it when she appeared on an all-new episode of the That’s Awesome with Steve Burton (Jason, GH) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli, GH), that dropped this Sunday, September 6.

In speaking of her nominated work, Bruner shared how she went about approaching submitting her reel, which was a conglomeration of scenes from the eligibility year and her first on GH. “The first two scenes on my reel are with Anna (Finola Hughes). The first one is in her office after she arrests Emma at the Quartermaine crypt,” explained Braedyn to her GH co-stars. “I felt like, for me as an actor, that was the first time I understood this character really well. I felt like I had become her in some sort of way, and the things that she stands for and she is willing to fight for.”

Photo: ABC

Bruner continued, “I also love doing scenes with Finola Hughes. The second scene is with Anna also, sort of a similar setting, but a different time of the year, but it was a scene about what Emma stands for, and how much she wants to be like her grandmother, and how influential and important she is to her. I also had included scenes with Gio as well from the post-Nurses’ Ball fallout. We had a lot of wonderful things that I got to choose from.”

Reflecting on now being on the legendary ABC soap opera for a year and a half, Braedyn told Steve and Bradford, “It’s so crazy looking back on where I started, to where I am now, and I think, I’m so grateful for this job. All I ever wanted to do is to tell stories, and even just saying that I have an Emmy nomination is crazy, because that just feels like a great bonus and such an honor. So, that’s really, really cool.”

Since coming to GH, Braedyn said she felt support all along the way behind the scenes. “I love the relationships that I formed on this show,” she shared. “I always tell people that when they ask me what is it like working on General Hospital, I just always say that I’ve truly never been on a set where every person that you encounter is a joy to be around, helpful and kind and supportive. and wants you to succeed.”

Photo: ABC

As for what’s ahead for Emma, viewers know that music executive Simon (Grady Eldridge) has been asking Emma’s boyfriend Gio and her friend and his musical partner, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) to play up a “relationship” when they are on stage performing to help sell them as a recording and performing duo, which may cause problems for Emma in the very near future.

“I love that she’s (Emma) getting her edge back,” confirmed Bruner. “I feel like there had been a period where I was just being really cordial and kind. And that’s fun, but I missed the kind of attitude that she had when she came on the show as this animal rights activist and fighting for justice. I missed that. So, I’ve been really enjoying what we are shooting now. ”

You can check out Braedyn’s guest appearance on the That’s Awesome podcast below.

Now let us know, what do you think about Braedyn’s choices for her Emmy scenes that landed her an Emerging Talent nomination? Do you want Emma to have her edge back? Do you think that Gio and Trina might actually wind up together and Emma will be the one left out in the cold? Stay tuned and weigh-in via the comment section.

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RATINGS: ‘General Hospital’ and ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ Only Soaps to Gain Total Viewers Week-Over-Week

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2 days ago

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September 5, 2026

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The latest ratings are out for the week of August 17- 21, 2026. Two daytime dramas showed an uptick in total viewers week-over-week, while two did not, and General Hospital moved back into 3rd place over Beyond the Gates in the key women’s 18-49 ratings share, and tied with the CBS soap for 3rd place for the key women’s 25-54 ratings share.

According to Soap Opera Network via data supplied via Nielsen’s Live+Same Day, Big Date +Panel model, CBS’s The Bold and the Beautiful showed the most gains in total viewers adding +12,000 and bringing its year-over-year tally to +262,000. For the week of August 17, B&B had an average audience of 2,688,000 tuning-in.

The central story focused on Steffy Forrester (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) and Carter Walton (Lawrence Saint-Victor) bonding over their crumbling marriages while eachwas on drunken bender, they slept together. Meanwhile, Finn (Tanner Novlan) rushed back to Los Angeles from Monaco to salvage his relationship with his wife, and Daphne (Murielle Hilaire) turned around and headed back from the airport to reconcile with Carter after walking out on their marriage.

GENERAL HOSPITAL

Over at General Hospital, the ABC soap opera added +8,000 total viewers for the week with an average of 1,856,000 tuning-in from August 17 to 21. The series is still under the 2 million mark for the last few consecutive weeks. Year-over-year at this time, GH is -35,000 off the pace from 2025.

In story, there was drama across Port Charles with shifting alliances, explosive confrontations, and shocking revelations including: Jason (Steve Burton) quitting the mob and informing Britt (Kelly Thiebaud), Ric (Rick Hearst) getting jealous of Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) and Elizabeth’s (Rebecca Herbst) closeness, and Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Tracy (Jane Elliot) finding out Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) moved back into the Quartermaine gatehouse.

Photo: JPI

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS

As for the top-rated The Young and the Restless, they remained the most-watched soap opera of all losing -14,000 for the week, but still up +90,000 year-over-year and averaging 3,027,000 viewers for the ratings week.

The Y&R drama centered around stories including; Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson) causing chaos by declaring that Chancellor Industries belongs to the Abbotts, while the aftermath of Nick (Joshua Morrow) and Marie (Jade Harlow) night together in a seedy hotel which landed them both in rehab continues to haunt Nick.

Beyond the Gates

Photo: CBS

BEYOND THE GATES

Finally at Beyond the Gates, the newest soap in the line-up lost only -1,000 in total audience for the week, with 1,647,000 tuning in and the series is considerably up year-over-year with +132,000.

Beyond the Gates featured a series of showdowns and explosive secrets coming to light including: Vernon Dupree (Clifton Davis) confronting a hospitalized Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett) about his intentions toward Dani (Karla Mosley), while Andre’s (Sean Freeman) dark past with Heather Armstrong (Ashley Jones) came to light.

So, what do you think of the latest ratings picture and performance of your favorite soap? Which daytime drama from broadcast television is piquing your interest the most? Which is not? Let us know via the comment section.

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