General Hospital
The Faces of GH’s Lucky Spencer: Jonathan Jackson Weighs-in on If He Would Return and If the Role was Recast
In what has to be chalked up to a disappointing conclusion to the return of one of the greatest to ever do it on the soaps, five-time Daytime Emmy-winner, Jonathan Jackson, the actor previously spoke out on why their was an abrupt ending to his recent return to his old stomping grounds at General Hospital.
Jackson returned last August for what was anticipated to be lengthier run, but after nine months, Jonathan and GH executive producer, Frank Valentini, put on the brakes for more story for Lucky, when Jackson revealed that he was finding it difficult to balance his home life and being there for his three children and his wife, where they reside in Tennessee and taping all new-episodes on a consistent basis in Los Angeles, California.
Hence, this week, Lucky is making the rounds and making a quick exit in Port Charles, and on today’s Wednesday, June 11th episode, look for Lucky to have one final goodbye with his mother, Laura (Genie Francis). In story, Lucky shared that he would be traveling with his son Aiden (Colin Cassidy) during the summer. So, what does the future hold? Has Jonathan closed the door on any future return to the show that launched his career as a young boy?
Photo: JPI
Speaking with TV Insider, Jackson shared that hearing Valentini and GH’s decision to leave the door open for him to reprise Lucky in the future meant a lot, adding, “I hope that’s the case. The bittersweet reality of it for me is all the positives that were happening on the show. Working with Frank and the writers was just an extremely positive experience, and I was really happy with where the character was and where the story was going. But if they’re saying the door is still open, then that’s amazing. The door is always open from my perspective, too, so we’ll have to see how it goes logistically and see if there’s a way to adjust and pivot certain realities, but I would hope that that would be able to happen.”
Photo: JPI
However, GH fans have seen that when Chad Duell parted ways with General Hospital in the role of Michael Corinthos at the end of last year, that both the show and Duell seemed to indicate that they left the door open for his return. Fast-forward to last month, and actor Rory Gibson stepped into the role of Michael. So, could the same thing happen to Jackson?
Two other actors have played the role of Lucky. Daytime Emmy-winner Jacob Young, who played the role from 2000-2003 and picked up the gold statuette for his performances, and Greg Vaughan from 2003-2009, who is also a Daytime Emmy-winner for his portrayal of Eric Brady on Days of our Lives.
Photo JPI
Jonathan shared his perspective on a potential Lucky recast, “I don’t really see that happening. I mean, I could be wrong, but on a personal level, I would say, ‘Well, that’s too bad.’ As an actor, there are so many things in life that are just out of your hands. That’s their decision, but obviously, I would prefer that it’s just left open so that I could hopefully come back and do more work there. I have a huge amount of respect for what they do and what they’re juggling, and I hold all that in high regard. I understand that if I’m able to be a benefit for the show, then that’s great, and if they need to move on from that, then I respect that.”
Now, it’s in GH’s corner if they find a story that they want or need Lucky for and what their next move might be. In conclusion, Jackson thanked the fans and offered up, “I apologize for not being able to stay longer. I hope they can understand the life dynamic, but I’m super grateful for the fans and the loyalty and love.”
So, what do you think General Hospital should do with the role of Lucky Spencer in the future? Construct an emotional heart-tugging story in which to entice Jonathan back to the role and hope the timing works out? Recast the part and bring back either Jacob Young, Greg Vaughan, or someone else to take on the role of the son of TV icons Luke and Laura? Share your thoughts via the comment section.
Very sad but more to this then meets the eye ! Sorry Becky is getting drawn into this they are nuts over there literally destroyed the character of Drew Sam just sad!
Nine years is long time between appearances. The writers needed a stronger reintroduction story for Lucky as well as a long term outline for the character.
Yes, Lucky is a core character, but the show has shown it can continue without him. They gave Lulu a four year rest, but brought her back with a strong actress and heavily embedded in a (albeit somewhat controversial) storyline.
Chad left the role of Michael with a storyline still to be played out. Michael’s connection to three core families (now having a child with a fourth) makes that character pivotal to story going forward.
As much as I like Jonathan, I would be ok if they had to recast Lucky.
No that would never work No 1 can play lucky but Johnathan I quit watching the show the last time Lucky left and wouldn’t watch any of the episodes with a fake Lucky.
Me too… JJ is the only lucky I’ll accept
Would love to see Lucky back in the form of Greg Vaughn.
Not a fan of Jacob Young since Bold and Beautiful days.
Don’t do a recast nobody can be Lucky Spencer l. Except Johnathan Jackson. Buy or rent him a home so his family can be next 2 him when they r busy taping and when not taping the family can be in Nashville and we get 2 keep Lucky.
The best Lucky is Jacob Young, he has more personality than Jonathan Jackson. I’m sorry Jackson, he was boring and didn’t have any desires to be on GH.
Jacob Young tends to scream and shout his lines whether the scene or direction calls for it or not. I hate his acting choices.
There hasn’t really been a proper recast of Lucky yet. Jacob Young was awful. Greg Vaughn was good for what he did, but his version ended up looking like an entirely different character who didn’t have much resemblance to the son of Luke & Laura.
Guy Wilson ( who did the two day stint around the time that Cyrus the Virus did his final lunatic binge)?? Not a chance in Hell! That guy made me cheer for a supposed legacy character to be taken out by a serial killer, when he absolutely destroyed the character of Will Horton on Days. He doesn’t get the chance to do that to another legacy character. And thank all that’s unholy that Chandler could come back to Days and restore the “real Will”. Although he – like Jonathan – doesn’t seem to want to stick around for long.
Jonathan Jackson will always be THE definitive Lucky. I’m not 666% opposed to a recast, but I’m not sure they can find somebody worthy. Look at the difficulty they had getting a decent replacement for Laura’s other son Nikolas, for example.
I guess it all really depends if they wanted Lucky & Elizabeth (long term and story wise) together or not. If so, they should recast. If they wanted to go in another direction they could do that to. Unfortunately, it hold Rebecca Herbst hostage in the Lucky vortex. I do think it’s funny that Jackson feels confident enough that they won’t replace him. Wasn’t he just there for the Chad Duell debacle? LOL!!!!
It’s funny but I had forgotten all about Jacob Young playing Lucky. I was so focused on Greg Vaughn coming back. Time will tell. I’m just not sure what Jackson was thinking when he resigned. He had to have known what the schedule was. Even with the breaks they have especially during the summer he couldn’t make it work. I’ve guess Elizabeth will be courted by Ric or Isaiah or a newbie.
Honestly, it should have been Greg Vaughan this entire time; he should have never been fired for Jonathan Jackson’s return, because I am sure he’d still be in the role today had he not been fired.
I agree(and I had forgotten about those circumstances you mentioned). Greg Vaughan pulled in emotionally compelling and realistic performances playing a guy battling an addiction to pain killers. He even held his own with Tony Geary, and was believable playing Luke’s” Cowboy.” I think his performance as Lucky was vastly underrated because for some fans, he couldn’t replace JJ’s Lucky.
Wasn’t a key part of the narrative when JJ returned was that Geary never really clicked with GV? They had Luke & Lucky interact less during GV’s final years. When JJ returned, the father and son were seen together more often.
I’ll also chime in that GV is probably never going to return.
That’s true, and while I think Geary is an acting genius, I also think he could be a bit of an ass to his costars. So I give even more props to GV ( and to TG ) for rising above those tensions and making it work. I vaguely recall a scene in a hospital room with Lucky recovering from an overdose and Luke giving a heart wrenching monologue that left both characters in tears. There was no way GV and TG could replicate the very real father- son chemistry that TG and JJ had, but I believe they gave it their best effort and that counts for something.
I have to agree with you Scott (ATWT fan). Greg Vaughan played Lucky as a complex adult. It was so great watching the character grow. Jonathan Jackson as the tween, Jacob Young as the older teen and the Greg as the adult. Daytime recasts actors all the time. Fans get hysterical when their favorite gets replaced. But, actors move on and shows have to continue. I would love to see Greg Vaughan back as Lucky. However, I would certainly understand his hesitancy to trust TPTB again after they abruptly fired him for Jackson in the past.
Greg has been a much better fit as Eric Brady on Days of Our Lives. He was a recast there too, but he stepped into that role (on this Devil’s recommendation… it’s one of the few times Ken Corday actually listened to me) and it was a seamless transition.
He doesn’t seem to want to stick around there full time either, but he seems to be there when he’s really needed. Like this week when he’s in town for his stepfather John’s funeral (despite giving up his priest collar a while back) .
Greg was believable as a cop and a badass, JJ is cute but he is just a little thing
I’m not enthusiastic about a recast, mostly because I didn’t care for the previous Lucky recasts.
Since the character is a wanderer, I’m ok with him coming & going. Ultimately, Liz & Lucky should either end up together even if it’s primarily a long distance relationship. There hasn’t been another partner for Liz that rivals her relationship with Jonathan Jackson’s Lucky. I like her the best when she is with him.
I blame the writing not the actor, had a total dislike for the returned character. He’s an over 40 year old man who never grew up, every scene he was in he wined, wined, wined..
Wined and dined? Maybe Lucky would like some cheese with his whine.
Evan Hofer, formerly Dex, would be a perfect Lucky!
Heather’s old space in Ferncliff is reserved for you. Please go find another website to go troll.
Will Dex be there?
Dex will be in Hell, cleaning Cerberus’s kennel
No, he’s gone to the land of forgotten D-named characters along with Dev, Dustin, Dawn, Dara, Dolores, and numerous Davids.
Hopefully Mr. Fairman steps in soon. This guy is just trying to annoy “true real fans”
It’s kind of amusing and the responses are hilarious.
True.. I guess the joke would be on us if GH did offer Evan Hofer a new role…
Lucky is in his early 40s! Dude, there’s no way Evan Hofer could pull that off.
I would be OK with the recast for sure.
A recap would be OK with me. The only thing that’s gonna keep me from watching the show is if they continue DREW and Willow storyline it’s disgusting! I do like the new Michael.
General Hospital
Kelly Sullivan Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’s’ Maura West Recalling When Ava Shot Connie (Exclusive)
It was just over 13 years ago on General Hospital when Ava Jerome (Maura West) shot and killed Kate Howard/Connie Falconeri (Kelly Sullivan) in an effort to keep her quiet from revealing that Derek Wells was actually Ava’s back-from-the-dead brother, Julian Jerome (William deVry). It’s a crime that somehow Ava never has quite paid for either.
The episode back aired on August 13, 2013 and viewers had to say goodbye to Kelly Sullivan who played Kate and her alter, Connie. In the story, just before she died, Kate/Connie scrawled the letters AJ in her own blood, initially making the PCPD and Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) think that it was AJ Quatermaine (Sean Kanan) who did the deed.
Now, Sullivan recalled sharing scenes with the three-time Daytime Emmy-winning West, during a live conversation on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel. Kelly was the special guest talking about her recent return to the soaps in her new role as The Bold and the Beautiful’s Darcy Dylan.
Photo: JPI
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF MAURA WEST
Speaking of her final GH scenes and working with Maura West, Sullivan gave her then GH co-star major props. “If you’re going to be shot by somebody (on the soaps), you want to be shot by Maura West, c’mon!”
Maura West debuted back in May 2013 as Ava, and Sullivan remembered when the As the World Turns favorite began on GH. “I remember when Maura West first arrived at GH. She walked in with this cute little bob (hairdo) and she’s just delicious,” shared Sullivan.
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
Kelly revealed more about Maura, adding “I think she’s amazing! I remember right before I left the show, someone suggested, and I would still love to do this with her, if she ever want to, but someone suggested that they wanted to direct the stage play A Streetcar Named Desire with Maura and I, where I would play Stella and she would play Blanche! Wouldn’t that be great?”
Speaking of the Ava/Connie showdown scenes, Sullivan expressed, “On television and on General Hospital specifically, Maura West is able to play a character who does the most horrendous things and you still care about her and that’s the mark of a really great actor. In other words, you’re able to be liked in the midst of the most horrendous things, and as a performer not shying away from that, and to just have the courage to do what’s on the page (in the script).”
Photo: JPI
KELLY SULLIVAN PARTING THOUGHTS AS SHE LEFT GENERAL HOSPITAL
Kelly also shared her sentiments when she walked off the set of General Hospital after her run back in August of 2013. “I really was honored. Every day I would go to work and I would say a little prayer, which is I want to do justice for my character, explained Kelly. “It’s between me and my character. I get to walk this path with her and to leave the show on that note, which is, I left every out there. I just gave it my all and again what an honor it was to play Kate/Connie.”
You can catch the full conversation with Kelly where she talks about her time on General Hospital, The Young and the Restless where she played Sage Warner and now The Bold and the Beautiful below.
So, do you remember the Ava and Connie scenes where Ava shot and killed her? What did you think of Kelly Sullivan’s sentiments about Maura West? Share your thoughts via the comment section. But first, watch the reveal where Ava recalls murdering Connie below!
The question of will Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) stay awhile at General Hospital after his recent extended hiatus from the show earlier this year, has reportedly been answered.
TMZ via court documents obtained in Burton’s ongoing legal battle with his ex-wife Sheree Gustin, shared that Steve actually inked a new three year deal with the ABC soap opera back in June.
That is significant because it was June when Burton returned back to work as Jason. In addition, the court filing confirmed that Burton had already moved back to California from Tennessee.
Photo: ABC
STEVE’S HIATUS AND HIS RETURN TO PORT CHARLES
GH fans will recall, it was back in February of 2026, that Burton announced via his Instagram that he was stepping away from his role of Jason Morgan for short break and pointed to wanting to spend quality time with his new wife, Michelle Lundstrom Burton with whom he tied the knot back on May 17, 2025.
Steve expressed at that time, “I’m newly married and looking forward to spending some quality time with my family.” It was back on March 25 that viewers saw Jason carted away by the WSB after taking the fall for Rocco Falconeri (Finn Carr) who shot then WSB Director Ross Cullum (Andrew Hawkes).
Burton returned to work on June 1, and due to General Hospital taping roughly six weeks ahead of air, made his on-screen comeback on the July 13 episode.
GOING FOR GOLD AT THE UPCOMING DAYTIME EMMYS
Then, Steve and his enduring fans got an extra special treat on the same day, when it was revealed on Extra that he was nominated for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Daytime Drama Series category.
Steve previously won in the Supporting Actor category for his work as General Hospital’s Jason in 1998 and as The Young and the Restless’ Dylan McAvoy in 2018.
Now with Jason and Britt’s (Kelly Thiebaud) relationship seemingly hitting the skids, plus Jason’s commitment to staying out of mob life to focus on being present for his son Danny Morgan (Asher Antonyzyn), what does the future hold for the fan favorite character? Stay tuned.
So, happy to hear that Steve Burton signed a new three year deal with General Hospital? Knowing that, what storyline would you like to see Jason get involved and with who? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section.
General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason and Britt Reach an Impasse; Is This the End of Their Relationship?
On the Friday, September 11 episode of General Hospital, Jason (Steve Burton) and Britt’s (Kelly Thiebaud) relationship becomes strained to potentially the point of no return.
Things take a turn when an unglued Britt having been traumatized by almost being killed by Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) asks Jason to back her up with the PCPD when she reports Anna for attempted murder.
However, Jason told Britt, he can’t. Jason shares that he does not believe Anna would have gone through with shooting her. Therefore, Britt was not in any real imminent danger. Britt is flabbergasted and hurt that Jason is refusing to tell the police what he actually witnessed for himself on Mount Emerson.
Courtesy/ABC
BRITT WANTS BACK UP FROM JASON
Jason counters that he can’t believe that Britt would want Anna punished. or sent to prison, or a mental facility after the trauma she endured while being locked up and mentally tortured while at Wyndemere.
He asks Britt, “How could you even say that you want her locked up or prosecuted for what she did when you knew she was being held prisoner and you did nothing to save her?” Britt is stunned by Jason’s response.
Coming up, official General Hospital spoilers share that on the upcoming Monday, September 14 episode, Jason confides in Carly (Laura Wright), while Britt is stung. In the video preview that aired at the end of the Friday, September 11 episode for this coming Monday, Britt says to Jason, “You don’t believe me. Do you?”
General Hospital head scribes, Chris Van Etten and Elizabeth Korte previously teased in their fall preview of the soap, “Britt and Jason have come a long way and fought a lot of enemies to be together. But the most stubborn obstacle to their happiness isn’t without, it’s within. Decisions Britt made to stay alive while under Cullum’s thumb will come back to haunt her and may prove too difficult for this unlikely couple to survive.”
So, what do you think will happen? Will Jason and Britt break-up over Britt’s lies and Jason’s unwillingness to report Anna’s crime against her? Do you want Jason and Britt to go their separate ways? If they do, will Britt become romantically involved with Dr. Tristan Roberts (Dean Geyer) ? If so, who do you pair Jason with? Anyone? Weigh-in via the comment section.
Kelly Sullivan Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’s’ Maura West Recalling When Ava Shot Connie (Exclusive)
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