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
GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Carly and Lulu Make Plans to Rescue Their Children; Anna Looks Determined to Secure Her Freedom
This week on all-new episodes of General Hospital, the race is on! Can Lulu (Alexa Havins) and Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) get to Rocco (Finn Carr) and Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) in time to ensure their safety from Cullum (Andrew Hawkes)? Can Carly (Laura Wright) with the help of her brother, Lucas (Van Hansis) rescue Josslyn (Eden McCoy) from captivity at Wyndemere? These questions may be answered, plus the return of the one and only Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) are on tap!
In the just released General Hospital spoilers video for the week of June 22-26, Lulu tells her mother, Laura (Genie Francis), “Dante and I have to get to Rocco before Cullum!” Meanwhile, Rocco (Finn Carr) looks angered and emotional as Britt walks through their cabin hideout. Does Rocco know his parents are on the way to find them, or has Cullum already tracked them down to the British Virgin Islands?
Back in Port Charles, Carly is informing Lucas that his niece, “is a WSB agent.” She knows Josslyn (Eden McCoy) is being held against her will at Wyndemere, and she has to find a way to get her out. Lucas agrees with Carly’s plan of, “We go in and we don’t leave without Josslyn!” Elsewhere, Josslyn is looking worried for her future as she is stuck in captivity thanks to Cassius, Cullum and Sidwell!
Courtesy/ABC
FINOLA HUGHES RETURNS
The final moments of the teaser promo reveal Anna in a psychiatric clinic in France. We have not seen her for months after Cullum, Sidwell and Pascal fed her hallucinogenics to make her believe her arch nemesis, Cesar Faison was alive!
Now, the doctors walk towards her hospital bed, where we see the super spy calmly knitting. Is Anna back to normal and playing everyone to get out of her predicament, or does she still remain deeply traumatized … or both?
Take a look at the rest of the official GH spoilers for the week below.
MONDAY, JUNE 22
Willow gets an unwelcome surprise. Trina sticks to her guns. “Nathan” wants reassurance. Ethan advises Ava. Brook Lynn receives an update.
TUESDAY, JUNE 23
Dante cautions Liz. Laura learns a secret. Brook Lynn confides in Michael. Sonny challenges Ava. Chase makes a decision.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24
Anna meets with her doctor. Carly makes a stunning confession. Britt extracts a promise. Cullum pulls a fast one. Gio and Emma hit the pool.
THURSDAY, JUNE 25
Josslyn clashes with Cassius. Lulu and Dante make a discovery. Chase receives a warning. Jordan seeks help. Alexis is summoned to the PCPD.
FRIDAY, JUNE 26
Anna takes a huge risk. Britt is in grave danger. Willow is in disbelief. Danny must act fast. Curtis jumps to the wrong conclusion.
Check out the latest General Hospital promo entitled, “Rescue Mission” below.
Now weigh-in: Do you think Anna is still mentally off-balance, or OK, and just pretending to be troubled to get out of France and get back to Port Charles? Will Josslyn finally be rescued, or will Carly and Lucas find themselves locked up with her? And, who will get to Britt and Rocco first? Cullum, or Dante and Lulu? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section below.
General Hospital
Maurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric
With the highly-anticipated returns of Finola Hughes (Anna Devane) on this week’s June 24 episode of General Hospital, Steve Burton’s (Jason Morgan) upcoming return on July 13, which also serves as the ABC daytime drama’s 16,000 episode, things are about to fire on all cylinders in the story, as noted today by series star, Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos).
On Father’s Day, the three-time Daytime Emmy-winning actor and mental health activist took to his Instagram and expressed in a video that he has some unbelievable upcoming senes with the aforementioned Burton and Hughes. Add to that Nazneen Contractor (Justine Turner) and Rick Hearst (Ric Lansing), where Benard gave credit where credit is due to the GH writing team, which is led by co-head writers, Elizabeth Korte and Chris Van Etten..
In this video, Benard said, “I just want to get on here and say that I did some work with Steve Burton, Finola Hughes, Rick Hearst, Nazneen Contractor, and they’re all just fantastic. Truly fantastic. But, I want to say the writing was just exceptional. It truly was. It was exceptional. So, thankful for that kind of writing. I know writers don’t get the credit a lot, but I just want to say to the General Hospital writing team, keep rolling!”
GENERAL HOSPITAL PREVIEW
So now the question becomes, with a major tease like that, what is about to go down between Sonny, Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric? Will we finally get to the end of the line for Sidwell (Carlo Rota), as previously teased by the GH co-head writers? Will we learn what happened to Jason and Anna, fully? Will Justine and Sonny becomes closer or stop their liaisons? And what of Ric? Will he be true blue to his brother or double-cross him? There is a lot at stake as we move further into the summer and one that looks like it could be one of the more exciting ones in years!
FINOLA HUGHES CONFIRMED AMAZING SCENES WITH MAURICE BENARD
As a punctuation point to his video, Benard also shared this written message in the post: “I just did some wonderful scenes with Steve Burton, Rick Hearst, Finola Hughes and Nazneen Contractor and and unbelievable writing, freaking amazing scenes that you will see in the near future on General Hospital.” In fact, Finola Hughes jumped in the post comment thread and responded, “I loved our scenes so much xxx”
Fans will most likely see all the scenes Benard referred to later in July, since GH tapes approximately six weeks ahead of air.
So, are you excited to see what Maurice is talking about? Are you hyped for what’s to come on GH? Any clue on what you think will go down between the main characters on the soap with the returns of Anna Devane and Jason Morgan to the mix? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
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General Hospital
‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Announces Upcoming Release of His First Single, ‘If You Need Me’
In a surprise move, Daytime Emmy winner, Chad Duell (ex-Michael Corinthos, GH) is getting ready to unveil a new chapter of his career in music.
The former GH star, where he played the son of Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and Carly Spencer (Laura Wright) for 15 years, has announced his new single, “If You Need Me” will drop on Friday, June 26. The single is now available for pre-order on Spotify and major music streaming platforms and is distributed by DistroKid.
Taking to his Instagram story over the weekend, to announce the pre-save of his new single, Chad expressed, “I’ll make a full post about what I’ve been up to and my music once it goes live next week, but you can pre-save my first single so it goes straight to your Spotify once it drops next week.”
Photo: CDuellIG
SINCE LEAVING GENERAL HOSPITAL
Previously, since his departure from the ABC soap opera. Chad starred alongside Zach Mendez in the world premiere of of Yum Yum at Annapolis, a new play written by Bruce Reisman. Duell last appeared on General Hospital on the January 21, 2025 episode.
The part was recast with Rory Gibson who debuted as the new Michael in May of 2025 during the Nurses’ Ball episodes and who has remained in the role since that time.
In an interview earlier this year on The Able Show, Duell said on his decision to exit the soap opera, “I was blessed to be part of that (show) for as long as I have, but what happens sometimes is if you’re doing the same thing, especially in a creative field for such a long time, you can get a little burnt out in a way. It can make you a little depressed, so that’s kind of what happened. On top of that, I had other things going on in my life at the time. My father passed away recently and I just needed a reset. So, I stepped away. A lot of times you have to go through some stuff to really step into that next level. I needed to kind of feel uncomfortable.”
So, what type of musical genre will Chad’s new song be? Country? Pop? Rock? Dance/Club? Something else? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below, and if you are eager to hear the new single next week via the comment section below.
Christel Khalil Reveals She Almost Quit Acting After ‘That’s So Raven’ Audition, But Then Came ‘The Young and the Restless’
DAYS OF OUR LIVES: Marlena Looks Back at 50 Years in Salem
‘WWE: Unreal’ Season 3 Premiere Date, Cast of Superstars, Announced by Netflix
GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Carly and Lulu Make Plans to Rescue Their Children; Anna Looks Determined to Secure Her Freedom
Deidre Hall Marks 50 Years as ‘Days of Our Lives’ Dr. Marlena Evans
Maurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric
‘General Hospital’s’ Controversial Luke and Laura Rape Episode: Writer Sheri Anderson Reveals Behind the Scenes Decisions and Admits ‘I Was Wrong’ to Defend It (Exclusive)
‘Days of Our Lives’ Eric Martsolf Recalls Moment He Learned He Was Cast as Brady Black, and Last Scenes with Drake Hogestyn (SOAPY Exclusive Preview)
‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Weighs-In on Dante and Elizabeth Pairing and Sharing Scenes with Rebecca Herbst (Exclusive)
GENERAL HOSPITAL Promo: Rocco’s in a Panic as Britt’s Health Takes a Turn, Chase is Called to the Carpet
Christel Khalil Reveals She Almost Quit Acting After ‘That’s So Raven’ Audition, But Then Came ‘The Young and the Restless’
‘WWE: Unreal’ Season 3 Premiere Date, Cast of Superstars, Announced by Netflix
GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Carly and Lulu Make Plans to Rescue Their Children; Anna Looks Determined to Secure Her Freedom
Deidre Hall Marks 50 Years as ‘Days of Our Lives’ Dr. Marlena Evans
Y&R Preview: Matt Clark Asks Phyllis on a Date, Would You Be Down for the Pairing? Roger Howarth & Michelle Previously in GH’s Franco/Nina Romance
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