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‘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)

By Michael Fairman

Published

4 months ago

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Photo: ABC

It’s one of the most controversial storylines in soap opera history, when Luke (the late Anthony Geary) raped Laura (Genie Francis) back in an episode that aired in 1979. In the story, one fateful night while believing his latest assignment for the mob would get him killed, Luke drank heavily, and confessed his love to Laura. She had been working at the disco at the time and tried to comfort him.

Luke said, “I’m not going to die without holding you in my arms just one time. Dance with me.” As Herb Alpert’s “Rise,” played in the background, Laura tried to leave as she was getting fearful of Luke. The camera panned away as Luke forced himself on her and Laura screamed, “No!” The aftermath also became a huge problem for the series years later. GH tried to pass it off as a seduction, while viewer outcry, and as the world evolved over the decades called it then and now what it was, “rape.”

The script writer for that episode was prolific soap opera writer and three-time Emmy winner, Sheri Anderson. The popular scribe is best-known for her work on Days of Our Lives and also her tenure as its co-head writer, but she also spent a few years at General Hospital smack dab in the late 70s and early 80s, under then legendary executive producer, Gloria Monty.

Photo: JPI

During her visit last week to the Michael Fairman Channel, where Anderson opened up about a specific moments throughout her storied writing career, as well as the state of the soaps now in our culture, she recalled the events that transpired before and after that led to her scripting the infamous rape episode on GH.

ABC NETWORK EXEC DECIDES LUKE SHOULD RAPE LAURA

Sheri began, “What happened was Pat Falken Smith (then head writer, GH) came in from a meeting and she was stoned-faced, and we said, ‘What’s going on?’ She said Jackie Smith, who was head of the network, wants Luke to rape Laura and we were like, ‘What? We can’t do that!” She said that’s what we were going to so, because we were exploring ‘date rape’ at the time.”

“So, on General Hospital, or any show that I’ve been involved with, we would get as much research as we could on the subject, especially when I was writing,” explained Anderson. “I would always send the script to a therapist and say, ‘is this accurate? Is this emotionally correct?'”

Anderson shared from the writers viewpoint what the story was about at that time: “Luke was from the wrong side of the tracks. He was trying to prove himself to the mob and they said to prove it, you have to go kill a senator Mitch Williams. Luke couldn’t go through with it, which meant he was a dead man. He went back to the Campus Disco which he owned and Laura was there. She was waiting for her husband (Scotty Baldwin). So, when Laura was trying to comfort Luke, things started to get out of control.”

THE COINED “SEDUCTION”

“The script which I wrote was 110 pages, which was typical at the time. Gloria Monty, who was a brilliant executive producer and director who changed daytime, was the director of that episode,” explained Anderson on the writing for the soap back in the late 70s. “They probably cut 30 pages of material, because she was so intent on the rape and making it as brutal as she could. So, we were just going forward and thinking, ‘Oh, my God! That was really awful.'”

Over decades, the moment was called as aforementioned, “a seduction,” a “date rape,” and then as GH viewers recalled, it was in 1998 that Luke admitted to his son Lucky (Jonathan Jackson) that he actually raped his mother, Laura.

Photo: ABC

ANDERSON COULD NO LONGER DEFEND THE STORY POINT

It is not lost on Anderson, how GH at the time, tried to pass off the on-screen incident, “In retrospect, and I believe Michelle Val Jean (creator, head-writer, executive producer of Beyond the Gates) once said that it upset her, that we would say it was really a ‘seduction’ and all of those things, because it was not. It was rape, and (back then) I would try to, in a sense, defend it, and frankly, I was wrong,” revealed Sheri.

“I wrote the rape episode and I actually wrote the episode after it and we had Emily McLaughlin who played nurse Jessie Brewer who came to me later and said, ‘thank you.’ Because she said, ‘I wrote the aftermath of it so poignantly for her and Genie,’ recalled Sheri. “Then, we had Irene Kassorla, the real-life therapist come in, and on the show do group therapy sessions. So, it was really fascinating for me  I thought that we were doing it extremely well, and I still think we did it extremely well. But, yes, it was rape, and it was wrong.”

Photo: ABC

GLORIA MONTY SWORE SHE WOULD NEVER MARRY LUKE AND LAURA

In an ironic twist, when Pat Falken Smith and Sheri left General Hospital to return to Days of Our Lives, suddenly Luke and Laura were getting married, after Gloria Monty swore she would never let them tie the knot. As soap fans know, the wedding remains the most-watched episode in soap opera in history with over 30 million people tuning-in on November 16 and 17 of 1981.

“People talk about that story thinking Luke raped Laura, and then they got married. No! Luke raped Laura, but it destroyed their lives with the secrets that they carried. Laura would not tell anybody that Luke was the one who raped her, and their lives were altered in so many ways. It took a long time to bring them back as a couple because they had such chemistry personally, so it was just the obvious way to go,” explained Anderson of the writers mindset at the time. “Gloria Monty said to us, ‘We’ll never marry them.’ Then, when as a writing team we left and went to Days of Our Lives, she married them two months later.”

You can catch our full informative chat with Sheri Anderson below.

So, what did you think about what really went on behind the scenes at General Hospital when the decision came down to have Luke rape Laura in the controversial scenes? Did you appreciate the insight provided by Sheri? Is it still one of the more troubling plot points in the storied history of Luke and Laura to you? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

 

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Laura and Luke should have never been a love story, ever. Rape is not love. And I’m glad Sheri is no longer apologising for it, either. Good on her and good on Genie Francis, as well.

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If Genue Francis was under age 18 at the time, her father should have spoken up and not allowed that storyline to happen, but I don’t know how contracts worked back then. Why would ABC even do that with an underage actress?They would never allow that storyline today , and I personally think it was a bad decision and I agree with gloria monty , they should have never married them.

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Genie has spoken up in recent years about how it all came to be. Actually, Gloria Monty took Genie’s dad, veteran character actor Ivor Francis, out to dinner to discuss her plans for Genie and Tony. She had to. Genie was only 17 (Tony was in his early 30s.). Gloria had been charged with saving GH (Which had been flailing in the ratings) and ABC gave her 13 weeks to do it. I was never a fan of this pairing and the love story made me sick. Offstage Tony tried to be as protective of Genie as he could be in light of the situation, but it was hard on her. She had to boast the party line…how it was a seduction; and they passed that off for years! Tony received 8 emmys for his work, but Genie bore the brunt of the audience reaction, and didn’t receive her sole emmy for her work as Laura til almost 20 years afterward. In recent years she’s spoken up. All the people who demanded this story are long gone. She doesn’t have to toe the line anymore.

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Do not blame TG he was very upset over this storyline it bothered him for a long time and he loved Genie but he hated the story ! TG struggled to keep his personal life secret and I for one supported him 100 percent now why don’t we get past this and move on. I was a teenager when he and YR came and did a fan club people yelling rape me Luke ! He was very upset I was in the audience he hated it

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General Hospital shamefully allowed and did not protect either Genie or Tony from the effects of this horrid storyline. They had already allowed Genie to be placed in a relationship with David Hamilton, one adult male that ended with his murder, so why not continue to put her in other sexualized situations. Genie stated in her Lifetime interview, that GH “strongly encouraged ” her to drop out of high school so that she would not be bound be the hour restrictions for acting minors. She stated by the time she was 16, she was working full time, supporting her family, dropped out of high school and by 17 in her own apartment and in an off camera dating relationship with Kin Shriner. When Tony and Genie were put together she was 17 and he was 27. The writers and producers misused Tony and Genie to carry the blame, audience/public perception, shame without any consideration of how this one scene would effect their careers as actors, themselves as actors and as humans forever. They allowed Tony to be tortured so badly that he chose to relocate to Amsterdam decades ago for peace of mine and mental security. Genie chose to relocate with her husband and children as far way from LA as you could go and in an interview angrily commented that she refused to answer any more questions about that storyline in the future. GH should be ashamed of how they treated Genie and Tony.

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I remember the poignant scenes between Emily McLaughlin who played Nurse Jessie Brewer and Genie Francis’ Laura. Laura was in a GH hospital room after she was raped, crying and telling the Nurse she would never be clean again. Nurse Brewer told Laura that was nonsense, because she’d never been dirty. Nurse Brewer gently cleaned her up and was very calming to Laura. These scenes are what I remember from that period, not the stuff in the disco.

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You are correct. The whole storyline is on YouTube, in chronological order. It starts out as a responsibly-written date rape story. It was actually before it was called date rape. The phrase they kept using in those counselling sessions was acquaintance rape. Then they spend well over a year unfolding it as a redemption story for Luke. The “let’s lie to ourselves and say it was a seduction” starts to happen when they are coming back to each other after their break-up after the left handed boy story. There’s literally a scene where they’re at the Floating Rib and Luke says something about the night at the disco “where we made love.”. And Laura says “You mean the night you raped me.”. And Luke brushes her off with “Oh Laura.”. It was ridiculous. The big problem was Laura was already in love with and fascinated with Luke before he ever raped her. Due to her young age and her David Hamilton trauma, it really wasn’t love. But when your LnL audience is mostly impressionable teenagers and they’re saving your show from cancellation, the show runners ran with it. It put Genie, Tony and GH on the map. But sadly, it was a double edged sword for Genie and Tony.

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There were 2 scenes where they called it “making love.” Luke said it on the sailboat and Laura responded, just as you describe above. A year later (1981) after Luke and Laura had broken up but were starting to talk again, they were in the restaurant and Laura was the one who said it was “making love,” and Luke looks kind of horrified by the statement.

I’ve read too that Tony said the scene was more violent originally and he suggested that when he told her to dance with him he just put out his hand. He also took Genie aside ahead of time to make sure she wouldn’t be traumatized by the experience.

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I missed those scenes. Would love to find them. Will never forget how much I enjoyed watching Emily and John Beradino. I started watching in the late 70s, but immediately respected the legacy that they represented.

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I am so glad that soaps are no longer displaying rape as seduction or having the two people fall in love. DAYS did this with EJ and Sami. She believed him to be her friend, and then revealed his true self by demanding sex or he wouldn’t help her save Lucas, who was injured. There was no misunderstanding what that was and later they had them fall madly in love, become soul mates and eventually marry. Totally sending the wrong message.

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Oh please. Every one in the aftermath of me too wants to rewrite the past. At the time this storyline was written rape like the casting couch was not taken as seriously as it is today. Girls grew up reading bodice rippers as teenagers in books where rape fantasies commonly played out. Soaps mirrored the trend. Days had a story where rape victim Susan Martin fell in love with and married her rapist. Bill Horton raped his sister in law, impregnated her and later married her. Rapist Roger Thorpe was an anti hero. Even my gold standard soap of the 1970’s Ryan Hope had a scene where married Frank Ryan raped wife Delia in their bed because she was nagging him and he was fed up. There were dozens of other instances on soaps that played out that I can’t remember. General Hospital is egregious because it had used a sexualized minor teen Laura in the David Hamilton story that caused the soap to rise in the ratings. That forgotten storyline is equally egregious as it involved a child rape and is usually only viewed as a murder mystery instead of the rape of a minor child. The show was near the top of the ratings before Luke and Laura’s rape. They used the Luke and Laura rape scenario to cement the ratings lead. They played that Luke and Laura rape scene with the music theme Rise hundreds of time and knew exactly what they were doing. That music was so popular it became known as the theme from Laura’s rape. The people who objected like John Bernardino were blackballed. 40 years later it all looks different now. I’d have a lot more respect for everyone if they would tell the truth, acknowledge the culture of the time, admit that they having been educated view the world much differently now and express remorse about promoting a storyline that taught millions of young girls there is such a thing as good rape.

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Preach! Yes, they most certainly flashbacked to the rape scene daily. Herb Alpert’s Rise feels like the soundtrack of my youth it was played so much. Along with the fog horns and the ship bells during every docks scene. But I digress.

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All I know is that 47 years ago, I adored Luke & Laura and was glued to my TV at 3 pm Monday-Friday from approximately 1978-1982. (My college years)
I refuse to apologize or feel guilty about it.

Reply

General Hospital

GH Alum Tajh Bellow and Y&R Alum Loren Lott Star in New Tiktok and Microdrama ‘Love Island’ Spoof

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1 hour ago

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October 1, 2026

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Tajh Bellow and Loren Lott

Two soap opera alums very familiar to fans of General Hospital and The Young and the Restless are paired together in a new short-form digital series from none other than Issa Rae’s production entity HOORAE Digital.

Look for Tajh Bellow (ex-TJ Ashford, GH)) and Loren Lott (ex-Ana Hamilton, Y&R) as part of the cast of  The Compatibility Experiment, premiering on October 14, 2026, exclusively on TikTok and its companion microdrama platform, PineDrama.

In the video teaser, it appears that Bellow and Lott play a couple, Kelvin and Camila, set in a Love Island reality show-esque environment trying to win the one million dollar cash prize, only what could go wrong?

The Compatibility Experiment

Photo: HOORAE

The Compatibility Experiment loglines share that it brings a fast-paced, relationship-focused reality check—much like Love Island with a twist. The show takes a participant’s current relationship, introduces them to a potentially more compatible partner, and forces them to navigate the differences with life-changing money on the line.

The new series is part of a groundbreaking content deal between HOORAE Digital and TikTok to develop premium short-form storytelling. The ensemble cast also features; Ayona, Reggie Luck, JaNa Craig, Tosin Morohunfola, Jessica Jacoby, Georgia Warner, and Nick Cassidy.

General Hospital fans know Tajh Bellow for his performances as TJ Ashford, and who earned two Daytime Emmy nominations along the way during his run. Bellow took over the role in 2018 and last appeared on the ABC daytime drama series in December of 2024.

Loren Lott first appeared as Devon’s (Bryton James) sister Ana Hamilton on The Young and the Restless from 2018 to 2019; making a brief return in 2024. She has continued to perform on the stage and screen with recent credits including: Bel-Air, Cherish the Day, and All American: Homecoming.

Check out the trailer for The Compatibility Experiment below and let us know what you think of its concept and if you are glad to see Tajh and Loren again? Hoping they might return to daytime in their GH and Y&R roles at some point in the future? Weigh-in via the comment section.

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General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Ava and Drew Revealed to be Behind Framing Sonny for Sidwell’s Prison Beatdown

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2 hours ago

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October 1, 2026

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Drew and Ava

If you thought that the person responsible for the Pentonville brawl that saw Sidwell (Carlo Rota) and Curtis (Donnell Turner) taken to General Hospital was Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) or even Sidwell himself, you were dead wrong! On the Wednesday, September 30 episode of GH, it turned out that the culprits were actually Ava (Maura West) and Drew (Cameron Mathison).

In story, Drew apparently bankrolled the attack on Sidwell and framing Sonny. He told Ava their planned worked (she came up with it!) but was horrified when Drew informed her that Curtis got caught in the crosshairs. Ava is visibly upset because of her longtime friendship with Curtis’ daughter, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali). Drew tried to make Ava see the bright side. Curtis was witness to it and his presence will cast doubt on Sonny’s claims to that he had gotten out of the mob and gone legit.

Later, Vito shows up at Drew’s. They informed him that his guy on the inside of the slammer made a big mistake by hurting their friend and ordered him to leave town.

Maura West

Courtesy/ABC

BOATHOUSE BRAWL

In other major developments, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) and Rocco (Finn Carr) have a blow out fight as Danny blames his “brother” for the reason Charlotte was sent off to boarding school.

Rocco told off Danny for Charlotte’s (Bluesy Burke) reckless behavior and he explains he had to protect his sister. He went in on Danny saying that his mother Lulu (Alexa Havins) has been right to send Charlotte to boarding school and far away from Danny.

However, Rocco went a bit too far when he shouted, “And if your mom was alive, she would send you away too!” Next, Danny punched out Rocco, leading to a terrible brawl. An angered Danny yells at Rocco to, “Stay away from me and everyone in my family. And don’t you ever mention my mom again!” Danny storms off.

Rocco

Courtesy/ABC

Now alone outside the boathouse, Rocco flashes back to his first kiss with Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarksi), hoping that his fight with Danny will not escalate and ruin their budding romance. Meanwhile, a bloodied-mouth Danny heads over to Sonny’s and Jason (Steve Burton) is there at the same time. He then admits that he has a bad fight with Rocco and they are both beaten up.

WILL SCOUT WISE UP?

At the end of the episode, Scout, who had a fight with Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) over Drew, and who keeps telling everyone how good a man her dad truly is, comes upon a suspicious scene.

Scout hides behind the wall outside Drew’s. She sees her dad, Ava and Vito talking. Next, Scout seems to overhear Vito assuring Drew and Ava that their business dealings are done, and he’ll be leaving Port Charles for good.

So, what did you think of the reveal that Ava and Drew were behind framing Sonny for the prison beatdown of Sidwell (and Curtis)? Do you think Danny and Rocco’s relationship can be repaired, or do you think the teenagers will continue to be at each other’s throats? Finally, do you hope Scout gets a clue and stops thinking her dad walks on air? Weigh-in via the comment section, but first check out how Ava and Drew conspired below.

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Tanisha Harper on the Future of a Jordan Ashford and Michael Corinthos Pairing

Published

17 hours ago

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September 30, 2026

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Jordan and Michael

It’s been clear for awhile now that General Hospital has been pushing Jordan Ashford (Tanisha Harper) more into the orbit of Michael Corinthos (Rory Gibson), leading to speculation that the two will become more than just business associates and friends.

Well, now, Tanisha Harper has confirmed that the long-running ABC soap opera is testing the waters for a Jordan/Michael romance in her discussion with Soap Opera Digest.

The two characters share something in common, in that, they both have suffered severe burns and disfigurement, and they share a common bond working for Aurora Media.

Photo: ABC

CHEMISTRY TEST

Harper explained, “At first, they were kind of just sprinkling it in; we were starting to do some scenes together here and there. But, I think the writers and Frank Valentini (EP, GH) liked it, and we’ve progressed with that.”

This poses a bit of dilemma for Jordan, who’s boyfriend Curtis Ashford had been sent to Pentonville for assaulting Dr. Isaiah Gannon (Sawandi Wilson), but who just wound up on the receiving end of a prison beat down and landed at the hospital.

All things being equal, Tanisha shared that Michael is fast becoming, “the one person who understands what she’s going through on a deeper level. That makes for a strong connection, and I think the fans are starting to see that connection, too.”

As to if things will escalate and get hot and steamy from herem like any great forbidden love story, Tanisha shared, “That seems to be where we’re headed. In true soap fashion!”

Harper also noted about the future of Jordan and Michael, “We’ll see what the writers have in store for us, but I do think that this could be something really interesting. It’ll make some people mad, and some people will be here for it!”

So, are you down for a Jordan and Michael romance? Let us know 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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