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‘General Hospital’s’ Michael E. Knight Talks The Evolution of Martin Grey and Working with Icons: Genie Francis, Erika Slezak, and Jane Elliot (Exclusive)

By Michael Fairman

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Photos: ABC

When soap opera favorite, Michael E. Knight debuted on General Hospital back in 2019 as Martin Grey, the lawyer for Nelle Benson (Chloe Lanier), the character was a lot different than the 2025 version. The three-time Daytime Emmy-winning actor best-known for his performances as All My Children’s beloved Tad Martin, has the opportunity to strut his stuff since Martin has become more complex, more shady (think Tracy/Ronnie drama), and yet has a deep love for his sister, the Mayor of Port Charles, Laura Collins (Genie Francis).

Knight recently spoke with Michael Fairman for a conversation now on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel, about how Martin has shifted from the once southern drawl legal eagle, to the clean-shaven more cosmopolitan version of the character, and the incredible opportunity he had to work with Jane Elliot (Tracy) and Erika Slezak (Ronnie) in the battle over Monica’s last will and testament, and for the right to own the Quartermaine Mansion. As it turned out, Martin was responsible for forging the will to keep Tracy from getting what Monica rightly gifted her; all part of his revenge plot.

Michael shared his deep gratitude to the GH creatives for giving Martin Grey, second life. “I really want to reach out and hug Chris Van Etten and Elizabeth Korte (co head-writers, GH) for getting me off the bench and retooling the character, because, Martin started out one way; the whole ‘Kentucky Fried Chicken,’ and beard thing. Then, about two years ago, Frank Valentini (executive producer, GH) just said, ‘Ok, we talked. We want you to be more of a leading man. Basically, we want more of Tad. So, I’ve been allowed two lives on General Hospital. The people I get to work with are amazing.”

Courtesy/ABC

We have to agree! Not only is Knight amazing, but so too are the women he recently and has continued to work with: Genie Francis, Jane Elliot and special guest star, Erika Slezak. Speaking of the legends, and why they have remained successful in the soap medium, Knight shared, “There are fewer and fewer people who can actually do it, and who want to work at that kind of speed and at that kind of level. The people that are really brilliant at it are the likes of Erika, Jane and Genie.”

ERIKA SLEZAK

Getting the opportunity to work with Erika Slezak is something Knight will never forget: “Erika is so great at showing vulnerability. I asked her to please come back and do this again, because in three weeks she created this wonderful character where she goes at it with Tracy, but then you see the rest of the Quartermaine family fall in love with Ronnie and they let her fall in love with them.”

Knight recalled a moment with Erika, saying, “You’ve done all this great work. The Quartermaines love you. The fans love you. You’ve created a place in people’s hearts. When are you going to come back?’ She’s like, ‘I like my home. I like Connecticut, I like my family. This is hard work.”‘ However, Michael has faith that Erika will be back when the show has a story for Ronnie. “I think they will (bring her back). I hope they do. I really do. Let’s face it, she’s a great foil for Tracy.”

One of the key moments in the storyline was when Martin blackmailed Ronnie, when she wanted nothing more to with his plan to dupe Tracy out of Monica’s house. Knight recalled, “After it (the scene) was over, we kind of looked at each other, because we had taken two or three passes at it. Erika came over and she hugged me and she said, ‘Thank you, Thank you for putting the work in.’  I knew the work was good. I was (initially) worried because I wondered what would Chris and Elizabeth do now that you’ve got Martin in a corner.”

GENIE FRANCIS

Several years back, Laura learned she had two half-brothers. The treacherous Cyrus Renault (Jeff Kober) and Martin Grey. Since that time, Michael Knight has been able to play the love between brother and sister and the disappointment she has with his questionable actions. “Genie is one of the funniest people I’ve ever worked with,” shared Knight.

Photo: ABC

No matter what Martin does, Knight feels like Laura is there for her brother and vice versa. “They are still very much brother and sister. Family’s at a premium and is a big deal to Martin. His older brother Cyrus was wiped out, father died, and his mother is in a home somewhere. And all of a sudden he’s got this wonderful woman as a sister that he never knew we had. So there’s a lot at stake (for him).”

JANE ELLIOT

As to Martin and Tracy, Knight knows these are two people who love to just needle each other. “They love playing dirty,” explains Michael. “I said to Jane a couple months back, ‘I think we have a soap opera relationship based on a Wile E. Coyote and a Road Runner cartoon. It’s like, ‘I scheme and scheme and scheme and scheme and scheme.’  I’m always going to be the one to get the anvil on the head, because Tracy sidesteps. She figures out what’s going on and finds a way to snake her way out of it!”

Photo: ABC

“Jane’s just not the kind of person that leaves well enough alone, like the pinching of the cheeks (scene when Martin is found out), she’ll just find something that always takes it to another level,” shares Knight. “If you have two or three takes with her, by the end of it, I’m usually having so much fun. I’m chewing the scenery a couple times. It’s always fun to work with somebody who’s just going to give you more than is on the page.”

In case you missed it, check out our full conversation with Michael E. Knight below.

Now let us know, do you enjoy the Martin Grey 2.0 version? And Michael’s scenes with Genie Francis, Jane Elliot and with Erika Slezak? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

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He’s the best. So happy he’s on GH.

As a viewer is such a gift to see all these iconic actors share the screen together, they know how to create magic, and Yes, I’m loving Martin 2.0, his scenes with Genie are so touching and its great to see sibling relationships play out, and well what can one say about his scene with Jane Elliot, I mean its pure gold and as a viewer a pleasure to see play out.

Glad they let Michael ditch the unnecessary, silly drawl and the Colonel Saunders beard. He’s just a natural actor, and those forced affectations distracted from his talent. Watching Michael go toe to toe with Jane, Genie, Jane and Nancy really underscores just how good he can be. I’m very happy they’re giving him a second chance.

General Hospital

Chris McKenna Reportedly Out as ‘General Hospital’s’ Jack Brennan

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Chris McKenna

As ABC’s General Hospital continues to make casting additions in front of the camera; a new report indicates that Chris McKenna is the next contract player to be written out of the show as his storyline as Port Charles WSB bureau chief, Jack Brennan, is coming to end this fall.

According to sources close to the situation, who informed Soap Opera Network, McKenna will exit the long-running soap opera when Jack is killed-off the canvas. The outlet shares, Brennan’s death will come about as the soap, “leans heavily into storylines surrounding the World Security Bureau (WSB).”

McKenna, who previously appeared on the soaps when he was 12 as a young Joey Buchanan on One Life to Live from 1990-1993, then as an adult as Mark Harding on The Young and the Restless from 2014-2015, and next on The Bold and the Beautiful in the short term role of Dr. Hayden,  began his run as GH’s Brennan back in February of 2025, replacing Charles Mesure in the role.

Chris McKenna

Photo: ABC

JACK’S ROCKY ROAD TO ROMANCE

In fact, McKenna won the part over Daniel Goddard and Daniel Cosgrove, who eventually were cast in other roles on General Hospital, that of Henry Dalton and Ezra Boyle, respectively. Chris informed his fans via X,  back in August of 2025, that he was put on contract at the daytime drama and thanked them for helping make it happen.

Chris told Michael Fairman TV how it was to step into the role previously played by Charles Mesure, “I knew the challenge it was going to be and I had a like 0nly five days to get my head around it, so I was ready for it. Sure, it was challenging, but I was up for it. I was a recast before on The Young and the Restless.”

On-screen, Jack became romantically involved with Carly Spencer (Laura Wright), but that went bust when Carly learned Jack was not up front with her and had secretly enlisted her daughter, Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy) to join the WSB.  Over months, Carly plotted to get revenge on Jack, and suddenly, Valentin Casssadine (James Patrick Stuart), Jack’s mortal enemy, came into the picture and he had fallen for Carly and she for him.

Now, Jack has started up a relationship with Nina Reeves (Cynthia Watros) and has found himself in situations stooping to lows to help Nina and her criminal daughter, Willow Cain (Katelyn MacMullen) out of jams, especially where Drew Cain (Cameron Mathison) is concerned.

Erika Slezak, Chris McKenna

Photo: ABC

REUNITING WITH ERIKA SLEZAK

Last fall, Chris got a thrill of a lifetime when his OG on-screen mother from One Life to Live, the iconic Erika Slezak (ex-Viki) took on a guest role on General Hospital as Ronnie Bard, the secret sister of Monica Quartermaine (the late Leslie Charleson). While the two did not have a storyline together, Chris did share some tender moments reconnecting with Erika on the set,

McKenna has a laundry list of primetime credits including: State of Affairs, Good Trouble, Lucifer and Castle, where in an ironic twist he appeared alongside another Joey Buchanan none other than Nathan Fillion.

So, how do you feel if the report holds true and GH is killing off Brennan and Chris McKenna would exit the show? How do you think Brennan will die on GH? Will he be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and someone will take him out? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section.

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Ryan Paevey Open to Return to ‘General Hospital’ to ‘Stir the Pot if Cassius Could be a Good Agent of Chaos’

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Ryan Paevey

On General Hospital, Ryan Paevey wrapped his comeback to General Hospital on the July 6 episode, when it was revealed that Cassius Faison was not dead, but being held by the WSB thanks to Z (John Oliver).

It was Z who gave Cassius an ultimatum: a one-way ticket to prison or a death sentence, or to become an agent himself! We never got the answer on-screen, but suffice to say, Cassius is still out there somewhere, but we can assume he is working for the WSB.

GH fans were thrilled to see Paevey back on the ABC daytime drama series where he initially played the very popular Detective Nathan West from 2013-2018. It had been over 7 years until Ryan made a return to his former soap stomping grounds when on-screen in September of 2025, he arrived in Port Charles as a very much alive Nathan, who was actually Cassius impersonating his late twin brother.

Photo: ABC

Over this past weekend, Paevey appeared at the annual GH Fan Club Weekend in Burbank, California, where according to a report from Soap Central who was on the scene; when a fan asked Ryan if he would make another visit to the soap opera in the future, he explained, “That’s a ‘Frank Chat,’ referencing a discussion would need to be had with Frank Valentini, GH’s executive producer.

A CASSIUS FAISON SIGHTING ANYTIME SOON?

Ryan also added, “I’m a bit of a drifter. So, I’m not sure that I want to go back and sign forever. Doing so took a lot of things out of my life, stuff that is valuable to me.” Paevey also explained while he was away from GH he was caretaker to his parents and working on his Fortunate Wanderer jewelry business and more.

However, Paevey concluded his thoughts on the matter with, “But, yeah, I would come back and stir the pot if Cassius could be a good agent of chaos… a conversation might be had with Frank about exactly what ‘not dead’ means.”

All this to say, would you like to see Ryan make another comeback to General Hospital? This time as WSB agent Cassius Faison? Do you think he would help out his sister, Britt and his mutter, and even Josslyn, if they got into serious future trouble? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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GENERAL HOSPITAL: Christian Howard Makes One Final Return as Ethan Lovett, as Hudson Learns Damning Intel

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The Tuesday, August 4 episode of General Hospital brought with it another appearance by Christian Howard in the role of Ethan Lovett. As previously reported, Howard was brought into wrap up Ethan’s storyline as Nathan Dean’s four-month run with the show came to its conclusion.

Now, it has been 100% officially confirmed that today was the last episode of Howard as the recast Ethan. In story, Ethan was now seen in Oslo, Norway after hightailing it out of Port Charles after Hudson (Troy Lennon Appel) had showed up looking for him at the Metro Court pool in Port Charles.

On the July 31st episode, Ethan made a beeline to Lulu’s (Alexa Havins) grabbed his bags and headed out of the country without saying goodbye to Ava (Maura West), who he just had spent the night with.

Christian Howard

Courtesy/ABC

However, on Tuesday’s GH, it was also the day where Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) finalized baby Phoebe’s adoption for Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard). This was juxtaposed with the action in Oslo where Hudson showed up at Ethan’s hotel room door. He demanded immediate answers about Delilah and the baby. Ethan told him that both Delilah and the baby she carried died.

ETHAN’S LIES CATCH UP TO HIM

Hudson is livid. The two get into multiple altercations with Hudson getting the upper hand claiming that Ethan is a thief, who had “stolen from the wrong man.” At that point, Hudson delivered a beatdown on Ethan. Next, he threatened Ethan that he will go after his entire family if he finds out he was lying to him.

Back in Port Charles at the Metro Court pool, Ava is lamenting about Ethan’s sudden disappearance to Trina (Tabyana Ali). Later alone, she gets a call from Ethan telling her to never reveal that he’s not Phoebe’s biological father. Cut to: Hudson out in the hotel hallway listening in on the call through a bug he planted in Ethan’s hotel room. Hudson then takes off. The final moment of Ethan’s is him sprawled out bloody on top of the hotel bed.

A GH rep told Soap Opera Digest that “the door is open for Ethan to return to Port Charles” in the future. And as previously reported by TV Insider, when Nathan Dean signed on for his four month return, it was due in part to that he and his wife announced back in March they were expecting a baby.

So, now that Christian Howard has officially exited the series marking the end of the story for now of Ethan Lovett, what are your thoughts? Obviously, we will look for Hudson to return to Port Charles and infiltrate the Quartermaines lives especially Brook Lynn and Chase to get close to Phoebe, and then there is Ava, who may be in terrible danger, or is she? Share your thoughts and theories.

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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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