Three-time Daytime Emmy-winner Maurice Benard teased what’s on deck for General Hospital’s Sonny Corinthos, his future with the soap opera, and just who he would love to see make a return during an in-depth conversation with ESPN Radio New York host, Ty Butler.

Benard appeared this week on Butler’s You Tube channel, and it’s clear that Butler and his real-life family are deep fans of General Hospital, so he had some pointed questions for Maurice from what’s happening currently in Port Charles and look backs at Sonny’s past.

Now that Sonny has decided to get out of the mob, Benard teased what’s coming up for the apparent former mobster, “When (the writers) told me I was out of the mob it didn’t throw me. I was like, ‘let’s see what I can do here.’ There were a lot of people during the hey day of the gangster period (on GH), who did not like it. (They would say) ‘It’s too much Sonny, it’s too much violence.'”

Photo: ABC

WITH SONNY OUT OF THE MOB, WHAT’S NEXT?

However, the long-running GH mainstay added, “I don’t care what I’m doing as long as Sonny maintains power and that power doesn’t mean killing people or being a gangster. You can be powerful in business. You can be powerful over here, and I think they’re doing that. I do know the story (coming up) and I can’t say (much more), but it’s really amazing. When I heard about it, I said, “Oh, wow!”‘

This week, Maurice marks his 33rd anniversary in the role of Sonny. It’s a role he began back on-screen on August 13, 1993. But how many years might the popular star have left in the tank to remain in Port Charles. Maurice explained, “My contract is up February or March (2027). So up until then, I’ll just tell you guys that the upcoming story, I’m very happy with it. I’m not going to retire soon, but I’m at a certain point where I can retire if I wanted. But, I don’t want to as long as I’m happy at GH, and I’ve been happy at GH for a while now. So, they’re going have to kick me out. They’re going to have to say, “Nah, we’ve had enough. Get the hell out.”‘

Photo: JPI

HOW WOULD THE END COME FOR SONNY CORINTHOS IF MAURICE BENARD EVER EXITED GENERAL HOSPITAL

If the time would come that Maurice were to make an exit from General Hospital, how would he like it to go down asked Butler. The longtime GH star had an answer that if he were to leave, he should go out on a big cliffhanger. “Something happens to one of his children and it’s his fault. He can’t take it, explains Maurice on his Port Charles alter-ego. “He goes home, he takes a shot of whiskey. (Then), Sonny goes upstairs and all you hear is BOOM. And it goes to black. Now, if it were a movie, it would work. But let me tell you something … it’s a soap opera. You don’t know if Sonny did it! You don’t know if somebody else did it, set it all up to make him look like he did. You don’t know. So there’s a big story there, right?”

BLASTS FROM THE PAST

When asked by the ESPN radio host,  what cast member would he like to see return to the show?  Benard named their characters, and they are: Brenda (Vanessa Marcil), Luke (the late Anthony Geary, so obviously that was stated as Benard misses him) and Morgan (last played by Bryan Craig).

You can check out the full conversation with Maurice Benard below on the The Ty Butler Show.

Now, let us know, what do you think is the new storyline that is about to kick-off, other than we know Sonny is getting out of the mob, and wants to get Sidwell’s assets and keep them away from Drew? Glad to hear Maurice does not plan on leaving General Hospital anytime soon? And, do you agree with Maurice? Would you like to see the characters of Brenda and Morgan come back to the Port Charles canvas? Let us know via the comment section.

The Thursday, August 13 episode of General Hospital gave us just what Michael (Rory Gibson) was going to do to Willow (Katelyn MacMullen), now that he had the goods on her that she shot Drew, the verdict in the Curtis (Donnell Turner) vs. Isaiah (Sawandi Wilson) case, and left us with Trina (Tabyana Ali) alone with her stalker nearby. Let’s take a look at how it all went down!

When Willow arrived at the Quartermaines to pick up Wiley and Amelia, she was stopped in her tracks when Michael confronted her armed with the truth that she shot Drew (Cameron Mathison) twice in the back. She denies it. However, Michael pulls out of an envelope signed affidavits from Kai (Jens Austin Astrup) and Trina, explaining they were at Drew’s house that night and have proof.

Michael explains her ring tone went off on her phone while she was getting ready to shoot Drew, and it was a match for Wiley’s. Kai and Trina heard the same ringtone at the courthouse when she stood trial for attempted murder. Willow threw the fact that she can’t be tried again in a court of law because of double jeopardy. However, Michael stopped her ranting and says double jeopardy doesn’t apply in family court.

Courtesy/ABC

HOW MICHAEL GOT THE UPPER HAND ON WILLOW

Now, Michael is ready to expose her crime. Suddenly, Willow grabs the rolling pin on the counter to strike Michael, but he is able to block her. Michael tells Willow she either accepts the arrangement he is about to tell her, or she will never see her children again. Willow tries to counter that Jacinda drugged her and she can prove it. However, Michael lets it be known that Jacinda is long gone with no forwarding address.

Next, Michael tells Willow she can remain a part of their children’s lives and he will keep their current custody arrangement as long as she moves back into the gatehouse. Willow hates the gatehouse, but knows she has no other option, so she says she will pack up her things at Nina’s and move in.

Courtesy/ABC

GUILTY!

At the courthouse, the jury has reached a verdict in the case of Curtis vs. Isaiah. When the jury comes back before the court, the jury foreperson shares, “We find the defendant, Curtis Ashford, guilty of second-degree assault and battery.” In lieu of the verdict, the judge sentences Curtis to ten years in prison at Pentonville with the possibility of parole in two years.

Curtis’ attorney Martin Grey (Michael E. Knight) tells his client he has gotten him 48 hours before he had to report to prison, and planned to file an appeal with the courts on the verdict. Curtis then says heartfelt goodbyes with Trina and Jordan (Tanisha Harper), before heading over to Portia’s (Brook Kerr) to see his newborn son, Desmond knowing he will not see him for quite a long time.

WHO’S THE STALKER?

Trina and Kai are at now at Bobbie’s. They talk about her father going to prison, and Trina is channeling her feelings into her songwriting. Kai decides to let Trina be by herself so she can focus and he won’t be a distraction. However, after Kai makes his exit, someone is looking through the windows at Bobbie’s and targeting Trina. But who? We fade to black.

So, what did you think about Michael having the goods on Willow and knowing she shot Drew? Were you happy about how he used the information to gain the upper hand to get her to move back into the Quartermaines gatehouse? Were you hoping for a different outcome? Are we just a short time away from Michael and Willow being back together as a couple after everything that has happened? Then, what did you think of the verdict in Curtis’ case? Glad he going away to prison for what he did? Do you care, or do not really care? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

After General Hospital viewers learned this week from Molly Lansing-Davis (Kristen Vaganos) that Jenz Sidwell (Carlo Rota) was sentenced to 31 years in prison with a possibility for parole in 26 years for all of his crimes (after he had taken a plea deal with the Port Charles court system), fans were wondering the status of Rota with the show.

With so many recent on-screen exits, GH viewers were concerned that Rota was the next casualty, although his character of Sidwell deserves to be put a way for life, it appears we may see him back, and from his jail cell. Could he wind up being the cellmate of Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner), who on today’s August 13 episode was sentenced to 10 years in prison with a possibility of parole for two years, for physically attacking Dr. Isaiah Gannon (Sawandi Wilson)? Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, Sidwell’s portrayer, Carlo Rota gave a clue as to his character’s whereabouts during his General Hospital Fan Club Weekend event, along with his wife Nazneen Contractor (Justine, GH), according to a report from Soap Central.

Photo: ABC

WHAT IS SIDWELL’S FUTURE AND WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH HIS BUSINESS HOLDINGS?

Rota told the crowd in attendance that Sidwell will soon be seen in Pentonville and his scenes will also include another familiar face from the Port Charles canvas. Could it be Curtis or someone else yet to be thrown into the slammer? Carlo teased, “I am in prison with another character from the show. We share a cell.”

The last time anyone saw Jenz Sidwell was back on the July 6 episode when he was in the interrogation room at the PCPD and tried to make a deal with Jordan Ashford (Tanisha Harper).

The deal was that he wanted Jordan to get her hands on his money from his offshore bank accounts and in return, he can get her hooked up with the best plastic surgeon in the world (the one in Germany that Michael went to) and she can jump ahead over the waiting list. However, Jordan turned him down flat, although the thought of fixing her face still weighs heavily upon her.

GH viewers first met Sidwell, the newest villain in town to go up against Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) for the his territory, back in August of 2024.

Flash-forward to late summer of 2026, there has been plenty of talk by Sonny and now Drew Cain (Cameron Mathison) to take over Sidwell’s business holdings that will be up for auction, most likely setting the stage for Drew and Sidwell to be in cahoots, or some other shenanigans to get back at Sonny.

So, are you glad to know that there will be more Sidwell on the way soon? Do you wish the character would just already be off the canvas for good? Glad that Curtis got 10-year prison sentence, or don’t care? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section.