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GENERAL HOSPITAL: Laura Opens Up About Learning Lesley was Her Birth Mother; Drew is Horrified Over Fallout From ‘His Night’ with Jacinda

By Michael Fairman

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Courtesy/ABC

As the Wednesday, April 30th episode of General Hospital begins, Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) makes her way home to Drew’s (Cameron Mathison) and walks into the bedroom after seeing a woman’s shoe in the living room, and she finds Drew out cold in the bed.

Suddenly, Jacinda (Paige Herschell), in Drew’s dress shirt, tells Willow off saying, “Didn’t your mother teach you to knock?” Willow fired back this is her bedroom. Next, Jacinda launches into a story of how Drew knew Willow was going to be out of town, and you know, men. Jacinda makes her exit.

Next, Willow slams the door bedroom door awaking Drew, who doesn’t have a clue to what happened. Willow cries, “Your date just left. I can’t believe you’d do this to me!” Next, she runs out of the house as a hungover Drew tries to chase after her.

Courtesy/ABC

DREW PLEADS WITH WILLOW

Willow runs straight to Nina’s (Cynthia Watros), who is there to comfort her daughter, even though she set the whole thing up! Nina knows how brutal this betrayal must be. Willow asks how she knows about it? Nina explains that everyone knows, and shows her the news and social media videos of Drew at The Savoy with Jacinda.

Willow says none of this makes sense, nothing fits with the man she knows and loves, and there must be an explanation.  Willow wonder if this is who Drew really is. When she left town, perhaps he let loose and showed his true self.

Courtesy/ABC

After Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) comes over to Drew’s to tell him she is taking Scout for the night and until this whole nightmare he caused calms down, Drew is completely thrown how any of this happened. Later, Drew shows up at Nina’s front door banging on it for Willow to let him so he can talk to her.

Did Portia (Brook Kerr) and Nina think through all angles of their plan? While Jacinda says she is hightailing it to the outback in Australia with the money they paid her and says she will lay low, could she try to blackmail Portia and Nina down the line?

LAURA RECALLS THE VININGS AND MEETING HER BIRTH MOTHER, LESLEY

Lulu (Alexis Havins) meets with Laura (Genie Francis) in her office and says she’d love to talk to her about adoption for her piece she is working on for the Llanview Banner. Laura says she was expecting this, and Lulu explains she is shielding all her sources and not using their real names in the article. Lulu says to her mom that she has never spoken about her adoption. Laura informs her that’s because she wasn’t adopted. She was switched at the hospital and actually had two families since Laura was raised by the Vinings.

Courtesy/ABC

When Laura met Dr. Lesley Webber (Denise Alexander), she felt immediately a strong connection and pull to her and they we practically strangers. Eventually, Lesley told Laura the truth that she was her birth mother. Laura admits there was a time when she wanted nothing to do with Lesley including the fact that at 14-years-old she ran away and joined a commune. It was actually Rick and Lesley who tracked her down and it was none other than Rick who made her see that all of Leslie’s choices were for the good at that time of her daughter.

After that, Laura says things improved. Lulu asks if she wonders what it would have been like to never know the truth. Laura says she loved both her mothers, and she couldn’t imagine her life without Lesley in it. Laura wonders why this is all so important to her. She turns off the recording button on Lulu’s phone. She gets the idea that this article is more than just about other people’s experiences with adoption or finding their birth parents. Laura demands to know, “What is going on?” Will Lulu explain the situation involving Dante (Dominic Zamprogna), Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and the baby they shared to her mother?

Throughout the scenes, Genie Francis once again reminded us all of what a treasure she is to General Hospital history as she relieved moments in Laura’s past that she actually played on television herself decades ago, making her remembrances of it, all the more special to the audience.

So, will Drew end up A-OK with Willow and his political career when all is said and done, and discover that Portia and Nina were behind his drugging? What did you think of the scenes as played by Genie Francis where Laura recalled meeting Lesley Webber and her becoming her mom? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

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I think Laura is always a gift. She is again in this scene. Lulu is way too vindictive towards, she needs to tone it down and act human. It will be nice to see Tracey get some backlash for her actions.

Even though Genie wasn’t playing Laura from 1974-1976 when Lesley found out Laura had been switched with the Vinings’ deceased baby and when Laura learned Lesley was her real mother, I wish TPTB had included some early flashbacks from 1977 when Genie took over the role and Lesley and Rick found her in the commune. A missed opportunity. I don’t understand why GH so rarely plays any clips before it became the Sonny/Carly/Jason show. Genie was fabulous yesterday even without flashbacks of Laura & Lesley…

Agreed. I miss your commentary on Daytime Confidential.

Thanks so much, Dennis! What a sweet thing to say! I miss DC and visit every day, but what happened was I have a very old phone and my browser no longer supports using Discus. (Nothing scandalous!) As soon as I can get an upgraded phone I hope to be back. Meanwhile I hope to see you around here!

Good to hear. I thought you got tired of the community since you seem to lean more conservative and most seem to have a more liberal slant. I’ll be looking for your comments.

100% with your thoughts on flashbacks. I was on the edge of my seat hoping for some. If Denise Alexander is still acting, I hope so very much she is there for Monica’s ( Leslie’s ) tribute episode.

A poster on another board said Denise Alexander passed away but her family haven’t told the press yet. This poster has inside scoop. I’m not sure if this is true, but this poster have been right about GH storylines in the past.

Regardless of the “projected knowledge” it’s not proper to speculate about someone’s health or undermine the wishes of a family. You figure posters would have learned from the inappropriate postings regarding Drake Hogestyn.

I agree and I hope its not true.

If you agree, why did you post that rumor?

I agree Discorules. I expected and would have loved seeing a few flashbacks to early Laura, Lesley and Rick.

Most episodes prior to going to one hour in 1978 are considered lost. The standard at the time was reuse the tapes – very shortsighted.

For this storyline, the commune part predates Chris Robinson playing Rick Webber. Even if the episode was available, ABC would have to research how to pay the previous Rick.

Hoping that Denise Alexander is up for a guest appearance when the show eventually plays Monica’s funeral sometime this year.

I was hoping for some flashbacks as well.

Loved the memories.

I think Drew should go!!

Yeah, Drew should definitely go… somewhere. (not to Hell though. We don’t want him!)

I’ve been in a general hospital fan for as long as I can remember, but these last couple of months I have not been watching. I’m disappointed in Willow and Drew story I don’t like the new Lulu. I don’t know what’s going on with the writers, but y’all need to get it back on track replacing people bring back Spencer the one that played the part of Michael when Michael was absent. that who should’ve got the part? Honestly, I’m just not feeling General Hospital right now and that was my favorite story The only story I watched

I agree about Lulu. Great actress but I don’t like how this new Lulu is written. At first, I was telling myself maybe they are writing her to be more like Luke. Sure, Luke would have broken into the hotel room, but…. not the rest of this stuff.

Watching the amazing and incomparable Genie Francis is still one of my great joys of watching GH.

I think it’s time Drew’s life starts to unwind, he needs to have some pain and start realizing what he has done to his friends but slowly. Make him start drinking more. He should loose Willow, she needs to deal with what she has done and question her life decisions, did she love Drew? Or Michael? Does she know what she really wants, did she ever, does she know who she really is? What has she done to her children’s lives? What does she want for her future? Make her struggle.

Beyond the Gates

RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers

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Beyond the Gates and General Hospital

The latest ratings are out for the week of October 26-30, 2026 and the big takeaways include: that CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates was separated by only 23,000 viewers behind third place (of the soaps) General Hospital! For the last several weeks, Beyond the Gates has been closing the gap on this year’s winner for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, and continuing to best GH in the key demos.

According to the latest Nielsen ratings breakdown from Soap Opera Network, the final week of October brought Beyond the Gates 1.790 million on average tuning-in and the show set a season high in total viewers. Meanwhile, General Hospital hit a new season low! The long-running ABC soap had 1.813 million for the week, and once again the series did not go over the 2 million mark.

Meanwhile, in the key Women 18-49 demo, Beyond the Gates was firmly ahead of GH with a rating share of 0.21, while General Hospital had 0.17 rating share.Then, in the key Women 25-54 demo, Beyond the Gates was once again ahead of the ABC soap with a ratings share for that demo at 0.30 while GH came in with 0.26.

Photo: CBS

MORE BY THE NUMBERS

In addition and comparatively, Beyond the Gates +22,000 viewers week-to-week, and had the largest gains in viewership year-to-year in daytime TV with +267,000 from this in 2025.. However, General Hospital seems to be going in reverse. The show was down -56,000 viewers week-over-week and down -22,000 year-over-year .

BEYOND THE GATES

Let’s take a look at some of the storylines that had people tuning-in to Beyond the Gates during the ratings week:

Hayley (Marquita Goings) attempted a massive shocker regarding her pregnancy and tried to use it to extract money from Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett). Although, Bill saw right through her game, he demanded a paternity test, and made it clear he has no intention of raising the child—planning instead to pay her off to take the baby and leave. Meanwhile, Hayley confided her plan to her cousin Randy (Maurice P. Kerry).

Jacob Hawthorne (Jibre Hordges) and Naomi Hamilton (Arielle Prepetit) clashed over Jacob’s ongoing investigation into The Impaler, causing significant strain in their marriage. At the same time, Smitty (Mike Manning) considered taking matters into his own hands—including potentially heading to Mexico for evidence—while Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) worried about what comes next.

Photo: ABC

GENERAL HOSPITAL

Over at General Hospital for the ratings period, the story served up included:

Carly (Laura Wright) and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) teamed up to investigate what really happened to Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna). Later, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) leads them to Jack’s dead body.

Jude (Wil Traval) dropped a bombshell claim to Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn); that he is Phoebe’s father, while Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard) signed their divorce papers.

Then, Danny caught Rocco (Finn Carr) and Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarski) sharing a kiss, plus the shocking return of Heather Webber (Alley Mills) capped the week.

Now the questions become; without having much promotional synergy in the ABC day-part to draw more eyeballs it is not helping but hurting General Hospital. It seems Beyond the Gates is also a  benefactor of a one-two-three punch of CBS soaps (Y&R, B&B and BTG) and promotion.

However, that still doesn’t take away the fact that Beyond the Gates is close to besting GH in all ratings category as they go head-to-head in some markets across the country.

So, are you excited to see Beyond the Gates climb in the ratings? Are you concerned for General Hospital? Do you think they can stave off Beyond the Gates in total viewers or will the upstart soap overtake them in the next ratings report? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

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General Hospital

Antonio Sabáto Jr. Breaks Silence on His Son’s Arrest for Fatal Hit-and-Run

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Antonio Sabato Jr.

Antonio Sabáto Jr., the former Jagger Cates of General Hospital and GH: Night Shift, and the former Dante Damiano of The Bold and the Beautiful has issued his first public statement since the incident involving his son, Jack’s arrest in Alaska for a fatal hit-and-run.

Jack is the son of Sabáto Jr. and Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, and according to court documents obtained by KTUU  Jack, was allegedly driving a white Chevy Tahoe when he hit and killed Carl Simmonds, 42, near an intersection in Anchorage around 5:35 a.m. on Monday, November 9.

The reports indicated that Jack fled the scene — but later decided to called the cops to say he hit “something” that “suddenly appeared in the road” while he was “doing late-night DoorDashing.”

Jack Sabato

Photo: NBC

Now, Antonio has taken to his Instagram breaking his silence on the situation, sharing, “At this time, my family and I are navigating an extremely sensitive and deeply personal matter.”

He added, “As a father, my love for my children remains unconditional, and my priority is the well-being of my family. We ask that the public and members of the media honor our privacy during this difficult time and keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.”

The soap alum concluded, “I also wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the gentleman who tragically lost his life. My thoughts and prayers are with them as well. We sincerely appreciate your compassion, understanding, and respect for the privacy of everyone affected.”

Jack Sabáto was arraigned in court on Tuesday, November 10 with bail set at $5,000, and a no-driving order and the potential of $5,000 penalty fees if he fails to attend future court appearances.

Antonio is the father to Jack, 34, daughter, Mina Sabato, 24 and son, Antonio Sabáto III, 15.

This is a developing story. You can check out Antonio’s official statement below.

So, let us know your thoughts on this tragic hit-and-run, which claimed the life of another man, and Antonio’s statement, via the comment section below.

 

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A post shared by Antonio Sabato Jr (@antoniosabatojr)

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos

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Ayla Bullington

Sonny (Maurice Benard) and Ava’s (Maura West) daughter Avery looks quite different, starting on today’s November 9 episode of General Hospital. That’s because GH has made Avery into a full-blown teenager and the role is now being played by actress Alya Bullington.

In her debut, the Tennessee native was thrown into the deep soap waters with Daytime Emmy winners, Maurice Benard and Eden McCoy (Josslyn). Bullington weighed-in to TV Insider about her first scene which featured Avery overhearing a fight between Sonny and Josslyn.

She explained “It was something I have never done before, I did not have a lot of experience with the screaming and the crying stuff, but I got my first script, and I was like, ‘OK, this is a huge opportunity to learn so much about how that stuff works and to become this character that I have never even tried playing before.’” 

Josslyn

Photo: ABC

THE TEENAGED VERSION OF AVERY WILL HAVE A LOT TO CONTEND WITH

Speaking of working with McCoy, Bullington shared, “She’s incredible. I remember her just laughing and making jokes on set, and then the minute that they started taping, she just locked in and she cried immediately, and my first thought was, ‘I want to be able to do that.’

The soap opera newcomer added, “I think she just inspired me so much because she is so great and she can just lock into whatever character she wants to in the moment.” 

The character of Avery was born back in 2014, but as recently as the October 8 episode of General Hospital, the character was suddenly referred to as a teenager. This is the second young female character in recent months to be aged up following the casting of Kayden Brenna Tokarski as Scout Cain.

As for her take on Avery and what’s ahead, Alya said,“She’s emotional, and she’s curious, and she’s a really fun person to play because so much stuff is happening in her life. I think she’s kind of confused about what’s happening and what to believe.”

So, what do you think about General Hospital making Avery a teenager? Are you excited to see the conflict between Sonny, Ava and Avery now that they have aged up the character? Share your thoughts and welcome Alya to GH 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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