General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Sam Dies! Kelly Monaco’s 21-Year Run Comes to an Almost Conclusion
In the final moments of today’s October 30th episode of General Hospital, Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco) passed away after efforts for over a half hour to resuscitate her from the medical team including; her surgeon and half-brother, Dr. Lucas Jones (Van Hansis), failed to bring her back to life.
GH viewers have been clued in for sometime that Kelly Monaco was leaving the show after 21 years in what was initially reported as a “storyline-dictated” move. How Sam would actually meet her maker was up in the air, although rumors have been that she would die saving Lulu’s life after she donates her liver to her. Now, on today’s GH, and out of the blue, Sam took a deadly turn for the worse, after having a heartfelt and happy conversation with her mother, Alexis Davis (Nancy Lee Grahn).
Soap Opera Digest confirmed from a GH spokesperson that today’s episode did indeed mark the end of the line for Sam McCall, but that Kelly Monaco’s last episode will air later this week.
Courtesy/ABC
In story, Sam was radiant (according to Alexis) as she found out that Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) proposed to her daughter and Sam said “yes!” The two talked about how Sam has been able to have lasting relationships and build a solid family unit, which is something Alexis admits she hasn’t been able to do successfully in her own life.
Elsewhere, Dante tells Rocco (Finn Carr) that he proposed marriage to Sam and she accepted. Rocco questions Dante of what marrying Sam means for Lulu? Dante says that Sam has given them a second chance to all be a family and he loves her.
Courtesy/ABC
Cut to Alexis at the nurses station at General Hospital beside herself. Just then, Jason (Steve Burton) enters from the elevator and he can feel in his gut something is off and up with Sam, when he sees a frazzled Alexis and they lock eyes. Jason quickly sends Danny and Scout away to Bobbie’s so they aren’t around the hospital.
Inside Sam’s hospital room, Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst) and Portia (Brook Kerr) and Lucas began their efforts to save Sam. Lucas orders a crash cart as he cannot understand what could be happening to Sam, when her vitals were normal, and her blood work was all normal. Portia suggests it might be an embolism. The crash cart arrives. Lucas grabs the paddles as Portia resumes compressions. They continue to try to bring Sam back, as Lucas says, “Don’t quit on me” to his sister.
Courtesy/ABC
Back outside of the room, Jason and Alexis keep each other company. Alexis says Sam had “gone completely white. Her face just went completely white and she couldn’t breathe.” Jason is in near tears, and Alexis admits to him that she’s scared.
In Sam’s room, Portia tells Lucas it’s time. Nothing is reviving Sam and they have tried compressions and the paddles and all of their tricks to save her. Portia tells Lucas that Sam had been in asystole and flatline for 30 minutes. “She’s gone,” she says. Lucas is beside himself and in tears, as he finally manages to officially call Sam’s time of death, “5:48 p.m.”
Now the “why?” of the story begins. Why did Sam die? Did someone kill her? Coming up look for the emotional fallout, plus the heartfelt and gut-wrenching goodbyes as Sam’s family and friends gather to try to cope with this devastating loss.
So, what did you think about how Sam died suddenly on today’s GH? Was that how you thought she would exit the canvas? Are you sad knowing that this is, for all intent and purposes, the near end to Kelly Monaco’s GH run? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
God, this socks! I hope they can explain why this storyline had to be. There were more stories to tell for.Sam and there are other characters who are dispensible, besides a 21 year vet who wanted to stay and take a pay cut.
I doubt that was th especially When Jason came back! Maybe a movie soon find out
I’m holding out for a twist because I really cant’ process all this right now, I’m still shock with the shows decision.
I think the GH writers and producers did Kelly Monaco wrong. The fact that they had already taken the substance out of such a strong and street smart character and turned Sam into a bland character was bad enough but now, to kill her off. Just can’t comprehend the thought process. After bringing back Steve Burton and reviving his character, was hoping for a reconnection of 2 badass characters from bygone days. Maybe GH needs new writers.
This makes me so sad. Sam and Dante are so beautiful together. Sam will be missed for sure
Bad move on producers part.Very SAD
So sad!!! I don’t believe they have treated Kelly right since Billy Miller got let go, I really hope Kelly talks and tells what really happened behind the scenes.. also I think this is the first time Alexis and Jason had a scene together since he was let go du to the covid mandates.
I watched this at 2pm EST today and am still crying. I know it’s a fictional drama but I felt Kelly was one of the linch pins that held the show together. My heart hurts for Kelly and I hurt not being able to see my friend Sam McCall anymore. God bless you Kelly❤️
Brooke Kerr, Rebecca Herbst and especially Van Hansis were amazing. I’m glad the final scene of living Sam were her being happy with her mom. This storyline is already highly emotional and is going to spin weeks, if not probably months of future story for so many characters. Congratulations to Kelly Monaco for a 21-year run and for being a pro during what must have been difficult final scenes to record. Anyone who works in showbiz will tell you 21 years of steady work is a miracle.
Brooke Kerr was horrible! Portia is horrible. Portia had such little compassion; was so void of empathy it was cringe-worthy. This is a woman who would die or kill for her own daughter, yet look as detached as possible from Alexis’s devastation. I wouldn’t call Brooke Kerr out for anything other than she can play a cold bich.
Steve Burton and Nancy Grahn were who broke viewers hearts. Both of them gave stellar performances; their characters grief palpable through the screen.
I too was shocked at her coldness towards Alexis. I have never been able to stand her. Alexis & Jason broke my heart-the scene where they met eyes & he sent the kids off to Bobbie’s. You just knew what was coming. Heartwrenching.
The way this story went down was absolutely heartless. After 21 years of continuous service, Kelly Monaco deserves much, much better than what she got. As always, the alphabet network and the mouse company have no respect for their actors, their characters, nor for their audience.
Wondering if ABC has instructed the GH writers to kill the show. I am unsure what the fans ever did to the writers, but they must hate us.
First, Sam was killed, then Cody and Sasha were smashed into millions of pieces. I am betting TPTB was surprised by the large number of fans upset by them trashing an almost two-year build-up to their romance. Or maybe they weren’t.
Couldn’t they have at least had Sam’s kids visit her one more time before she flatlined? – I mean that was pretty cruel. They were so close.
And how ridiculous was it that neither Molly or Kristina were at the hospital? Not in ONE scene from beginning to end. The excuse that was written into the dialogue was laughable.
Bad decision by the writers. He writers for GH haven’t been up to par for a long time. I guess next they will get rid of Sonny.
Maurice wants to exit GH. He has said repeatedly it’ll be sooner rather than later. I don’t think they’ll “get rid” of Sonny until Maurice wants them to.
Actually Maurice recently said in the YouTube chat of his State of Mind show that he recently signed a two year contract with GH. So he’s not leaving anytime soon. Two years was also the deal Steve signed when he came back, so I’m guessing that’s the “standard” contract length these days. We are talking about a show that’s been on the air for over 61 years, after all. So they probably wouldn’t do a 5 year deal with anybody right now.
He literally just said a few months ago and previous to that, that he will be “retiring sooner rather than later” as soon as he feels he’s making the money he wants from his State Of Mind show and his book. He put it like, “sorry to say, but it’ll be sooner rather than later.” He went on to say he was tired of doing the soap, it’s been a long time, and it stresses him out too much. So; dunno. Either you saw an old YouTube clip or he changed his mind again.
Throughout the years, Sam was frequently referred to as a “ride or die” girl. Yesterday, at 5:48pm, the last part apparently became true.
Most actors and actresses get a goodbye and a cake after their last episode or before not sure which, My question is did Kelly? If not why not? and did any of the other people on the show fight to keep her? I agree what they did to her character was horrible she was a bada$$ and then to turn her into what they did was all kinds of wrong.
You’re asking if others on the show fought to keep her? If someone else at your work loses their job, would you speak up to your boss or protest – of course not. I know we’re talking show business here, but those that remain are employees of ABC/Disney and want to retain their jobs regardless of how they feel about someone else’s dismissal.
Buh-bye Sam McCall! Now, bring on Lulu Spencer!
So wish they had kept the character of Sam and given the part to Lyndsay. She was amazing!
This is so beyond cruel to not only Kelly Monaco, but to longtime viewers. We’ve had enough of goodbyes…older vets retiring, others regardless of age who have passed. So much loss. We didn’t need to “lose” another legacy character because of behind-the-scenes drama.
Putting that aside (with difficulty) I have to give props to Steve Burton. When Jason is “heartbroken” or emotionally moved by something, he’s able to convey that completely without saying a word….His eyes tell the story.
So sad…when there are her kids to think about!!!! The management should’ve worked something out!!!! I wanted her & Jason to end up back together too!!!
I loved Sam so much she was the best actrist. Perfect at every thing . Not to mention how pretty . She must have her own family to get to. She deserves it. If possible have her come back as a deceased ghost line talking to loved ones
Im sorry that kelly was disrespected in the way they hurt her and her charactor she did not deserve what they did to her she should have been reunited with steve when he came back to general hospital they were a dynamic couple i will alway miss her and sam they better not recast someone else as sam because no one put up with it there will be a big back lash from her fans kelly forever
I have just been told my seven people that as a result of Sam’s death each of them will no longer watch General Hospital
I was never a fan of “Sam”, but I didn’t want her off the show. Kudos to Nancy—very moving scene—so much so, it brought me to tears.
On a happy note—Steve Burton is coming to the Smithtown Theatre ( Long Island, NY), in November- Lori Stancati-Sasbon ( of SWEET TEA ACOUSTIC DUO) co-ordinated the show!! Amazing.!!
Writing this character off the show is a big mistake. There was definitely more story to tell esp if Sam and Dante married. I’m not impressed on where this new writing team is taking the storylines.
There had better be a Cassadine twist. Everyone loves Samantha. I am grateful that Jason was the second person to say goodbye. Theirs was the best love story on GH. Love Dante and Patrick with Sam but Sam and Jason are endgame. You always wanted to cheer on Jason and Sam even today. Thanks for the beautiful montage at the end. We needed that to remind us they are a Soap Supercouple! Thank you Kelly Monaco!
Not “everyone” loved Samantha. Jason and Sam long passed their expiration date. Luke & Laura didn’t last – neither did Jason & Sam
Whyyyyyyy did they kill off Sam , I’m so disappointed in gh letting all the great ones go , this sucks
Yeah, I hope GH isn’t circling the drain. With the exit of a lot of characters, like Sam, Finn, Austin, etc., then bringing back Lucky and Lulu, it makes me wonder if this is sort of the “big power surge” before the end. I mean the soap has been on over six decades, and ya kind of wonder where it’s headed. Don’t mean to be a downer, but I can see it winding down.
I can only ask why.
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.
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.”
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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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.’”
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.
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers
B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
Antonio Sabáto Jr. Breaks Silence on His Son’s Arrest for Fatal Hit-and-Run
DANCING WITH THE STARS: A Shocking Elimination on Grammy Night Leaves Ballroom Silenced
Y&R’s New Head Writers Share Vision for Genoa City: Contemporary Homage to Bill Bell, Mixing Heightened Escapism and Grounded Reality
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: Episodes From New Co-Head Writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, Begin to Air
‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos
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THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
‘Days of our Lives’ Veteran James Reynolds Reveals Parkinson’s Diagnosis
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