General Hospital
General Hospital’s Steve Burton on the Jason and Anna Kiss, “This Was a Little Hard to Navigate”
General Hospital fans were in for shock, although many had predicted it may be coming, that Jason (Steve Burton) and Anna (Finola Hughes) believing that they were going to die at Sidwell’s compound in Africa, shared a kiss.
As of now, the two characters have not spoken of it to each other, leading many to inquire, was this just a one-time thing, or is GH toying with the idea of putting Jason and Anna together romantically? On social media, many fans were quick to point out that Jason was one of the all-time loves and former boyfriend of Anna’s daughter, Robin (Kimberly McCullough), making this all a bit more scandalous and dicey.
On a recent episode of the Daily Drama podcast. Burton discussed with Bradford Anderson (Spinelli, GH), how he and Finola Hughes tackled the moment to make it try to make sense for all involved. Steve began, “This was a little hard to navigate in the sense that, ‘Oh, we’re both dying and then you just kiss.’ These are two people that have been in danger their whole lives. I don’t think Jason has a great fear of dying. So, ‘what really is this about?’ And then you look at, maybe Jason doesn’t want to die as he has kids. Maybe he doesn’t want to be away … maybe he appreciates being there more. You have to go over these conversations with the writers, to say ‘Hey, is this just a cliffhanger? What is this?’”
Photo: JPI
As to where this all may lead, Burton didn’t seem to have a clear answer, but did bring up that you have to look at … was the kiss just for a sensationalistic cliffhanger, or is GH planting the seeds of an attraction and relationship between the two. Currently, Jason is not with anyone, nor is Anna since Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) has been on the run.’
Courtesy/ABC
Steve continued about the upshot of the kiss, “From the writers’ standpoint, Jason and Anna have had a good alliance. They have worked together well, and this is a point where two people – we believe we’re going to die. It’s about figuring that out (and) you could tell it was emotional (in that moment for the characters).”
So, would you like to see Jason and Anna have a romantic relationship? Is it just going to be this awkward moment between the two of them that they seldom speak of? Share your hopes and thoughts in the comment section. Check out the “The Kiss Heard ‘Round The World” episode of the Daily Drama podcast below where Steve dishes on the Jason/Anna liplock.
I vote for a no way and yes the fact that Robin is in the mix plays a factor but also why can’t a guy and a gal just hard up just be friends?
Exactly! I’m pretty perturbed about this too
Robin is in her 40s so this is a ridiculous argument.
Robin’s not in the mix. She’s not on the canvas; she hasn’t been for years and unless they recast the character she’s never coming back. She had a relationship with Jason when she was a teen or a bit older; it was thirty years ago. Jason is about 50 in-story, Anna around sixty. So many who are concerned about age didn’t seem to have a problem with Jason dating Britt, who’s about 15 or more years younger than him. As for dating her daughter’s ex from thirty years ago, GH has had quite a few characters having relationships with the ex’s of their kids or their parents.
Icky! Perfect for the show that thinks that the Drew/Willow thing is a good idea. It’s like the writers are just throwing up random combinations to find one that works! Yuck!
Agreed. The Drew and Willow thing is just stupid.
No, positively no to any future romance between these two. I don’t care if he dated her mother, Robin has nothing to do with a romantic relationship between these two. They are not right for each other, seems like they kill off the women suitable for Jason, i.e, Sam and Britt.
Please, Anna’s old enough to be him momma! Didn’t he date her daughter? Soaps think every time someone has a problem, get scared, someone die etc the only way to deal with it is sleeping together!! Give us a break. You can’t sleep your way out of everything!!
Finola is only ten years older than Steve. Steve was like 8-9 years older than Kimberly (Robin). Why was no one complaining about him being too old for Robin?
You’re using real life ages. On the show, Jason is a contemporary of Robin’s. Jason and Robin were only a year apart in high school. Lots of scenes with Robin, Karen, Brenda, Jagger and Jason (then Quartermaine) available on YouTube.
Anna had Robin when she was 17 and Jason was about three years older than Robin. So big deal; in-story there’s maybe a 14 year age difference; there was more of an age difference between him and Britt in-story and in real life. To top it off, no one mentions age as far as the characters go on soaps. Sonny is older than Carly, Anna was older than Valentin and Finn, and we know about Ava and Morgan which was the biggest age difference. I don’t get why anyone would care; it’s not like we’re watching an adult with someone underage. Can’t believe people who watch soaps have a problem with this. It’s absurd.
Yes. One hundred percent…yes!
A Jason and Anna romance? No thank you.
Part of me thought it was weird, but I also found it authentic & believable. Given the situation they were in and that they had been working together & building trust, it made some sense. Clearly this relationship presents an unusual amount of obstacles, but the biggest one is the ick factor of Robyn & Jason’s former relationship. I don’t believe that Anna could get past that, it was too important to Robyn.
ABSOLUTELY NO WAY SHOULD THEY BE INVOLVED ROMANTUCALLY.!
PROFESSIONALLY, THEY ARE A GREAT TEAM!
Right before the kiss I thought Jason had a very calculated look in his eye and I was hoping the guards would be shocked, come into the cell and Jason figured he and Anna could get the drop on them somehow.
Although it was unusual, Anna did seem very freaked out by the whole thing about possibly dying so I thought maybe the kids was to calm her down, the shock value also would prevent her from screaming or something when the guards came.
Yes, Jason was with Robin and that is icky for most with him kissing Anna, but Sam had a stillbirn baby girl with her current lover’s father, so GH is not big on virtuous living!
Go for it! Afterall, it’s a soap. All logic and reason goes out the door for the thrill of it. Scandalous!
THRILL.?, OMG!
I’m sticking with my original theory that the kiss was merely a “diversion” that Jason came up with on the fly, because he heard the goons approaching the prison cell, and didn’t want them to notice that Anna was using a wire to pick the lock on his handcuffs, so the “kiss” gave them an excuse to be standing so close together.
Anna, being a “former” spy probably caught on to what he was doing and played along with it. I’m doubting she has a serious interest in Robin’s former boyfriend. On the other horn, she does have her history with “bad boys” like Duke Lavery & Val the Bastard, so if not for the Robin factor, it might be a possible consideration for her?
No
“A little hard to navigate “ is the understatement of the YEAR!!! I don’t watch GH but when I saw on here that that happened, I about had a heart attack. Jason and Anna?! Really writers? That’s a bridge gone too far.
No, Anna is too old for Jason! Bring in somebody new.
No. It would be ridiculous.
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Cynthia Watros Honors Former ‘Titus’ Co-Star Stacy Keach Following His Passing
General Hospital star Cynthia Watros, who can currently be seen in on the ABC soap opera in the role of Nina Reeves, has had a enduring career in television. That included her time on the 2000-2002 Fox sitcom, Titus.
In Titus, Watros starred along with Stacy Keach as Erin Fitzpatrick and Ken Titus, respectively. After the November 10th news that Keach had passed away at 85 while living in Poland, Cynthia took to her Instagram on Thursday, November 12 to pay tribute to the great actor.
Watros expressed, “My first prime time show was along side Stacy. I loved him instantly. What an amazing talent and man.❤️”
Photo: ABC
In Titus, Stacy played stand up comedian Christopher Titus’ heavy-drinking, chain-smoking, five-times-divorced father who frequently pulled cruel pranks and tried to toughen his kids up. Cynthia played by Christopher’s level-headed, big-hearted girlfriend trying to build a normal life with him. In fact, Cynthia’s role on the sitcom was first series regular role after her Daytime Emmy run of Annie Dutton on Guiding Light which ran from 1994-1998.
STACY KEACH’S WIFE ON HIS PASSING
Keach’s wife, Malgosia shared the news of the actor’s death publicly in a statement with PEOPLE. Malgosia expressed, that Stacy had, “a long and difficult battle with a serious heart condition and heart failure.”
She added, “Stacy peacefully departed this world. He fought for so long, with extraordinary courage, determination and strength. He was a true warrior, facing his illness with the same remarkable spirit and resilience that defined his life.”
Małgosia continued, “Stacy was not only a legendary actor, admired and loved by audiences the world over, but also my beloved husband, my companion and the heart of our family. His passing leaves an immeasurable emptiness in our lives. But his extraordinary spirit, his unforgettable voice and the love he gave so generously will remain with us forever.”
Now, let us know do you remember when Cynthia made her sitcom debut in Titus? Share your thoughts via the comment section on Cynthia’s many TV roles and the passing of Stacy Keach in the comment section. But first, check out the very first episode of Titus with Cynthia Watros below!
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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‘General Hospital’s’ Cynthia Watros Honors Former ‘Titus’ Co-Star Stacy Keach Following His Passing
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