General Hospital
GH Casts Chris Van Etten As Amy’s Brother, Chet!
Photo: ChrisVanEttenTwitter
He is a war vet, model, and motivational speaker, and now Chris Van Etten has been cast on General Hospital! Van Etten will play the much talked about brother of Amy (Risa Dorken) Driscoll, named Chet.
Although Chris shares the same name as GH co-head writer, Chris Van Etten, this Chris lost both of his legs — and one of his closest friends — in an explosion while serving for the Marines in Afghanistan. After receiving prosthetic legs and being medically retired from service in 2013, Van Etten turned to exercise as an outlet for mental strength and stability, as well as physical health and is a successful fitness model including for Jockey underwear.
Chris told SOD he is very excited for the opportunity with GH noting: “This has been an awesome opportunity for me.”
So, what do you think of GH casting Van Etten as Amy’s brother? Excited for his debut? Comment below!
Far be it from me to begrudge the addition of a heroic veteran (and a majorly hot one, at that), I resume my previous argument of adding yet more characters to a show which already can’t juggle the existing ones fairly. And why saddle this poor Chris with the annoying Amy? Does that mean she’s staying, too? Ugh! Now, if we deep six Amy, I’ll remain open to giving Chris a break. He deserves that much.
Thank you for saying it for me.
I think GH is on the right track with the addition of Chet. Of course Amy is annoying, but don’t we want her to be ? I feel she is similar to OLTL’s Marcy and have grown fond of Amy. And no mob ties to boot !
I still think Frank Valentini is doing GH good. And lets not forget he wasn’t around when all the Quartermaine’s were killed off. I feel that GH is worth my time. Would be sadly disappointed if it stopped airing. It is a great dinner companion five days a week when i get home from work.
Soaphound, what a beautiful sentiment.
@Soaphound…How about giving Chet a break and pairing him with Kiki to nurse him back to health instead of his overbearing sis? That is if Ms. Jerome can escape the suspicious clutches of Dr. Bensch! (But yes, “deep sixing” the overly-perky Amy is an excellent notion….can we please just send her off on a one-way book tour?)
probably a new love interest for KiKi???
Awesome!
This is America’s longest war. And it hasn’t been acknowledged in any meaningful way IMHO (and not just by soaps) – whether it’s prime time or movies or water cooler conversations. National disasters get more news coverage.
I welcome the opportunity to hear a story from a member of or armed services. I hope its not the last. And I hope the stories look the composition of the armed services. In 2014, 24% of the civilian workforce was made up of racial minorities while 33% of active duty service members were racial minorities. Active duty service members are male and female, white and racial minorities, Christian and non-Christian. And they each deserve our respect.
Tell their stories with truth and dignity. Take pages from Sonny to do this and a grateful nation will thank you
Wow, what a great post, Tomas.
You’re right, of course.
I will give it a chance.
AWESOME NEWS!!!!
……Hopefully he’ll get a good storyline.
WHY? The cast is already bloated, and many viewers do not care for the character of Amy. Why give her an on-screen family? As with many of the newcomers, we’ll see Chet for a day or a week, and then it will be a month until we see him again.
P.S. I think it would be wonderful to introduce this character, a real-life Vet; however, I just do not have much faith in the writers as to how the character or story will develop. Best of luck to Chris Van Etten in his new role.
As do I, dmr, since I’m also all for supporting our vets and think this is an excellent opportunity for GH to salute wounded warriors, in particular!Hopefully, the writers will do them proud with this storyline! Now, if the show could only demonstrate the same respect for our brave ICE agents! Yesterday’s episode was the second time this year (at least, as far as I’m aware….) that a character has taken it upon themselves to boldly lie to the face of a government officer who is simply trying to perform his sworn duty and then act like they’ve done something wonderful in preventing said agent from accomplishing their legal task at hand. In other words, we again had an individual–and a supposed law enforcement professional, no less!—taking liberties to break federal statutes whilst aiding and abetting others who were doing likewise. Why is this offensive message being repeatedly conveyed to viewers who actually believe in upholding the rules of our land? It was bad enough the first time this happened with that Samira travesty, but to repeat such an irresponsible stunt was not something that added any entertainment value whatsoever to this program. In fact, it was downright shameful and utterly unnecessary!!!! It’s time for GH to knock off the socio-political propaganda and get back to storytelling…they finally have some decent tales to tell with Mr. Van Etten’s admirable introduction and Steve Burton’s exciting return to the canvas and yet, they still felt the need to squander audience goodwill these developments have brought to once again promote a notion that many Americans find wholly unacceptable, if not downright, wrong!
OK–
New guy– ”Van Etten turned to exercise as an outlet for mental strength and stability, as well as physical health and is a successful fitness model including for Jockey underwear.”
That fit man does not sound as described by Amy.
Her brother is needy/helpless and needs care that she needs to pay for.
I dunno.. Chris, a handsome muscular hunk vet does not seem to be the be withering needing care brother of Amy’s ..
And why hasn’t VA provided help for the vet and put it all on Amy, some sure but all no.
Excellent point, su. However, my guess is that in recent years, the VA has become a clearinghouse for far too many very costly non-service related procedures of certain elective varieties and has thus been less able to focus upon its actual original mission of providing comprehensive care for combat-caused injuries and illnesses? At least that is what I have heard from vets in the know….with only so many government resources to go around, this agency has been overburdened with budget-busting medical cases that they never envisioned years ago, and this is causing its more traditional functions to be spread beyond thin. I believe this is one of the main reasons for the current administration’s recent executive order to bring cost controls more in line with reality so that they can provide the medical aid earned and deserved by those horribly affected during their time in service to our country. At least that is the hope….
su0000…
the fact that this guy is good-looking and in shape is not contradictory to story. there are many injured vets who get regular physical therapy and build up their upper bodies…that’s almost a given. that doesn’t negate the fact that in real life and in the story that he was severely injured and needed operations and/or prosthetics….. Amy never said he was withering away, dying, emaciated or not attractive. just that he was severely injured (and not necessarily too recently.)
I think ye doth protest too much.
Oh, Rebecca, I’m so upset over the Burton return and shafting of Billy Miller (and the audience) that I’m now really looking forward to seeing Chris begin his run. Maybe he’ll help me forget the debacle this show has become. All bend to the almighty Steve “Mediocrity” Burton and the fools in charge that are allowing him to take over GH once again.
It took long enough but Chet finally has a face. And Amy gets more story which could also bring Nathan and Maxie into the mix. I want to see where this goes.
Good for GH for casting an actual vet and actual amputee!
Wonderful! Wishing Chris the best and thanking him for his service.
I so – hope – Amy and Chet have an easy going rapport
with all of Amy energies on overdrive… I wish these two characters the best
Chris Van Etten : “Thank You” for your service.
Sincerely
Awesome! Its great GH used a real vet to protray this character. It will give it an authentic feel and not forced. Reminds me of when All My Children did the same with the character Brock. That actor too was a war vet who sustained serious injury in real life. They were able to incorporate him into the AMC fold and he fit in perfectly!
Too bad Amy is such an annoying character! Maybe this will soften her irritating nature!
The AMC story was actually amazingly well done and has a pretty hilarious backstory. The real life war vet totally blew his soap vet co-star out of the water (and totally unintentionally I’m sure) because his intended short term role was so relatable and likable while his rather brittle and full of herself co-star whined about being expected to do Shakespeare against someone who wasn’t a “real” actor. Guess which one the audience related to and who “exited stage left.” Oops.
This is a totally different story set up though and the only way I see it working is if it turns out Amy character is actually a scammer using her poor, helpless brother who ain’t actually that helpless to enrich herself.
Just as an aside I’m pretty sure the AMC actor’s name is JR Martinez and if I’m not mistaken he went on to win Dancing With The Stars. I don’t usually follow it but I did that season and cheered him on all the way. I’ll sheepishly admit I even signed up to vote for him.
If I’m not mistaken the actor/motivational speaker playing Amy’s brother character was on DWTS as well. But this sounds like a kind of manipulative ass backwards story set up here.
There are only two ways for this story to go. Either Amy is a total grafter or her “helpless” brother is.
There’s a new HW sheriff in town, though, and I kind of like that the stories so far aren’t entirely predictable.
Guess we’ll see…
When I read the article title, I though GH was pulling a stunt and casting it’s new head writer in a cameo role! But this sounds like it will be worthwhile, if even for a short story arc – which I hope it is, considering GH’s cast is already too bloated as it is, and they need to be getting rid of characters (like Amy!) instead of adding new ones.
I think a”pairing” with Valerie; would be awesome
I actually like Amy; I think she’s adorable. Bringing her brother on board will lend authenticity to the Ask Man Landers story…interested to see how they’ll incorporate it all. Kudos to GH for bringing on an actor who actually went through the experience his character is based on instead of getting an actor to play an injured vet.
I congratulate Chris Van Etten for getting the role, look forward to the story and thank him for his service.
I like Amy as well. And yes her perkiness can sometimes get to you. But it’s her quirky, tenacious creative personality that made ManLanders happen so she could help her brother. And better to include a GH story that offers advice in civil , personal way instead of seeing Laura holding a gun on Valantin. Or ending yesterday with Steve/Jason and Sonny pointing guns at each other, which we will probably see again as part of the the opening tomorrow. Or Jason showing how to put his pistols together, or Finn showing how you shoot up. Enough guns. I don’t think any other soap has used them as much, or at least very little compared to GH, unless you think of a brief time with Kevin recently in Y&R.
And I am so glad they are going to have a vet play Amy’s brother. A very positive statement.
It doesn’t mention how long he will be with GH– I’d guess a short say.
Also.. I think his screen time will be not enough to get excited over..
Looking forward to his scenes.
Great for Chris but bad for us viewers. I wanted Paul Hornsby to kill Amy back when he went nuts! She is super annoying and is shoved down our throats just like Sabs was!
@Timmm….I had a long list of cast members I wanted Paul Hornsby to bump off before he was unceremoniously sent off to Pentonville, and yes, Amy was most definitely one of them. (I’m sure you can guess at least a few of the rest…LOL.) However, at least he managed to rid our soap screens of the sugarcoated Sabs, so for that I shall forever salute Richard Burgi and his still missed character! From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Paul!!!!
I, too, appreciate that GH hired someone authentic for this role and admire him for his service of this country. However, it’s time for this storyline to end. Hopefully, this signals an end to the Man Flanders fluff and deals honestly with the medical struggles of veterans.
On a separate note, on Monday’s episode, Andre finally has a purpose on this show. Is he now going to transition into a mastermind criminal? Now, only Lulu and Dante need a purpose.
Congratulations to this real-life American hero on his new GH role! I have no doubt Chris Van Etten will honorably and poignantly represent the struggles far too many of our brave veterans are currently facing, so whilst I’ve (thus far) absolutely loathed the character of Nurse Amy and often seriously doubted the true existence of “Chet,” cheers to the writers for making good on this mysterious storyline promise that will hopefully reflect upon much-needed decency rather than the usual lawlessness that’s so prevalent in today’s Port Charles! Hence although I am usually the first to grouse when a new—and normally unnecessary—character is introduced to this already overloaded cast, I happily make an exception for this worthy representative of the “Few and the Proud” and say, “Welcome to GH, Mr. Van Etten!”
I think this is great! Thank you for your service!
That’s a great story line. It fits right in with today’s life and what many families are facing.
I think this is great, the vets who served us really need to be recognized for what they have given for us and they need to know they can still be a productive member of society. They need to know they are accepted disabilities and all. Thank you for you service.
If this is a short term storyline it could be interesting enough, as long as this isn’t a case of another newbie on contract, with a cast that’s already bloated with the likes of his sister Amy, Frodd, Nina, etc.
And when Chet leaves town he can take them with him.
Kudos to GH for celebrating veterans. Kudos for using a physically challenged actor to do it. All good things but seriously, do we need another nothing character on the canvas? Let me guess, it turns out that he is the real Jason and Amy is really Helena’s grand daughter that was kidnapped by the fake Jason who is really Jason until he finds out that he is Sonny but had amnesia caused by Jason Morgan who really is Faison hired by Julian who wants to uncover the real Jason Morgan played in a dual role by Steve Burton who is extending his contract by six years to portray four characters all named Jason.
General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Sonny Tells Dante, “I Don’t Want a Son Like You,” While Michael Tells Brook Lynn to Bide Her Time Till Chase and Willow Have an Affair
On the Thursday, October 1 episode of General Hospital, both Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and Michael Corinthos (Rory Gibson) had some things to say and what they had to say didn’t go over well with whom they were talking to!
Sonny had a confrontation with his son, Dante (Dominic Zamprogna), while Michael leveled with Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) over Chase (Josh Swickard).
GH is setting up a scenario where everyone is going to make it look like Sonny was responsible for having Sidwell (Carlo Rota) beat up in Pentonville; while viewers already know Ava (Maura West) and Drew (Cameron Mathison) were behind it.
Courtesy/ABC
A VISIT WITH DAD
Now, Dante comes to Sonny’s house. He wants to know straight up from his dad if he ordered the attack at Pentonville. Sonny flatly denies any culpability or responsibility, but Dante refuses to believe him.
Dante informs Sonny he has video footage of Sully and Vito at the prison. Sonny explains to Dante he doesn’t know why Sully beat up both Curtis and Dante. Things escalated when Sonny was deeply hurt that Dante refused to believe him. Dante says he was disappointed that his father didn’t respect him enough to be truthful with him!
Sonny asks Dante to consider that he was being set up. He says all he did was to tell Vito to instruct Sully to keep a watchful eye on Sidwell, not to harm him. No matter what Sonny said, Dante continued hammering him with how he knew deep down, even though he said he left the mob, he had to finish off Sidwell for himself.
Next, Sonny explains everything he has ever done was to provide for and to protect his family. Dante fired back that he doesn’t want to deal anymore with Sonny’s half-baked truths. As the two men argue, Gio (Giovanni Mazza) shows up at Sonny’s front door and overhears Sonny losing his temper and shouting at Dante, “Get out of my house! I don’t want a son like you!” The scenes featured an excellent performance by Maurice Benard.
Courtesy/ABC
MICHAEL THE MANIPULATOR
While this is going down, outside the Quartermaine boathouse, Brook Lynn opens up to Michael about living at the Q’s with Chase being there, since he only came back due to legal advice from his lawyer, Monet Mitchell (Blythe Howard).
Brook Lynn questioned whether they should get legally separate. Michael insisted that would be a big mistake. When she asks why, Michael tells Brook Lynn to bide her time until Chase and Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) have an affair; then she’d have full custody of Phoebe.
An angered Brook Lynn pushed Michael into the water and accuses him of moving Willow back into the gatehouse with intent on putting Chase and Willow in closer proximity and sacrificing Brook Lynn’s family in the process. As the two cousins bicker, Chase shows up asking Brook Lynn if she is OK. Michael punctuates their talk with “You know, I’m right.”
CURTIS FIGURES OUT A WAY TO GET OUT OF THE SLAMMER
At GH, Willow visits Curtis (Donnell Turner) in his hospital room. Curtis wants Willow to get him pardoned and keep him out of jail, and in return, he will help her nail Sonny.
Next, Willow tells Dr. Tristan Roberts (Dean Geyer) she wants Curtis held for observation for three more days. He agrees to do so under one condition, that she understands that he may need to call in a favor from a congresswoman.
So, what did you think of how Dante accused his father and refused to believe Sonny’s answers? Is this the end of their father and son relationship for good? Is Michael the most manipulative person of all, except for Willow? Do the two deserve each other? Do you want Chase and Willow to have an affair? And what of Curtis? Does he have many redeeming qualities left? Share your thoughts via the comment section, but first check out the talk Michael had with Brook Lynn.
General Hospital
GH Alum Tajh Bellow and Y&R Alum Loren Lott Star in New Tiktok and Microdrama ‘Love Island’ Spoof
Two soap opera alums very familiar to fans of General Hospital and The Young and the Restless are paired together in a new short-form digital series from none other than Issa Rae’s production entity HOORAE Digital.
Look for Tajh Bellow (ex-TJ Ashford, GH)) and Loren Lott (ex-Ana Hamilton, Y&R) as part of the cast of The Compatibility Experiment, premiering on October 14, 2026, exclusively on TikTok and its companion microdrama platform, PineDrama.
In the video teaser, it appears that Bellow and Lott play a couple, Kelvin and Camila, set in a Love Island reality show-esque environment trying to win the one million dollar cash prize, only what could go wrong?
Photo: HOORAE
The Compatibility Experiment loglines share that it brings a fast-paced, relationship-focused reality check—much like Love Island with a twist. The show takes a participant’s current relationship, introduces them to a potentially more compatible partner, and forces them to navigate the differences with life-changing money on the line.
The new series is part of a groundbreaking content deal between HOORAE Digital and TikTok to develop premium short-form storytelling. The ensemble cast also features; Ayona, Reggie Luck, JaNa Craig, Tosin Morohunfola, Jessica Jacoby, Georgia Warner, and Nick Cassidy.
General Hospital fans know Tajh Bellow for his performances as TJ Ashford, and who earned two Daytime Emmy nominations along the way during his run. Bellow took over the role in 2018 and last appeared on the ABC daytime drama series in December of 2024.
Loren Lott first appeared as Devon’s (Bryton James) sister Ana Hamilton on The Young and the Restless from 2018 to 2019; making a brief return in 2024. She has continued to perform on the stage and screen with recent credits including: Bel-Air, Cherish the Day, and All American: Homecoming.
Check out the trailer for The Compatibility Experiment below and let us know what you think of its concept and if you are glad to see Tajh and Loren again? Hoping they might return to daytime in their GH and Y&R roles at some point in the future? Weigh-in via the comment section.
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General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Ava and Drew Revealed to be Behind Framing Sonny for Sidwell’s Prison Beatdown
If you thought that the person responsible for the Pentonville brawl that saw Sidwell (Carlo Rota) and Curtis (Donnell Turner) taken to General Hospital was Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) or even Sidwell himself, you were dead wrong! On the Wednesday, September 30 episode of GH, it turned out that the culprits were actually Ava (Maura West) and Drew (Cameron Mathison).
In story, Drew apparently bankrolled the attack on Sidwell and framing Sonny. He told Ava their planned worked (she came up with it!) but was horrified when Drew informed her that Curtis got caught in the crosshairs. Ava is visibly upset because of her longtime friendship with Curtis’ daughter, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali). Drew tried to make Ava see the bright side. Curtis was witness to it and his presence will cast doubt on Sonny’s claims to that he had gotten out of the mob and gone legit.
Later, Vito shows up at Drew’s. They informed him that his guy on the inside of the slammer made a big mistake by hurting their friend and ordered him to leave town.
Courtesy/ABC
BOATHOUSE BRAWL
In other major developments, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) and Rocco (Finn Carr) have a blow out fight as Danny blames his “brother” for the reason Charlotte was sent off to boarding school.
Rocco told off Danny for Charlotte’s (Bluesy Burke) reckless behavior and he explains he had to protect his sister. He went in on Danny saying that his mother Lulu (Alexa Havins) has been right to send Charlotte to boarding school and far away from Danny.
However, Rocco went a bit too far when he shouted, “And if your mom was alive, she would send you away too!” Next, Danny punched out Rocco, leading to a terrible brawl. An angered Danny yells at Rocco to, “Stay away from me and everyone in my family. And don’t you ever mention my mom again!” Danny storms off.
Courtesy/ABC
Now alone outside the boathouse, Rocco flashes back to his first kiss with Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarksi), hoping that his fight with Danny will not escalate and ruin their budding romance. Meanwhile, a bloodied-mouth Danny heads over to Sonny’s and Jason (Steve Burton) is there at the same time. He then admits that he has a bad fight with Rocco and they are both beaten up.
WILL SCOUT WISE UP?
At the end of the episode, Scout, who had a fight with Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) over Drew, and who keeps telling everyone how good a man her dad truly is, comes upon a suspicious scene.
Scout hides behind the wall outside Drew’s. She sees her dad, Ava and Vito talking. Next, Scout seems to overhear Vito assuring Drew and Ava that their business dealings are done, and he’ll be leaving Port Charles for good.
So, what did you think of the reveal that Ava and Drew were behind framing Sonny for the prison beatdown of Sidwell (and Curtis)? Do you think Danny and Rocco’s relationship can be repaired, or do you think the teenagers will continue to be at each other’s throats? Finally, do you hope Scout gets a clue and stops thinking her dad walks on air? Weigh-in via the comment section, but first check out how Ava and Drew conspired below.
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