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.
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.
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B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
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