General Hospital
GH’s Avery Pohl Weighs-In On If Esme is Redeemable: “Without Amnesia I Don’t Think So … She’s Done Terrible Things to People”
Currently on General Hospital, an amnesiac Esme (Avery Pohl) has been kidnapped by her mentally ill parents, Heather Webber (Alley Mills) and Ryan Chamberlin (Jon Lindstrom). Not good! Now, while at the beginning of this angle of the storyline, viewers thought Esme was faking her memory loss, it seems it’s very real for her.
On the latest episode of the That’s Awesome podcast with Bradford Anderson and Steve Burton (and in the You Tube channel video version, see below), Pohl is the special guest, where she talks about her time as the evil Esme who just might have a turnabout of character with a baby on the way.
When discussing with Anderson if Esme is even redeemable, Pohl went on to say, “Without amnesia, I don’t think so. How do you come back from any of this? She’s done terrible things to people, and if you met a person like this in real life, you would be like, ‘I don’t want to be in a 100 feet of you.'”
Avery went on to share: “Handing her this baby and handing her this amnesia storyline, I think is a way to try and get there, or at least, get her to have a little more of conscious.”
Photo: ABC
In addition to her thoughts on Esme’s current situation, Avery talks on landing the part of the troublemaker, where she shares what went from a very short term deal and wound up with a 3-year contract.
Check out Avery chat’s with Steve and Bradford below.
Now, let us know, do you hope Esme is redeemed? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Esme, with amnesia, is a completely different character and I have been enjoying her. However, the moment her memory returns, it’ll be bye-bye Esme!
Laura will take her in with baby
It’s inevitable. The kid was already Laura’s grandchild. Now Kevin knows that Esme is his niece, so of course she’s going to live with them. I don’t think there’s a snowball’s chance in my back yard that Esme’s going to face any further legal consequences as long as Uncle Kevin – in his professional capacity – believes her amnesia is real & permanent.
Not sure how that’s the case though. She developed amnesia after taking a swim in some icy cold water. It wasn’t a case of physical brain trauma, like what happened to Jason. So while her amnesia does appear to be real, it also seems like it’s something her brain created as a “defense mechanism”.
Before all of this amnesia & her being held prisoner in the tower happened, I had speculated if Esme was the Hooker, but had no conscious knowledge of committing the murders, because she had some form of DID and her “alter” did the Hookings. If that were the case, I believe Ryan was well aware of this fact, and used it for his own purposes, turning his own kid into a weapon, without her even knowing she was doing it. And I still don’t see Heather as being the only Hooker, so what if she also knew that Esme was the (original) killer, and while Esme was presumed to be either dead or missing, became the Hooker herself, to get her kid off the hook (pardon the pun)
Of course, if Esme has two or three other passengers occupying her brain, it’s only a matter of time before her old self returns. Her crazy parents probably won’t be a factor then. Heather will be locked up, and Ryan will either be in prison or in Hell (depending on whether Ava actually pulled the trigger or not), but that’s going to be a lot for Laura to deal with. At least Kevin has the training for it.
Hate her n her acting.
I am not sure I embrace the way mental illness is handled here. As I take trainings and am assigned articles on the job as part of equity efforts, the storytelling on GH and others seems off.
I see your point clearly, Iakovos– Mental illness is taken too lightly—almost satirically. A joke!! It’s a soap and this storyline has definitely been fantastical. I’m happy it’s over. Is it?
I don’t know if we should categorize Esme as mentally ill. I got the impression, today, that she has been brainwashed— manipulated by Ryan, per se. Is mental illness hereditary, environmental or both?
I think this is where the transformation of Esme begins. If Avery is here to stay, Esme will be “prepped” as an innocent victim. Where does she go from here? Spencer is out of her orbit, at this point. Too bad—because I found myself FF-ing his scenes with so-out-of-tune, nuTrina. She is so off acting the damsel in distress, but at the same time the quasi sexy, little temptress. Didn’t work. Too bland and ineffectual.
In my opinion , this girl has yet to find her niche on GH.
It irks me that soaps have a need to redeem every dark person..
The world has a good many bad people, it is the way it is…
On soaps, it’s the dark ones that make the soaps suspenseful and even more thrilling
it’s them that delivers the drama and put the emotions into to fans..
I think Eseme is great the way she is..she brings drama..soaps are empty without suspenseful drama and fans are invested in an intriguing get even story..
Couples are boring they offer a ho-hum whose the daddy or a betrayal yawn same ol’
couples do not offer much excitement that’s why writers break them up at 5 months lol.
I am against redeeming…
giving a person a turn or a mellowing out and a two sides of the coin-ok-
but never a redeeming,..that usually kills a great character..
Great interview! Was not a fan of esme – she was so triggering. Hopefully this is her character arc. Mostly I think the family dynamics between Ryan and heather have the potential to be really funny and also kind of amazing. It’s like the soap version of the Adam’s family so there is a Huge amount of potential there. She is a reality good actress and seems very down to earth in real life!
Ryan, Heather & Esme would be a really funny & amazing family? How many people have been murdered, MURDERED by Ryan & Heather? Ryan & Heather need to go away permanently. No possibility of redemption for either one of them. Heather used to be funny at times (when Robin Mattson played her) but I cannot stand her now.
I would like to see these dark characters gone. Lighten this show up a little.
I suppose, Gloria, it depends on someone’s dark, literary sense of humor, à la John Barth, Roald Dahl etc. I still believe Alley Mills represents a caricature of more than what the eye sees. She’s wonderful– I see a completely different version from yours. I think this trio did lighten up the show —a little bit akin to Sartre, if you appreciate his writing. He was a genius—not that i am making any comparisons, but I can’t say I have held these writers in great esteem until this twisted story.
I have this weird feeling Ryan will resurrect—that’s my personal twisted sense of humor.
LOL, Cyndi–well put!! And, I so agree with you– nuHeather is hilarious and “Ryan”, as the evil twin, is the kind of character you hate to love—But, Lindstrom portrays both charaters with such skill, it’s hard to believe the reality of being one person.
As Su000 states, “darkness” becomes some characters and their uniqueness ( for lack of a better word) shouldn’t be altered. Well, exceot for Esme—I don’t want her locked up, as Ryan and Heather will eventually be. I want her right tgere–center stage. I think Avery is amazing, befitting every essential mien due to an oustanding actress as she.
Pardon the typos, if any–
I like the new Esmeralda, and would like to see her character developed. The old devious Esmeralda was irritating. GH doesn’t need that many villains.
Always good to see the great person behind a menisimg character. She is lovely in this interview.
Please, stay Avery. I’ve loved you from day one—-well, almost. LOL, albeit you were such a baddie!! Such a good baddie!!
Your talent has shone through from the beginning and it has only gotten better. Thank ye gods for Esme’s amnesia—-hope she never regains her memory. But, if and when she does, her benevolent halo’s power will destroy any remnants of lingering evil .
Sorry for the mushy , melodramatic words, but I haven’t appreciated another actress on this show since Maura West.
This actress is so good! I can’t tell if she has amnesia or not. Nothing wrong with being a villainous on a show.
Angela Y,
Yes, this actress is so good and so convincing its hard to hate her. I dont think shes faking but I think we know she’ll get her memory back and she can’t just be automatically redeemed. She’s done a lot of bad things and will have to pay some way or another. I just hope the spoiled brat doesn’t get to take her son, his baby brother away from her. He sure isn’t a father figure in any way.
General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Carly and Lulu Make Plans to Rescue Their Children; Anna Looks Determined to Secure Her Freedom
This week on all-new episodes of General Hospital, the race is on! Can Lulu (Alexa Havins) and Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) get to Rocco (Finn Carr) and Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) in time to ensure their safety from Cullum (Andrew Hawkes)? Can Carly (Laura Wright) with the help of her brother, Lucas (Van Hansis) rescue Josslyn (Eden McCoy) from captivity at Wyndemere? These questions may be answered, plus the return of the one and only Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) are on tap!
In the just released General Hospital spoilers video for the week of June 22-26, Lulu tells her mother, Laura (Genie Francis), “Dante and I have to get to Rocco before Cullum!” Meanwhile, Rocco (Finn Carr) looks angered and emotional as Britt walks through their cabin hideout. Does Rocco know his parents are on the way to find them, or has Cullum already tracked them down to the British Virgin Islands?
Back in Port Charles, Carly is informing Lucas that his niece, “is a WSB agent.” She knows Josslyn (Eden McCoy) is being held against her will at Wyndemere, and she has to find a way to get her out. Lucas agrees with Carly’s plan of, “We go in and we don’t leave without Josslyn!” Elsewhere, Josslyn is looking worried for her future as she is stuck in captivity thanks to Cassius, Cullum and Sidwell!
Courtesy/ABC
FINOLA HUGHES RETURNS
The final moments of the teaser promo reveal Anna in a psychiatric clinic in France. We have not seen her for months after Cullum, Sidwell and Pascal fed her hallucinogenics to make her believe her arch nemesis, Cesar Faison was alive!
Now, the doctors walk towards her hospital bed, where we see the super spy calmly knitting. Is Anna back to normal and playing everyone to get out of her predicament, or does she still remain deeply traumatized … or both?
Take a look at the rest of the official GH spoilers for the week below.
MONDAY, JUNE 22
Willow gets an unwelcome surprise. Trina sticks to her guns. “Nathan” wants reassurance. Ethan advises Ava. Brook Lynn receives an update.
TUESDAY, JUNE 23
Dante cautions Liz. Laura learns a secret. Brook Lynn confides in Michael. Sonny challenges Ava. Chase makes a decision.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24
Anna meets with her doctor. Carly makes a stunning confession. Britt extracts a promise. Cullum pulls a fast one. Gio and Emma hit the pool.
THURSDAY, JUNE 25
Josslyn clashes with Cassius. Lulu and Dante make a discovery. Chase receives a warning. Jordan seeks help. Alexis is summoned to the PCPD.
FRIDAY, JUNE 26
Anna takes a huge risk. Britt is in grave danger. Willow is in disbelief. Danny must act fast. Curtis jumps to the wrong conclusion.
Check out the latest General Hospital promo entitled, “Rescue Mission” below.
Now weigh-in: Do you think Anna is still mentally off-balance, or OK, and just pretending to be troubled to get out of France and get back to Port Charles? Will Josslyn finally be rescued, or will Carly and Lucas find themselves locked up with her? And, who will get to Britt and Rocco first? Cullum, or Dante and Lulu? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section below.
General Hospital
Maurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric
With the highly-anticipated returns of Finola Hughes (Anna Devane) on this week’s June 24 episode of General Hospital, Steve Burton’s (Jason Morgan) upcoming return on July 13, which also serves as the ABC daytime drama’s 16,000 episode, things are about to fire on all cylinders in the story, as noted today by series star, Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos).
On Father’s Day, the three-time Daytime Emmy-winning actor and mental health activist took to his Instagram and expressed in a video that he has some unbelievable upcoming senes with the aforementioned Burton and Hughes. Add to that Nazneen Contractor (Justine Turner) and Rick Hearst (Ric Lansing), where Benard gave credit where credit is due to the GH writing team, which is led by co-head writers, Elizabeth Korte and Chris Van Etten..
In this video, Benard said, “I just want to get on here and say that I did some work with Steve Burton, Finola Hughes, Rick Hearst, Nazneen Contractor, and they’re all just fantastic. Truly fantastic. But, I want to say the writing was just exceptional. It truly was. It was exceptional. So, thankful for that kind of writing. I know writers don’t get the credit a lot, but I just want to say to the General Hospital writing team, keep rolling!”
GENERAL HOSPITAL PREVIEW
So now the question becomes, with a major tease like that, what is about to go down between Sonny, Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric? Will we finally get to the end of the line for Sidwell (Carlo Rota), as previously teased by the GH co-head writers? Will we learn what happened to Jason and Anna, fully? Will Justine and Sonny becomes closer or stop their liaisons? And what of Ric? Will he be true blue to his brother or double-cross him? There is a lot at stake as we move further into the summer and one that looks like it could be one of the more exciting ones in years!
FINOLA HUGHES CONFIRMED AMAZING SCENES WITH MAURICE BENARD
As a punctuation point to his video, Benard also shared this written message in the post: “I just did some wonderful scenes with Steve Burton, Rick Hearst, Finola Hughes and Nazneen Contractor and and unbelievable writing, freaking amazing scenes that you will see in the near future on General Hospital.” In fact, Finola Hughes jumped in the post comment thread and responded, “I loved our scenes so much xxx”
Fans will most likely see all the scenes Benard referred to later in July, since GH tapes approximately six weeks ahead of air.
So, are you excited to see what Maurice is talking about? Are you hyped for what’s to come on GH? Any clue on what you think will go down between the main characters on the soap with the returns of Anna Devane and Jason Morgan to the mix? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
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General Hospital
‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Announces Upcoming Release of His First Single, ‘If You Need Me’
In a surprise move, Daytime Emmy winner, Chad Duell (ex-Michael Corinthos, GH) is getting ready to unveil a new chapter of his career in music.
The former GH star, where he played the son of Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and Carly Spencer (Laura Wright) for 15 years, has announced his new single, “If You Need Me” will drop on Friday, June 26. The single is now available for pre-order on Spotify and major music streaming platforms and is distributed by DistroKid.
Taking to his Instagram story over the weekend, to announce the pre-save of his new single, Chad expressed, “I’ll make a full post about what I’ve been up to and my music once it goes live next week, but you can pre-save my first single so it goes straight to your Spotify once it drops next week.”
Photo: CDuellIG
SINCE LEAVING GENERAL HOSPITAL
Previously, since his departure from the ABC soap opera. Chad starred alongside Zach Mendez in the world premiere of of Yum Yum at Annapolis, a new play written by Bruce Reisman. Duell last appeared on General Hospital on the January 21, 2025 episode.
The part was recast with Rory Gibson who debuted as the new Michael in May of 2025 during the Nurses’ Ball episodes and who has remained in the role since that time.
In an interview earlier this year on The Able Show, Duell said on his decision to exit the soap opera, “I was blessed to be part of that (show) for as long as I have, but what happens sometimes is if you’re doing the same thing, especially in a creative field for such a long time, you can get a little burnt out in a way. It can make you a little depressed, so that’s kind of what happened. On top of that, I had other things going on in my life at the time. My father passed away recently and I just needed a reset. So, I stepped away. A lot of times you have to go through some stuff to really step into that next level. I needed to kind of feel uncomfortable.”
So, what type of musical genre will Chad’s new song be? Country? Pop? Rock? Dance/Club? Something else? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below, and if you are eager to hear the new single next week via the comment section below.
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Maurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric
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