General Hospital
GH’s Laura Wright on Carly Becoming Owner of ‘Kelly’s’ From Bobbie: “This Whole Beat Was Written Before Jackie Zeman Passed Away”
In a preview for upcoming episodes the week of July 24th on General Hospital, Carly (Laura Wright) is about to embark on a new chapter in her professional life, when she becomes the owner of Port Charles’ long-established waterfront diner, Kelly’s.
In story, Bobbie has signed the deed to the local eatery over to her daughter. Now, while many GH fans may be thinking that this move was made because of the recent passing of beloved veteran, Jackie Zeman (Bobbie), that is not the case.
Laura Wright filled-in Soap Opera Digest (in their latest issue on newsstands now) when she explained: “This whole beat was written before Jackie passed away. They have not had the character of Bobbie die and Carly doesn’t inherit Kelly’s from the character, which would have been a beautiful thing, but this was a choice made by the writer’s awhile ago.”
Apparently, Carly buys the diner for one dollar with the aim to pay her mother back the full market value in due time. With Carly in trouble with the SEC and owing them millions of dollars, seems like this move is the anchor she will need in her life to get by, plus keeping the Spencer’s as part of the legacy of Kelly’s.
Photo: ABC
Longtime GH viewers know that Kelly’s was introduced as a set and a centerpiece of Port Charles drama back in 1980. It was originally owned by the characters of Paddy Kelly and his wife, Rose. Later, Luke Spencer became a waiter at the diner, after Rose hired him. Sadly, Paddy was killed and Rose decided to leave town, and sold the diner to Ruby Anderson (Luke and Bobbie’s aunt). When Ruby died, she left the diner to Luke and Bobbie.
So, what do you think of this story move to have Carly become the new owner of Kelly’s by purchasing it from Bobbie? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
I think it’s a great move.
I hate it
Carly does not owe the SEC billions, I believe it is 5 million.
The article say’s millions, not billions.
When I read it, it said billions with a “b”.
The writing on this is akin to Divine intervention, as the story moves, I’m sure they will incorporate Bobbie’s passing as related to this and in general. Sad but poignant, and historically just right.
I’ve watched GH for over 60 years. I’ve known Bobbie from when she first arrived in PC. I really loved her character
and will really miss her. Jackie “thanks for the memories”.
I am actually excited to see what the scab writers can do! Couldn’t get much worse than what we’ve been watching.
GLADYS NEEDS TO GO!
I certainly hope they focus on Bobbie and not turn it into a tribute to Carly.
Harry,
Poor Carly, reduced to slinging hash, my, my. Nina enjoyed gloating but I,d really love a good cat fight and watch them beat the crap out of each other. I know, what an awful thing to say.
Carly seems quite happy “slinging hash” and oddly enough, not looking to beat the crap out of anyone.
I couldn’t agree with you more.I have been watching the show since 1977 when I was 11 years old.Bobby was such a wonderful character it was love at first sight with her and Ruby,and then the whole Luke and Laura scene.The stories were always edge of your seat,and now are very boring, and I’m seriously worried about the shows longevity going forward. You will be missed by so many Jaclyn Zeman. I’m so sad that we lost her and Epiphany in the same year .Loved you both so much.
Omgoodness yess this is so very sad , I’ve been watching since I was 8 and these untimely deaths are heart breaking.. Did you see a couple of weeks ago Elizabeth was by the wall at the hospital Looking at the pictures and Bobby’s picture was there, and she wasn’t even announced to have been passing yet That broke my heart. Epiphany was so strong and full of life, she’s so sadly missed.
I bet you she met
Bobby at the pearly gates
And they’re hanging out together now With the rest of the GH crew that had passed before them …
As long as there’s no major changes to the set – it’s the oldest one still in continuous use. Kelly’s has been modified and shrunk a bit through the years (including changing the rear entry to the courtyard on the right of the screen). For a while, there was a basement set nightclub underneath.
There was a poor recreation of it at the Soap Opera Cafe at Disney California Adventure. I was so disappointed I couldn’t actually eat at Kelly’s (although there were seats at The Valley Inn).
Unfortunately, Steve, I’ve read on forums that Carly is going to try and make Kelly’s a hot spot, an upscale chic bistro. Carly will likely permeate Kelly’s with her gigantic ego. She will have the Carly burger with Carly fries, The Carly Grilled Chicken sandwich with aioli on a ciabatta roll, and of course, the infamous BLT will become CBLT ( Carly’s BLT). For vegetarians, there will be the Nina’s Just Impossible Burger. Honestly, Kelly’s is a Port Charles landmark started by an Irish American family, Paddy and Rose Kelly, to serve fishermen, blue collar workers and GH hospital staff. I recall the bells of the dock softly tolling in the background as characters conversed, thereby establishing setting. You don’t hear the dock bells anymore but overall, Kelly’s has remained the same. Now that bossy, invasive ego maniac, Carly will offer her own brand of gentrification to Kelly’s. Let’s call it Carlyification. I don’t like it.
Very funny Harry. Humble pie is definitely not on her new menu. (Speaking of pie, if I hear Hummingbird Cake one more time, I’m gonna throw something at the TV).
I’m skeptical about what is mentioned in forums as a lot of it is just speculation. We can start any rumor (say Dex is the offspring of Lila Quartermaine and Casey the Alien) and somehow it would circle around the web.
Now indeed, humble pie would not be on the menu. I actually looked up recipes for Hummingbird cake, and it sounds pretty good. However, I couldn’t find one recipe that called for bourbon. I guess it’s a secret recipe. I hope you’re right about it just being a rumor about Carly giving Kelly’s a makeover. Look what they did to the Quartermaine mansion. The infamous staircase is on the wrong side!
They “value engineered” the Q foyer and living room. The older version was one of the largest sets on the show and time consuming to set-up. The new set’s now a bit smaller. They moved the front door to screen right because rear stage entry is harder to film.
What annoys me are questionable architectural choices. Does the entry to the left of the Q living room fireplace lead behind the stairs?
OG Steve,
I’m tending to believe what I read somewhere that he’s Jason’s son. I’m of the few that like Dex, it’s that pain Joss that I can’t stand, she’s worse than her mother.
Dex being Jason’s son is extremely unlikely. He’s about the same age as Morgan Corinthos, which is why I have thought he could be Morgan, despite the awkward situation that would create in the family now that he’s banging Joss, along with his shifting loyalties between Michael and Sonny. From what my Fuzzy Devil Memory recalls the woman Jason would have been with at the time would be Courtney Matthews. Granted, this would create drama because it would make Dex & Spencer brothers, and of course they hate each other. It would also make Sonny his uncle. Only problem is that Courtney was only pregnant once. After she & Jason broke up. And literally died the day Spencer was born.
Still think he’s a brainwashed and surgically altered Morgan. And being used as the ultimate “agent of chaos” against his own family by whomever is running this “Pikeman” group (probably Lorenzo Alcazar).
Satan,
Is there any way that Dex and Spencer could be twins? You know how Soaps love to make one twin disappear. Dex could have been given to the family that he told Sonny treated him so badly.
Considering Courtney literally gave birth to Spencer on her death bed, it would be a little difficult for nobody to notice another baby. Also Dex is a few years older than Spencer, otherwise he couldn’t claim to be a military veteran (despite not having a clue how to use a gun, from what we have seen of him).
At least when they made Drew Cain up out of thin air to explain the existence of a “spare Jason”, they had the plot hole of Susan giving birth to Jason out of town, so technically nobody from Port Charles would have seen a second baby being born. No such circumstances existed around Courtney’s tragic story of birth during a pandemic.
Satan and O G Steve,
Thanks for all the info. You explained everything very well, I wasn’t watching during that time..
Courtney gave birth on camera to Spencer while hospitalized during the encephalitis outbreak. She died the next day and most viewers cried happy tears that our long suffering was over.
Awful, Carly will rise again and all you haters go watch something else!
Diane, how dare you call me a Carly hater?!! I really resemble that remark.
Who cares what you like? Like it or not, she owns Kelly’s and can do what she wants.
Harry, thanks for recalling those “bells of the dock softly tolling in the background”…. It made me smile. …The sound I would hear every day after school watching the show. 🙂
Finally something that makes sense!
Please do not forget we need closure on Bobbie
That probably won’t come until a few months after the writers strike is settled. Bobbie can be mentioned occasionally until the main writing staff returns with a well-planned story (and no scavenger hunt).
Yes I know they tape ahead ,but I pray they do a tribute to Bobbie as well.She was an icon.
This is a great move!! Always have loved Kelly’s since it’s first day. And Carly can live upstairs. Hoping they update that It would be perfect!
I would love it if Carly moved upstairs! And we would never see her again.
I agree it’s a good move, story-wise. But another Carly-centric tale? I guess Sonny will soon develop a taste for BLTs too.
Well, Sonny already owns his own restaurant…. which never seems to have any customers.
Which is odd, since he supposedly makes the best Marinara sauce on the East Coast.
Gentrification becomes Carlyfication.
Too much carly on gh. Give other characters equal time.
I agree
If my Fuzzy Devil Memory is correct, didn’t there used to be a bar in the basement of Kelly’s? It was originally an old “speakeasy” from Prohibition days, and they discovered it decades later and opened it as a bar. And then got shut down after Faith Roscoe shot up the place…. or something like that.
I say Carly should reopen this bar. And keeping the Spencer family traditions going, I say it should be a new version of Luke’s blues club.
lol, I just posted a similar question before I saw your post, ok, good to know I wasn’t making something up in my head.
Carly owning Kellys
Great idea
I’m all for it
We need new story lines
Like it!!! Carly needs a break too!
God forbid Carly get a job where she has to actually answer to a boss. She’s been unemployed for over a year and did nothing to seek employment. Metro Court was handed to her just like Kelly’s will be handed to her.
And we need a break from Carly!
Harry,
So funny, as much as we can’t stand her, all we do is talk about her, unlike that poor boring Portia who never doctors anyone, too stupid I guess, just bothers people.
I actually like Portia; the one thing I didn’t like was when she brought Oz Haggerty out of his coma too soon. He may have been sleazy but he wasn’t evil; he wasn’t a murderer. And by taking him out of that coma (to help with Trina’s defense) she risked him dying or waking up with physical and/or brain, damage. Uggg; saw that happen on Homeland to a beloved character; I cant’ shake the horror at what happened to him every time I think of that show. But I digress, lol. A doctor takes an oath; I’m surprised the show let a “good” character go there….and TJ, Curtis, and Jordan go along with it. Hated that.
Sounds good to me.
isn’t there also a basement that they used for a nightclub? or am I off? it was way back, but supposedly there’s extra space they had that they used for a club? right?
Yes, that goes back. Carly will turn the place into a money maker. Plus when they finally give Jackie her due she’ll also own the brownstone. We need closure for her soon this strike could go on for ever.
I miss the brownstone.
I seem to remember they brought the brownstone back a few years ago. Michael had acquired it through some sort of ELQ real estate grab, and he & Morgan were remodeling the place.
After a couple of months they dropped the story and it was never heard of again… or at least that’s how my Fuzzy Devil Memory recalls it.
So Bobbie or Carly wouldn’t be the current owner, but at least it’s still in the family if Mikey’s the owner.
The shortly lived revised brownstone is where Nina took Avery from Ava after inducing her labor.
That set was not the original brownstone, but just a reworked version of the old Webber/Jones/Scorpio house that Lisa Niles burned down (and has now been restructured as Elizabeth’s home.) The staggered staircase is the clear giveaway.
I love this idea
There’s a lot of story lines going on I’m glad that they’re going to keep it going. I wish they would listen to the fans about what we need to see. There’s a lot of great ideas on the Facebook page. Being a True Believer for 60 years
Hopefully they won’t change the set, and hopefully this doesn’t mean we’ll see even more of Carly then we already do. I’ve also read she might go back to nursing school which would really suck; her presence in the hospital which is the hub of the show, her presence where Willow works just as Nina is trying to bond with her daughter, would be more obnoxious than Carly’s presence already is.
Oh dear Lord! That would be horrible. The silver lining would be Lizzy would be her boss! Carly would probably put a gigantic portrait of herself next to Dr Hardy and Nurse Jessie. Then she will put another gigantic portrait of herself on the entry area of Kelly’s. Carly is here, there and everywhere.
Harry,
We used to say ” all over just like you know what”))
The last few days, everyone that comes in tells Carly the “love what you’ve done with the place” thing, but so help me, I’m not seeing it.
I like the idea of Carly owning Kelly’s, it keeps the history going, we ‘oldsters’ remember Ruby and all her background. She helped Bobby to be a nurse and the rest is history
Awesome , and she can reopen the club in the basement
I’ve been watching GH since it began. My husband was a union trucker his entire life and I’m not a fan of picket crossing . I do understand though that this is necessary if the series is to continue. What can I do to stand in solidarity with the writers and producers? Who do we contact to help you?
I think it’s a great idea. Carly needs a purpose.
I think it’s GREAT!!
It’s great!!
I love this idea of Carly taken over the diner , But what really would be funny is having her daughter Joss Actually Wash dishes , wash floors and change bed sheets and serve people with a smile And not a fake one, because she’s just a spoiled entitled brat, and she’s selfish. It’s going to be easy to watch lol
Great idea!
when was Bobbie’s will read? When did Carly become Kelly’s owner?
Ali,
If you read the story up above it explains how it was all done off screen, they showed nothing of Carly and her mom, in fact the whole SL was written before Bobbie died.
This 5 million dollar fine storyline is ridiculous. There is NO reason Jasper Jax cannot pay the 5 million for Carly. These writer need to know about realistic storylines and history !!! The writers are insulting our intelligence!! It’s a real turn off which I may do to GH !
Let’s be honest Tony Geary was the man he had sex appeal and tons of chemistry with every person he had a scene with . Sorry he will not be able to come from Amsterdam to do some closure for our precious Jackie I have watched this dance scene a million times! He just had the it factor and few people do ! Daytime will miss him nobody will ever take his place
I think Carly, rich, married, divorced mob lady now new owner of Kelly’s is great is a great switch for this character. She’s keeping that small town feeling of Kelly’s; which also brings her back to her humble beginings, now that she has taken back her Spence last name. Great storyline.
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.
‘Beyond the Gates’ Emmy Winner Ambyr Michelle Wants to Compete on ‘Dancing with the Stars’: ‘Pick Me’ (Exclusive)
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
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
‘Days of our Lives’ Celebrates 61st Anniversary: EP Ken Corday Teases New Character’s Arrival in Spring 2027
‘Days of our Lives’ Kyle Pryor Debuts as Dominic Marino and Says of Alleged TV Mom, “Deidre Hall is the Absolute OG, Amazing” (Exclusive)
‘Beyond the Gates’ Emmy Winner Ambyr Michelle Wants to Compete on ‘Dancing with the Stars’: ‘Pick Me’ (Exclusive)
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
Y&R’s Matt Cohen Talks Role as Compassionate Zookeeper in Rom-Com ‘Christmas at the Zoo’
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