General Hospital
GH's Vanessa Marcil Giovinazzo on Sonny/Brenda wedding, Dante & contract renewal!

Courtesy/ABC
Vanessa Marcil Giovinazzo (Brenda Barrett) has a very frank and direct conversation with TV Guide’s Michael Logan in a brand new interview out this week centering on the upcoming wedding that kicks off this week of General Hospital’s Sonny and Brenda. And while Vanessa gives insight into the wedding itself and previews the aftermath, she also fielded questions about if she might renew her contract, (since she only signed on to GH for one year), and her thoughts on where Brenda’s relationship could go with Dante played by Dominic Zamprogna. However, Vanessa admits it is her admiration and desire to work with Maurice Benard (Sonny) that compels the actress to enjoy her current storyline. Here are a few excerpts below:
Vanessa on if she will renew her contract, and if so, doesn’t she need to let the series know soon: It’s always going to be about scheduling and family for me. It’s no secret I came back to GH to work with Maurice, not only to honor my roots but to honor him specifically. When I was the new kid on the show, he took me under his wing. He really saved me. The week we shot the wedding was the best week ever because I was in scenes with him all day long, every day. Working opposite him is like listening to music — it’s beautiful and emotional and surprising and nostalgic and I feel all that at completely spontaneous levels. This is literally the most fun I’ve ever had acting. Right now my happiness is at its peak, if that answers your question.
Vanessa on the sparks between Brenda and Dante, and if she feels there is potential for a relationship between them: I was very much playing that because [GH head writer Bob Guza] wanted to make sure that [the possibility of attraction] was established and intact. Of course, at that point Brenda and Dante didn’t know they had this crazy connection, but I do like the serendipity of it all. I think Brenda was drawn to Dante because he’s basically a younger version of Sonny, who is the love of her life. There’s something kind of pure about it. [Laughs] Even though in theory it’s a little alarming. I can guarantee nothing like that will ever happen (referring to relationship with Dante) now that Brenda knows he’s Sonny’s son. Never! Now we’re getting into Jerry Springer territory.
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Jonathan Bennett Receives 3 ‘Critics Choice Real TV Awards’ Nominations for Hallmark Series, ‘Finding Mr. Christmas’
Many things are coming up roses for Jonathan Bennett! On the heels of the news that he is set to debut this month in the role of Joe Fitzpatrick on General Hospital, who is rumored to be a new love interest for Lucas Jones (Van Hansis), comes the news that Bennett’s reality series, Finding Mr. Christmas has received 3 nomination for the Critics Choice Real TV Awards.
Bennett’s Hallmark Channel series finds itself in tough competition alongside fellow nominees: RuPaul’s Drag Race (MTV), Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix), Survivor 50 (CBS), Top Chef (Bravo) and The Traitors (Peacock). In addition, Jonathan himself is nominated for Best Show Host and the series participants as the Best Ensemble Cast in an Unscripted Series.
The Critics Choice Association (CCA) revealed the nominees for the eighth annual Critics Choice Real TV Awards on Thursday, which recognize excellence in nonfiction, unscripted and reality programming across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. Winners will be announced online at CriticsChoice.com on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at 9:00am PT/12:00pm ET.

Photo: Hallmark
Taking to his Instagram to celebrate the nominations, GH’s Bennett, enthused, “3 Critic Choice Nominations! I’m so proud of the FINDING MR CHRISTMAS and to be in the company of all the legends in all these categories is so surreal! Congrats to Hallmark Channel and to our nominated cast and nominated show and everyone who made this magical show possible. This is crazy! This gives FMC 6 Critics Choice nominations in 2 years. Not bad for a little show on Hallmark Channel. What are your thoughts on our show?” Jumping first into the comment thread was one of his new GH co-stars, Dominic Zamprogna (Dante) who expressed, “Yeah buddy!!!🔥🔥”
In the series, Bennett, the host and co-creator spends eight weeks guiding 10 aspiring actors through a series of “festive face-offs” and acting challenges alongside actors like soap opera notables, Hunter King (ex-Summer, Y&R) and Alison Sweeney (Sami, DAYS). Along the way, they develop their skills and a bond with one another. The show, which is available on Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Plus, highlights LGBTQ+ representation with openly gay contestants vying to be the next Hallmark star.
It should be noted that Traitors received the most Critics Choice Real TV Award nominations with 6 nods, followed by Dancing with the Stars with 4.
Bennett is very familiar to daytime fans having started his career as JR Chandler on All My Children in 2000-2001, before landing the part of Aaron Samuels in the motion picture, Mean Girls in 2004 starring Lindsay Lohan, which would become his breakout performance.
You can check out the full list of Critics Choice Real TV Award nominations here.
So, excited for Jonathan Bennett’s General Hospital debut this month? Have you ever watched Finding Mr. Christmas on Hallmark? Let us know via the comment section below.
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General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Kelly Thiebaud on Britt and Cassius Sibling Drama, But Who Will Ultimately Blow His Cover?
On the April 30 episode of General Hospital, Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) had some choice words and warning for her brother Cassius Faison (Ryan Paevey) who has been masquerading as his twin, the very dead, Nathan West.
As the story has unfolded, viewers learned that Britt knew all along that when “Nathan” showed up in Port Charles seemingly resurrected with a missing 7 years of his life unexplained, that Cassius was taking his place.
Now in developments on today’s GH, Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy) is figuring out that this guy pretending to be Nathan is someone else, and Cassius learns from Britt, that Joss is not just a ditzy sorority girl as he claimed, but a WSB agent! The moment stuns Cassius. Are the walls about to close in on him and his charade?

Courtesy/ABC
Daytime Emmy winner, Kelly Thiebaud spoke to Soap Opera Digest, about the story point and getting the opportunity this time back at GH to work with Ryan Paevey, when she hadn’t had the chance to before.
BROTHERLY LOVE?
Thiebaud expressed on sharing scenes with Ryan Paevey, “It’s just been so wonderful to have him back and to actually work with him! When he first came onto the show (as Nathan at the end of 2013) I was kind of heading out — it was right towards the end of my contract, so we didn’t actually work together a ton. It’s been really refreshing and so much fun to really spend time together and get to know each other and work together. I think we have really great on-camera chemistry and banter with each other. I really enjoy working with him.”
With the stakes at an all-time, Thiebaud explained how she views her on-screen alter-ego’s involvement with her more hot-to-temper sibling and why Britt revealed the truth about Josslyn to him. “People finding out about Cassius would expose what she’s involved in and what she agreed to do,” explains Kelly “And now Josslyn is digging around, and she’s connected to Carly (Laura Wright) to Jason (Steve Burton) and that whole dynamic! It’s messy!”
BRITT’S MURKY FUTURE
Britt has currently also reached her breaking point with Jason being carted away by the WSB, Rocco (Finn Carr), the child she gave birth to, shooting Cullum (Andrew Hawkes) to protect her and Jason, Marco (Adrian Anchondo) being killed after trying to help her, and Cullum holding over her head getting her Huntington’s disease medication to control her symptoms, while blackmailing her into finishing the research on her father, Cesar Faison’s, final project. Thiebaud summed it up best for Britt right now, sharing, “It’s been a really tough time for her.”
So, who do you think will be the person to blow Cassius’ cover? Will it be Britt herself? Josslyn? Liesl? Brennan? Nina? Lulu? Rocco, Maxie, Cullum or someone else? Let us know your pick in the comment section.
General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Michael Reveals His Plan to Set Up Chase and Willow to Have an Affair
After the Wednesday, April 29 episode of General Hospital, it’s clear outside interference and other circumstances are set to blow Chase (Josh Swickard) and Brook Lynn’s (Amanda Setton) marriage sky high, as Michael (Rory Gibson) reveals his plans to entrap Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) and use her relationship with Chase to do it!
In story, Michael dropped by unexpectedly to Carly’s (Laura Wright). A plotting Michael reveals his plan to nudge Willow and Chase into having an affair. Michael hopes it would create both a political and personal scandal, where Willow would lose her seat in congress. In the scenario, she would be having an affair with her ex-husband, while taking care of her supposed disabled husband, Drew (Cameron Mathison), who cannot speak and is confined to a wheelchair, which in turn will look horrible for Willow’s character.
Carly asked does he really want to destroy his cousin, Brook Lynn’s life in the process? Michael goes in on Chase’s holier than thou attitude, and says he is going to set-up the circumstances that would lead Chase and Willow to betray their spouses, and hit the sheets together. Michael swears to Carly what the two of them do is up to them, but he’s going to go on the offense with this.
MICHAEL HAS BACK-UP
Later, Jacinda (Paige Herschell) is talking with Charlotte (Bluesy Burke) at Crimson and how much she dislikes Willow because of what she has done to Michael. Just then, Michael shows up and tells Jacinda privately, he’s figured out a way to fight Willow. Looks like Jacinda might work with Michael to bring down Willow and use Chase as the person to do it!
At the hospital, Lucas (Van Hansis) tells Josslyn (Eden McCoy) that Carly is cheating on Jack, but he doesn’t know with who. Josslyn suddenly flashes back to the moment she found her mother harboring a fugitive, Valentin Cassadine (James Patrick Stuart), in her attic, and as figured out that her mother is sleeping with him. She heads out.

Courtesy/ABC
BRENNAN IS ABOUT TO LEARN ABOUT CARLY
Next thing you know, Josslyn has showed up inside Jack’s (Chris McKenna) hotel room at the Metro Court and when he enters his room, he is shocked to find her there. He lays into her for not keeping his distance and that Cullum (Andrew Hawkes) will have no problem killing her if he knows she’s WSB. Josslyn fires back that he is only concerned about that because his relationship with her mother depends on her being safe. But then, she lays the boom, and tells Jack, Well, you’re too late. You already lost her.”
LULU GETS A GLIMPSE OF CASSIUS’ TEMPER
In addition, Lulu (Alexa Havins) sees a different side of “Nathan.” Since she is unaware that the man before her is his twin, Cassius Fasion (Ryan Paevey), he tells her that Rocco (Finn Carr) blabbed that he shot Cullum to Britt (Kelly Thiebaud), and now he thinks they should send him away to stop him from talking to everyone else. This concerns Lulu, who rails at Nathan for telling her what to do with her son and that she isn’t going to abandon him. With “Nathan’s” outburst at her on the matter, will she finally get a clue this is not the man she thinks it is?
So, what do you think of Michael’s plan to push Willow and Chase into an affair? Will it work or backfire? Do you think Joss will reveal that Valentin is the man sleeping with Carly to Brennan, which will send him in a rage? Will Lulu continue to be clueless about “Nathan?” Weigh-in via the comment section below. But first, take a look at the GH video tease for today’s April 30 episode.
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Sounds to me like she’s sticking around.
Kill me now, ugh!!!, please do not resign.
Vanessa, please leave and don’t come back.
Maybe u shouldn’t watch the show, Brenda and Sonny are the show
Agreed Kemp should watch something else, although he/she will probably get their wish b/c Guza sucks. Half my friends began to watch GH again when Brenda came back and the other half laugh at me for even watching what GH has become. For those who will now tell me to watch something else, I will once VMG leaves. Can’t watch Sonny with anyone else now; Clair and he were gross!!
Please keep Vanessa! Please get rid of that whiny little hipocrite Elizabeth!
lol, I love how “please do not resign” can have two entirely different meanings depending on context/pronunciation. I know you don’t want her back, but I can read that and feel like I agree even though I am hoping for the opposite outcome. I hope she doesn’t resign/quit! *^^;*
There are a LOT of things I am unhappy with that they’ve done to make the fans hate her; it’s gotten so bad I almost can’t enjoy having her around cause I just see everything she does that is going to make people rant about her on any given day, but I still absolutely love her on the show. I really don’t think she will stay, there is too much chaos between budget cuts and choppy story writing, but I hope she can come back again and maybe be less hated by then.
“lol, I love how “please do not resign” can have two entirely different meanings depending on context/pronunciation” — LOL!!! I didn’t even notice that person said “ugh”, then they say…”Please do not resign”..LOL!! Good observation on your part. Funny:-)
Brenda/Vanessa dont let them with thier negative comments bother you please resign you are a great actress and Brenda is Gh history she is the past present and future and I love my Carly and brenda cat fights now we need claudia to come back from the dead and that would be a sight to see LOL so I hope you decide to stay around for awhile because it would be sad to see you go so soon. A year is not long enough when things are just getting started.
You know what?? I’m SICK AND TIRED of all you newbies who’s been watching the show for 5 years or so, thinking you actually know something about the characters from the past. If you newbies and haters have done your homework before making a judgement about Brenda, you’d know that her character has changed a great deal…but there is no way a lot of people (like myself) could hate her because of how much history she’s brought to the show.
The girl isn’t even all that bad… at least she’s tolerable compared to the likes of Carly who I CAN’T STAND!
It’s an absolute SHAME that Headwriter Bob Guza has changed Brenda for the WORSE (to many people)…They (GH) have tried SOOOOOO hard to make people hate Brenda it’s sickening. They have written her character TOTALLY off the wall it’s a shame. I still love Brenda though and am PRAYING that she re-signs.
Anitra, I couldn’t have said it any better myself! It’s always obvious as to who the newbies are… They sound like idiots… They don’t know anything about Brenda’s character or Sonny and Brenda’s history… I have been a fan of GH since 1994, and have ALWAYS been a fan of Sonny and Brenda! The writing now is pathetic and if it weren’t for VM’s return, I wouldn’t even be watching today.
I say to the newbies… You don’t know what you are talking about.
Thank you. Your reply is appreciated.
I’ve been watching all my life.. so I guess you can say, from the early 80’s and on (was born in 79′).
I see that newbies don’t really care about how a character was portrayed from back in the day. They just see what’s on the TV screen now, and assume that THAT is how that character has ALWAYS been. They see Sonny & Brenda’s relationship as boring and they want to see more JASAM (Jason & Sam) or LANTE (Lulu & Dante). HAHA! I just learned that that’s how everyone is phrasing their couples.. Anyway.. I’ve stopped watching for probably 6 years..well, after GH tried to forcefeed the audience Sonny and Carly, I left all together…then came back when VM came back in 02. I left in 03’…I left right along with her. I started watching again this past august to see what GH was up to. I didn’t even know that she was going to come back during that month. I think I came back watching RIGHT after they had a Brenda Marathon on the Soapnet Channel.. I was upset that I missed those episodes.
After S&B’s wedding… I want an S&B baby..lol! What’s one more child for Sonny? LOL! If Sonny even THINKS about cheating on her with Cujo (Carly)?????? OMG! GH lost me FOREVER! I tell you though… after VM leaves…I’m leaving also.
Thanks, Vanessa, for coming back. Ignore the negativity. You are my favorite character of all time
If GH is keeping Rebecca Herbst on the show as Elizabeth, then her character needs to change. Elizabeth needs to toughin up as a single mother and go after what she wants like a real single mother does. I’m sure people are tired of looking at the simple character she is. Make Elizabeth a tougher person. Make her get child support from Nicholas or Lucky and get rid of Brooklyn. She is an unnecessary character on the show and sounds like fake ass Bensonhurst native New Yorker.
Bring back Keesha Ward so she can snap Jason out his robot phase. It’s been too long!. I’m tired of seeing her run behind Jason. Sam needs some real self esteem and live a normal life for a change. Her needy ass is getting ridiculous!
I hope Sonny and Brenda work out this time so that Sonny can retire from the MOB.
Let someone else take his place in that violent lifestyle. As for Carley, she needs her ass kick and will get exactly what she deserves. Jacks and Sky should get back together and get married. The two make a nice couple. Mack and Alexis needs to stop playing games and get it on. Michael and Abby would be good together and it’s time for Morgan to get a girlfriend. He’s getting older or GH might make him gay. It would be interesting to see Donte with a black woman like Maya. That shit would be while for the show. It’s been a minute since Jason Q. and Keesha Ward in the 90s. Ha! ha!
If Maurice leaves …I leave . HE is the life of General Hospital..His vulnerability makes me wanna cry…His love for Vanessa comes through,,,,,when they were younger ..Maurice had all the right moves..I would have welcomed him into my life( mob & all) He is still super sexy..the way he dances with VM is so charming, sweet .loving and remains central too his core .. When he wants someone …you see him and it is incredibly mind boggling how this man is not on the best movie list.. I am and will always credit him with saving me through my depression….I feel like i know what he goes through in his real life. I wish him…the best…because ..he is a lovely, gracious…eloquent man with dimples to die for and a empathy for his audience…LVE YOU Maurice and Thank YOU…for being my PRINCE of ABC..may God bless you. You have helped so many people! caroline from Massachusetts
Brenda needs to stay. For all of you saying that she has to leave obviously haven’t been watching the show long enough to know that the show is finally good. I watched it when Brenda started and stopped once she left because it was so awful. Now I am finally hooked on it again, so stop being negative and writing these ridiculous comments. She needs to stick around.
Agree completely; I only came back for her after sooo many years. With these “official” comments of her leaving I feel very disappointed. Yes they gave us an S&B wedding but there is so much more the fans deserve for the couple. If she was only coming for a year I wish it would have been the year before Maurice retired so they could leave together or at least given us more time and story. I got so excited with her return and now am really let down if she leaves. No story line will change that feeling for me 🙁
like almost everyone on here, i’m watching GH now only because of vanessa marcil giovinazzo. there’s just something about her. she acts with her eyes and allows us all to really access her character and feel everything she feels. maurice was a fine actor, and prolly still is. however, he’s had more or less 1 role his whole life and he’s bored as all hell. i’ll always love sonny out of respect for history, but maurice’s acting has become indifferent and one-dimensional. vanessa, on the other hand, gets better and better over time. but she’s in a tough position with guza writing, jill phelps producing and maurice as a formerly-awesome but currently indifferent co-star. i admit since the wedding maurice is getting better — and when i say better i mean he’s getting his mojo back that i haven’t seen since vanessa was last on GH. finally vanessa and maurice are getting to access their mad chemistry. we need guza to up the ante and start writing powerful scenes. we need vanessa to RENEW HER CONTRACT and maurice to step up to the acting plate and also influence storyline development. fans have waited many, many years. we deserve it!