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Happy 54th Anniversary To General Hospital!

By Michael Fairman

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Courtesy/GH Facebook

Those doctors, nurses, mobsters, and Port Charles stalwarts are having an anniversary!  Today, April 1st marks the 54th anniversary of ABC daytime’s long-running series, General Hospital.

GH created by Frank and Doris Hursley premiered back on April 1, 1963 and now the soap has logged 13,775 episodes in 54 years!

In a post on their social media accounts, the series shared with their fans: “Today might be April Fools Day, but we aren’t joking when we say it’s been our pleasure to spend the last 54 years with you. 13,775 episodes later and #GH is stronger than ever. ”

Pictured in an on set photo to mark the milestone are GH executive producer, Frank Valentini surrounded by cast including: Chad Duell, Finola Hughes, Kelly Monaco, Roger Howarth, Maura West, Rebecca Herbst, Billy Miller and Chloe Lanier.  In addition, some very important behind the scenes VIP’s are pictured.

Last month, General Hospital picked up 23 Daytime Emmy nominations and won last year’s prize for the Outstanding Daytime Drama Series.  Will they make it a two-peat?

On-Air On-Soaps would like to congratulate everyone in the General Hospital family for keeping Port Charles alive and well in the hearts and minds of its enduring fans.  Now, share your congrats to GH on turning 54 years young today in the comment section below!

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We need to repeat Best Soap Ever GH been here since day one. Watched with my Papa just to see John (Dr.Hardy ) baseball star on Daytime
CONGRATULATIONS 54 let’s keep it going!!

I’ve been watching for 50 years and I love every minute of it.

Dr Hardy! Jessie! Audrey!Diana Taylor!

Thank you Ron Carlivati for saving GH when it was days from cancellation. You were GH’s last hope it’s lifeline.
You brought GH back to life so it would continue on for years to come..

Hoping GH will make it to 60 years and beyond!

I agree SuSu!

Mr. C brought GH back from certain death! He made OLTL the best soap ever.

Congrats GH! I have been watching for over 40 yrs. I will be watching as long as you are on. Love you guys!

Love my GH, so glad its still on, but hey mike, if you don’t mind me calling you mike? I see Rebecca Herbts pictured above, but no Maura West, just to let you know. Back to GH, happy 54th anniversary, and to many more.

You missed Rebecca Herbst who is holding the cake with Kelly.

Thought I would comment on what I have been liking lately on GH. Start with the budding, but alas probably short lived friendship of Tracy and Laura since Tracy will be leaving GH. Am looking forward to their great “adventure” to Turkey. Oh well, better late than never. But would like to see more of this bff, fun stories in the future. Maybe Monica and Laura once in a while? And matching Laura with Kevin was great.

Fun to she Hillary/Nora visit Port Charles as a high powered lawyer. Hope she gets to say a while. Her scenes with Diane reminded me of Alexis’s early days with Diane before they became good friends.

Anna’s stories have been interesting lately from the now finished (for now) Olivia Jerome story to her new reveal with Valentin. There always was some mystery about Anna and the wsb. And who would have ever thought she would call on Dr. O to find out info from Faison. Loved seeing them play off each other.

Also liking how they have found a way to have Valentin a little more human. Such as his conversation with Jason about the scarecrow in Jake’s drawing. Even though I didn’t like his behavior at the Cassadine Island, a part of me doesn’t think he really killed Nik and there’s more to this story to come when writers figure out what they want to do with the Nikolas character. And you can never have too many Cassadines.

I just can’t warm up to Franco and Liz though. Just my personal thing. I still liked him better with Nina. Who is still so insecure. Can say I blame her much after what she’s been through. Would rather see more of her doing her Crimson magazine thing…here she’s projected a new found sense of confidence.

Is Michael going to grow into his ELQ corporate hat. It’s about time. And I’m sure he will find a way to forgive Nelle. Look what’s he’s forgiven with Sonny over the years.

And good for Ned and Olivia. Fun but very dangerous robbery at the Floating Rib, but don’t ever, ever try to emulate Olivia. But, wow, what you have to do to get Olivia to say” I do!”

And I do like that they have finally got Curtis and Jordan together…maybe.

If I have any suggestion it would be to find a way to bring a couple, or even just one, strong male character to GH who is not a criminal.

I think the show has been great…but I do miss, when I think about it, all our GH characters. So many are gone…Nic, Lucky, Emily, Lila, Alan, Aj, now Tracy…Alice!…Luke…basically the majority of the “originals” are gone. Sad…

Too bad they just throw Lucy in every now and then. Should give her a story.

I’m not sure what or how they’re going to handle Ned and Olivia. Ned has always been one of my favorite characters but is now reduced to the occasional visit. Olivia used to be very present and now she, too, is barely on. So, I hope they’re not riding these two off into the sunset. Would rather see the Q’s rebuilt…have Ned stay…move Olivia and son into the house, have Michael live there…have Jason become more involved…remember how close Michaela and Jason were? They’re never even in a scene together!

I love the show for what it is…but it’s not what it was. Sigh….

Hello Rosie!

What a great well informed post! Girl ! You know your soap ! I think I agree with 100% of your observations

Congrats on 54, an anniversary that looked in doubt 5 years ago. Frank’s a wizard with the budget, but was that really all the cast they could round up for this photo?

Congratulations to General Hospital on your longest running soap. You are truly the best. Also, I must add that you have the most dynamic and handsome couples on the soap, especially my favorites, Curtis and Jordan (Curdan). I’m glad that they’ve finally called a truce. I’d love to see more crime solving between them and Jason and Sam (JaSam). Again Congrats and keep up the good work.

Happy 54 year General hospital and can’t wait to see what you guys will bring next Monday and how everyone will be with each other and hope that everyone is with the right person

Congratulations to all involved in making GH episodes great to watch. I’ve been a fan since 8 yrs old watching this show daily with my grandmother. I’m 56 yrs old today and still record and watch the show every evening. All the characters on the show are great to watch. I wish the show much success and I wish everyone well. God Bles❤️

Hello Rosemarie I was born in 1961 and will be 56 soon. GENERAL HOSPITAL has also been part of my life since I can remember! I too enjoyed it with my mother. She let me stay home for Luke + Laura’s wedding! DVD s and SOAPNET allowed me to follow as I grew up and had a career. I still go to pick up the phone to call my mom about goings on in Port Charles, until I remember my beautiful mother has passed a few years ago. She literally watched the show from her hospital bed the day she died. Inside her pocketbook was the latest copy of ABC SOAPS in depth. Tell me soaps don’t serve a higher purpose. …

God bless you Rosie- may we enjoy GH for many years to come.

I’m incredibly happy that GH is still with us…and hope it is for many years to come. But that pic, LOL, really annoys me! For a celebration of such media magnitude centering on an iconic soap, you would think that the scene would include the legendary actors who have been the center of GH. Where’s (and I’m going to use the character instead of the actors names here for convenience) Tracy, Monica, Felicia, Scott, Mac, Kevin, Lucy, Bobby, Sonny, Robin, Laura, Lulu…these characters are still on the show (though not enough) and yet they weren’t, “eating cake” or the photographer took a pic after the these GH icons had left the building….I get the feeling the man on the right stood apart as if to say…”yeah, yeah…people are going to ask who I am and where is Laura!” 😉

I figured the party included only the actors present on stage to record that day. Not a major milestone to make a big deal over, but at least they had a cake. Cheers & here’s to many more, GH!

You mean for the actors/crew to not make a big deal over? Well, it kinda is…especially in today’s soap climate Fifty-four is a long TV time…I think the “survivors” should have all been in the pic. 🙂

Long-time die hard fans must only still be watching out of habit. Sadly, this once-iconic show has become such a dumpster fire over the last few years. It’s so evident that those two washed-up female head writers are phoning it in with lame storylines. Plus, the pacing is awful and they’ve created the most sexist male dominated show on TV. It’s very disturbing material. GH has great actors, but they can’t make chicken salad out of chicken s— you know what.

The key demographics for these soaps are awful. Younger generations of females are not watching these shows anywhere close to the way they did 20, 30, 35 years ago. Yes, there’s much more media competition now than ever, but the writers need to get with the times already, and if they cannot, then bring in some new, young blood that actually has fresh ideas. Stop recycling the same old burned-out hack writers who failed at other shows! It’s ridiculous. (Ron Carlivati to Days?! What a joke. That will sadly be the final nail in the coffin for that show, I predict.)

Also, quite frankly (and it’s hard for me to say this because I don’t mean at all to insult the shows and older fans) but I truly think that to many younger females today (Millenials, Gen. Z) there’s now a stigma attached to daytime soaps as a genre- that they’re not trendy programs, and the scheduling model is antiquated and daunting, IMO. Not that I fully agree, but I think that’s the feeling out there. Honestly, whatever is done, I just don’t think you’ll ever see sharp upticks in younger demos for these shows again.

Sad to say but I think there’s some truth to what you mention. And this is coming from someone who watched/followed GH religiously when I was in high school and college in the early ’80s during the show’s L&L heyday, and am still a fan today.

I’ve taught college and graduate history courses for seven years, and in happening to overhear students talk with each other about TV shows they watch, even programs during the daytime hours, I’ve never once heard a conversation about GH or another soap opera. There was one time when I made a few pop culture references to GH during a lecture, and the large majority of the students gave me weird looks and the rest shrugged their shoulders, as if I was speaking a foreign language. That spoke volumes to me about how old these shows seem to be skewing nowadays.

That’s sad. When I was in college we were scheduling classes around our soaps!

God bless and teach those kids what the soaps were about in American pop culture1

Soaps have always had a stigma. No one ever proudly declared they were watching soaps…well…not once they got past college. I work in publishing and I was shocked to find out that including myself, there were a number of editors who watched a soap or two! I realized, that though I watched…I didn’t think anyone else did other than my stereotypical impression of who viewed these shows.

Of course they’re not going to compete with any shows on prime time…that’s why they’re on daytime! LOL…So many of us watch PBS, or shows on cable…you can’t compare Downton Abby or Game of Thrones…The now defunct but once-so-trendy Vampire Diaries…etc, etc.

Daytime is not going to abandon its older fans. It’s a continuing saga that lives because of its viewers who grew up with them. I doubt they’ll ever attract a new, really young demographic. People don’t come home from school to watch TV with their parents, grandparents, etc. They’re out. They’re on their laptops, cell phones, whatever…

Nothing will bring the ol’ soaps back. I think we…and that includes anyone of any age who have been watching for a while…should see them for what they are. A genre. One that is hanging by a thread. Still love em!

Watched since Luke met Laura ,when the opening credits had the ambulance with the hospital behind.BEST SOAP EVER.

I remember the first story of Angie with the horribly burned face–vividly.

Congrats GH!

I started watching more of GH the last month or so (but I still tend to FF through certain characters). Mildly enjoying the show again for the first time in over a year.

Watched since 1972 when I was 9 years old because my baby sitter watched. I remember nurse Lucile and the medicine room where they had all sort of conversations. Really became invested when a young Genie Francis started. I was memorized by her. Loved her with Scott and then Luke. I have watched off and on since Genie left. Began watching again when I caught an episode with her paired with Kevin. Love them together. I mainly watch for the vets, Laura, Kevin, Scotty, Bobbie, Tracy, Ned , Lucy (in small doses). I do enjoy watching Ava, Liz and miss Nick and Lucky. Have
never really cared for Sonny, Alexis or Sam. I will continue to watch unless the show is again taken over by Sonny and Co as it was last fall with the whole Morgan’s death story.

Are we twins? We are same age and I recall the introduction of Laura. Loved the story of Lesley taking the fall for Laura’s self-defense killing of David Hamilton. I loved the show then and was happy to keep riding the Luke & Laura bandwagon, although years of silly sci-fi spy shenanigans grew tiresome. As do the last 20-25 years of mobster story lines. Still, there have been some very strong actors, characters, and moving stories to keep me engaged, even though not as much as I once was. I would like to see GH embrace its history. Let me see more of the old guard. AS THE WORLD TURNS was so good about that. That said, Happy 54th GH! I turn 54 in August. 🙂

Funny! I just turned 53. I well remember the David Hamilton story! I loved Leslie and wish they would bring her back! I watched for years. I remember Laura reuniting with Luke on the Mayors lawn . My college roommates and I all screaming! I watched on and off until Luke and Laura returned full time with a young Lucky. I was pregnant the same time Laura /Genie was with Lulu. I continued to watch until Laura went catatonic, and then again watched off and on hoping and praying for a Laura/Genie return. Began watching again Last August when I Caught Laura paired with Kevin. I just can’t handle the show centered around d Sonny. Wish they would center the show around another central couple, focus on the vets and add some humor!

I agree with what you said about “Sonny and Co.” and Morgan’s death. I was never a fan of Morgan, so his death was not very impactful for me, as a viewer. I thought the character was a petulant, spoiled, narcissist, and the way that his family spoke of him afterwards just made me roll my eyes. I was happy to see the actor and the character leave the canvas. I wish TPTB would focus on real issues, as they did/have with Alexis’ alcoholism, not chasing after missing pills, figurines, paintings, etc.

At least there was cake…although I’ll be damned if there’s any mention of GH’s 54th anniversary on the ABC website–they’re still living off of the golden anniversary. Nice! Sounds about right for a medium that has been left for dead. Are the networks invested at all in the futures of these programs or have our beloved shows been reduced to placeholders on a television schedule–timeslots that could just as easily be filled by the next inane talk show of the moment?

As fans, let’s continue doing our part by supporting our shows, talking them up, and finding ways to return former viewers to the fold, or entice new ones from the binge watching generation. It’s never been easier to watch, the DVR is a wonderful thing (I’m 30+ episodes behind on GH, so I’m still enjoying their 53rd year), as is the internet, which allows us to view on any number of devices. It’s such a great medium with a tremendously loyal following. We have publications, websites, message boards, and events devoted to our shows, and where else in sports or entertainment will you find the talent to be so accessible to their fans? And kudos to the talent for doing more than the networks to ensure the continued survival of these shows! Do not leave it up to the corporate suits to preserve the wonderful tradition of daytime dramas, only the audience can do that. Keep up the great work MF et al, ensuring our medium stays relevant and entertains us all well into the future!

@Reed….It’s funny you mention that GH’s 50th Anniversary is still being touted on the ABC website, since I was just thinking that the last time the show was honestly worth celebrating was at that juncture. I had just been drawn back into regularly viewing the world of Port Charles with that festively momentous occasion, and it was absolutely thrilling seeing those old, familiar characters like Frisco, Noah, Scorpio, etc. visiting throughout that aptly-named “golden”year…Alas, since then, that awesome “thrill” has gradually faded into being well and truly gone for me…too many unsatisfying newbie characters and lame, convoluted, and even incomplete, storylines have tried and failed to grab even this onetime diehard fan who knew and loved GH in its “glory days.” It’s not that I don’t wish a “Happy 54th” to the show…I do, but I would really love to see more emphasis on acknowledging and honoring the rich history and legacy families that made this particular soap so spectacular.

Shay, the ebb and flow of daytime…to be a fan, you have to be diehard–either that or you have to have no life. We are a loyal bunch, and that means hanging in during the clunkers (Paul as a serial killer, what?) and characters that don’t resonate. I hope you’ll continue to find the time for your favorite show, as I do, taking the good with the bad. It’s neither a sprint, nor a marathon, but 13,775+ shows and counting! Lots of air to fill and not all of it breathable!

@Reed….At 13,775 episodes down and counting, you have a much more distinguished GH viewing record than do I…..My own particular fandom began with the highly-popular “Luke and Laura” era, and unfortunately, waned to a certain degree during the ’90’s “Sonny C.” domination, which controversially remains in a somewhat similar fashion to this day. So, I fully fess up to the fact I’ve not watched this show on a non-stop basis like you have, however, I’ve always kept apprised of its happenings, would tune in when the vicissitudes of Port Charles’ life piqued my interests anew, and of course, wished the soap a continued healthy existence, whether in my absence or presence…..and I still do!!!! I was simply waxing nostalgic about the 50th anniversary year of GH and all those fabulous moments we witnessed…they were ever so special…and honestly made the occasion seem as if one had gone home again!!!! It was a genuinely heartfelt celebration!!! Sadly, my current emotion compares more to feeling like being a stranger in one’s own town! That’s the point I was striving to explain! A “clunker” of a character here or there is completely understandable, but too many at once really pushes the level of tolerance for any viewer, especially those of the longtime variety who I should think would be more easily disenchanted with the oft-newfangled aspects of Port Charles present! Oh, by the way, I do hear you on Paul….I actually loved Richard Burgi’s GH stint, and considered it a huge mistake to turn his charming character into such a slimy son-of-a-gun that it all but guaranteed his unwelcome departure…As one of those truly rare actors who has “leading man” written all over him, every effort should have been made to retain him—and Paul!—far into the show’s future.

Shay, you give me too much credit…or not enough, I do have a life, so I can’t claim to have seen them all, but I’ve navigated the VCR and DVR ages to keep up. Keep hanging in or checking in whenever you can because this genre is on life support. Being the last of a dying breed should motivate everyone involved with the production of these shows to put the best product out there, lest they want to be around for their demise. The achievement of 54 years and counting is stunning, so let’s hope the stewards of these shows agree how special and unique it is to be a part of something that has been such a constant in so many lives. The state of daytime is not akin to Amazon laying waste to the retail model (RIP Sears), it’s more a dearth of creativity. The audience is out there, generations of us, the brand is in place and is iconic–polish it up and reinvigorate it, these are franchises to be managed, not endangered species that we look to preserve. We can only hope for such passion in the corporate suites of the network executives because the viewers have it en masse!

Congratulations to everyone at GH! I love watching this show and hope it continues for many more years to come!

General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

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Dominic Zamprogna

General Hospital’s Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri) opened up about the burgeoning love triangle forming between his Port Charles alter-go, Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst) after recently aired scenes, plus his hopes for the future of a Dante and Liz pairing, during his appearance on the Sunday, April 23 edition of the That’s Awesome podcast with Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli).

On last week’s episodes of GH, Ric has made the decision that he wanted to propose to his ex-wife, only when he showed up at Elizabeth’s front door, he misread the scenario he walked in with Liz tending to Dante’s injured leg from the softball game. From there, the legal eagle’s jealous streak is reemerging which may cause him to act out and do something unforgivable, or will he take the high road? Stay tuned.

Speaking with Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson about where Elizabeth stands in the annals of the long-running soap, Zamprogna said, “She’s up there with Steve and Maurice (Maurice Benard) as one of the most legacy-filled people on the show.”

Courtesy/ABC

HOW DANTE AND ELIZABETH CAME ABOUT

Dominic jokes it’s a far cry for where Dante and Elizabeth previously, recalling, “We had some scenes together years ago and we were both laughing. Becky’s like, ‘Well, I guess we’re not going be paired up anytime soon.’ I remember we laughed immediately after they yelled ‘cut,”‘and said to each other, ‘Well, so much for that!'”

Fast-forward to early 2025 and as Zamprogna remembered it, “Elizabeth Korte (co-head writer, GH) came up to me at the General Hospital Christmas party, and I think it was a year and a half ago and she said, ‘We’re going to have you in scenes with Elizabeth,’ My internal monologue is going, ‘I’m not with Lulu (Alexa Havins) anymore and Sam’s (Kelly Monaco) gone, so maybe they want to see if this works.’ I didn’t want to get scenes with Becky and try to find the chemistry. I just wanted to play whatever honestly was written and came across for both of us and hope it was what people liked, and I don’t know if it is … or not.”

Knowing how beloved Elizabeth is to the GH faithfuls, Zamprogna added, “She got a big fan base with Ric … and a big fan base with with Jason … and you know, you’re going to piss somebody off. But, didn’t Ric drug Elizabeth and put Carly in a panic room?”

Dom and Liz

Photo: ABC

DANTE AND ELIZABETH PAIRING COULD STIR UP STORY FOR OTHERS IN PORT CHARLES

In closing, Dominic felt that the wide-reaching tentacles of a Dante and Elizabeth relationship is something he is 100% down for. “The triangle thing; I was happy to hear it was with Ric and her, because I felt it’s important to have her the top of it as opposed to Dante, Lulu and Elizabeth.”

Zamprogna added, “When you get into relationships on a soap, things seem to fizzle out a little bit, The buildup is what’s the fun part, and the getting to know each other, and the people who are affected by this coming together. When with this case it’s going to affect: Ric, Sonny, Lulu. There’s so much more story here. To me, it’s going to be a fun story to play.”

You can check out Dominic’s visit to That’s Awesome with Steve and Bradford below.

Now weigh-in: Are you rooting for Dante and Liz, or Dante and Ric at this juncture of the story, or neither guy  for Elizabeth? Let us know your thoughts and picks via the comment section.

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GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

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Patrick J. Gibbons

At the conclusion of today’s August 21 episode of General Hospital, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) sings a lullaby to baby Dez, that went into a montage to close out the episode as her father Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) reports to Pentonville and winds up in his jail cell.

However, in a fun fact, the song entitled, “A Lonely Heart To Give” was actually written by none other than former One Life to Live and General Hospital actor, Patrick J. Gibbons.

Daytime fans first met Gibbons as Sam Manning on One Life to Live. At the time, when he started on the soap, he was just 5-years-old. Gibbons played the part from 2010-2013 on ABC and Prospect Park’s editions of the show. Fast-forward to 2018, Gibbons shows up on General Hospital as Wyatt Hoover, the scout who seemed always be injured, but in the thick of the drama. Patrick had appeared on GH multiple times as Wyatt including: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.

Photo: ABC

FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER’S DEATH CAME THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS SONG

Now in 2026, General Hospital fans are getting to learn about another side of Gibbons’ talent as a songwriter and guitar player after “A Lonely Heart to Give” debuted today! Michael Fairman TV caught up with Patrick, who is now a senior at Penn State entering his final year as a finance major, to get the back-story of how his song wound up on GH!

Gibbons explained he wrote the song in honor of his grandmother who passed away a few years ago with whom he was, very, very close with. “Randomly, my grandmother had a downfall and passed away during the second semester of my sophomore year. I was in my dorm a lot and I was just playing with my guitar. And at the time, I was really into finger-style playing. I wrote the lyric and music to it (with a little help from my guitar teacher Lou), and my mom showed the rough demo to Frank Valentini (EP, General Hospital). He’s like an uncle to me. Frank loved it so much he said, “Finish that up. I want to hear the whole thing, and I want it on the show.”

MAKING MUSIC FOR GENERAL HOSPITAL

Gibbons and his parents took the next steps! “So now, all we needed was a female voice, because I thought that would fit the song well,” Patrick shared. “At the golf club we go to my parents were at a dinner. They liked the singer that was performing and spoke to her about the song, and she says she would like to bring it to her ‘boss’ who ended up being Eric Bazilian of the Hooters fame!” (Bazilian also wrote the smash hit song “One of Us” for Joan Osborne).

Next, “We went in the studio and recorded it and the song came together and it was beautiful. We loved it. They loved it at General Hospital and now they’re putting it the show and they are coming in with a piano, instead of a guitar. Paul Glass, the GH musical director, has been keeping us updated over the last six months of how it was coming along, and when it would air, and how GH put their own arrangement to it. I can’t wait to see and hear what they did with it.”

Photo: JPI

PATRICK’S ONE LIFE TO LIVE FAMILY

Everyone knows that the One Life to Live extended family share a very tight bond, and Patrick said he does stay in touch with a few of his former One Life to Live co-stars, especially those from the Manning family! “I stayed in touch with Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair) and sent her little videos here and there. She was like my second mom for five years. We keep in contact with Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) over X the most, and she can’t believe how big I’ve gotten. Like, none of them can! (laughs). I also loved working with Roger Howarth (ex-Todd) and Trevor St. John (ex-Todd and Victor Jr.), and to me since I was so young, they were just my friends, ‘Roger and Trevor,’ not Todd Manning or Victor Jr.”

It was a trip to California and a visit to Port Charles that ultimately led to Gibbons second soap role of Wyatt Hoover. Patrick explains, “In 2016, Frank Valentini invited us out to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital. I think he heard me say, ‘This is so much fun. I miss being on the set.’ He goes, ‘You should come out. I’ll bring you on the show. We can make you a character.'”

A few years later, Patrick’s dream became a reality! “Then, by the summer of 2018, I was playing Wyatt, the scout, and shared scenes with Wes Ramsey (Peter August), and the best was when I shared a scene with Roger Howarth and Michael Easton (ex-John, OLTL and ex-Silas, Finn et al, GH), it was like chemistry from the old days.”

Photo: PGibbons

IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS

As to his future aspirations, it’s a career in the finance game that has piqued Gibbons’ real-life interest. But never say never to a return to acting. Patrick explained, “I’ve always enjoyed numbers. And on top of that, one of the biggest parts of finance is being personable and outgoing.”

He continued, “That’s one of the greatest skills I developed growing up. I really love the markets. I’m super interested. I’m never going to close the door to acting. I’m always open to that because I just love it so much. It’s such a great art.”

Take note! If there are any investment bankers or private equity folks among the GH faithful looking for a young analyst next year, Patrick’s DMs are open. You can find him on X at @PatrickJGibbons.

So, what did you think of the song sung by Trina on today’s GH that was written by Patrick J. Gibbons? Did you enjoy Patrick’s performances as One Life’s Sam and GH’s Wyatt? Would you like to see him back on GH at some point? Let us know via the comment section.

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Admits That He Didn’t Expect the Role of Michael Corinthos to be Recast, and Would Consider Working on Another Soap (Exclusive)

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Chad Duell, the Daytime Emmy-winning actor, who stepped away from the pivotal role of Michael Corinthos on General Hospital, opened up about: his previous decision to leave the series after nearly 15 years, where’s he’s at now after time away from the demands of a daytime soap opera, and took a stroll down memory lane with some of Michael’s most-acclaimed storyline during his run, during a livestream chat on August 19 on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel.

Viewers last saw Duell on-screen as Michael in January of 2025, and with his successor in the role, Rory Gibson making his debut at the GH Nurses’ Ball in episodes that aired later in May. It was clear that during the conversation, Chad was a bit surprised that the GH brass decided to recast him when he thought he was just taking some much needed time off.

Burn-out of the daily grind of being on a soap was definitely a part of Chad’s decision to take a break. Duell explained “People know when you’re doing something for so long or your character is kind of in the same place for so long or doing the same stuff over and over again, you do get a a little burnt out, you get a little stiff, stale, a little stiff at times. I didn’t want that to be any sort of lasting impression. I have 15 years of a body of work of I’ve done on that show, which is fantastic.”

Chad Duell

Photo: ABC

WHILE CHAD WAS AWAY GH RECAST MICHAEL CORINTHOS WITH RORY GIBSON

Chad shared, his mindset when leaving GH was, “I’m taking some time away, we’ll see what happens.” Then he added, “Obviously, they decided to go in a different direction with Michael when I was gone. I didn’t think they were going to bring somebody back in my place. But you know, it’s the business. You never know what can happen.”

Duell also shared he has not watched a single episode of General Hospital since he left the series, but now feels he reenergized following the loss of his father and stepping away from the GH, “I’m in a place now mentally, where I’m ready to sink my teeth into it again.”

Courtesy/ABC

Even though he is no longer Michael on GH, Chad was very happy with his final storyline where Michael was set on fire when a bomb exploded at Sonny’s (Maurice Benard) penthouse. “It was fun to put him in a dangerous situation, because I was wanting Michael to be in something scary instead of trying to be a hero character or just things happening around him, but to be the center point of tragedy happening to him. (I always saw) Michael as the heart of the (Corinthos) family.”

When Michael was badly burned the show chose not burn his face, which normally a soap does when they are recasting role and switching actors. Chad weighed-in, “They didn’t burn my face because I told Frank Valentini (EP, GH) I’m willing to come back. It was just a little bit of a break. So, I assumed that if they would have burned my face, they could have brought somebody back looking different than me… if that’s what their plan was.”

Courtesy/ABC

MEMORABLE MICHAEL STORYLINES

One of Chad’s most memorable performances was the in the storyline of Michael’s rape while he was sentenced to prison in 2010 and the confession of it in 2011. “It was so well-written and I was very nervous,” recalled Chad. “When I get really nervous about something, it ends up being really good when I do it, because it just means I care a lot about it”

“I have to put a lot of effort and work into it, and I really want it to be good.  I was working with Dominic  Zamprogna (Dante) and Steve Burton (Jason) a lot during those scenes, and Laura Wright (Carly). It was great working with Steve and Dominic, especially, during that storyline.

A NEW SOAP ROLE FOR CHAD?

As to a future soap opera role, Chad is open to the idea and would love to jump back in to a juicy role, “I know people over at The Bold and the Beautiful, and The Young and the Restless. They know that if they’re interested, I would love to come in for a screen test or something, and they can see what I’m doing.”

Meanwhile, Chad has been busy putting out new music under the moniker Duelly and during the interview he explains how he creates his EDM tracks and much more. You can stream his latest single, Static in the Quiet Room on Spotify, Apple Music and You Tube Music.

You can check out the full conversation with Chad Duell below.

Now let us know: what show would you like to see Chad cast on down the line? BTG, DAYS, B&B, Y&R, or a new role on GH? What did you think of his thoughts on the casting switch while he was away in the role of Michael? What was your favorite Michael storyline during Chad’s 15-year run on the ABC soap opera? Let us know via the comment section.

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