General Hospital
James Franco Issues Statement on the Deposing of Jill Farren Phelps as GH's EP!
Courtesy/ABC
This day just gets wackier by the moment! Now General Hospital’s ever returning guest-star Oscar nominated actor, James Franco has issued a statement on the firing of Jill Farren Phelps as executive producer at his favorite daytime home!
Franco apparently responded via email from the New York Magazine.com’s Vulture section asking the actor for his take on the Phelps firing for the hiring of One Life to Live’s Frank Valentini.
James Franco wrote: “Jill is a pro. She is experienced, innovative and loving. I had nothing but great experiences with her for two years. She was open to experimenting on General Hospital in ways that I have not found on any other film or television project. Jill helped create daring story lines that blurred the line between fiction and reality — she allowed us to do a special episode at MOCA in LA for which they won daytime Emmys, she was always open to taking the show in unexpected directions. She and I plan to work together in the future because we enjoy collaborating so much. Anyone in Soaps would be a fool not to want to work with her.”
So could Jill Phelps next project be with Franco? What do you think of the actors statement? Let us know!
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.
Christel Khalil Reveals She Almost Quit Acting After ‘That’s So Raven’ Audition, But Then Came ‘The Young and the Restless’
DAYS OF OUR LIVES: Marlena Looks Back at 50 Years in Salem
‘WWE: Unreal’ Season 3 Premiere Date, Cast of Superstars, Announced by Netflix
GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Carly and Lulu Make Plans to Rescue Their Children; Anna Looks Determined to Secure Her Freedom
Deidre Hall Marks 50 Years as ‘Days of Our Lives’ Dr. Marlena Evans
Maurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric
‘General Hospital’s’ Controversial Luke and Laura Rape Episode: Writer Sheri Anderson Reveals Behind the Scenes Decisions and Admits ‘I Was Wrong’ to Defend It (Exclusive)
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‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Weighs-In on Dante and Elizabeth Pairing and Sharing Scenes with Rebecca Herbst (Exclusive)
GENERAL HOSPITAL Promo: Rocco’s in a Panic as Britt’s Health Takes a Turn, Chase is Called to the Carpet
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Y&R Preview: Matt Clark Asks Phyllis on a Date, Would You Be Down for the Pairing? Roger Howarth & Michelle Previously in GH’s Franco/Nina Romance
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General Hospital2 days agoMaurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric
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General Hospital1 week ago‘General Hospital’s’ Controversial Luke and Laura Rape Episode: Writer Sheri Anderson Reveals Behind the Scenes Decisions and Admits ‘I Was Wrong’ to Defend It (Exclusive)
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I don’t like to pretend that James Franco added anything to General Hospital with his appearances. Coming in for a few days and taping scenes with no real purpose and interspersing them over months does not make it innovative. It merely took screen time away from other characters and actors who deserved their own storylines.
I so agree. He’s just kissing her posterior because she indulged him in his lame obsession with GH and the ridiculous over the top character he created there. He was a complete waste of air time on the show and I have never seen him give worst performances.
Ive watch GH for 42 yrs and I have never seen a worse EP in the show’s history. She was completely inept. James take your lame but back to feature films and get off daytime. Your over-sized ego has had enough stroking.
i really love franco and i think that maybe you just dont get it. he has been doing a great job with his serial killer character and when he sends the dvds he allways looks like he is on the edge.
Seniron , who cares? Ive been watching soaps, TV and movies all my life. Ive watched some master actors over the years. And I have never seen worse performances than James Franco did on gh. On the edge my ass, that’s not acting, he just yells and screams and leers and makes an ass of himself. I know good acting when I see it and this isnt it. I’m so saddened back the lack of sophistication among soap fans. Any garbage they throw you, you lap it up like fillet Mignon. Sad indeed.
Wow.
On one hand, that’s a really lovely statement he’s left for a member of the soap world. Very kind, professional gesture.
On the other, JFP really isn’t worth the time it took it write such a lovely statement.
Just….wow.
Sorry, but what the @#$% does Franco know about soaps?? His GH appearances have been clearly nothing more than vanity pieces for him. He came in to a genre, to a show, that he clearly condescends to and IMO did nothing to help the show. He wasn’t woven into the canvas, he is the guest star who took over the show for his own entertainment.
Granted, the show has been pretty dreadful with or without him, but it’s been even worse with him.
I think Franco is a good actor. But I am not as impressed with his Renaissance Man impression as he apparently is. Franco’s ego is as overblown as Frons’ talent.
Thank you so much for this Boes. Im so glad that people werent deceived by his so called love for the show. He’s an egotistical jackass who needs to just get lost and take his lame, underdeveloped, melodramatic character with him. He just irks the hell out of me.
Dont get be started about Frons.
Francos good , I’ll like a scene with him & Sonny saying to Franco ” You Sick Freakin Bitch.”
I watch youtube never again ABC.
I can understand his loyalty to Jill , she was good to him, but to GH fans she had run her course. We were stuck in a rut for a very long time, and GH suffered because of that. I don’t really know whose to blame, is it Jill, or Brian Frons? or Bob Guza?, but i do know this, under all three of them, GH became the mess that it is today, and they all allowed it to happen for far to long. I’ve said this time and time again, GH has an awesome cast, great history, and fans who begged, and prayed for the show/network to hear them, and we went unheard for the longest time. Under the “right” team, theres no reason why GH, can’t rise again. But its going to take the right team, and ABC. I wish they would cherish what they have in their hands, instead of trying to kill it.
“Anyone in Soaps would be a fool not to want to work with her.”
Franco, glad you’re temporary.
thats mean, but you opinion.
There are certain notable exceptions, but stunt casting rarely ever works. The point is to generate buzz to attract new (or lapsed) viewers and then get them hooked on the story. What happened here is that people tuned in, saw something incredibly stupid, and tuned out. The problem is that current GH fans tuned out too because it took away screen time from people they actually wanted to see. Anyone who thought this was a good idea needs to be shown the door. Somebody lock it before Franco gets back in.
As far as I’m concerned, I could not care less what James Franco has to say about GH unless he says he’s done with it. His storylines are drawn out and boring and like the rest of GH under JFP, and Brian Frons watch, unwatchable. Been to GH’s own message board, a large majority agree. For a 30+ year viewer I have never seen one “star” have so much pull, who has absolutely NOTHING to do with this soap. Veteran actors who have given ABC more than 10, 15, or 20 years were pushed aside for a “top tier” actor, (in case you can’t tell that was sarcasm) who sounds like he’s reading the script for the first time)so just like it does to its fans, ABC disrespects its actors too as it has done for years. (can anyone say Rebecca Herbst)-still waiting on a s/l worthy of her abilities. Bringing back Alcazar or Ric Lansing would’ve brought more ratings than JF.
STFU Franco! You have NO say-so in anything!
Jill was partially responsible for destroying GH. And the Franco stories were horrible. If JF liked working with her so much, he can have her.
Huh? That’s all I have to say.
When did James Franco get a say? With Guza’s obsession for him & Vanessa?
Surely, he was never a fan of GH’s legacy…
Where was he when the soaps came under attack and two have been cancelled? She just must have kissed up to him and let him dabble and play in our stories. Our shows are not his lab for experiments…to try new forays in the blurring of fantasy and fiction …in HIS mind anyway. He needs to snap out of his famtasy and either shut up on things he has no real knowledge of or stand up for the story telling and professionalism that all soaps do. Good luck to both, maybe now GH can become the great show it once was and will be. Don’t tell me, he is good friends with and a friend of serial killer frons too!
JFP has caused each soap she was on problems…
Beverlee M. left
Killed off Maureen Bauer
Killed off Frankie Frame
Everything she destroyed on GH, don’t know details never watch GH
Not sure about SB never watch that soap.
Need I say anymore.
Don’t forget she was also responsible for Robin Strasser to leave OLTL in the early 2000s. I totally forgot she killed Frankie on Another World.
Well, I guess you can say there s not too many jobs in daytime anymore for her since we are down to four soaps.
Anyone notice he’s the only one supporting the woman that killed off Alan?
Glad that James Franco said something about Jill Farren Phelps and hope this does not want him to return to GH. Love him!
I am always upset when I see people lose their jobs. Unless it’s politicians! lol! Even Guza, Frons and JPF. I can’t help it, it’s just how I am. I also believe that while these people did great damage to the show I love, that doesn’t mean they are evil horrible people, we have no idea exactly how these things came about and knowing how it is at my job – the CEO makes a choice and the rest of the EVP’s have to follow suit and make it happen. Sure, the EVP’s take the heat for following through on the CEO’s choice, but they also get paid to take the heat. So it’s essentially what they are paid to do.
I believe that we have demonized Guza, Frons and JPF too much – I think this will be evident when nothing really changes on the show despite them being gone. That means it’s all coming from ABC higher ups.
I say all of this because I completely understand how James Franco, and other actors, have had such great things to say about JPF. We don’t know her, we have made quite a few declarative statements regarding how horrible these people are (I see them in this thread of comments as well as in all the internet gossip sites and message boards) but the truth is, they aren’t evil. I am OK with people having positive things to say about any one of them. I don’t have to agree, but I am kind of tired of us fans and insiders being so harsh on people who I believe are mostly just following orders – if they don’t then they get fired and news ones come in.
I am sure I am being a bit naive in some aspects here, but I am kind of tired of people acting like Guza, Frons and JPF are horrible people – not just horrible at their jobs.
I hate what has happed to my soap (GH) as well as with OLTL and AMC, but I don’t think there is ANYTHING Guza, Frons or JPF could have done to change the future – because ABC/DISNEY wanted it this way. So if they didn’t deliver, someone else would have.
I think we need to start going higher up on who we complain about destroy daytime. We need to go to the source, and that source does not begin with the head of ABC Daytime, we have to go higher.
Sorry, I went off on a tangent there. I guess the point is that James Franco and others who enjoyed working with JPF or Guza or even Frons just goes to show that while they might be horrible at business, that doesn’t mean they are just plain horrible.
Obviously James Franco has no idea of JFP’s horrendous track record. She wrecked Another World and it was cancelled after her stint there as EP. She tanked OLTL and for the last decade or so she has done a complete hatchet job on GH. She is inept, unimaginative and a just plain hack.
JF can go on kissing her backside till the cows come home for all I care as long as both she and he take their useless carcasses off the GH sound stage.
Innovative,Jill Phelps,I think not. being a woman, she should have stop women being butt monkeys on GH. Females should have been shown stronger and not always depending on a man. Innovative don’t mean being raped on a honeymoon and worrying about your baby being a child of rape. thats totally gross. The best thing Jill P. could have done is that Franco and his storyline with her when she left.