General Hospital
Jon Lindstrom Returns to ‘General Hospital’ After a Year Away as Kevin Collins
Finally, Jon Lindstrom is coming home to General Hospital for a visit, beginning with tomorrow’s Tuesday, December 2nd, literally a year since he last played the role on the ABC soap opera. Currently, Lindstrom can be seen as Joey Armstrong on CBS Daytime’s Beyond the Gates.
On the timing of his return to tape all-new episodes of GH, and reprise the role of Laura’s (Genie Francis) MIA husband, especially during her most trying of times (being framed for the murder of Professor Henry Dalton), Lindstrom told TV Insider, “It’s just been difficult to find the time.” As viewers know, Beyond the Gates shoots in Atlanta, while GH tapes in Los Angeles.
As for his decision to concentrate on his role as bad guy Joey Armstrong on Beyond the Gates, Lindstrom shared. “In all fairness to me, it had whittled down to about one or two shows a month (on GH), so Kevin had been fairly inactive for a long time.”
Photo: CBS
Lindstrom detailed his conversation with GH executive producer, Frank Valentini when he decided to head to Atlanta,“When I called Frank to tell him that I would be going to do Beyond the Gates on Election Day 2024, he asked me, ‘Can you do both?’”
The Daytime Emmy-nominated actor added, “I said, ‘Well, technically, yes, because I’m not under contract. The only stickler is that they’re 2,000 miles apart.’ So, there were just logistical problems along the way over the last year where they would reach out every now and again and ask if I was available for one episode or another episode in the middle of a week, and that’s impossible for me to do from out here because Gates takes up a lot of my time.”
However, eventually GH worked out a way to consolidate Kevin’s on-air return. Lindstrom explained that the show came to him and proposed a solution. ‘What if we stack a bunch of shows up over a couple of days? Will that be worth your while to make the trip out?’” Jon recalled, “And the short answer is, ‘Yes, of course.’ Besides, I think Genie Francis is getting tired of talking to a disembodied Kevin on the phone.”
In story, Kevin finds out that his wife, turned to one of his least favorite people, Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard), when Professor Dalton’s body was found dead in the trunk of her car. Lindstrom had high praise for Francis, “Genie, who never slouches, never walks through a scene, is just terrific in this story.”
So, looking forward to the return of Jon Lindstrom as Kevin Collins on General Hospital? Do you hope he can work it out to return more often to the ABC soap, while he works most of the time in Atlanta as mobster Joey Armstrong on Beyond the Gates? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
Yes, yes and yes! It’s great watching him on The Gates, but he’s been missed on GH. Hope it will work out to see him do both shows!
Doing my best Catherine O’Hara from “Home Alone”… KEVIN!
An even longer gap… we saw Leo (with a big growth spurt) for the first time in 18 months on Monday.
I won’t hold my breath to see Scotty though.
Probably for the best re Scotty. Not only did KS have surgery in real life, I think his online schtick likely wouldn’t sit well with TPTB
Ha ha ha! Kevin was a sight for sore eyes. Damn, he’s been missed.
So thrilled that Kevin is coming back on screen. Welcome home Jon. You have been missed.
He has been much missed. Willow needs a shrink.
I think that it’s great when shows, on competing networks no less, juggle their schedules to share the talent that is out there. Kudos to GH for helping this happen!
I doubt very seriously that Jon will return back to GH. I’m not a fan of Beyond so therefore I’m not watching him. Beyond doesn’t do anything for me. I do keep up with all of the other soaps. And I do miss him but hopefully they will bring Scotty back for Laura’s love interest because Jon won’t be coming back. I really don’t understand why you won’t keep Laura’s man with her permanently.
We get it. You don’t like Beyond the Gates.
Glad they could work things out. Laura seemed reduced to her office while her husband and grandson were in limbo land at her home.
GH should have used him more. Glad hes back for a few shows.
Where is Ace or where has he been all this time?
And why does he look absolutely nothing like either one of his alleged parents?
Also…is the poor kid ever going to get an actual name?
It’s a bit off, but many kids start out as blond then darken as they approach 8-10. Both grandmothers (Laura and Heather) have blond hair as well as great grandmother Helena.
I think he should go back to GH. I don’t his role on BTG is befitting for this soap. His role seems out of place for such an upscale soap.
Huh? I have no idea what you are trying to say. That said, Jon seems to be shining in his role in Beyond the Gates and the truth is GH seldom used his great talents. GH’s loss is BTG’s gain. At least he’s appreciated there. He deserves it.
His storyline on BTG is WAY juicier and they are actively using him as a leading man, in story and love scenes. You can tell he thoroughly enjoys playing Joey. GH barely used Kevin so I dont blame him.
I am so glad to see keven back.
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.
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