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Jonathan Jackson Speaks Out on His Aborted Return as ‘General Hospital’s’ Lucky Spencer, Potential Comeback, and Making Tony Geary and Genie Francis Proud (Exclusive)

By Michael Fairman

Published

8 months ago

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Photo: JPI

It was back in June of this year that General Hospital fans were stunned when they learned that Jonathan Jackson was wrapping up his return as Lucky Spencer after only nine months and heading back full-time to his home in Tennessee. Up to that point, it had been 10 years since Jonathan appeared as Luke (Anthony Geary) and Laura’s (Genie Francis) son on the ABC daytime drama series; in a role he originated in 1993 at only 11-years-old.

Even though his return was abridged, and not how anyone wanted it to end, Jonathan still managed to rack-up some unforgettable scenes that landed on his Emmy reel, which ultimately just a few short weeks ago won him his sixth Daytime Emmy at the 52nd annual Daytime Emmy Awards. That means, other than his mentor, Tony Geary, who has the record  8, Jackson is the second-most winning male actor in daytime with 6 along with Justin Deas (ex-ATWT, GL, Santa Barbara).

Jonathan’s reel contained when Lucky’s son, Aiden (Colin Cassidy) admitted to his father that he was gay, Lucky hallucinating Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst) to come save him from the clutches of Sidwell (Carlo Rota) while imprisoned in Africa, and Lucky’s guilt over finding out from his mother, Laura that he isn’t a donor match to save his sister, Lulu and more.

Photo: ABC

Michael Fairman TV was on the Winners Walk where we spoke to Jonathan shortly after he won the gold for the sixth time and got his take now on: his decision to exit GH earlier the planned, if a return is at all possible in the future, why Lucky seemed so wishy-washy and claimed he could never put down roots while every one he loved and loves him lives in Port Charles, and more.

GOLDEN BOY

An emotional Jackson, shared how this win hit him harder than the others in his career, “It’s very overwhelming. It’s like surreal. I’ve lived in Tennessee for the last 13 years and I was away from the show for over a decade. When I came back, it was like a whirlwind,” recalled Jonathan. “It was a lot of work. It took a lot out of me commuting back and forth, not to mention the emotional toll of it. So, to be here with my coworkers, with my beloved wife (Lisa Vultaggio ex-Hannah), I just got overwhelmed. I think when you’re younger, you’re focused on different things. And as I’ve gotten older, I’m taking it in differently. I feel more present now than I think I was in the past.”

Photo: JPI

Jonathan reflected and was very thankful of the kinds of material he had this time back, which in his eye didn’t require Lucky to be crying every day as opposed to do 10 years ago, “I hit the ground running thanks to Frank Valentini. (executive producer, GH) and the writers. I loved the kind of ‘mission impossible’-esque beginning stuff … that adventurous Luke-like material, because I was having all these memories of Tony as I was doing the scenes. That was super fun. Then, to get to have Lucky and Elizabeth reconnect and even get as close as they got to getting married again was nice. The last time I was here over a decade ago, it was mostly tragedy. I always felt that the fans wanted Lucky and Elizabeth, to get back together. And so this time around, I was very grateful that Frank and Elizabeth Korte (co-head writer, GH) and all the writers were very open to that.”

EARLY EXIT

Although, Jackson spoke of getting Elizabeth and Lucky back together, in the end, it couldn’t be, because ultimately he choose to depart GH. “It was my fault that I had to leave, because of the commuting and my family and so I felt bad for the fans about that. I truly did,” shared Jonathan. “But I was also grateful for the moments of sweetness and beauty. There’s a lot of tragedy in the world. One of the things I mentioned as I was coming back, I said, ‘look, if it makes sense, I just think a little bit of beauty can go a long way in the world right now’. So to have those moments with Lucky and Elizabeth including singing the song to her flashing back, we need those kind of moments right now, especially.”

Photo: JPI

GH fans were critical and rightfully so, at how Lucky was written saying he wanted to be with Elizabeth and his son, Aiden and family, but then countering that he needs to be free, not tied down in one place, etc. Jonathan admitted that material can be frustrating, “Yes, (I know). I’m a very different person than him, right? It’s also one of the cool things about daytime soap operas. It’s a double-edged sword because you can’t really have an ending because the show just keeps going, and going. So unless Lucky and Elizabeth left the show together, you’re never really going to  have that ending. That’s one of the things I have to kind of reconcile with mentally to go, ‘There isn’t a beginning, middle and end here. It’s just moments, you know?'”

NEVER SAY NEVER

However, Jonathan is not closing the door to another General Hospital return down the line. However, at this moment it would be hard to pinpoint when with all of his music projects and other projects scheduled to drop at thee end of 2025 and 2026. When asked would he come back and reprise Lucky yet again, Jackson revealed, “Yes, absolutely. That was part of the discussion with Frank, because my preference would be that it’s open for me to come back. And thank God they were on board with that. I mean, it’s really a logistical thing of music and other projects and if my back can hold up with all the commuting.”

MAKING HIS TV PARENTS, TONY GEARY AND GENIE FRANCIS, PROUD

For many of us, we grew up watching Lucky go from a young boy, to a teenager to a young man up right before eyes. Jackson from the very beginning could always hold his own in scenes with the iconic Luke and Laura, too.  In Jackson’s heart, Tony Geary and Genie Francis remain in his heart in everything he does to this day.

Photo: ZumbaphotoAlmay

Speaking on Tony Geary, Jackson expressed, “He’s my mentor. I owe him so much. It’s like, it doesn’t matter how old you get, you still want to  make your parents proud. I feel that about my actual parents and my life. But I feel that about Tony and Genie as an artist. It’s not just General Hospital, either. When I was on Nashville, Tony sent me a message at one point. He had seen some of the episodes, and that meant so much to me. So, no matter what project I’m working on I want to make Tony and Genie proud and put the same kind of work ethic that they put into it and the love for the craft. That’s in me because of them. So, this is a little a moment of just like, I want to make them proud and I’m very grateful.”

Now below, watch our interview with Jonathan from the 2025 Daytime Emmy Awards and for more Winner Walk conversations subscribe to the Michael Fairman Channel or click here.

So, what do you think of the remarks made by Jonathan on his recent run on GH, his decision to exit, hope he might one day return and love for Tony Geary and Genie Francis? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

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I love him

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I believe Justin Deas has six daytime Emmy’s as well.

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It says so right there in the article

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Geary and Genie were great role models. I still often think of the passion that Geary displayed in his work.

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If we can’t have Lucky, bring back Morgan. Ethan is not a legacy character. We will be thrilled with Morgan !!! Ethan will not get our attention !!

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General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Carly and Lulu Make Plans to Rescue Their Children; Anna Looks Determined to Secure Her Freedom

Published

20 hours ago

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June 22, 2026

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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.

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General Hospital

Maurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric

Published

2 days ago

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June 21, 2026

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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’

Published

2 days ago

on

June 20, 2026

By

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.

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Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

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