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Kelly Monaco Notes ‘General Hospital’ Alter-Ego Sam McCall Became a “Character I Didn’t Recognize, Let Alone the Audience”

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: JPI

General Hospital’s 21-year veteran, and one of the longtime leading women on the show, Kelly Monaco, has left the building after the news last Friday she had taped her final episode as Sam McCall.

Monday, October 1st would have marked her 21-year anniversary since she debuted on the soap opera back in 2003 following her other soap-famous role of Livvie Locke on the GH spinoff, Port Charles.

Monaco’s GH departure was reportedly “storyline-dictated,” while others have continued sharing other speculations and online scenarios, since Kelly has not yet, publicly offered up any official statement. Last week, when Kelly wrapped her run, her mother Carmina took to X and shared some heartfelt sentiments, on and for, her daughter’s last day, and the culmination of two decades of her body of work for the ABC soap opera.

Photo: JPI

However, on Tuesday, several media outlets were reporting a response from Monaco to comments and remarks made on a Soap Hub post on Instagram in a related story about Monaco’s former GH co-star Greg Vaughan (ex-Lucky, now Eric, DAYS), where the actor shared his thoughts on his time working with Kelly.

In the IG post thread, some disparaging remarks about the reason Monaco was let-go, and in particular from one of the posters, who said that Kelly had “no primary roles,” prompted Kelly herself to respond. While some may be negative towards her, Monaco’s true fans have continued their online petition campaign to bring her back to the soap and have more than 16,000 signatures on top of taking out a billboard in Times Square and more to call attention to their battle cry for Kelly.

Photo: ABC

On the IG thread in question, Kelly responded, “‘No primary role’… do your homework. When Billy Miller was fired (as Drew in 2019), Sam’s storyline stopped. Stripping Sam of every characteristic she had. Something I worked for decades to build… Slowly dismantling her, into a character that I did not recognize, let alone the audience. Call it what you will… retaliation at it finest. I will give a proper statement. The truth will set you free.”

All this, leading viewers to surmise how the character of Sam will be written-off the show in the weeks ahead, and what Monaco may plan on saying when the time is right on her side of the story, after playing an extremely popular character on the iconic soap opera for two decades.

So, what do you think about the words Kelly relayed to a poster when speaking of her exit from GH? Comment below.

Photo: SoapHubIG

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If this is the way frank treats actors who dare to speak up it really makes me want to stop watching.

Billy Miller’s mother has said that Billy was fired for standing up for Kelly and paid the price.What is the matter with her other co-stars in that Billy was the only one to stand up for her?

Makes me really wonder about the shows three leads who have considerable clout and could have done something to help Kelly out all these years from this.

There have been several actors who were let go over the last year and all have said very positive things about Valentini. Roger Howarth and Michael Easton, who followed him over to GH from OLTL both sung his praises. Others, who have medical conditions or other personal issues have also spoke about his generosity and supportive nature. I find it hard to believe he is the only villain in this issue.
They always say there are three sides to a story. His, hers and the truth. I don’t think we will ever know the real truth about everything.

Hmmm. Makes me think the the blame lays at her feet.

I think it lies with frank and Disney

I think a highly successful 21 year run on a successful television show is a very big achievement and something not a lot of people get! Not everyone loved and revered the character of Sam!!! Her death story is going to be bracing and polarizing, something GH does very well!!

simply disappointed at GH, as a fan I don’t know what else to say, the writers, new, old whatever incarnation of writing team are just horrible, they should be fired, and FV, what is going on behind the scenes? why did you fire Kelly, and appearantly the late Billy Miller? the drew characters is not working, there’s nothing ab0out him that’s appealing.

I rather enjoy GH right now

Ditto! I’m excited to see some of my favorite characters return and also like some of the new characters on the show.

Really good actresses turn “s**t into sugar”. Just look at some of the horrible storylines Maura West has had as Ava through her time at GH.

Yes, some of the stories for Sam the past few years haven’t been good, but why did Lindsay Hartley make an impact whenever she subbed for Kelly?

Her suggesting the character changed after Billy Miller was let go doesn’t add up. Burton returned to GH in the fall of 2017. It was a few months after when Sam was reunited with his Jason. Miller (as Drew) stayed on the show until summer of 2019. Sam went through the whole Shiloh mess while Drew was dealing with Oscar and his eventual demise. Once Sam reunited with original Jason, there wasn’t much interaction between she and Drew.

Kelly quit kissing the ring of the three pets they were why I quit watching . I had no idea they fired Billy Miller I thought he quit. I personally hope she gets a job making triple her salary.

Her behavior appears to be unprofessional.

B.S!

Don’t let the door hit you on the way out! Sounds disgruntled to me. I never have been a fan of Sam’s. I do like her when Lindsay Hartley is in the role! Kelly is a fine actress but I don’t think she has been happy at GH for a while. Time for her to move on. I am sure she will land on her feet and land a roll elsewhere. I’m sure I will like her there as well.

Shame that this is how the show treats longtime actors I was very upset to see them get rid of Michael Easton and Roger Howarth this is no way to run a series… first you force us to have Peter August… then Nina and you want to get rid of Sam and keep Nuttallia and Nina ewww

I personally don’t believe her “version” of the events. I don’t think not having your contract renewed is exactly the same thing as being fired. I think once Steve Burton decided to come back there was t much use for Billy anymore. And yeah Kelly is biased in what happened. Personally I never thought she was a great actress. She hasn’t been on much and honestly hasn’t been missed.

To my knowledge, Kelly was essentially responsible for Frank having hired Billy Miller- as Jason- in the first place. So of course she had all sorts of opinion on the fact when Billy Miller left no matter what the circumstances. And since the two had whatever sort of relationship outside the studio that they had, she never accepted that much of the audience didn’t think Billy was right for the role of Jason, and wanted Burton back. So that was the first thing she resented. In 2012 I saw an interview with Burton and Kelly, and she couldn’t have sung Steve’s praises more effusively. That was just before he left for Y&R. But when Billy was pushed aside for his return, Kelly couldn’t have been further from that. She didn’t want Burton to be the real Jason, she didn’t want her character to reconnect with him, she didn’t want anything to do with him. And she couldn’t get beyond it, with her acting or anything else. And this last time around… those GH photos of Jason with Carly and Sam on each arm… Kelly simply looks miserable. I’m sure that behind the scenes she was lobbying whenever and wherever she felt she needed to keep her character away from his, and I imagine it just got tiresome. Especially when the alternative was for Steve to be paired with Laura Wright, and they have so little chemistry it almost shows up as anti-chemistry. Certainly romantically.

Soaps ebbs and flow. The GH of Ms. Monaco’s era is not the same GH that captured my attention and heart once upon a time. Changes in producers and writers change characters’ motivations, situations, value. I never connected to Sam but the mob mess and all the implausible resurrections never set well with me. A mob daughter may not be long lived and Sam’s death (?) may be a catalyst for new plot directions and improvement to GH overall.

Kelly nailed her response

Breaking News

53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Presenters Announced

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Daytime Emmy Presenters

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) revealed on Thursday, the lineup of presenters for 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards taking place on Friday, October 30, 2026, at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California.

The ceremony will stream live on the NATAS YouTube channel at YouTube.com/@theemmys and watch.TheEmmys.tv.

Scheduled to present from the current soaps are: Katelyn MacMullen (Willow, General Hospital), Delon de Metz (Zende, The Bold and the Beautiful), James Preston (Nick, The Bay), Paul Telfer (Xander, Days of our Lives), Tamara Tunie (Anita, Beyond the Gates) and Susan Walters (Diane, The Young and the Restless).

Genie Francis

Photo: NATAS

In addition soap alums, Crystal Chappell, Lesli Kay, Joe Lando, Eva LaRue, who is also a nominee this year,  A Martinez, Juliet Mills, and Alicia Leigh Willis, will also be on hand to present.

The ceremony which celebrates nominated lifestyle programs and dramas will also include presenters: Eva zu Beck (Superskilled with Eva zu Beck), Danielle Chang (Lucky Chow), Sunny Hostin (The View), Derek Hough (Extra), Pati Jinich (Pati’s Mexican Table), Star Jones (Divorce Court), Michael Jr. (Stand Up and Do Something), Judge Greg Mathis (Mathis Court with Judge Mathis), Keke Palmer (Glam Through the Ages), Nischelle Turner (Entertainment Tonight), and Andrew Zimmern (Andrew Zimmern’s Wild Game Kitchen).

The 2026 Daytime Emmy Awards will bring together an exciting mix of presenters representing the full spectrum of daytime television,” said Adam Sharp, President & CEO of NATAS. “From familiar faces in daytime drama to the personalities and creative voices behind talk shows and lifestyle programming, this year’s lineup reflects the breadth of talent that makes daytime so special. We look forward to celebrating the people who continue to shape the genre.”

Matthew Hoffman (Love Island USA, Cheap A$$ Beach Houses) will serve as the ceremony’s Voice of God, bringing his signature comedic narration to the evening’s celebrations. As previously announced, Lifetime Achievement honoree Genie Francis (Laura, General Hospital) will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by her husband, Jonathan Frakes.

So, what do you think about the list of presenters for the 2026 Daytime Emmy Awards? Let us know who you are looking forward to seeing via the comment section below.

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General Hospital

Could Kristen Vaganos and Josh Kelly Be Exiting ‘General Hospital?’

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Josh and Kristen

General Hospital fans took to social media following the airing of the Wednesday, October 21 episode of the ABC daytime drama series. In story, Molly (Kristen Vaganos) reveals to Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) that she has received an offer to join the top law firm in Chicago that practices civil law. She says it’s her dream job.

The problem Molly says is relocating from Port Charles and uprooting her life and being away from her mother, Scout and boyfriend Cody Bell (Josh Kelly). Wistful that she may lose another daughter to a long-distance situation (Kristina left a few months back to go to medical school in California), Alexis urged Molly to get Cody to go with her.

Molly still seemed concerned and has trouble committing to the idea. Alexis tells her to talk it over with Cody. Meanwhile, Cody asked Tracy (Jane Elliot) is he can have Thanksgiving off because he and Molly planned to spend Thanksgiving together with their families. After initially balking, Tracy agrees.

Courtesy/ABC

WILL MOLLY AND CODY HEAD TO CHI-TOWN?

Later, Cody shows up at Miller & Davis and the conversation turned to Thanksgiving dinner that Alexis is hosting. Molly and Cody asked her not to cook anything. Cody hugged Molly reassuring Alexis that he and Molly would take care of whatever was needed on Turkey Day.

So, this raises the question, why out of nowhere are we learning that Molly received an amazing law offer in Chicago, if the character was not being written out? If Molly leaves the canvas, would the character of Cody make his exit too?

Kristen Vaganos joined GH as a recast Molly Lansing-Davis back in September of 2023 and went on contract in August of 2024. Josh Kelly began playing Cody Bell back in June of 2022. Initial reports were that Kelly joined the show on contract and then as of June 2025 went on recurring status with the show per his choice.

Do you see a world where GH is writing out Molly and Cody? Would you be sad to see Kristen and Josh exit the soap opera? If this is not what is going on, is this just a plot point for some other story that is upcoming? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section.

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General Hospital

Kin Shriner Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ TV Daughter Kelly Kruger

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Kin and kelly

It’s been over two-years since his last appearance on General Hospital, now fan favorite Kin Shriner (Scott Baldwin) has taken to social media to share his thoughts on the casting of his grown-up TV daughter, Serena Baldwin now played by Kelly Kruger.

Kelly took over the role of Serena on-screen starting with the July 30, 2026 episode and has been ensconced in the storyline with her mother, Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring), in trying to win back full creative control of Deception for her.

In fact on the Monday, October 19 episode of the ABC soap opera, Serena tried to dupe Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) into signing over Michael’s (Rory Gibson) shares of the company. Jason caught on and wondered why she was doing this. She claimed she just wanted to help her mom gain creative control from Tracy (Jane Elliot) rather than full ownership, and begged Jason to keep quiet about it, which he agreed to for now.

Serena and Jason

Courtesy/ABC

WHERE IS SCOTT?

On Monday, Shriner also took to X and said, “I think Kelly Kruger is doing a great job on General Hospital, and she and Lynn Herring work well together.” That was followed by comments in his thread about the show needing to bring back Scott too.

In fact, back on August 25, Shriner also took to X with a reminder that Scott is still around and ready to come back to Port Charles, sharing, “Scotty Baldwin always fits in he just needs the right sport coat !!!!”

The last time Serena mentioned her father Scott was when Kruger made her debut and informed Lucy that her father was, “living his best life in Key West.”  Meanwhile, Shriner posts on his X account continually and shared back on August 2, that it has been 49 years since he made his on-screen debut as then teenaged, Scotty Baldwin and thanked the fans for al the love and support.

So, now let us know, are you enjoying Kelly Kruger as Serena Baldwin? Do you want to see GH bring back Scott Baldwin into the story, so Serena has both her parents in Port Charles? Do you like the potential of Jason and Serena pairing? Weigh-in 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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