It’s one of the most controversial storylines in soap opera history, when Luke (the late Anthony Geary) raped Laura (Genie Francis) back in an episode that aired in 1979. In the story, one fateful night while believing his latest assignment for the mob would get him killed, Luke drank heavily, and confessed his love to Laura. She had been working at the disco at the time and tried to comfort him.

Luke said, “I’m not going to die without holding you in my arms just one time. Dance with me.” As Herb Alpert’s “Rise,” played in the background, Laura tried to leave as she was getting fearful of Luke. The camera panned away as Luke forced himself on her and Laura screamed, “No!” The aftermath also became a huge problem for the series years later. GH tried to pass it off as a seduction, while viewer outcry, and as the world evolved over the decades called it then and now what it was, “rape.”

The script writer for that episode was prolific soap opera writer and three-time Emmy winner, Sheri Anderson. The popular scribe is best-known for her work on Days of Our Lives and also her tenure as its co-head writer, but she also spent a few years at General Hospital smack dab in the late 70s and early 80s, under then legendary executive producer, Gloria Monty.

Photo: JPI

During her visit last week to the Michael Fairman Channel, where Anderson opened up about a specific moments throughout her storied writing career, as well as the state of the soaps now in our culture, she recalled the events that transpired before and after that led to her scripting the infamous rape episode on GH.

ABC NETWORK EXEC DECIDES LUKE SHOULD RAPE LAURA

Sheri began, “What happened was Pat Falken Smith (then head writer, GH) came in from a meeting and she was stoned-faced, and we said, ‘What’s going on?’ She said Jackie Smith, who was head of the network, wants Luke to rape Laura and we were like, ‘What? We can’t do that!” She said that’s what we were going to so, because we were exploring ‘date rape’ at the time.”

“So, on General Hospital, or any show that I’ve been involved with, we would get as much research as we could on the subject, especially when I was writing,” explained Anderson. “I would always send the script to a therapist and say, ‘is this accurate? Is this emotionally correct?'”

Anderson shared from the writers viewpoint what the story was about at that time: “Luke was from the wrong side of the tracks. He was trying to prove himself to the mob and they said to prove it, you have to go kill a senator Mitch Williams. Luke couldn’t go through with it, which meant he was a dead man. He went back to the Campus Disco which he owned and Laura was there. She was waiting for her husband (Scotty Baldwin). So, when Laura was trying to comfort Luke, things started to get out of control.”

THE COINED “SEDUCTION”

“The script which I wrote was 110 pages, which was typical at the time. Gloria Monty, who was a brilliant executive producer and director who changed daytime, was the director of that episode,” explained Anderson on the writing for the soap back in the late 70s. “They probably cut 30 pages of material, because she was so intent on the rape and making it as brutal as she could. So, we were just going forward and thinking, ‘Oh, my God! That was really awful.'”

Over decades, the moment was called as aforementioned, “a seduction,” a “date rape,” and then as GH viewers recalled, it was in 1998 that Luke admitted to his son Lucky (Jonathan Jackson) that he actually raped his mother, Laura.

Photo: ABC

ANDERSON COULD NO LONGER DEFEND THE STORY POINT

It is not lost on Anderson, how GH at the time, tried to pass off the on-screen incident, “In retrospect, and I believe Michelle Val Jean (creator, head-writer, executive producer of Beyond the Gates) once said that it upset her, that we would say it was really a ‘seduction’ and all of those things, because it was not. It was rape, and (back then) I would try to, in a sense, defend it, and frankly, I was wrong,” revealed Sheri.

“I wrote the rape episode and I actually wrote the episode after it and we had Emily McLaughlin who played nurse Jessie Brewer who came to me later and said, ‘thank you.’ Because she said, ‘I wrote the aftermath of it so poignantly for her and Genie,’ recalled Sheri. “Then, we had Irene Kassorla, the real-life therapist come in, and on the show do group therapy sessions. So, it was really fascinating for me  I thought that we were doing it extremely well, and I still think we did it extremely well. But, yes, it was rape, and it was wrong.”

Photo: ABC

GLORIA MONTY SWORE SHE WOULD NEVER MARRY LUKE AND LAURA

In an ironic twist, when Pat Falken Smith and Sheri left General Hospital to return to Days of Our Lives, suddenly Luke and Laura were getting married, after Gloria Monty swore she would never let them tie the knot. As soap fans know, the wedding remains the most-watched episode in soap opera in history with over 30 million people tuning-in on November 16 and 17 of 1981.

“People talk about that story thinking Luke raped Laura, and then they got married. No! Luke raped Laura, but it destroyed their lives with the secrets that they carried. Laura would not tell anybody that Luke was the one who raped her, and their lives were altered in so many ways. It took a long time to bring them back as a couple because they had such chemistry personally, so it was just the obvious way to go,” explained Anderson of the writers mindset at the time. “Gloria Monty said to us, ‘We’ll never marry them.’ Then, when as a writing team we left and went to Days of Our Lives, she married them two months later.”

You can catch our full informative chat with Sheri Anderson below.

So, what did you think about what really went on behind the scenes at General Hospital when the decision came down to have Luke rape Laura in the controversial scenes? Did you appreciate the insight provided by Sheri? Is it still one of the more troubling plot points in the storied history of Luke and Laura to you? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

News out of Monaco and the 65th annual Monte-Carlo Television Festival. The Bold and the Beautiful’s Brad Bell (executive producer and head writer) and his son, Oliver Bell, who have formed the microdrama company, Red Flair Entertainment, revealed on Sunday that they are already gearing up for season two of their just announced first foray into verticals, Hollywood Starlet.

As previously reported, the first season will be filmed at Sunset Las Palmas Studios in Hollywood where the CBS soap opera has called home since late summer of 2025,  and will star microdrama favorites, Eric Guilmette, Molly Anderson, and Bella Mraz.  Most of the talent is expect to be back for season 2.

Hollywood Startlet will bow in mid-August on aTwist, the new microdrama studio and platform founded by former studio execs: Jana Winograde, Susan Rovner and Lloyd Braun. According to Deadline, season 1 will be comprised of 44 episodes of 90-to-120 seconds apiece.

Photo: CBS

‘HOLLYWOOD STARLET’ WILL TELL STORY OF POWERFUL WOMEN AND FAMILY STORIES

While at the Monte-Carlo TV Festival, the Bells spoke on their new venture, with Oliver making it clear that what they didn’t like about the current state of most verticals are that they often tells stories which demean women, which harkens back to to China, were the microdrama was born.

Oliver explained, “I was watching ReelShort and a lot of these Chinese dramas, which I thought were very captivating. But then you’d see some parts that were degrading to women. For me, that was a little offensive. I thought we could do an American one where we have powerful women and lovely family stories. I felt like that wasn’t being seen.”

Photos: CBS

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL IN MONTE CARLO

While viewer should not expect any crossovers at this time with The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful, Brad and Olive plan are to have their vertical series capture the spirit of those shows, in turn, swerving some less savory elements in the microdrama genre.

In addition, it was revealed as expected that stars of The Bold and the Beautiful who are making a public appearance at the festival: Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke), Thorsten Kaye (Ridge), Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (Steffy), Tanner Novlan (Finn) and Kimberlin Brown (Sheila) are also in town for a remote shoot that will air most likely later this summer on the CBS soap opera.

So, looks like Brad and Oliver Bell have put a fast track on Hollywood Startlet seasons 1 and 2, and another B&B remote is on the way. Intrigued by the microdrama? Looking forward to seeing what befalls Brooke, Ridge, Steffy, Finn and Sheila in story while in Monte Carlo? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

Light it up! On an all-new episode of General Hospital star, Maurice Benard’s (Sonny Corinthos) mental health series, State of Mind, he welcomed back to the show, AJ Lee (aka AJ Mendez) for update on her life in and out of the pro wrestling ring.

Before the Sunday, June 14 episode dropped, AJ had previously appeared on State of Mind, back in November of 2021, where she shared with the three-time Daytime Emmy winner her struggles with bipolar disorder, and one terrible situation back in 2014 where she contemplated a suicide attempt.

As WWE fans know, in September of 2025, Lee made a triumphant return to the wrestling ring after she stepped away 10 years ago. AJ is married to former WWE champion CM Punk (aka Phil Brooks), and both were a part of a major storyline against Seth Rollins and his real-life wife, Becky Lynch. This past April, Lynch defeated Lee to win back the women’s Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 42. Following that, Lee stepped away, for now, from the WWE. CM Punk, who lost the WWE World title to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, is expected back on WWE programming in the near future when ‘RAW’ rolls into his hometown of Chicago on July 6.

Photo: WWE

AJ LEE’S RECENT WWE COMEBACK WAS DONE UNDER WATCHFUL EYES

AJ, who has been an open book about her mental health struggles and who has been advocate for those also struggling, shared how the behind the scenes of the pro wrestling business has changed in the last ten years, and how this time, there were built in protections in-place if she were to run into any mental health issues.

“My first run was maybe ten years, then I took ten years off,” explained Lee to Benard. “To be fair, I am very lucky. I never had to have a surgery for wrestling-related injuries. Most people don’t make it out unscathed like that. Knock on wood. I’ve had suggested surgeries, but I haven’t done that for my neck. I’ve like strained stuff and had minor tears, here and there, but a lot of the culture when I was younger was you just keep going because it’s going to keep going without you. So, if you’re injured, you just kind of fake it and say you’re fine and keep going.”

However, fast-forward to 2025 and during AJ’s comeback, she felt taken care of. “It’s very much not like that now, which I was really happy to see. It’s very much about, ‘let’s have a conversation about how you’re feeling and you can get time off, and you can spend more time with your family.’ I will say to their credit, my biggest concern coming back was my mental health. WWE President Nick Khan and WWE Chief Content Officer, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, were the bosses that kind of brought me (back) in. They were so open about saying, ‘We will protect your mental health and if we don’t, we’re not doing our job. That’s got to be our number one priority.’ It was never like that 10 years ago. I felt like I had to hide this that part of me 10 years ago. So, for my bosses to support me in that way (meant everything).”

Photo: WWE

AJ CALLS HER BIPOLAR DISORDER BY THE NAME “JEAN”

As it turns out, AJ has a very intriguing way to deal with manic episodes when she feels them coming on, as she explained to Maurice, “I made friends with my bipolar disorder and the darker stuff. I named it and I call her ‘Jean,’ and when she’s acting up, I’m like ‘Jean, you’re not being cool.” I think the hardest thing, especially this year has been trying to cope with the big feelings and how to high stay balanced, I had a big fear coming back to the spotlight and wrestling again. Ten years ago, I was at my lowest when it seemed like I was on the top of the world as a champion. So, taking 10 years and really taking care of myself and feeling the healthiest I’ve ever felt, then being like, ‘okay, now go back into wrestling.’ I was really scared about what that (type of) pressure was going to do. I felt so proud of myself for having the tools now. If I wake up anxious, or I am anxious behind the scenes and about to go out through the curtain in wrestling, now I know how to work with it.”

Photo: WWE

AJ HAS HIGH PRAISE FOR HUSBAND CM PUNK WHO’S IN THE BEST SHAPE OF HIS LIFE

Benard brought up the love of AJ’s life, WWE superstar CM Punk. She explained how continually impressed by him she is, and its important to be a supportive spouse. “He’s in the best shape of his life right now and was just champion for most of the year. I am his wife, so I am a little like biased, but objectively, he had one of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all time (against Roman Reigns).I’m so impressed with how he’s able to push himself and just be the best athlete he can be.  He reaches for the moon every time, but it’s amazing. He’s such a good wrestler and I know he can do anything he sets his mind too.”

MORE PROJECTS IN THE WORKS

Coming up, while you may not see her on weekly editions of Monday Night Raw, Lee clarified her immediate future, “I spent the last eight months on Monday Night Raw on Netflix. I am going to be doing WWE Unreal the documentary series also for Netflix,. I’m still writing and producing. I have a production company called Scrappy Heart Productions, and our goal is  make underdogs the stars of their own stories. Right now, we are producing our first feature film and the short film version of it. We have a bunch of other projects in the works that we love and we’re so passionate about including comic books. We’re working hard on that one. So, it’s all different parts of the same muscle (for me). It’s all about telling and creating stories.”

You can watch AJ’s chat with Maurice Benard on State of Mind below.

Now, let us know, do you miss AJ after her 8 month comeback in the WWE? What did you think about what she shared on how the WWE higher-ups protected her mental health as best as possible? Are you a fan of CM Punk and AJ as a duo? Does AJ’s journey and story compel you to also check and look after your own mental health? Weigh-in via the comment section below.