General Hospital
Roger Howarth Confirms Departure from GH, Shares Appreciation for Daytime Fans: “I Am Deeply Grateful to Each Sparkly One of Them”
Many soap fans are heartbroken following the news that Roger Howarth is out at General Hospital after his Port Charles character of Dr. Austin-Gatlin Holt has been killed-off, marking the end of Howarth’s recent run on the ABC daytime drama series.
On Monday, Howarth confirmed his exit from General Hospital with a touching post on his official Instagram account.
Howarth taped his last episode of GH back in October, and after Monday’s airshow it was revealed that Austin met his maker. Taking to his Instagram, Roger shared several touching word to the fans, the cast and crew of General Hospital, and that he is looking forward to the future.

Photo: ABC
In his post, Roger expressed: “Still life with coffee and rabbit ears (referring to his photo).” He then went on to say, “Three things that I know for sure…”

Courtesy/RHowarthIG
Number one was, “Daytime fans are lovely and amazing and supportive and dedicated and I am deeply grateful to each sparkly one of them.” The second,”I enjoyed my time at General Hospital and wish the cast and crew the best and continued success. It was a pleasure working with you all.” And the third, “Life is amazing. We just don’t Ever know what’s gonna happen. How great!”
Roger ended his appreciation post with hope for the future, “Turn toward the light. Always. Huge thank you to you all.”

Photo: ABC
The actor has had an incredible daytime career appearing on Guiding Light, Loving, One Life to Live, As the World Turns and General Hospital as three different characters (Todd, Franco and Austin) from 2012-2023. Howarth has been nominated five-times for a Daytime Emmy and winning once back in 1994 for his performance as Todd Manning on One Life to Live.
Now the question becomes, will daytime fans get to see Roger on another soap? Share your thoughts on Howarth’s thoughtful and touching farewell to his time on General Hospital via the comment section below.
A class act all the way. Perhaps if corporate charges their minds, Todd could return some day.
Roger’s a leading man who was stuck playing a tertiary character as Austin. A lesser actor would’ve been dropped from the role after 6 months. He was very kind to not chastise the writers for lack of character development. In actuality, other than the moments of spark with Britt, Austin just never fit in.
To Roger’s credit, he took a totally unlikable character in Franco and made him interesting to watch. Chemistry with Stafford, Herbst, Shriner and Robin Mattson definitely helped.
What a shame, Roger is amazing. Mistake on GH to kill Franco off. I actually liked Frano & Elizabeth together with the boys. I love Roger and will miss him – he is a gem of an actor. GH’s loss – though, I never was interested in Austin, but his scenes with Maura West were always magnetic. Such chemistry there and… what a loss for GH.
I am tired of the dud that is Michael Easton. Silas, Hamilton etc etc are all snooze feasts. I don’t like Hamiton with Elizabeth – it’s still forced.
Enter the return as Franco… wishful thinking.
DAYS bring Roger Howarth on as the nu-Peter Blake… get him on contract for anything, DAYS!
You will be missed. Hope to see u somewhere on our screens soon.
Aaawwww sad– I luves Roger…he was given roles on GH well below his talents…
If he had been given an opportunity to have a great character he would have rocked GH and would have become a top-of-the-line character/actor and would be a GH mainstay Star.
Wasted, Roger was wasted- shame on the producers and writers..
Roger is gold and treated as tin…. imo
WTH is wrong with TPTB that they can’t write for this amazing actor?!? I am beyond pis$ed off! Now what are they going to do? Bring him back as another character? Oh, brother! In my opinion, bringing him back as back-from-the-dead-Franco would require a lot of suspended belief ~ though I thought killing off Franco was a BIG mistake. I loved him with Elizabeth and her boys. Bringing him back as Todd would perhaps be interesting but what would draw him back to PC? Carly has moved on with Drew now and Starr is no longer there. It’s just a real shame!
He takes over Aurora Media in hostile bid. He saw how Victor and Vicki (OLTL) maintained the high standards of The Banner and wants to reinvent himself.
Bring him to Days he is awesome
With what budget? DAYS can’t afford to keep their own legacy characters, they certainly couldn’t find the money for Roger.
I’m trying to think of who he could play on Days if they did bring him on. Hell only knows the Horton family has been entirely wiped out. Only two people in the current cast using the Horton name are Lucas – who is stuck in prison and only seen once every 3 months or so, and Sarah, who I don’t think is sticking around long term either, and is not a bio-Horton.
Maybe they could bring him on as a recast of Scotty Banning, who would be Julie’s grandson & Eli’s half-brother? When we last saw Scotty… around 1990 or so, he had been SORASed and was played by Rick Hearst… who of course would later be Ric Lansing on GH.
So he wouldn’t have the Horton last name, but at least he would have some Horton DNA.
Now that said…. I’m not sure I want him on Days, because ReRon would try to make him the star of the show overnight… just like he did on GH.
Someone at Days read this and is saying “Hmmm” right now. I’M saying “Hmmm” right now.
So mad they got rid of roger Howarth!!!!
I have loved him since OLTL. I had the pleasure of meeting him at a Soap Opera function. He is an amazing, multifaceted actor. I wish Y & R would bring him in as a consultant for Sharon’s new business !! These two would have fabulous chemistry !!!
If they’re going to dump every character due to failure on the writers’ part then why not dump Esme, Willow, Michael, Finn and especially, that awful fake Drew? Roger is a gifted and unique actor who was thrown utter crappola. Here’s hoping he moves onward to better opportunities.
General Hospital
Chris McKenna Reportedly Out as ‘General Hospital’s’ Jack Brennan

As ABC’s General Hospital continues to make casting additions in front of the camera; a new report indicates that Chris McKenna is the next contract player to be written out of the show as his storyline as Port Charles WSB bureau chief, Jack Brennan, is coming to end this fall.
According to sources close to the situation, who informed Soap Opera Network, McKenna will exit the long-running soap opera when Jack is killed-off the canvas. The outlet shares, Brennan’s death will come about as the soap, “leans heavily into storylines surrounding the World Security Bureau (WSB).”
McKenna, who previously appeared on the soaps when he was 12 as a young Joey Buchanan on One Life to Live from 1990-1993, then as an adult as Mark Harding on The Young and the Restless from 2014-2015, and next on The Bold and the Beautiful in the short term role of Dr. Hayden, began his run as GH’s Brennan back in February of 2025, replacing Charles Mesure in the role.

Photo: ABC
JACK’S ROCKY ROAD TO ROMANCE
In fact, McKenna won the part over Daniel Goddard and Daniel Cosgrove, who eventually were cast in other roles on General Hospital, that of Henry Dalton and Ezra Boyle, respectively. Chris informed his fans via X, back in August of 2025, that he was put on contract at the daytime drama and thanked them for helping make it happen.
Chris told Michael Fairman TV how it was to step into the role previously played by Charles Mesure, “I knew the challenge it was going to be and I had a like 0nly five days to get my head around it, so I was ready for it. Sure, it was challenging, but I was up for it. I was a recast before on The Young and the Restless.”
On-screen, Jack became romantically involved with Carly Spencer (Laura Wright), but that went bust when Carly learned Jack was not up front with her and had secretly enlisted her daughter, Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy) to join the WSB. Over months, Carly plotted to get revenge on Jack, and suddenly, Valentin Casssadine (James Patrick Stuart), Jack’s mortal enemy, came into the picture and he had fallen for Carly and she for him.
Now, Jack has started up a relationship with Nina Reeves (Cynthia Watros) and has found himself in situations stooping to lows to help Nina and her criminal daughter, Willow Cain (Katelyn MacMullen) out of jams, especially where Drew Cain (Cameron Mathison) is concerned.

Photo: ABC
REUNITING WITH ERIKA SLEZAK
Last fall, Chris got a thrill of a lifetime when his OG on-screen mother from One Life to Live, the iconic Erika Slezak (ex-Viki) took on a guest role on General Hospital as Ronnie Bard, the secret sister of Monica Quartermaine (the late Leslie Charleson). While the two did not have a storyline together, Chris did share some tender moments reconnecting with Erika on the set,
McKenna has a laundry list of primetime credits including: State of Affairs, Good Trouble, Lucifer and Castle, where in an ironic twist he appeared alongside another Joey Buchanan none other than Nathan Fillion.
So, how do you feel if the report holds true and GH is killing off Brennan and Chris McKenna would exit the show? How do you think Brennan will die on GH? Will he be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and someone will take him out? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section.
General Hospital
Ryan Paevey Open to Return to ‘General Hospital’ to ‘Stir the Pot if Cassius Could be a Good Agent of Chaos’

On General Hospital, Ryan Paevey wrapped his comeback to General Hospital on the July 6 episode, when it was revealed that Cassius Faison was not dead, but being held by the WSB thanks to Z (John Oliver).
It was Z who gave Cassius an ultimatum: a one-way ticket to prison or a death sentence, or to become an agent himself! We never got the answer on-screen, but suffice to say, Cassius is still out there somewhere, but we can assume he is working for the WSB.
GH fans were thrilled to see Paevey back on the ABC daytime drama series where he initially played the very popular Detective Nathan West from 2013-2018. It had been over 7 years until Ryan made a return to his former soap stomping grounds when on-screen in September of 2025, he arrived in Port Charles as a very much alive Nathan, who was actually Cassius impersonating his late twin brother.

Photo: ABC
Over this past weekend, Paevey appeared at the annual GH Fan Club Weekend in Burbank, California, where according to a report from Soap Central who was on the scene; when a fan asked Ryan if he would make another visit to the soap opera in the future, he explained, “That’s a ‘Frank Chat,’ referencing a discussion would need to be had with Frank Valentini, GH’s executive producer.
A CASSIUS FAISON SIGHTING ANYTIME SOON?
Ryan also added, “I’m a bit of a drifter. So, I’m not sure that I want to go back and sign forever. Doing so took a lot of things out of my life, stuff that is valuable to me.” Paevey also explained while he was away from GH he was caretaker to his parents and working on his Fortunate Wanderer jewelry business and more.
However, Paevey concluded his thoughts on the matter with, “But, yeah, I would come back and stir the pot if Cassius could be a good agent of chaos… a conversation might be had with Frank about exactly what ‘not dead’ means.”
All this to say, would you like to see Ryan make another comeback to General Hospital? This time as WSB agent Cassius Faison? Do you think he would help out his sister, Britt and his mutter, and even Josslyn, if they got into serious future trouble? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Christian Howard Makes One Final Return as Ethan Lovett, as Hudson Learns Damning Intel

The Tuesday, August 4 episode of General Hospital brought with it another appearance by Christian Howard in the role of Ethan Lovett. As previously reported, Howard was brought into wrap up Ethan’s storyline as Nathan Dean’s four-month run with the show came to its conclusion.
Now, it has been 100% officially confirmed that today was the last episode of Howard as the recast Ethan. In story, Ethan was now seen in Oslo, Norway after hightailing it out of Port Charles after Hudson (Troy Lennon Appel) had showed up looking for him at the Metro Court pool in Port Charles.
On the July 31st episode, Ethan made a beeline to Lulu’s (Alexa Havins) grabbed his bags and headed out of the country without saying goodbye to Ava (Maura West), who he just had spent the night with.

Courtesy/ABC
However, on Tuesday’s GH, it was also the day where Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) finalized baby Phoebe’s adoption for Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard). This was juxtaposed with the action in Oslo where Hudson showed up at Ethan’s hotel room door. He demanded immediate answers about Delilah and the baby. Ethan told him that both Delilah and the baby she carried died.
ETHAN’S LIES CATCH UP TO HIM
Hudson is livid. The two get into multiple altercations with Hudson getting the upper hand claiming that Ethan is a thief, who had “stolen from the wrong man.” At that point, Hudson delivered a beatdown on Ethan. Next, he threatened Ethan that he will go after his entire family if he finds out he was lying to him.
Back in Port Charles at the Metro Court pool, Ava is lamenting about Ethan’s sudden disappearance to Trina (Tabyana Ali). Later alone, she gets a call from Ethan telling her to never reveal that he’s not Phoebe’s biological father. Cut to: Hudson out in the hotel hallway listening in on the call through a bug he planted in Ethan’s hotel room. Hudson then takes off. The final moment of Ethan’s is him sprawled out bloody on top of the hotel bed.
A GH rep told Soap Opera Digest that “the door is open for Ethan to return to Port Charles” in the future. And as previously reported by TV Insider, when Nathan Dean signed on for his four month return, it was due in part to that he and his wife announced back in March they were expecting a baby.
So, now that Christian Howard has officially exited the series marking the end of the story for now of Ethan Lovett, what are your thoughts? Obviously, we will look for Hudson to return to Port Charles and infiltrate the Quartermaines lives especially Brook Lynn and Chase to get close to Phoebe, and then there is Ava, who may be in terrible danger, or is she? Share your thoughts and theories.
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