As had been teased, the Monday, June 8 episode of Beyond the Gates brought with the the identity of The Impaler, the long-talked-about head of the blood plasma ring that involved Grayson Perez (Jordi Vilasuso), Dr. Lia Whitmore (Cecelia Specht), got Derek Baldwin (Ben Gavin) killed and had Jacob Hawthorne (Jibre Hordges) going under cover to nab the criminal.

Only in a major surprise and best kept secret, The Impaler turned out to be Joey’s Armstrong’s (Jon Lindstrom) younger sister, Heather, played by Ashley Jones! As we previously reported in April, Jones had joined the newest CBS daytime drama but we never knew what part she was playing until now.

This marks the first time in her veteran soap opera career she has played a nefarious evildoer. Previously, Ashley has been recurring as The Bold and the Beautiful as Dr. Bridget Forrester, portrayed Professor Parker Forsyth on General Hospital, plus got her soap start as Megan Dennison on The Young and the Restless. 

Courtesy/CBS

SIBLING RIVALRY

If you caught today’s Beyond the Gates, in story, as Joey was awaiting coming face-to-face with The Impaler, he instead gets paid a visit from a woman in a cloak that initially concealed her face. When she revealed herself, Joey knew exactly who it was … his sister.  Joey wondered how she is involved with The Impaler.

Apparently, it’s been a long while since the siblings had seen each other. Heather informed Joey she lived in London, and as Joey was trying to figure out the connection between her and The Impaler, she dropped the bombshell, “Oh, my dear brother. I am The Impaler.”

Joey initially laughed her off, until she explained she intentionally made everyone believe The Impaler was a man as a decoy. Suddenly, Joey realized this is not the same version of his sister he knew before, especially when she said, “I’m not the little girl you have to protect anymore. I’ve found my power.”

In the further backstory of the Armstrong children, Heather brings up how their father has used physical violence on Joey, while she dealt with his belief that a woman’s place is in the home, and raising children and to leave the mob business to the boys. As it turns out, Heather wants to work side by side with Joey combining forces to run their illegal activities. Later, when Joey admitted to Vanessa (Lauren Buglioli) that his sister had come to town. and he doesn’t really know of her true intentions, he left out the fact that Heather is The Impaler!

Photo: JPI

PLAYING A VILLAIN ON DAYTIME

Speaking with Parade, Jones said that she knew early on that she would be The Impaler, but wasn’t sure what that actually meant, “I hadn’t watched enough of the show, so I did a little research, explained Ashley. “I was like, ‘Oh, they talk about the Impaler a decent amount,’ and then I knew that I was somehow related to Joey Armstrong. So, I knew those two things, and I knew she was the head of a crime ring, and that was kind of all the information I got.”

Jones shared her enthusiasm to getting to play a villain on a soap, adding, “This is probably one of the more complicated characters I’ve ever played. There’s a lot to her,”  obviously, at this point, people will know she’s the Impaler. She’s kind of the villain. I haven’t played this in Daytime really ever.”

What do you think about the reveal of Ashley Jones as Joey’s sister, Heather being the notorious Impaler? It seems that Beyond the Gates as pulled off yet another shocker! Weigh-in via the comment section.

In a surprise casting move, General Hospital has recast the role of Serena Baldwin, the biological daughter of Scott Baldwin and the late Dominque Stanton with former The Young and the Restless, and The Bold and the Beautiful actress, Kelly Kruger.

As longtime GH viewers know, Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring) was actually the surrogate for Scott (Kin Shriner) and Dominique (Shell Danielson), since the latte was dying from an inoperable brain tumor. Sadly, she passed away before Serena was born. If you recall, Scott and Lucy named Serena after Dominique’s family estate, Serenity. TV Insider shared the casting news of Kruger taking over the role previously played by Carly Schroeder.

Kruger expressed on joining GH, “I am so excited to be joining the show “It’s a literal dream come true to finally get to work with Frank Valentini (EP, GH) and Mark Teschner (casting director, GH) after all these years! Daytime has a very special place in my heart, and I have always wanted to work with the actors and writers on this show. I truly believe the level of talent and work they put out is the absolute best.”

Photo: ABC

The actress starts filming today on June 8 at the set of the ABC soap opera. In a statement, Frank Valentini shared, “I am excited to have Kelly Kruger join the cast of General Hospital. She’s a terrific actor and we look forward to working with her.”

Daytime fans remember Kelly from The Young and the Restless where she played the role of Katherine Chancellor’s (the late Jeanne Cooper) granddaughter, Mackenzie Browning from 2002 to 2003 and reprised the role in 2018 and 2019. Later, she appeared in the recurring role of the publicist named Eva on The Bold and the Beautiful (named after longtime VP communications vet, Eva Basler who was recently let go by the show in their behind the scenes layoffs).

SERENA HEADS BACK TO PORT CHARLES

The character of Serena was last seen on-screen in 2017, when she returned to town to mourn her grandfather, Lee Baldwin (the late Peter Hansen). The last time we heard of an update on Serena’s life was back in 2022, when Scott shared he made a trip to the Faroe Islands to see his daughter because she has been arrested for getting in trouble with dolphin hunters.

When Serena returns to Port Charles, she will also have a half-brother on the canvas in Cody Bell (Josh Kelly) as well as Lucy.  Will we have more of Scott on the screen too? We shall see.

Since being away from the soaps, Kruger has become a major TikTok influencer and content creator in the beauty world. In fact, Kelly was named TikTok Shop’s Beauty Creator of the Year in 2025.

Previously, Kruger was married to Darin Brooks (Wyatt Spencer, The Bold and the Beautiful) who also just recently returned to daytime. She opened up about their split back in March. The two share daughters Everleigh Jolie, 6, and Gemma Wynter, 4.

As a preview of what’s to come, Kruger commented on Threads, “This is the absolute perfect fit and I can’t wait for you all to meet Serena!!!!! There is truly no world like the soap world. The fans, the community and the family. I’m so so grateful.” Since GH generally tapes six weeks in advance of air, fans can expect to see Kelly as Serena later in July, although no official first airdate is available at this time.

What do you think of General Hospital bringing back the character of Serena Baldwin and casting Kelly Kruger in the part? Who do you think Serena will be a new love interest for on the canvas? Could it be Ethan Lovett or someone else? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below.

Late Sunday night on June 7, longtime General Hospital, Kirsten Storms (Maxie Jones), shared a personal and professional update addressing elements of her ex-husband Brandon Barash’s (ex-Johnny, GH and Stefan/Jake, DAYS) restraining order against her, the continued issues she has faced with her alleged apartment break-in when she was away from her home in Tennessee, and what her GH fans want to know, if she might be coming back anytime soon to the ABC daytime drama series.

“I’m sure some of you guys have read the stories online regarding a situation involving something my ex-husband is currently trying to claim,” began Kirsten in her new Instagram post. “Because I did see one story online stating I reported the apartment break-in AFTER he filed something against me in court, I really need to address this entire issue.”

Back in April, a report from TMZ surfaced that Barash filed a restraining order last year citing concerns of Storms ‘behavior” and “great concern of (Kirsten’s) ability to adequately care for their minor child,” citing from September 2024 until June of 2025, Kirsten never maintained a permanent residence, and either stayed with friends or at hotels.” Brandon and Kirsten share a daughter, Harper Rose, who is now 12.

Photo: JPI

COMMUNICATION TIMELINE

In her Instagram post, Kirsten continued, “Not only because the records/evidence will show those stories are completely false (the break-in happened and was reported to the building and Franklin PD before he filed anything in court), but also because ‘it puts my safety in a dangerous position for anyone to try and shift focus away from the fact that there was a person regularly entering my residence while I was out of town for medical appts in St Louis.'”

“You can see from my previous posts that the damage to the lock on my apartment door was extensive and obvious. I took that photo in August of last year – months before Brandon filed anything in court, I was also speaking with the people who worked in the leasing office of the building (in person and via email), attempting to get answers on the damage to my door and wanting to know about locating building camera footage,” explained Storms.

“This communication also started the first week of August. I waited to post about the break-in on my Instagram for a few months. I had already moved out of the building and honestly, it’s been something that is difficult to accept happened pretty much as soon as I moved out here. Choosing to take time off from work (for my own personal reasons) was a ‘leap of faith’ kind of moment for myself. Seeking a ‘quality a life” kinda thing?’,”concluded the actress.

THE DIFFICULT TRANSITION IN MOVING TO TENNESSEE

“Moving to Tennessee, as a single mom who lives alone 50% of the time, with a newly discovered brain aneurysm….well, I don’t think I need to explain how upsetting this entire situation has been for me. Realizing that not only was my apartment/space/privacy being violated, but this person also gained access to my WiFi and cellphone *while in my apartment* (the Franklin PD has received evidence on all of this – resulting in an investigation). I haven’t been online much because of how the circumstances have been twisted into something that it shouldn’t be. This has been a very serious thing for me to go through.”

As per usual, Storms has had to weather the good, the bad and the naysayers in her social media posts. She took a moment to also acknowledge those who are sending her good thoughts along the way during her struggles, “Thank you for the encouraging DM’s and good vibes being sent my way. I have no doubt this will be handled in the correct way and I will feel comfortable remaining in Tennessee.”

A FUTURE IN PORT CHARLES?

As to the potential of her returning to General Hospital, it doesn’t sound like Kirsten will be back anytime soon. “Given what’s been going on, I can’t say I will feel comfortable heading back to Los Angeles and returning to work, explained Storms. “This has been an eye opening experience about the downside of my profession. My daughter is my entire life, she is (and always will be) my first priority.”

You can check out Kirsten’s full post below.

Given what Kirsten has shared, do you think GH should continue to do as they have been, resting the character of Maxie off-screen? Do you think they should address her absence in the story somehow? What do you think about the continued battle the actress is having with the alleged break-in? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

 

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