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General Hospital

THE BRADFORD ANDERSON INTERVIEW – GENERAL HOSPITAL

By Michael Fairman

Published

17 years ago

on

bradfordMain.jpgGeneral Hospital’s Damien Millhouse Spinelli, better known as “The Jackal”, also known as actor Bradford Anderson, has been a scene-stealer for quite some time now on the long running ABC Daytime soap opera. Working alongside “GH” veteran Steve Burton (Jason) as his partner in crime, “Stone Cold”, no one in the town is safe from his “Spinelli-isms” (nicknames for the shows characters). The loveable charm that Bradford brings to his unique role, as a geek who solves crimes via his uncanny and savvy computer skills, has landed the actor in soap infamy! In fact, Spinelli rates high as one of soaps most recognizable characters, something it has taken other actors and their alter-egos years to pull off.
But what about Spinelli’s current on-screen love life? Will he end up with his “Maximista” who shows signs of interest in Johnny Zacharra? Or, will he somehow be paired with the female version of him, Winifred? In this new On-Air On-Soaps chat, Bradford reveals his sentiments on some of the confusion and plot points that he feels may be tough for fans to swallow if the powers-that-be aren’t careful, and working with his favorite on-screen partner Steve Burton. We also go a round of “Spinelli-isms”, which at one point I just tapped out…out of confusion! Always a completely entertaining interview… here’s Bradford!

Listen to the audio:

[display_podcast]

MICHAEL:

One of the recent plot points that was quite upsetting is that Spinelli sees his “Maximista” (Maxie) kissing Johnny? What happened? What’s going on there?

BRADFORD:

He just walks in on them kissing on the docks. He had been there earlier and had lost his PDA on the little wooden bench that resides on the docks, and sure enough, there they are kissing. It’s a mixture of hurt and anger over what they are doing to his friend Lulu, too. I am sure 75% of it is the hurt he experiences from it. So the way it first came out was, “How could you two do this? I mean really! We are two people who care about you. Don’t you see? Don’t you see what you are doing, not only to me, but to Lulu?” I think Spinelli is just in awe of how they seemingly care little about the people they say they care about.

brad_kristen_top.jpgMICHAEL:

The audience feels bad for Spinelli, because we see him not quite connect with Maxie the way he seemingly wants to. He loves her, right?

BRADFORD:

Yeah, I think he does, and who knows if they are soul mates or not? But there is something about each other that makes them able to bring out the best in each other, most of the time. And, that by itself is pretty neat. They may not be a perfect pair, but there is something about that. (He laughs)

MICHAEL:

I loved the little SOAPnet Christmas promos with you and Kirsten Storms (Maxie)! They were really funny!

BRADFORD:

Oh, those were really fun!! It’s been really neat that our two characters caught on, because it has given Kirsten and I other opportunities to do promotional stuff, and what not. It’s fun to be a part of a popular couple, as it were. I never knew I would
be part of a popular couple, but the funny thing is we are not even a couple. We are a popular non-couple!

MICHAEL:

What about Winifred? When they said to you, “Bradford we are going to bring on a geeky girl character,” was your first instinct to go, “Are you kidding me?” Or, “Oh, cool?”

BRADFORD:

brad_confusion.jpgThe initial storyline was not what it turned out to be. The initial idea was this girl Winifred was an FBI agent who was putting on this character to get into Spinelli’s inner circle. That is how they were going to get information. So, there were actually scenes written that when she was with Spinelli she ‘talks the talk’, but then there were scenes where Winifred comes to Maxie and says, “Look! Don’t get in my way. I have a job to do.” Then there were scenes with Maxie and Spinelli going, “Oh, my God! She came over to my house. She does not talk like that at all, and she threatened me.” When Senta Moses (Winifred) and I did those first scenes, everybody enjoyed what happened and they were all like, “Oh, my gosh! She is great. We have to do more of this!” So then they kind of dropped the fact and the idea that she was putting on that persona. Then the producers and writers thought, “Well, what if she was just like that?” That immediately became slightly problematic, because there were scenes that were already written where some of the onus fell on Kirsten to try to make sense of the dialog that had been written to support the previous take on the storyline.

MICHAEL:

Yeah, I was confused. I thought wait a minute, is Winifred putting this on, or is she a geek head?

BRADFORD:

Right! That scene I just mentioned where she said, “Look! She came over here and she threatened me. She is not who she says she is,” we had to shift things a little bit in playing that. So, now Maxie had to be a little nervous about her, but more subtle. So we went with that. She is exactly like Spinelli, and I think it’s interesting at times, but there are not many places we can go.

MICHAEL:

So, she is a geek? Final answer?

BRADFORD:

bradSenta.jpgSo, what ended up happening is she is the female version of Spinelli, which at times I think can be really fun and really interesting. What I was nervous about is that I know Spinelli is a lot to handle, and having two Spinelli’s they might begin to hate both of us. I think as it is now, her being in love with Spinelli and him not needing anything from her, is tough. It’s tough to have active scenes where Spinelli is oblivious to Winifred, when there is not a whole lot for Spinelli to be doing in those scenes. He is supposedly oblivious to her feelings right now, but down the road I am not so sure how that will work. I am not sure what they have in mind. Senta is a really talented actress and we enjoy working together. It will be interesting to see what happens, but the initial concept of, “Hey Look! We can put two crazies in the same room and just watch them,” I think it was cool for a couple of days. Now there has to be something that actually happens, or it’s going to just drive people crazy!

MICHAEL:

Ok Bradford, let’s run though the infamous “Spinelli-isms”? Let’s begin. Tell me who “The Unworthy One” is?

BRADFORD:

“The Unworthy One” was Logan.

brad_johnny.jpgMICHAEL:

“The Valkerie”?

BRADFORD:

Carly…

MICHAEL:

…And then who else? Take it away!

BRADFORD:

Well, the “The Mob Prince” is Johnny Zacharra, and “The Demented One” is Jerry Jacks, “The Unhinged One” was Anthony Zacharra, and “The White Knight” is Jax.

MICHAEL:

And who is Samantha? Didn’t her “Spinelli-ism” change?

BRADFORD:

Well, she was initially “The Goddess” and then she was offended that I called her “The Goddess”, and she felt I was objectifying her. Of course, Spinelli was horrified that he thought he offended anybody, so “Fair Samantha” is Sam, and “The Original Blonde One” is Lulu, because she used to be “The Blonde One”, and Maxie used to be “The Bad Blonde One”. And of course now, Maxie is “Maximista”.

MICHAEL:

So, here you are handed a script for the day and you have to say a bunch of these. How many times in doing scenes does this get twisted-up for you?

BRADFORD:

You know it’s funny, it happens sometimes. I am trying to think of certain names that I have mangled, but it doesn’t happen too often, because generally they are pretty clear-cut. I mean, “The Original Blonde On”; that’s pretty straightforward and there is nothing too crazy that doesn’t fit with their characters.

jason_spinelli.jpgMICHAEL:

Do you and Steve Burton (Jason) laugh a lot?

BRADFORD:

We do, but not over nicknames.

MICHAEL:

He is your bud on the show, right?

BRADFORD:

Well, yeah. I would say the times we find each other amusing is not really what happens in a script. It’s usually when, we as actors are connected in a scene, and then something that is unplanned happens and kind of catches us both off guard. When they say, “Cut”, that’s when we enjoy ourselves, because we realize something came out of something we just did. Either we think we are clever, or Steve thinks I am stupid. Of course, Steve is doing it in good humor, and it’s usually when I put a twist on something at the end of a scene. And he will go, ”Gosh, you are so stupid!”

MICHAEL:

Spinelli just recently found out that Jerry Jax is alive and he was instrumental in discovering about the siphoning of money from Ian Devlin’s account. So, will he become more active in the current plot of finally getting the truth to Sonny and Carly about Claudia, Jerry, and Ian’s involvement in Michael’s shooting?

BRADFORD:

We had seen actions on Ian Devlin’s account, so I tracked that down and found out that Jerry Jaks had been doing this. I assume I will be instrumental in the next phase, because people can’t seem to find or locate anybody without Spinelli’s help. With Jerry Jaks, for example, he is either in the hotel, on the docks or at the diner. There are three places you can really look in Port Charles to find anybody! I mean, where do people go in Port Charles? They either go to Kelly’s, The Metro Court, or the docks, or maybe a random place in the park, or I guess, we could throw in a random warehouse, too. I mean there are only a few choices.

MICHAEL:

Are you aware of the enormous popularity of Spinelli? You have to be, because he is such a different character for the soaps that has caught on like wildfire with the audience.

abcfanevent.jpgBRADFORD:

When people recognize me they always have nice things to say, and whenever we go to events, I always have a good time at them.
I am assuming they are having a good time, too. Whether they like my character, it’s kind of about that we are all having a good time. I mean, I don’t think I have had any death threats lately. So, in that sense I think I am doing Ok. (He laughs) It’s wonderful to hear nice things, and its good news in these tough economic times that I have a little job security. I just go to work and have a good time every day. I guess people recognize that, and that is great.

MICHAEL:

If you were to say a few words to describe working with Kirsten Storms, what would you say?

BRADFORD:

She’s hilarious! She’s incredibly talented, and she has such good humor. We have so much fun together, and she is a pistol. She really is! She has a lot of fun energy. The most fun actors to work with are the ones that when you are in a scene, that it’s exciting that anything can happen with them. But, you also trust them enough to know that nothing is going to happen to completely throw you off. You feel safe, but also that it could go in an adventurous way. So, it’s safe, but fun.

MICHAEL:

Of course, all these years many feel that Sonny and Jason are the true super-couple of “GH”. Do you think Jason and Spinelli are the true super-couple?

BRADFORD:

You know, I have heard people say that… and hey, any pairing with Steve Burton is good. So get rid of Sam. Get rid of Elizabeth! (He laughs)

bradford_forward.jpgMICHAEL:

I mean, they work so closely together that we should really call them a “Super-Team”!

BRADFORD:

Well, yeah. One of the reasons I enjoy playing the emotional turmoil of the chararacter is being able to talk to Jason. So, for Spinelli to be able to talk to him about stuff creates really fun scenes. As much as Jason pretends he doesn’t care about Spinelli, he does. I think when Jason says, “He doesn’t care,” that’s just because he feels uncomfortable. For a while I did not work with Steve. Now we are starting to work together a fair amount again, which makes me very happy.

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Beyond the Gates

53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Announced: ‘The Young and the Restless’ Tops With 18, ‘Beyond the Gates’ With 16

Published

3 hours ago

on

July 14, 2026

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The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) today announced the full list of nominees for the upcoming 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, and it was CBS daytime’s The Young and the Restless and broadcast television newest soap opera, Beyond the Gates that racked up the most nominations with 18 and 16, respectively.

The full reveal on Tuesday follows the announcement of several major categories including Lead Actor and Actress on Monday via Extra and Entertainment Tonight and The View today revealing Daytime Drama Series and more.

The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmys ceremony is set to take place on Friday, October 30 at the historic Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California.

Photo: CBS

In a statement, Adam Sharp, President and CEO of NATAS expressed, “We’re proud to honor the extraordinary talent and creative teams whose work continues to define and elevate daytime television, As the Daytime landscape evolves and new forms of storytelling emerge, we remain committed to recognizing the innovation happening across the industry.”

“Each year, the Daytime Emmy Awards celebrate the creativity, passion, and dedication that drive this vibrant community of storytellers,” said Rachel Schwartz, Head of the Daytime Emmy Awards. “Congratulations to this year’s nominees, whose work continues to entertain, inspire and connect with audiences every day. We look forward to celebrating their remarkable achievements in Hollywood this October.”

The Daytime Emmy Awards have recognized outstanding achievement in television programming and crafts since 1974, honoring work in a variety of genres, including daytime dramas, talk series, entertainment news, culinary, adventure, instructional and legal/courtroom programming.

This year’s Lifetime Achievement Honoree, Gold & Silver Circle Inductees, and ceremony host will be announced at a later date.

Now below, check out the nominees in the daytime drama, talk show, entertainment news series and creative arts categories and congratulations to all!

Photo: JPI

Outstanding Daytime Drama Series
Beyond the Gates
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
Stacy Haiduk (as Kristen DiMera), Days of Our Lives
Karla Mosley (as Dani Dupree), Beyond the Gates
Michelle Stafford (as Phyllis Summers), The Young and the Restless
Heather Tom (as Katie Logan), The Bold and the Beautiful
Tamara Tunie (as Anita Williams Dupree), Beyond the Gates

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
Eric Braeden (as Victor Newman), The Young and the Restless
Steve Burton (as Jason Morgan), General Hospital
Scott Clifton (as Liam Spencer), The Bold and the Beautiful
Thorsten Kaye (as Ridge Forrester), The Bold and the Beautiful
Christian Jules Le Blanc (as Michael Baldwin), The Young and the Restless

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
Linsey Godfrey (as Sarah Horton), Days of Our Lives
Camryn Grimes (as Mariah Copeland), The Young and the Restless
Beth Maitland (as Traci Abbott), The Young and the Restless
Trisha Mann-Grant (as Leslie Thomas), Beyond the Gates
Amanda Setton (as Brook Lynn Quartermaine), General Hospital

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
Sean Dominic (as Nate Hastings), The Young and the Restless
Timon Kyle Durrett (as Bill Hamilton), Beyond the Gates
Michael Graziadei (as Daniel Romalotti), The Young and the Restless
Roger Howarth (as Matt Clark), The Young and the Restless
Mike Manning (as Bradley “Smitty” Smith), Beyond the Gates
Lawrence Saint-Victor (as Carter Walton), The Bold and the Beautiful

Outstanding Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series
Braedyn Bruner (as Emma Scorpio-Drake), General Hospital
Al Calderon (as Javier Hernandez), Days of Our Lives
Alice Halsey (as Rachel Black), Days of Our Lives
Giovanni Mazza (as Gio Palmieri), General Hospital
Ambyr Michelle (as Eva Thomas), Beyond the Gates
Arielle Prepetit (as Naomi Hamilton Hawthorne), Beyond the Gates

Outstanding Guest Performance in a Daytime Drama Series
Jasmine Burke (as June Hughes), Beyond the Gates
Jeff Kober (as Cyrus Renault), General Hospital
Eva LaRue (as Natalia Rogers-Ramirez), General Hospital
Christopher Sean (as Paul Narita), Days of Our Lives
Ray Wise (as Ian Ward), The Young and the Restless

Outstanding Writing Team for a Daytime Drama Series
Beyond the Gates
The Bold and the Beautiful
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital

Outstanding Directing Team for a Daytime Drama Series
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless

Outstanding Casting for a Daytime Program
Beyond the Gates
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless

Outstanding Daytime Talk Series
3rd Hour of TODAY
The Drew Barrymore Show
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Live With Kelly and Mark
TODAY With Jenna & Friends
The View

Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host
Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin & Ana Navarro, The View
Kelly Clarkson, The Kelly Clarkson Show
Tamron Hall, Tamron Hall
Jennifer Hudson, The Jennifer Hudson Show
Sherri Shepherd, Sherri

Outstanding Entertainment News Series
Access Hollywood
Entertainment Tonight
Extra

Outstanding Daytime Personality (Daily)
Mona Kosar Abdi, Derek Hough & Terri Seymour, Extra
Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo, Kevin Frazier, Rachel Smith & Nischelle Turner, Entertainment Tonight
Scott Evans, Zuri Hall, Kit Hoover & Mario Lopez, Access Hollywood
Star Jones & Corey Jovan, Divorce Court

Outstanding Arts and Popular Culture Program
Beyond the Gates: Welcome to the Neighborhood — An Entertainment Tonight Special
Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter
Variety & CNN Actors on Actors
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Working In the Theatre

Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Daytime

Beyond the Gates, Episode 103
Have Guitar Will Travel World
The Kelly Clarkson Show Episode 5033
Let Frankie Cook,” Getting the Band Back Together
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Outstanding Technical Direction and Video for a Daytime Program

Beyond the Gates, Episode 104
The Bold and the Beautiful,” Episode 9511
Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade”
The Jennifer Hudson Show, ” Episode 4041
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade”

Outstanding Hairstyling and Makeup for a Daytime Program

Beyond the Gates, Episode 103
General Hospital, Episode 15719
The Kelly Clarkson Show,” Episode 5033
The Young and the Restless,” Episode 13273

So, what do you think of the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy nominations? Who are you happy to see receive a nomination and who do you think was snubbed? Weigh-in via the comment section.

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Steve Burton Shares Reaction to His Lead Actor Daytime Emmy Nomination, ‘It Was to Honor Leslie Charleson’

Published

5 hours ago

on

July 14, 2026

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The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Award nominations kicked-off on Monday with the announcements of four major categories including, Outstanding Lead Performer in a Daytime Drama Series — Actor, and among the nominees is General Hospital’s Steve Burton (Jason Morgan).

Burton is already a two-time Daytime Emmy winner in the Supporting Actor category for his roles as GH’s Jason and his turn as Dylan McAvoy on Y&R. However, Steve is yet to win in the Lead Actor category and he has received 11 nominations along the way in his daytime career.

Following the reveal that he is a 2026 Daytime Emmy nominee, he and his GH co-star, podcast co-host and comedy show partner, Bradford Anderson (Spinelli) taped a special edition of their That’s Awesome podcast just featuring Burton’s reaction to the news.

Photo: JPI

FOR LESLIE CHARLESON

Steve expressed, “I know it’s such a cliche to say, ‘I’m just so honored to be nominated.’ But truly, I’m so grateful to be nominated, so grateful to just be on the show off and on for 30 plus years and to be nominated with the guys in my category. Just to get the opportunity. Frank (Valentini, executive producer, GH) texted me right away. I was just like, ‘Thank you for the opportunity to get to do what I do.'”

Taking in the moment, Burton thanked those who helped him select the material for his nominated reel. “Unless you win, you don’t get to say things. So. I’m going just say a few things: Elizabeth Korte (co-head writer, GH) helped me a lot with the material, (as did) Michelle Henry, who’s a producer on the show, Laura Wright (Carly, GH), and then my wife Michelle (Lundstrom). I believe it was Jill Phelps who told me that when A Martinez felt like he had a great show or great scenes, he would mark it down. So, when Emmy time comes, you have all the show numbers written down, and you don’t have to think about it, because that’s half the battle (finding the material).

Burton explained how meaningful this nomination is for him, because of playing the scenes of Jason losing Monica, and his closeness with the late, great Leslie Charleson.

“The nomination’s an amazing thing, and it’s beautiful, but really it’s to honor Leslie Charleson. A lot of my material was because of her, and how I started on the show as a Quartermaine, it just means a ton,” shared Burton. “Maurice Benard (Sonny, GH) has obviously has been instrumental, and I’ve said it from day one and I’ll shout it from the rooftops. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here, and to be working with the people that we work with is incredible.”

Photo: JPI

SHOULD JOHN OLIVER BE NAMED HOST OF THE DAYTIME EMMYS?

During the end of his conversation with Anderson, Steve suggested that the host of the Daytime Emmy should be Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver, who recently guest starred as the head of the WSB named Z on General Hospital, and is soon to show up on Days of Our Lives in a mystery role in August.

Thus far, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has not revealed their host for the upcoming ceremony to be held on October 30 in a venue to be named in Hollywood, California.

You can watch Steve sharing his reaction to receiving his 2026 Lead Actor Daytime Emmy nomination below on a special segment on the That’s Awesome podcast.

Now let us know, are you glad that Steve chose scenes surrounding Jason mourning the loss of the woman that raised him, Monica Quartermaine for his Emmy reel? What do you think of John Oliver as a suggestion to host the Daytime Emmys? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

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General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason Reconnects with Danny; Tristan Roberts Arrives in Port Charles, Lots of Nods to #16

Published

15 hours ago

on

July 13, 2026

By

General Hospital’s 16,000th episode was packed with little reminders through points in today’s script that the ABC daytime drama series has set another milestone and it paved the way for the return of fan favorite and newly nominated Daytime Emmy Lead Actor nominee Steve Burton (Jason Morgan). The 16,000th episode also introduced viewers to the new surgeon in Port Charles Dr. Tristan Roberts played by Dean Geyer. 

Here are the key takeaways and what went down on the July 13 episode: Tristan and Jason are seated next to each other on a plane heading to Port Charles. Throughout the flight, a beaten up Jason has flashbacks to being thrown into, and being held captive in a cell and tortured. It appears Jason is suffering from some form of PTSD from what he was put through after being dragged out of Port Charles by the WSB months ago.

As the plane prepares to land, Tristan tells Jason there would be a car waiting for him once they land and to enjoy the rest of his life. Later, Tristan arrives at the nurses and doctors hub at GH and approaches Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst). He tells her his name and that he is the new surgeon on staff.

Photo: ABC

A REUNION PLUS A HEAD NURSE DEFENDS SONNY

Meanwhile, at the end of the episode, Jason is outside the Quartermaine boathouse looking bewildered when he runs into Danny (Asher Antonyzyn), who is so thrilled to see his father, and the two hugs each other as tears are shed.

Elsewhere, Elizabeth tells Sonny (Maurice Benard) that he thinks its a great idea for him to get the 16th seat on the hospital board, but when it comes times to convince Tracy Quartermaine (Jane Elliot) of that, things go awry when Tracy, Laura and Sonny try to work things out. After Tracy launches into Sonny about killing Alan and Monica’s son AJ, Sonny walks away dejected.

Next, Sonny runs into Elizabeth, where he informs her what happened with Tracy. So what’s a head nurse to do? Elizabeth marches into the conference room and reminds Tracy of all the different donations and ways Sonny has contributed to the hospital from the Stone Cates AIDS wing, to the Michael Corinthos Center for Pediatric Head Injuries as well as his constant support each year for the GH Nurses’ Ball.

Courtesy/ABC

WSB WAR SCARS

Then, in one of the best parts for longtime fans of the series, Elizabeth talks about her legendary grandparents, Audrey and Steve Hardy and she tells Tracy they would have wanted Sonny to have a seat on the board for all the good that he has done for the hospital. After Elizabeth states Sonny’s case, things took a turn and Tracy and Sonny wound up shaking hands as Sonny is board member #16.

In the how great was it to see Anna (Finola Hughes) and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) together scenes department, the pick-up of last Friday’s cliffhanger is played out as the two former lovers fill each other in on what has gone down in their lives in the last several months including Valentin admitting he had been living in Carly’s attic, and Anna realizing she was kidnapped by Cullum, Sidwell and Cassius Faison. During their conversation, Anna sees the hallucination of Peter August (Wes Ramsey) right while Valentin is standing there.

Courtesy/ABC

Later Anna was on her way to saying goodbye to Valentin, when the two share an emotional hug. After Valentin made his exit, Peter reappeared and warned Anna to not let Valentin distract her because she has important work to do. Anna answers, “I know.”

So, what did you think of General Hospital’s 16,000 episode? What do you think is wrong with Jason? What is the important “work” that Anna has to do? Were you glad to see Sonny get a seat on the hospital board, or not so much. Weigh-in via the comment section. But first, check out the scenes on Jason and Tristan’s long flight to Port Charles.

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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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