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The GH Stavros Shocker! Robert Kelker Kelly Returns As Stavros Cassadine!

By Michael Fairman

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Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

In one of the biggest surprises of them all, General Hospital pulled off a shocker at the end of today’s episode!  Many fans had been speculating that Thaao Penghlis was perhaps on his way back as Victor Cassadine, and that he would be revealed as the one who was ultimately holding Lulu Spencer (Emme Rylan) hostage, but we were all dead wrong!

On today’s GH, it was revealed that Stavros Cassadine played by Robert Kelker Kelly is indeed alive! He survived that fall years ago to the bottomless pit in his epic battle with Luke Spencer (Anthony Geary)!  Just how did GH pull this off and get Kelker Kelly out of acting retirement?  What is the future of Helena Cassadine (Constance Towers) ? Is she dead-dead?  To the answers to these burning questions, TV Guide Magazine’s Michael Logan got the skinny from GH head scribe, Ron Carlivati!  Here are a few excerpts below!

Carlivati on the decision to resurrect Stavros Cassadine:  “We really wanted to revive the Spencer-Cassadine feud in a big, surprising way for the 50th anniversary. It’s been Luke versus Helena for so long that we needed an additional twist, and since Stavros was never found in that bottomless pit, we don’t know what really happened. [Laughs] For all we know, he went all the way through and ended up in China! It seemed so fitting to bring him back, since he had that relationship with Laura and is the father of her son, Nikolas. That’s still such a sticking point for Luke.”

Carlivati if Helena has truly drawn her last breath:  “Obviously with the Cassadines you never really know. But the idea is that Helena is dead-dead. A major turning point in the Spencer-Cassadine rivalry needed to happen. After 30-plus years of this we needed to give Luke that moment of triumph, so he plugged her. Point blank. And he checked her pulse. So, yeah, she’s pretty dead.”

So GH fans, what do you think of the shocking twist? Were you surprised? Are you glad to see Robert Kelker Kelly back for a bit?  Share your thoughts!

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Gag. He’s nasty.

LOL .. yah! I like some good nasty 😉

Dont care about that just want to see if Dante and LuLu are ok

me too!!! hahahaha 😀

like me some nasty that is Su0000

i never watched his first turn… on GH.

however!

when he was on DAYS as Bo…. he was smokin’ HOT.

this should be interesting…. should he reel all that…

DAYS should bring him in…

Seriously – there’s no other way to ressurect… Hope and Jenn…

it’s gotta be some one – viable.. w/ enuf heat to be their own show and enuf sensuals to stir up Hope and/or Jenn. kinda like Todd….

why do you like bad guys

I know that

Yay! Was hoping for this, but didn’t think it would happen.

yes there well

Yes,I’m sooo excited to have Robert Kelker-Kelly back but sad to see Helena actually dead !

ME TOO!!!!! Wish Days would have brought him back to play Bo

who is Bo

Glad. He is back on soaps and days needs to snag him to play bo

None of the Cassidines ever die! I’m so glad Robert Kelker Kelly is back! I remember him from Another World-an incredible actor!

yes I ‘am happy she is gone. I liked him

Not a surprise at all. i heard the rumours that robert was coming back to general hospital. Welcome back robert. he is a good actor. i hope they sign robert to a vo contract.

Me to

Double Ditto! Is this the orginal Starvos?

awesome surprise! welcome back stavros!

Preferrred Stefan

Me too

Omg, today’s episode was GREAT! awesome job gh, i hope he’s around for awhile

He can play a very convincing villain like Stefan. I think this will be fun.

I am excited to see how this all plays out. The last time he was there the storyline got tanked by the network, due to what happened on 9/11.

FV is running GH sky high with excitement..
It is always moving backwards and forwards!

FV and RC are orchestrating all for the fans, we are #1 !!!

FV&RC are resurrection Suppermen; hardly ever a dull moment……. lol :),

ITA- never a dull moment– surprises galore– every day is like sweeps week on other shows. I don’t know how they hope to keep up this pace of story telling, but I admit next to GH, other shows seemed to be going at a snail pace. It has been a long time since I watched a soap that when it ends I can’t wait for the next day to find out how that scene is going to play out. I tried watching GH many times before over the years, never got into it, until now– it is slowly becoming my new favorite.

I agree. Years ago, like 46, when I started watching GH and soaps, we ran home from school to get there in time to “tune in” to see what will happen today.

(y) for me it always was GH than OLTL did not like all that mop stuff . F,V you got me hooked ones more 🙂 thanks

I was shocked when I heard Laura say that is Stavros. Love the twist and the awesome job the entire cast and crew are doing. Thank you for an awesome 50th and assuring a great 51 years and more.

Not too suprised but i actually thought it would be Helene! No one really dies on soaps and Luke is no medical expert so he could have been wrong on Helene being dead! Sometimes when i end up in the hospital or doctor visits they dont always feel my pulse! lol. I actually thought RKK was going back to Days to replace Peter Reckal as Bo Brady like he done 20 years ago! Having it be Niks daddy instead of Victor, who could always show up later too, makes more sense to me!

Thought he be on Days as Bo!

they should still bring him back.

I wish he would and need him more

Cool! Loved the sinisterness of Stavros. It would be way cool though if Thaao Penghlis resurrected Victor.

LOVE Thaao and would have lovvved for him to return to GH.. what a treat that would have been!!!

I couldn’t agree more about Victor Cassadine coming back. I really hoped Cartini would have brought Thaao Penghlis back, but I guess not. So many people think Victor Cassadine died back on “Ice Princess Island” (not to be confused with Cassadine Island or Spoon Island), but only Tony and MIkkos died; Victor was arrested by WSB soldiers/agents and presumedly sent to prison for a very long time.

Yep, there was never any mention that Victor died, in fact, didn’t he help Luke shut down the ice monitors for PC not to freeze? So, Thaao would have been a welcome return! Who knows, maybe GH still has another Cassadine surprise. I sure hope so, Thaao is a fave!

Was totally surprised, didn’t think they’d want to remind us of that awful cryogenic-biotoxin story that was halted when 9/11 happened. Really hoped it would be Stefan; Stephen Nichols isn’t on a show and if they can bring A.J. and Duke back from the dead, they could do Stefan.
But if anybody could get that bad taste out of our mouths from that bad story, it’s Cartini.

I see FV&RC righting a wrong of past regimes killing off so many talented actors and their great characters..
It is justice to bring them back..

Stefan would have no reason to get even with Laura by taking her daughter Stravos would. I knew it was going to be him when she told Luke that was their bedroom. Flying airplanes must agree with him he still looks good. I like him he was very good on AW and I thought he was a good recast on Days. I agree that was a stupid storyline but freezing the world was goofy too.

Plus Stefan wouldn’t go after Nikolas. (You wouldn’t think Stavros would, either)
Would like to like R-K-K, but my only experience with him was on GH, never saw him on AW or DAYS.
Was also kind of hoping it would be that mentioned character Valentin Cassadine, someone who hates Spencers and Cassadines.

Kelker Kelly is not a strong, compelling actor. Didn’t buy is attempt at heroic lead on Another World either.

He was very compelling on Days – the best Bo!

Days needs. To bring. Him back

He is Truely Awesome!

Handsome. Quite a surprise!

So glad he is back! The storyline needed to move forward and, though I love Helene, bringing her evil Son back into the mix is brilliant. Cartini keeps me guessing!

I was VERY surprised to see RKK back on daytime, and very pleased. Loved him on DOOL as Bo many years ago. Am glad he came to GH rather than reprising Bo Brady. He’s a good looking man and I’m tickled with his return.

I wouldn’t mind if Days brought him back as BO. I think he did a great job — not like Peter Reckell but he had his own version of the character and was sexy as all HELL!!!

Always preferred RKK’s version of Bo – he and Billie were the best!

Well, to me, Peter Reckell is and will always be Bo but when Peter left, I did like RKK’s version with Lisa Rinna most. They had awesome chemistry! Unfortunately, he didn’t hold the same chemistry with Crystal but sorta had a little bit with Kristian. I still wouldn’t mind if he came back though..

Awesome !!!!!

He was amazing on Another World as Sam and Bobby! He worked beautifully with Jensen Buchanan (who also was on GH circa 2001) and He is great as Stavros! Very exited … Now maybe a Brita and Nikolas pairing with daddy acting as Helena would

I believe that FV&RC did actually kill off Helena ..

It was pure justice for Luke & Laura to finally rid of the terrible woman who caused them much pain, it was befitting that they together killed Helena (applause)

*and the woman is not a spring flower and she will most likely retire and that was her last scene, forever..

I never liked this actress as Helena — always loved Liz Taylor in the role so I hope Helena is really dead. I’d rather see what Stavros can do or maybe my favorite Victor Cassadine, most notably Thaao Penghlis resurfacing again and wreaking havoc instead.

I too liked Liz Taylor, but I also liked Constance Towers. She is a classy lady.

I’ve watched GH for about 40 years and I loved the 50th anniversary Nurses Ball.

I don’t know if you are current on the episodes, but I will say with Helene’s death, Victor could come back for revenge. I am also surprised that Stefan hasn’t come back from the dead.

Loved seeing RKK! He looks great.

I would have liked to have seen Richard Dean Anderson back as Dr Jeff Webber.

I am current on episodes and I hope Helena stays dead but I would love for either Stephen Nichols to return, Thaao Penghlis to make a comeback and hopefully RKK stays on.. he does look great!!! I hope his stint wasn’t too short since he ended up in the ice room.

Or he can go over to DAYS which is in need of Bo Brady.

I always liked Richard Dean Anderson too 🙂

Wow was I surprised. Welcome back Robert. I remember Luke dancing on his grave. That was a laugh. This was a nice surprise and now Kick has a father.

Stavros Cassadine = Sabrina’s Dad ! Im telling ya …. Faison’s girl vs Cassadine girl…. Ohhh the possibilities!!!!!’

what a great idea!

Very interesting idea… Sabrina is so good though… maybe?

Perhaps he PLAYING (KELLY MONACO FATHER)

Ron is the best!!!

The show is awesome!!!!!

BUT I THINK SOMEBODY ELESE IS SAM MCALL FATHER

Well that would be gross cuz Stavros is Alexis’s half-brother….

Well Luke did call them “inbreeds” so who knows….LOL

alexis is suppose to be his half sister, that would be really gross.

well you’re right!!

He can’t be Sam’s father

But he knows who is!!!

Aonther intersting idea… that would make Sam a double dipped Cassadine and she is too nice for that much… Cassadine evil.

First, let me just say that Robert Kelker-Kelly looks terrific! And, is a welcome return to daytime. Congrats to the powers-that-be at GH for wooing him out of retirement. He’s a wonderful actor and still the best recast (as Bo Brady on Days of Our Lives) in the history of daytime television. Looking forward to some great Stavros/Laura/Luke scenes.

DITTO!

I was thinking the same thing on how they got him out of retirement! I love RKK and he was on GH too short last time.

Figured they would bring back a Cassidine just was hoping he was Britts daddy!

I like it!! plus he’s cute..even if he’s supposed to be evil….I’d rather look at him than Helena…though I am a fan…of hers too..& the relationship with Nik could be interesting..& Laura..

I knew it was one of the Cassadines that came back from the grave just didn’t know which one it was going to be but I knew it had to be between Stavros and Stephan. Great surprise!! I don’t think Helena is dead either she always comes back!!

This General Hospital episode I have to see. I got hooked on General Hospital watching the former actors return. I enjoyed R.K.K. when he was “Bo Brady” on Days of Our Lives and we all were wondering if he would return to Days, but now we know. Surprise, he is on General Hospital. Better watch on ABC website tomorrow. General Hospital is so much better than Days Of Our Lives right now.

Bring back Stephen Nichols as Stepan Cassadine and Mary Beth Evans as Katherine Bell!!! Watch the sparks fly and let the games begin once more!

TWO: HOT actors….

I just love them both…. LOVE Kayla…. and/or Katherine.

they both have that twinkle in their eyes in spades….

Darn! Would’ve much rather it be Stefan! Of course, if he’s only back for Luke to kill him again, I’m glad it’s NOT Stefan! LOL Still hoping Stephen Nichols returns long term as Stefan!

Going to miss ole evil Helena – If she is really dead!

i was shocked to find out that at the end of today’s episode of general hospital not only was starvos cassadine alive but he is being played by the handsome robert kelker-kelly. i can’t believe gh lured him out of retirement i was really hoping it would be days. i read he is supposed to do a bunch of episodes i’m hoping after he leaves gh he can play bo brady on days again i really loved when he played him

What a great twist! I’ve always been a Robert Kelker Kelley fan since his AW and DOOL days, wept when he went down the GH bottomless pit, and jumped for joy when he appeared at the end of today’s show. He’s an excellent actor and had been gone too long from our soap screens. Thanks to FV/RC for the resurrection. Wonder if they’re holding Stephen Nichols in a secret room to complete the Cassadine family? LOL

Wow! This is awesome news. Kelker Kelly is HOT. Days treated him poorly when they kicked him out to bring back Reckell. I always thought Kelker Kelly was waaaaaay hotter. It would be great if they brought back Stephen Nichols and Mary Beth Evans.

it’d be better to imagine…

RKK as Bo for Hope.

and SN as Patch for Kayla.

my DAYS needs some serious action.

Not only did Days dump fan fave RKK to bring back Peter but since then Days insiders have constantly trashed him for acting too sexy during love scenes or whatever. Get a grip Days – we like our love scenes sexy. And your loss is GH’s gain!

as much as I love Peter Reckell, RKK definitely got the shaft from Days!!

okay, lol, omg, here is all i got to say,if starvos is alive then so should stephan, omg, this one was a good one. i can’t wait to see it play out.

I’m soo glad that he’s back!!!! I’ve been a huge fan of RKK, since his days on Another World…Good job GH

I thought that it was told that Stephan was Nicolas father not Stavros . Does anyone remember this?

I thought the same?! I must have forgot?
Did the switch it back?

I can’t remember the exact storyline, but it ended up that Stefan was NOT Nicholas’s father, Stavros was. I think Helena or Katherine or someone else pulled some blood test switheroo to embarrass Laura into admitting she had had sex not only with Stavros when she was held captive on Cassadine Island but also with Stefan. This revelation during some trial or another was the straw that broke the camel’s back in Luke & Laura’s marriage that lead to their divorce.

Thanks, not sure how I forgot all that!

Whatcha bet that the Helena that died was a clone or a double that the real Helena created–perhaps Britt and her evil Mother were in on creating the clone???

i love robert as stavros. good actor and very very sexy lol. i hope they give him a contract on general hospital. trust me helena is not dead. that was a clone. helena will be back very soon.

I never thought of a clone…hmmm, sounds interesting.

PLEASE! let it be….. DAYS!!!!!! TPTB…..

what an opportune time… to watch RKK on GH…

and simply put: HIRE HIM! Pronto!

for Hope….. A new BO.

I think that with starvos back,it will be interesting to see if they get Lulu back without either of them got killed.

yes i am happy hes back.but also bring back robin.i like to see a happy ending once in awhile

Nice twist GH

i’m in shock to see stavros alive how did he survive from the fall? it pretty shocking to me i still don’t know how he come back alive i’ve thought it would be mikkos but i guess i was wrong. its great to see robert keller kelly come back to soap i’m glad to see him what a surprise !

Love it! Also still hoping that Sabrina is Franco’s baby & the missing Q heir! <3

I knew it was Stavros…so glad to see him. I think Helena’s death was an anti-climax. After all those years, to just unceremoniously just plug her. It happened so fast, I had to replay it to see it. Hope they keep the feud going for a long time.

I think they put the wrong Cassadine here- the writers should have made Victor Cassadine responsible for EVERYTHING- the abductions of Robin, Lulu, and even some of the ELQ financial mess as part of payback against PC in the downfall of the three original Cassadine brothers back in 1981. It makes more sense to bring Thaao Penghlis back as Victor and use extensive use of 1981 flashbacks, and that would be in keeping with the whole 50th Anniversary. There is a ray of hope, though- according to that TV Guide piece, the writers are very much aware of Victor, and perhaps they are going to use him in the near future…..

Beyond the Gates

RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers

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Beyond the Gates and General Hospital

The latest ratings are out for the week of October 26-30, 2026 and the big takeaways include: that CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates was separated by only 23,000 viewers behind third place (of the soaps) General Hospital! For the last several weeks, Beyond the Gates has been closing the gap on this year’s winner for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, and continuing to best GH in the key demos.

According to the latest Nielsen ratings breakdown from Soap Opera Network, the final week of October brought Beyond the Gates 1.790 million on average tuning-in and the show set a season high in total viewers. Meanwhile, General Hospital hit a new season low! The long-running ABC soap had 1.813 million for the week, and once again the series did not go over the 2 million mark.

Meanwhile, in the key Women 18-49 demo, Beyond the Gates was firmly ahead of GH with a rating share of 0.21, while General Hospital had 0.17 rating share.Then, in the key Women 25-54 demo, Beyond the Gates was once again ahead of the ABC soap with a ratings share for that demo at 0.30 while GH came in with 0.26.

Photo: CBS

MORE BY THE NUMBERS

In addition and comparatively, Beyond the Gates +22,000 viewers week-to-week, and had the largest gains in viewership year-to-year in daytime TV with +267,000 from this in 2025.. However, General Hospital seems to be going in reverse. The show was down -56,000 viewers week-over-week and down -22,000 year-over-year .

BEYOND THE GATES

Let’s take a look at some of the storylines that had people tuning-in to Beyond the Gates during the ratings week:

Hayley (Marquita Goings) attempted a massive shocker regarding her pregnancy and tried to use it to extract money from Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett). Although, Bill saw right through her game, he demanded a paternity test, and made it clear he has no intention of raising the child—planning instead to pay her off to take the baby and leave. Meanwhile, Hayley confided her plan to her cousin Randy (Maurice P. Kerry).

Jacob Hawthorne (Jibre Hordges) and Naomi Hamilton (Arielle Prepetit) clashed over Jacob’s ongoing investigation into The Impaler, causing significant strain in their marriage. At the same time, Smitty (Mike Manning) considered taking matters into his own hands—including potentially heading to Mexico for evidence—while Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) worried about what comes next.

Photo: ABC

GENERAL HOSPITAL

Over at General Hospital for the ratings period, the story served up included:

Carly (Laura Wright) and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) teamed up to investigate what really happened to Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna). Later, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) leads them to Jack’s dead body.

Jude (Wil Traval) dropped a bombshell claim to Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn); that he is Phoebe’s father, while Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard) signed their divorce papers.

Then, Danny caught Rocco (Finn Carr) and Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarski) sharing a kiss, plus the shocking return of Heather Webber (Alley Mills) capped the week.

Now the questions become; without having much promotional synergy in the ABC day-part to draw more eyeballs it is not helping but hurting General Hospital. It seems Beyond the Gates is also a  benefactor of a one-two-three punch of CBS soaps (Y&R, B&B and BTG) and promotion.

However, that still doesn’t take away the fact that Beyond the Gates is close to besting GH in all ratings category as they go head-to-head in some markets across the country.

So, are you excited to see Beyond the Gates climb in the ratings? Are you concerned for General Hospital? Do you think they can stave off Beyond the Gates in total viewers or will the upstart soap overtake them in the next ratings report? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

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General Hospital

Antonio Sabáto Jr. Breaks Silence on His Son’s Arrest for Fatal Hit-and-Run

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Antonio Sabato Jr.

Antonio Sabáto Jr., the former Jagger Cates of General Hospital and GH: Night Shift, and the former Dante Damiano of The Bold and the Beautiful has issued his first public statement since the incident involving his son, Jack’s arrest in Alaska for a fatal hit-and-run.

Jack is the son of Sabáto Jr. and Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, and according to court documents obtained by KTUU  Jack, was allegedly driving a white Chevy Tahoe when he hit and killed Carl Simmonds, 42, near an intersection in Anchorage around 5:35 a.m. on Monday, November 9.

The reports indicated that Jack fled the scene — but later decided to called the cops to say he hit “something” that “suddenly appeared in the road” while he was “doing late-night DoorDashing.”

Jack Sabato

Photo: NBC

Now, Antonio has taken to his Instagram breaking his silence on the situation, sharing, “At this time, my family and I are navigating an extremely sensitive and deeply personal matter.”

He added, “As a father, my love for my children remains unconditional, and my priority is the well-being of my family. We ask that the public and members of the media honor our privacy during this difficult time and keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.”

The soap alum concluded, “I also wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the gentleman who tragically lost his life. My thoughts and prayers are with them as well. We sincerely appreciate your compassion, understanding, and respect for the privacy of everyone affected.”

Jack Sabáto was arraigned in court on Tuesday, November 10 with bail set at $5,000, and a no-driving order and the potential of $5,000 penalty fees if he fails to attend future court appearances.

Antonio is the father to Jack, 34, daughter, Mina Sabato, 24 and son, Antonio Sabáto III, 15.

This is a developing story. You can check out Antonio’s official statement below.

So, let us know your thoughts on this tragic hit-and-run, which claimed the life of another man, and Antonio’s statement, via the comment section below.

 

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A post shared by Antonio Sabato Jr (@antoniosabatojr)

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos

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Ayla Bullington

Sonny (Maurice Benard) and Ava’s (Maura West) daughter Avery looks quite different, starting on today’s November 9 episode of General Hospital. That’s because GH has made Avery into a full-blown teenager and the role is now being played by actress Alya Bullington.

In her debut, the Tennessee native was thrown into the deep soap waters with Daytime Emmy winners, Maurice Benard and Eden McCoy (Josslyn). Bullington weighed-in to TV Insider about her first scene which featured Avery overhearing a fight between Sonny and Josslyn.

She explained “It was something I have never done before, I did not have a lot of experience with the screaming and the crying stuff, but I got my first script, and I was like, ‘OK, this is a huge opportunity to learn so much about how that stuff works and to become this character that I have never even tried playing before.’” 

Josslyn

Photo: ABC

THE TEENAGED VERSION OF AVERY WILL HAVE A LOT TO CONTEND WITH

Speaking of working with McCoy, Bullington shared, “She’s incredible. I remember her just laughing and making jokes on set, and then the minute that they started taping, she just locked in and she cried immediately, and my first thought was, ‘I want to be able to do that.’

The soap opera newcomer added, “I think she just inspired me so much because she is so great and she can just lock into whatever character she wants to in the moment.” 

The character of Avery was born back in 2014, but as recently as the October 8 episode of General Hospital, the character was suddenly referred to as a teenager. This is the second young female character in recent months to be aged up following the casting of Kayden Brenna Tokarski as Scout Cain.

As for her take on Avery and what’s ahead, Alya said,“She’s emotional, and she’s curious, and she’s a really fun person to play because so much stuff is happening in her life. I think she’s kind of confused about what’s happening and what to believe.”

So, what do you think about General Hospital making Avery a teenager? Are you excited to see the conflict between Sonny, Ava and Avery now that they have aged up the character? Share your thoughts and welcome Alya to GH via the comment section below.

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