General Hospital
This week's GH: Johnny revealed to be the son of Claudia! Zacchara's go on the warpath – Watch the Video!
Courtesy/ABC
In the out-of-the-blue, weird, shocking twist that GH is throwing at its fans, Johnny Zacchara (Brandon Barash) is revealed to be the son, not the brother of the late Claudia Zacchara (Sarah Brown).
Now this week, Sonny (Maurice Benard) armed with the evidence uses it to set out to destroy Johnny and Anthony, only the Z’s go ballistic and go after everyone that Sonny loves in different ways: Carly, Michael and Dante.
But who will be the real target? You will have to watch this week’s General Hospital promo for a preview. In the meantime, what do you think of this storypoint and a total reversal of history? Do you think it propels story? Do you think its extremely distasteful? Do you care? What character will be most affected by the fallout? Let us know your thoughts!
General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Carly Fears Escalating Tensions Between Sonny and Josslyn: ‘I’ve Already Lost One Kid Because of That Man. I Won’t Lose Another’
On the Thursday, November 12 episode of General Hospital, as battles line are drawn by Carly’s (Laura Wright) ex-husband, Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and her daughter, Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy), she realizes things are about to get a whole lot worse, and she expressed her fears to Valentin Cassadine (James Patrick Stuart).
After Sonny came to see Carly to get her daughter to back off of him; especially when Josslyn lit into him in front of nuAvery (Ayla Bullington), Carly is terrified that Sonny could retaliate against Josslyn. Realizing, Josslyn is in danger, Carly won’t sit by and let anything happen to her. She tells Valentin, “I’ve already lost one kid because of that man. I won’t lose another.”
Viewers won’t soon forget the devastation Carly felt when Morgan (Bryan Craig) died in a car bomb explosion back in 2016 because of Sonny’s dealings in the mob in a complex story involving Julian (William deVry) and Olivia Jerome (Tonja Walker).
Courtesy/ABC
SONNY IS READY FOR WAR
Meanwhile in the aftermath of his visit with Carly, Sonny told his brother Ric what went down when Josslyn disrespected him in front of his own daughter and hurt Avery. Since Josslyn already make it known that she no longer considers herself part of Sonny’s family, he’s decided to treat her accordingly.
Sonnys first step in payback is to take away her support system at JJE by approaching Hudson Parker (Troy Lennon Appel) again, but this time in a much less-friendly way.
Ric points out that this would go against every move Sonny made as a legitimate businessman in Port Charles and would mean he’s back in the mob? Sonny doubles down, saying Josslyn changed the game when she involved Avery. While he showed concern of how bad Carly would feel over all this year, he said he is ready to finish what Josslyn started.
At the Metro Court, Ava (Maura West) is listening to Avery explain what happened between Sonny and Josslyn and how much she hates Josslyn right now, which Ava seems to be OK with.
WILL JOSSLYN’S WORLD BLOW UP ON HER?
Speaking of Josslyn, she is on the pier still after her talk with Hudson and still crying over her confrontation with Sonny and Avery overhearing it, and what she told her sister. Lucas comes across her at the pier while out for his run.
Explaining how badly she feels for what she said about Sonny to Avery, Lucas says that eventually Avery will discover the truth about Sonny. He explains to Josslyn that even though Avery hates her now, she will come to realize that what she said about her father was the truth, and that Josslyn was not lying to her at all.
So, what do you think about Sonny ready to play dirty to take down Josslyn? How will Carly ensure her daughter does not wind up dead? Who do you think is in the right here? Is Josslyn’s vendetta against Sonny justified, at the cost of the relationships with her family? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Cynthia Watros Honors Former ‘Titus’ Co-Star Stacy Keach Following His Passing
General Hospital star Cynthia Watros, who can currently be seen in on the ABC soap opera in the role of Nina Reeves, has had a enduring career in television. That included her time on the 2000-2002 Fox sitcom, Titus.
In Titus, Watros starred along with Stacy Keach as Erin Fitzpatrick and Ken Titus, respectively. After the November 10th news that Keach had passed away at 85 while living in Poland, Cynthia took to her Instagram on Thursday, November 12 to pay tribute to the great actor.
Watros expressed, “My first prime time show was along side Stacy. I loved him instantly. What an amazing talent and man.❤️”
Photo: ABC
In Titus, Stacy played stand up comedian Christopher Titus’ heavy-drinking, chain-smoking, five-times-divorced father who frequently pulled cruel pranks and tried to toughen his kids up. Cynthia played by Christopher’s level-headed, big-hearted girlfriend trying to build a normal life with him. In fact, Cynthia’s role on the sitcom was first series regular role after her Daytime Emmy run of Annie Dutton on Guiding Light which ran from 1994-1998.
STACY KEACH’S WIFE ON HIS PASSING
Keach’s wife, Malgosia shared the news of the actor’s death publicly in a statement with PEOPLE. Malgosia expressed, that Stacy had, “a long and difficult battle with a serious heart condition and heart failure.”
She added, “Stacy peacefully departed this world. He fought for so long, with extraordinary courage, determination and strength. He was a true warrior, facing his illness with the same remarkable spirit and resilience that defined his life.”
Małgosia continued, “Stacy was not only a legendary actor, admired and loved by audiences the world over, but also my beloved husband, my companion and the heart of our family. His passing leaves an immeasurable emptiness in our lives. But his extraordinary spirit, his unforgettable voice and the love he gave so generously will remain with us forever.”
Now, let us know do you remember when Cynthia made her sitcom debut in Titus? Share your thoughts via the comment section on Cynthia’s many TV roles and the passing of Stacy Keach in the comment section. But first, check out the very first episode of Titus with Cynthia Watros below!
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.
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Carly Fears Escalating Tensions Between Sonny and Josslyn: ‘I’ve Already Lost One Kid Because of That Man. I Won’t Lose Another’
‘General Hospital’s’ Cynthia Watros Honors Former ‘Titus’ Co-Star Stacy Keach Following His Passing
‘Beyond the Gates’ Emmy Winner Ambyr Michelle Wants to Compete on ‘Dancing with the Stars’: ‘Pick Me’ (Exclusive)
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers
Y&R’s New Head Writers Share Vision for Genoa City: Contemporary Homage to Bill Bell, Mixing Heightened Escapism and Grounded Reality
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: Episodes From New Co-Head Writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, Begin to Air
‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos
‘Days of our Lives’ Kyle Pryor Debuts as Dominic Marino and Says of Alleged TV Mom, “Deidre Hall is the Absolute OG, Amazing” (Exclusive)
‘Days of our Lives’ Celebrates 61st Anniversary: EP Ken Corday Teases New Character’s Arrival in Spring 2027
‘General Hospital’s’ Cynthia Watros Honors Former ‘Titus’ Co-Star Stacy Keach Following His Passing
‘Beyond the Gates’ Emmy Winner Ambyr Michelle Wants to Compete on ‘Dancing with the Stars’: ‘Pick Me’ (Exclusive)
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
‘Days of our Lives’ Veteran James Reynolds Reveals Parkinson’s Diagnosis
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News3 days agoY&R’s New Head Writers Share Vision for Genoa City: Contemporary Homage to Bill Bell, Mixing Heightened Escapism and Grounded Reality
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Previews5 days agoTHE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: Episodes From New Co-Head Writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, Begin to Air
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General Hospital4 days ago‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos
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Days Of Our Lives1 week ago‘Days of our Lives’ Kyle Pryor Debuts as Dominic Marino and Says of Alleged TV Mom, “Deidre Hall is the Absolute OG, Amazing” (Exclusive)
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Days Of Our Lives5 days ago‘Days of our Lives’ Celebrates 61st Anniversary: EP Ken Corday Teases New Character’s Arrival in Spring 2027
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General Hospital1 week agoGENERAL HOSPITAL: Tracy Leaves Port Charles to Help Dillon; Paving the Way for Jane Elliot’s Temporary Exit
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News7 days agoB&B’s Lawrence Saint-Victor to Guest Star on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
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Interviews2 days agoB&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
What did Claudia have Johnny when she was 10?
I know we’re soap fans, and we’re supposed to suspend our disbelief and all that, but this is too much.
Yeah, that was my first thought. The age difference (or lack thereof) between Olivia & Dante is hard enough to take. This one is really pushing it.
Totally unbelievable! Claudia and Johnny are at the most 7-10 years apart. Gino Solieto is listed as the father and was married to Tracy. What if Johnny is hers? Now that would be interesting.
dopey right?
If Claudia was 15 years old when she had Johnny and the family tried to hush it up, then that would explain why Anthony continued to call Claudia inappropriate names. This storyline is possible. I’m 32 years old, my daughter is 17 years and I have a grandson that will be 2 years old in 3 weeks. Some people would say the storyline is idiotic but this is still a very plausible scenario. By the way, I am college educated and I’ve just entered my MBA program; furthermore, my daughter is entering her senior year and plans to enroll into college next year. Let’s just hope the story ends positive with Sarah J. Brown returning as Mrs. Claudia Zacchara-Corinthos. Bye-bye, adios, and hasta la vista Kate Howard/ Constance Falconeri/ Connie or whatever the heck she calls herself! Mrs. Zacchara-Corinthos will not share her Sonny days with anybody!
Ten year old girls giving birth isn’t anything new:
https://theweek.com/article/index/221431/the-10-year-old-mexican-who-gave-birth
https://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/11/10-year-old-girl-gives-birth-in-spain/1
Soaps imitate life so no suspension of disbelief necessary.
I want to be the first to advise everyone. I have been watching GH for 30+ years. I want to be the first to go on record that Jason and Franco are brothers. This way the baby father tests will be inclusive.
That is why Franco kept saying we are the same. That is why Franco so hung up on Jason.. Unless it was some super bromance.
I want full credit for this if it true
Fine, you can have the credit. I just hope they come up with some compelling reason to have wasted all the time they did on Franco, beside the fact he was a sick, twisted freak, as if that alone was supposed to make him entertaining.
its far fetched but if claudia was abuse at a teen, then i can buy her as jonny’s mom, but she would have to be a very young teen, like 13, its kind of disgusting, but these horrible things happen in real life, as for the storyline twist, it will generate alot talk for sure, but this storyline would be all better if sarah brown was still around, they should not have gotten rid of their best female villian, Gh really doesn’t have a good one right now, other then Helena, so hopefully down the line maybe claudia can be alive after all and franco kept her somewhere hidden. especially since no one thinks he’s dead, and this would be a better story then the one they are currently playing with franco.
Sarah Brown needs to come back to GH. all other soaps that have had you, have not given you any interesting characters to play and haven’t maximized your great talent. This new twist GH has thrown in only makes me miss Sarah Brown more. She needs to come home to GH.
I’m a DAYS fan, and I will personally gift wrap and drive the talented Ms. Brown back to Port Charles. Her character on DAYS is a waste of her talent and she was much better as Claudia.
Aria, you are so right about Sarah Brown. I watched DOOL just to see her character and I couldn’t believe Brown would waste her incredible talent playing Madison, who is boringly pleasant and unremarkable. Maybe Brown is using her brain and energy on law school or a PhD because playing Madison appears so undemanding. If only she would come back to GH as Claudia–every second would be a potential emotional explosion, sure to re-energize GH.
Opinion of the whole story? Simple – one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard. Hopefully,
Out of the blue right now. I actually expected this to happen prior to Claudia’s death. The way Anthony talked to her and called her a slut as well as other names on top of the constant reference to the “unnatural” relationship between Johnny and Claudia and their need to always protect each other. Additionally, I think I remember a conversation between Claudia and Trevor Lansing which cause me to think that something happened between the two of them at some point.
I think the story line is kinda silly. But we will see how it plays out. Hopefully it will be good.
I think its an interesting Idea ,I like johnny and his insane father,and what sonny did is start another mob war ,you hurt my kid ,I will hurt yours,so anothoy zacchara will start to take even better care of his roses ,when he does that you know he is up to no good.I think sonny made a big mistake because michael did kill claudia,and now johnny is hurt and pissed,his mother was a bitch,but still he loved her, he forgave michael because claudia put him in a coma,Ill be tuning in,Im looking forward to seeing what our new writers will do with this mess.
I HEAR the bullets flying now!!!!!!
First of I do think Bruce Weitz is a good actor… but get him out of there! I am so tired of crazy Anthony. I like Johnny but am loving the rumors about getting rid of most of the mob. I am not liking the threats to hurt someone Sonny cares about. Let’s take AZ out… reduce the mob by getting Johnny out of it and Sonny could go straight to keep Kate (if she needs to hang aound)… lets get Jason to turn into a combo of Jason Q nad M and get the GH world to be more about business and the hospital.
no way ,he has to stay,he makes me laugh ,hes crazy,nuts ,I love the way he tends to his flowers,and his relationship with tracy I like that to ,hes interesting and funny,and thats what I will miss at one life to live the comedy ,general hospital doesnt have that,and to many stories go to sonny,hes a big part of general hospital,but hes not the backbone the spencers and the quartermaines are,the killing that goes on in port charles is awful,and general hospital has become so boring,with the same stories told over and over again,I want a change ,Im ready for One,and Im not alone in my thinking ,if general hospital doesnt get its act together ,this fall we will be here bitching that general hospital is gone ,and I dont want to see that happen,the thought of katie couric makes my skin crawl.
Let Claudia come back and together she and Johnny can take out Anthony, who lied to Johnny for years. Maybe Anthony stood by while Claudia was abused or maybe he offered her up as part of a business deal. Mother and son mobsters would be more fun than the usual.
I would love to see SJB back as Claudia but I think she likes it over at DOOL. It’s a great idea and a great way to take AZ out.
Sometimes it takes a “shocker” like this to stir things up in just the right way. It does seem a bit “out there”, but sadly, plausible. I am sure Ron C. will know how to play this storyline out in a way that will work. I am very excited about what is to come for GH and all of the characters!!!!!
I cannot think of a reason for this “twist.” Claudia is long dead & so Anthony is Johnny’s grandfather instead of father. Big deal. Just means Michael killed Johnny’s mother instead of his sister. I don’t see any big repercussions coming of out of this.
It is an interesting way to liven things up. It would be even more interesting if Claudia was alive (or brought back). No wonder Claudia was a mental wreck if she had a child from abuse and couldn’t tell Johnny he was her son. Claudia was a fabulous character and Sarah Brown was incredible. If Sarah had to leave, I wish Claudia had taken a vacation rather than been killed off (but maybe she didn’t really die?). I would love the return of Claudia (with Sarah). That would be everyone’s worst nightmare, and then mother and son could be reunited and discuss what happened.
Odd as this twist seems to me — the lack of a suitable age gap — maybe it is a catalyst for righting the ship and moving GH in a new direction… clearing out characters and plots that no longer are viable or interesting, setting up new stories and making room on the canvas for new people.
Okay, I can sit here and ignore the fact that if the show was sticking to the currently accepted ages for Johnny and Claudia, she would have had to have been about eight when she got pregnant with him. And I can even at least try to swallow the fact that this completely ruins her entire backstory. What I can’t stand is that they’re even thinking about going through with this story and not bringing Sarah Joy Brown back. Claudia is DEAD. It’s unfortunate; she was by far my favorite character that GH ever had (even though they never developed her to her full potential, which SJB could have easily done). But why bring this storyline up now?! Why didn’t they do it back in 2008 when everyone was saying how borderline inappropriate Claudia and Johnny’s relationship was? Without her on the screen, it’s completely pointless. If they’re actually doing this, they need to bring SJB back from Days so that she and BB can have some kickass scenes together. I can totally buy Claudia coming back from the dead, and I will sit through this nonsense if it means she’s back.
the reason to bring the storyline in now,so once again its the sonny show,we will have another excuse for the mob war,I hear that michael easton wont show up in port charles till march ,so that means no one goes to jail again,and the murders continue at general hospital.unless he isnt john mcbaine,to bad claudia is dead ,to bad they didnt sent her away ,sometimes its just stupid to kill an interesting character,when they could have just left town ,I think that sonny treated her like crap,and he has done so many nasty things ,they made her out to be worst then him, so its the sonny show again ,I liked claudia to.Ill keep watching.our new writers have started,Ill have to pay closer attention to the bottom of the television ,to see when it begins.
I’m SICK of The Sonny Show. I never liked him, not even with Claudia. And even if it had to be The Sonny Show, couldn’t they have come up with a better plot twist that at least involved ALIVE characters? I don’t watch GH regularly anymore…I’ll flip it on when I get the time, which is rare. But I’d start watching full-time again if they brough SJB back. Anyone know how her stint is going on Days? I tried watching it, but wasn’t too into it. I’m trying not to be too critical of this storyline, though, cuz if it does bring Claudia back, I’ll never say another bad word about it.
this twist only has a payoff if Sarah comes back. I miss her character, i know she’s currently at dool, I to tried to catch a glimpse of her, and she looks fabulous, but dool doesn’t have any heavy hitters, and i don’t see them being any match for sarah, i think she needs to come home to GH were theres definitely more interesting characters and actors for her to spat with.
GH is her home. She was fabulous as Carly, and absolutely incredible as Claudia. Both were gutsy parts that also had great backstories that provided for vulnerability and plenty of room for great acting. She could tear this storyline apart if they brought her back.
This shows how badly GH needs Ron and Frank.
That would be the only way for me to start watching GH again, is if they bring Sarah back….but I just don’t know how they would. I know its a soap and people come back from the dead all the time, but how in the world would they do it, after the elaborate way that she went out? Not to mention, the whole cover up and burying her body out in the woods…. Ever since Sarah left, GH just hasn’t been as exciting. And it would only make sense to do this story if Sarah were coming back.
Brandon did an amazing job with these scenes. He can handle more complications and storyline than he has been given. I hope GH wakes up and give Johnny a bigger story on GH, and I hope he plays the piano again soon.
I agree I love johnny and his crazy father,and its not so far fetched that claudia is his mother ,A while back ,before she was killed I thought that maybe she is his mother,but nothing went any further about her being raped by that sick guy who worked for anthony,something was there ,guess the writers changed there minds.brandon did a wonderful job at his shock of this whole mess,gives him a good story line ,I like the piano playing to.so lets fasten our seat belts ron and frank are in charge now.I believe we are going to enjoy general hospital alot more now.