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WATCH: 44th Daytime Emmys Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series Nominated Performances!

By Michael Fairman

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Five powerhouse women have been nominated in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at this year’s 44th Annual Daytime Emmys to be live-streamed on Sunday night, April 30th.

This year the race features: General Hospital’s Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis) and Laura Wright (Carly), The Bold and the Beautiful’s Heather Tom (Katie), and The Young and the Restless, Gina Tognoni (Phyllis) and Jess Walton (Jill). Every one of these actresses has previously won a Daytime Emmy, and in the case of several of them, multiple statuettes!

This hotly contested contest features two characters who bottled the battled as their lives spiraled out of control, a grieving mother who has to come to grips with the unthinkable, a woman who takes the stand and reveals how she was violated by an impostor and then reveals to her husband why she had an affair with his brother, and one who tries to cope as her son is near death.  All delivered riveting work.

Now after the jump watch the Lead Actress Emmy nominated reels.  Then let us know, who you think should take home the gold? Comment below!

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Probably Heather Tom.
Jess Walton is also good.

I’m with you Heather Tom is and has always been a great actress! She will probably surpass the legendary Erika Slezak EMMY record one day.

I don’t watch B&B, but I am familiar with Heather’s outstanding work as Victoria, on Y&R.
By the same token, I would not ‘entitle’ Gina Tognoni as a powerhouse. Nothing extraordinary in her portrayal of Phyllis, for me. If an actor/actress fails to touch me emotionally, I cannot, honestly, root for him or her. I never fell into the nuPhyllis hoopla!
Nancy is my pick, however, Laura and Jess are right behind her. Superlative performances!!

Gina was much better on OLTL than Y&R…she has failed to capture the flair and fun of Phyllis…plays every scene like a hardass with that scowling on her face…lacking the sensitive and texture of Michelle…it is like Gina is portraying a new character. So not Phyllis.

LOL, your troll game is superb.

Exactly,Newmanwins!
I have been saying this all along. Loved Gina on OLTL, but she is NOT Phyllis. Completely different personality.
However, I cannot truly fault her just because she’s not Michelle. This happens each and every time there is a character change. Especially an actor/actress we love, and are used to his/her idiosyncrasies and nuances. It is what it is. Sometimes the recast works for some of us; sometimes it does not.
Nonetheless, be that as it may; I do not believe Gina portrayed any of Phyllis’s characteristics, regardless of her quasi ‘good’ performance. She cannot compare to the other four, in my humble estimation.

And I bet you if Gina Tognoni even tried to mimic how Michelle portrayed the character of Phyllis, there would be many fans and viewers (alike) that would be complaining how “Gina isn’t doing her OWN version, isn’t putting her OWN stock in to the role…” Yada, yada, and yada…

I was watching Y&R yesterday and the scenes with Phyllis and Michael, my mother asked, “Why is she whispering?” I said, “She always does that.”

I am another who wants to love Gina as Phyllis, but her portrayal has just not connected with me. I don’t know why she whispers in scenes when it’s not necessary. Maybe she talks like that IRL. I don’t know. I am a Gina fan, but again, her portrayal of Phyllis has not totally connected with me.

Wow this category is the toughest one to call. Every actress here just delivered bigtime. Every reel was just amazing and outstanding. The best reels i have ever seen in a category. Here is how i would rank them

5: Heather Tom: Tom alwaya acts the hell out of anything and she did so here. Especially the last scenes where she says goodbye to Brooke. She was great my only problem is i have seen her do these scenes before in her other reels. There was nothing daring or gutsy. She played it a little too safe.

4: Jess Walton: The scene where she tells off the whole town is great acting. Her strongest part of the reel. She was strong as well confronting Phyllis. Great stuff bt a great actress. Only problem is she got a bit shouty but great.

3: Nancy Grahn: a 18 minute reel that is not as cohesive but i love all the facets she shows in this reel. Her best part of reel is the stuff with Julian in the end. She goes foe the gusto here.

2: Laura Wright: a 20 minute reel that is so cohesive as it tells a story about Morgans death. Wright was the most subtle of any of the actresses and not as actress showy. It was all powerful stuff and she was the best actress of 2016.

1: Gina Tognoni: had the shortest reel but her reel waa balls to the walls. The stuff with Phyllis on witness stand was phenom.stuff as lays into.Victor for what he did to her. Then loved the subtle scene with her and Billy afterwards. Then she was great with Peter Bergman. I loved how this reel kind of told an arc from Victor violating her to why she had an affair with Billy. Just sublime.

Any of these actresses could win.

Gina is the only actress in the category not dealing with a real life drama…a wife not knowing the difference between her husband and his doppelganger doesn’t make Phyllis sympathetic to the voting panel…it makes her look stupid as sin.

Laura is projecting perfectly the worst loss a mother can endure…the death of a child.

Listen no matter what character actions are all 5 of these actresses gave fantastic reels. Laura was fab she was most subtle of all the reels. Gina on the stand performance was an adrenline rush from beginning to end. It was really i couldnt take my eyes off.

Excellent point, Newmanwins….As GH’s grieving mother, Carly, Laura Wright is far more convincing whilst being sublimely subtle and restrained in expressing her deep sorrow, unlike the more overdone—and sometimes ridiculous or predictable—antics employed by the other drama queens, especially NLG’s plonked-up, faded tart, Alexis….Laura Wright for the win!

Why because she screamed and spit more? Case should have won this hands down the subtle acting always chwated

Cheated

I adore Case she is always on her game and steps up and takes the blows I adore her

She has never wore a sign saying I am acting please film me

Love Sharon Case, think she is underrated.
I also love Gina’s Phyllis. When she is on, I watch.

Hands down, Nancy Lee Grahn. She was given a real, authentic storyline dealing with the gravity of Alexis’ alcoholism-a real issue that many face and can relate to in some capacity. Also, I watched part of today’s episode while at home for lunch (the Alexis/Julian scenes)-WOW! I just wish TPTB did not ruin this couple by having Julian almost murder his wife. Unfortunately, as usual, I was BORED TO TEARS with Monotone Sam and Jason and then Elizabeth and Franco-UGH.

Laura Wright (Carly) GH ………

1. Laura Wright by far! . 2. Gina Tignoni

Laura nails every single emotion…brilliantly…it’s a twenty minute acting masterpiece.

I was going to pick Heather for the win…but then I watched Laura’s last and was blown away.

gina is as good as Nicole Kidman and other movie stars. Hands down, gina!

I couldn’t agree more, Tony

Easily Gina Tognoni.

The rest of the reels are either too long (Laura), have too much filler (Nancy) or take too long to get to the meaty and dramatic stuff (Jess).

Heather is good but it’s not much different than her usual – pretty similar reels and stories to stuff she has submitted in the past

Gina has the most ridiculous story in the category….voting panel won’t connect with such a ludicrous premise…not knowing the difference between your husband and his doppelganger is a joke…plus her reel is the shortest cause she only had one standout moment…it’s way too much shouty and baity like Sweeney’s two years ago that lost out…doesn’t match up to the overall acting repertoire of Laura or Heather…but still it’s this campy unrelatable Jack/Marco nonsense that will cost her votes.

Are you just going around trolling everyone’s comments to make Laura Wright’s reel look better even though it’s

1. Longer than the legal length for a reel (a reel is not supposed to be more than 20 minutes)
2. It’s boring, takes too long to get to the drama and has too much filler.

And Gina’s reel is the shortest because she knows nobody wants to sit through 20 minutes of repetitive scenes and dialogue (like that of Carly wailing about Morgan).

LOL. Agreed, again, Newmanwins. Who else can know….be most familiarly intimate with a man’s body but his wife? No two beings are exactly the same. Not even identical twins. I should know; I am one. LOL. My identical twin and I are not sooo identical !!
Stupid storyline..poor Gina will pay the price for its insipidness.

Missy, no one needs to make Laura’s reel look better than it is. The quality stands on its own. Good thing you don’t actually vote on the awards. You’re obviously a biased Y&R fan, which is fine. I’m a GH fan, but I can at least acknowledge that Gina and the other nominees did great work. I don’t need to denigrate the work of another actress and whine about a clip being 15 seconds over the limit, which obviously the Emmys didn’t have a problem with, because I want my favorite to win.

Gina was too young for the role but she is every bit plus thousands more the actress Stafford has proven to be that said Gina is playing Phyllis with a angry look 24/7 ! My pick nobody they all over act

Missy, you are right. And yes, Newman is also right when she mandates that the dopelganger story was ridiculous. However, that’s not Gina’s fault and she certainly rose above what was handed to her and made it work.
That’s how good she is.

I, for one, do not bother with reels, Missy. I would not be able to base my opinion on one reel presented by the actor/actress. It would not be enough.
To be fair, Missy, we like whom we like; I like Gina, but, she, as Phyllis, did not grab me. She is too hard!!

I have not been a fan of Nancy’s Alexis until her split with Julian and stint with alcoholism. I made a complete turnabout. For me? Nancy touched the stars.
We were asked what we thought and we opined. We may not agree with each others’ answers, but, c’est la vie!

I like Gina as Phyllis; although, I am rooting for Nancy. I can’t root for Laura. I was not invested in the character of Morgan. I couldn’t stand the actor or the character, so I didn’t feel the emotional tug when the character died. I know the actor won an Emmy for his work; however, I never liked the character and I think the storyline (on mental illness) was too big and serious of a story for him to play.

I did not like Morgan, nor the actor, either, dmr.
But, albeit Nancy is my pick, does not take away from Laura’s performance, as a grieving mother. As I said, I need to be moved, and Laura did that tenfold.
Perhaps, I identified with her loss knowing the void and pain a mother experiences over her child’s death.
Laura was so outstandingly authentic; she broke my heart.
Nonetheless, I saw such an unexpected change in Alexis…..I could not ignore Nancy’s dramatic hold on her scenes and/or on me.

Great summation of what this nomination process argh … leaves me

I’ve barked hollered and begged for TPTB to listen… ie: GH sonny and carly ; GH Jason and Sam; GH Finn and Hayden. absolute scream ( oh the pain ) and dulling of the senses. what a lot of cache’ to hire back… lost talent.

ta da : still prized – Nicholas, Paul, Morgan, Sabrina, and Jeffrey Vincent Parise.. Dr. Joe… just will not die or let up. LOL… YES YES YES… WIN one for the fans

sorry Missy.. back to

Laura Wright 20 plus minutes of just her…. OY the real problem of all that is GH ? I could hardly bear it. I thought it odd.. that she played her reel… as if her nuanced subtle deliveries were real… and that she downplayed how truly histrionic her character reels… just plowing down anyone and everything. just not exciting , is she

to this day… I will forever put a stamp on… the Corinthos clan are no more. without Morgan… they have lost all appeal… watching Michael with no personality .. always the middle man, between his mother and father… is just not cutting it. forever the heart and soul of the dullest family on GH. sans his “romance” with Nelle… this story fell so flat so quickly after the reveal. what a joke… and LOL… I just laugh at the characters of Laura and Sonny play emotion… what caricatures of themselves… think about it.. whenever the reel outside of one another… it’s embarrassing to know that this is the sole focus of the show. Jean and Shelley and Frank have lost .

I really think her REEL nosedived when her 20 plus tired minutes , ended with her bff Jason… as played by billy miller… he has no life in his eyes. as she clung to him… this long drawn out story for emmy nominations for the Corinthos… left the building and dimmed and soured … put these two out to pasture.

sorry Laura Wright… you do not deserve an emmy. outside of this sculpted and maneuvered emmy reel.

the “best” lead actress… belongs to either Nancy Lee Grahn and/or Jess Walton

that being said… I don’t think any of the actress lived up to their potential.. as was stated above… filler really lessens

outside of Gina Tognoni – NOT KNOWING – that the doppelganger wasn’t her husband…. meh? I thought she had the best reel.

All actresses were good. But for me to chose it may come down to the story they were selling, some of which I liked better than others. Very, very tired of Katie, Phyliss/Billy, and Carly. So that would leave Nancy and Jess as exceptional in my eyes.

Laura Wright has easily the best reel…with the most relatable character drama…it’s a tour de force performance.

I am sorry but Heather Tom hands down…6th time’s the charm 🙂

i’m not saying she’s not a good actress but should she win another emmy for Crying? every single emmy reel she submits its crying crying crying, she basically being rewarded for being a good cryer.

Because that is exactly how the reels are judged– if you look over past winners, male or female– the reel that wins is usually the one who cried the best or yelled the loudest– you win for either yelling or crying– subtle performances rarely win and comedic performance never do— if Heather wins this year– your’re right it is because she cried the best– and looked beautiful while doing it — that’s a plus in the Emmy race

Thank you Aria. I did not bother… to watch her.

it just gnaws at you doesn’t it… that after all the decades … years of raw talent… that graced our screens.

that some actors… do not know any better or difference to just pull the plug… what is her emmy wins about ? absolution… that she’s the best crier . one hell of an actor ? dag , right… Susan Lucci delivered. Heather Tom is such a non-entity.

I remember saying at the time when those episodes aired that Laura Wright would be walking away with some more Emmy gold. I still feel that way after watching all the reels.

I was impressed with all of the ladies, however. I watch GH, so I know how consistently great Nancy Lee Grahn is. She would be my second choice. Gina Tognoni, Jess Walton and Heather Tom were all very good as well. Out of all the categories I’ve seen the reels for so far, this category is by far the toughest competition. Any of the five would be deserving winners.

I’ll be rooting for Laura. The pain and sorrow of a mother losing her son that she conveyed through the screen, It touched me very strong emotionally and after watching GH for nearly 25 years, it takes a lot to move me anymore.

This is one fantastic category and a tribute to the talent and endless creativity of daytime performers. Personally, Laura Wright hit me the hardest and deepest with this year’s work. Something about her grief and sorrow just devastates me. But the great thing is, there won’t be any embarrassing wins here.

Gina tognini hands down her reel was that damn good u couldn’t take your eyes off it

Tognoni’s reel reminds me how horrid the Pratt era was. Will voters really be able to take this schlock serious enough to give her a win? That said, GT is a good actress, but terribly miscast as Phyllis. I have yet to connect with her in that part.

Walton’s and Tom’s reels are the strongest. I think it is a toss up between the two of them. While I have deep respect for JW, she was no lead during 2016. For that alone, Tom should take the gold home.

Why are most of u degrading Gina Tognini reel. Her reel was the bomb. Omg really though. Her reel did make sense. A women who didn’t know the difference between a doppleganger and her husband. I’ve known plenty of actors who won Emmy’s for reels that kinda didn’t make since like Anthony Geary’s 2004, 2008, & 2015 wins,

Maura West’s 2015 win (cryptic sex lol) ( I loved her better on atwt as Carly), Jonathan Jackson’s 1995 win (Jason Biggs had a better reel that year), Kimberly McCulloughs 1989 win (Martha bryne n Anne heche had great reels), Justin Gockes 1989 win (Gina’s wheel of Fortune episode), Finola Hughes 1991 win (Anna & The Alien/Casey), just to name a few. It’s more about the performances n the range of it not what u picked. Otherwise none of them would have ever won a Emmy. I remember how people got upset because Drew Tyler Bell, Jen Landon, Tyler Christopher, and Bryton James won Emmy’s. It’s either Heather, Gina, or Nancy, more towards leaning to Gina.

I don’t even have to think about this one Gina Tognini was the best followed by Laura Wright but it will probably be Tom that gets it. I’m kind of sick of her putting her reel in every year. She is a good actress but they need to give the others a chance and I also think sometimes she over acts.

Love Heather Tom but why give others a chance I would n’t Its too bad for them constraints she deserves it.

She deserves it Heather is great

I like Heather Tom alright but when she cries all open mouth, she looks like one of the characters from the Peanuts cartoons.

I like Heather Tom too and I think she’s a great actress but I see her throw her name into the pot every year. Now I know anyone can and then whoever’s in charge picks from the bunch. As in if 50 throw their name and reel I think only a few are picked but I get sick of her being picked all the time from B&B. There are so many others like Quinn, Steffy, Brooke etc. I think after awhile they just don’t bother throwing in their reel. I don’t blame them. Just give her the statue already. It’s like Y & R so many times I think actresses like Sharon Case, Tracey Bregman etc. know who’s going to get it so they don’t bother throwing in their reel. JMO

Not true you must love peanuts

General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Carly and Lulu Make Plans to Rescue Their Children; Anna Looks Determined to Secure Her Freedom

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This week on all-new episodes of General Hospital, the race is on! Can Lulu (Alexa Havins) and Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) get to Rocco (Finn Carr) and Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) in time to ensure their safety from Cullum (Andrew Hawkes)? Can Carly (Laura Wright) with the help of her brother, Lucas (Van Hansis) rescue Josslyn (Eden McCoy) from captivity at Wyndemere? These questions may be answered, plus the return of the one and only Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) are on tap!

In the just released General Hospital spoilers video for the week of June 22-26, Lulu tells her mother, Laura (Genie Francis), “Dante and I have to get to Rocco before Cullum!” Meanwhile, Rocco (Finn Carr) looks angered and emotional as Britt walks through their cabin hideout. Does Rocco know his parents are on the way to find them, or has Cullum already tracked them down to the British Virgin Islands?

Back in Port Charles, Carly is informing Lucas that his niece, “is a WSB agent.” She knows Josslyn (Eden McCoy) is being held against her will at Wyndemere, and she has to find a way to get her out. Lucas agrees with Carly’s plan of, “We go in and we don’t leave without Josslyn!” Elsewhere, Josslyn is looking worried for her future as she is stuck in captivity thanks to Cassius, Cullum and Sidwell!

Courtesy/ABC

FINOLA HUGHES RETURNS

The final moments of the teaser promo reveal Anna in a psychiatric clinic in France. We have not seen her for months after Cullum, Sidwell and Pascal fed her hallucinogenics to make her believe her arch nemesis, Cesar Faison was alive!

Now, the doctors walk towards her hospital bed, where we see the super spy calmly knitting. Is Anna back to normal and playing everyone to get out of her predicament, or does she still remain deeply traumatized … or both?

Take a look at the rest of the official GH spoilers for the week below.

MONDAY, JUNE 22
Willow gets an unwelcome surprise. Trina sticks to her guns. “Nathan” wants reassurance. Ethan advises Ava. Brook Lynn receives an update.

TUESDAY, JUNE 23
Dante cautions Liz. Laura learns a secret. Brook Lynn confides in Michael. Sonny challenges Ava. Chase makes a decision.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24
Anna meets with her doctor. Carly makes a stunning confession. Britt extracts a promise. Cullum pulls a fast one. Gio and Emma hit the pool.

THURSDAY, JUNE 25
Josslyn clashes with Cassius. Lulu and Dante make a discovery. Chase receives a warning. Jordan seeks help. Alexis is summoned to the PCPD.

FRIDAY, JUNE 26
Anna takes a huge risk. Britt is in grave danger. Willow is in disbelief. Danny must act fast. Curtis jumps to the wrong conclusion.

Check out the latest General Hospital promo entitled, “Rescue Mission” below.

Now weigh-in: Do you think Anna is still mentally off-balance, or OK, and just pretending to be troubled to get out of France and get back to Port Charles? Will Josslyn finally be rescued, or will Carly and Lucas find themselves locked up with her? And, who will get to Britt and Rocco first? Cullum, or Dante and Lulu? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section below.

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General Hospital

Maurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric

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With the highly-anticipated returns of Finola Hughes (Anna Devane) on this week’s June 24 episode of General Hospital, Steve Burton’s (Jason Morgan) upcoming return on July 13, which also serves as the ABC daytime drama’s 16,000 episode, things are about to fire on all cylinders in the story, as noted today by series star, Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos).

On Father’s Day, the three-time Daytime Emmy-winning actor and mental health activist took to his Instagram and expressed in a video that he has some unbelievable upcoming senes with the aforementioned Burton and Hughes. Add to that Nazneen Contractor (Justine Turner) and Rick Hearst (Ric Lansing), where Benard gave credit where credit is due to the GH writing team, which is led by co-head writers, Elizabeth Korte and Chris Van Etten..

In this video, Benard said, “I just want to get on here and say that I did some work with Steve Burton, Finola Hughes, Rick Hearst, Nazneen Contractor, and they’re all just fantastic. Truly fantastic. But, I want to say the writing was just exceptional. It truly was. It was exceptional. So, thankful for that kind of writing. I know writers don’t get the credit a lot, but I just want to say to the General Hospital writing team, keep rolling!”

GENERAL HOSPITAL PREVIEW

So now the question becomes, with a major tease like that, what is about to go down between Sonny, Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric? Will we finally get to the end of the line for Sidwell (Carlo Rota), as previously teased by the GH co-head writers? Will we learn what happened to Jason and Anna, fully? Will Justine and Sonny becomes closer or stop their liaisons? And what of Ric? Will he be true blue to his brother or double-cross him? There is a lot at stake as we move further into the summer and one that looks like it could be one of the more exciting ones in years!

FINOLA HUGHES CONFIRMED AMAZING SCENES WITH MAURICE BENARD

As a punctuation point to his video, Benard also shared this written message in the post: “I just did some wonderful scenes with Steve Burton, Rick Hearst, Finola Hughes and Nazneen Contractor and  and unbelievable writing, freaking amazing scenes that you will see in the near future on General Hospital.” In fact, Finola Hughes jumped in the post comment thread and responded, “I loved our scenes so much xxx”

Fans will most likely see all the scenes Benard referred to later in July, since GH tapes approximately six weeks ahead of air.

So, are you excited to see what Maurice is talking about? Are you hyped for what’s to come on GH? Any clue on what you think will go down between the main characters on the soap with the returns of Anna Devane and Jason Morgan to the mix? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Announces Upcoming Release of His First Single, ‘If You Need Me’

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In a surprise move, Daytime Emmy winner, Chad Duell (ex-Michael Corinthos, GH) is getting ready to unveil a new chapter of his career in music.

The former GH star, where he played the son of Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and Carly Spencer (Laura Wright) for 15 years, has announced his new single, “If You Need Me” will drop on Friday, June 26. The single is now available for pre-order on Spotify and major music streaming platforms and is distributed by DistroKid.

Taking to his Instagram story over the weekend, to announce the pre-save of his new single, Chad expressed, “I’ll make a full post about what I’ve been up to and my music once it goes live next week, but you can pre-save my first single so it goes straight to your Spotify once it drops next week.”

Photo: CDuellIG

SINCE LEAVING GENERAL HOSPITAL

Previously, since his departure from the ABC soap opera. Chad starred alongside Zach Mendez in the world premiere of of Yum Yum at Annapolis, a new play written by Bruce Reisman. Duell last appeared on General Hospital on the January 21, 2025 episode.

The part was recast with Rory Gibson who debuted as the new Michael in May of 2025 during the Nurses’ Ball episodes and who has remained in the role since that time.

In an interview earlier this year on The Able Show, Duell said on his decision to exit the soap opera, “I was blessed to be part of that (show) for as long as I have, but what happens sometimes is if you’re doing the same thing, especially in a creative field for such a long time, you can get a little burnt out in a way. It can make you a little depressed, so that’s kind of what happened. On top of that, I had other things going on in my life at the time. My father passed away recently and I just needed a reset. So, I stepped away. A lot of times you have to go through some stuff to really step into that next level. I needed to kind of feel uncomfortable.”

So, what type of musical genre will Chad’s new song be? Country? Pop? Rock? Dance/Club? Something else? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below, and if you are eager to hear the new single next week via the comment section below.

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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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