Exclusive GH Preview: Josh Kelly On The Fallout Of Cody's Paternity Reveal

Disney/Bahareh Ritter

What Schemes Are Made Of: Maxie (Kirsten Storms) tries to patch things up between Cody (Josh Kelly) and Mac.

General Hospital 's Cody finally revealed to Mac that they are father and son, a secret he's been harboring since 2022 — and as fans saw play out this week, it didn't go so well.

The Truth Will Out

According to Cody's portrayer, Josh Kelly, Cody just couldn't keep the secret of his paternity inside anymore. "I would imagine he's been haunted by it," the actor asserts. "He probably tried not to think about it, but it kept popping up. When those unavoidable thoughts just keep nagging at you and you don't want to deal with them, but your subconscious thoughts just keep reminding you that this is an unresolved issue. And it takes a special moment or a certain feeling — or a certain beverage [ laughs ] — to give you the courage to actually confront the problem."

For Cody, that moment came on the 4th of July. "I think [finding the courage to be honest with Mac] has been building for Cody," says Kelly. "First with Chase's father, Gregory, dying, and realizing that time is finite, and Sasha kind of reminding him of what he might be able to have if he comes clean. Cody realizes that Mac is a great guy and then with the magic of the 4th of July — fireworks, emotions — everything came to a head."

Mac's negative reaction to the news "was Cody's worst fear coming true," sighs Kelly, "that Mac would tell him to stay away from his family and [say things like], 'You may be my son biologically, but you're not my son.' It leaves him feeling dejected and rejected and thinking that maybe he shouldn't have told him the truth, maybe he should have just kept it a secret."

As a slight salve to Cody's hurt, Maxie took the news extremely well. "Because Cody was so afraid that everyone would reject him, any positive affirmations are very welcome in the Bell psyche," Kelly notes. "Maxie really consoled him and was like, 'Listen, nothing is ever irreparable. You've just got to give Mac time.' "

Sound advice — but heeding it may be easier said than done for Cody. "He's feeling so scorned that his fight-or-flight inclinations are coming up," Kelly explains. "He wants to run away from his problems like the old Cody did." Fortunately for Cody, he has a voice of reason in Sasha, who makes a strong argument to dissuade him from hightailing it out of Port Charles. "She is a

When Cody confides in Sasha about how badly things went when he fessed up to Mac, and shares that he wants to hightail it out of Port Charles as a result, she does her best to dissuade him. "Sasha is a good guiding post for him, a good influence," says Kelly. "I think having her in his life is grounding for him."

Mission Impossible?

While Cody and Mac separately lick their wounds, Maxie and Felicia try to figure out a way to bring about a Cody/Mac reconciliation. Soon, the women get to work on a divide-and-conquer strategy, with Felicia paying a visit to Cody while Maxie works on softening Mac.

While their hearts are in the right place, they run the risk of their scheme backfiring. Kelly points out, "No one likes feeling tricked into anything. I feel like that's why so often interventions don't work out, because people initially get really mad, they feel like they got bamboozled into something as opposed to choosing it. People want to believe that we choose our own fate, and I can definitely relate to Cody there. I don't like being tricked into things, so I'm on Team Bell for this one! I don't think they're going about it in the right way."

But Kelly believes Cody would appreciate the sentiment behind what Felicia and Maxie are attempting to do. "I think in the long run [what they try to do] is good, because subconsciously, it's good for Cody to know that people are trying to make something work and care about him," he opines. "Even though initially, he may bristle and put up his porcupine quills and be like, 'I don't want or need [your help],' after the quills go down and he has a night to sleep on it, he might be like, 'Well, maybe there is hope....' "