Major ABC Star Axed From Show After 21 Years: Kelly Monaco to Exit 'General Hospital'

One ABC series is down a major player. Soap Opera Network reports that longtime General Hospital star Kelly Monaco is officially leaving. The actress joined the long-running soap opera in 2003, portraying con artist Sam McCall, the daughter of mob boss Julian Jerome (William DeVry) and attorney Alexis Davis (Nancy Lee Grahn). Sources claim that Sam will be killed off sometime this fall. Even more, Monaco was reportedly "blindsided" by the decision.

Monaco was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 2006 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. While she has portrayed Sam McCall for 21 years, she was temporarily replaced by Lindsay Hartley on a few occasions in 2020, 2022, and earlier this year. A reason has not been given for the abrupt exit or why Sam will be killed off. However, just because a character is "killed" on General Hospital , doesn't necessarily mean it's forever. That being said, it does not sound like Monaco and GH separated on good terms with how sudden it is.

General Hospital has seen its fair share of exits lately. In June, Michael Easton confirmed his exit after playing Hamilton Finn since 2016, and his on-screen father, Gregory Harrison, departed the previous month after his character, Gregory Chase, died from ALS . In April, Nicholas Chavez officially exited as Spencer Cassadine after he t emporarily left to film Netflix's Monsters . With a show on as long as General Hospital , there have been constant cast changes, but it's always hard to say goodbye to an actor and their character, whether they were beloved, devious, or both.

Before Kelly Monaco was on General Hospital , she actually starred in spinoff series Port Charles from 2000 to 2003, portraying Livvie Locke. So in total, Monaco has spent 24 years with the franchise, so it can't be easy just walking away. GH has also been one of the only roles that Monaco has done since 2003, aside from small roles here and there in film and television. One can only hope that it isn't long until Monaco lands another role, but it will still be weird when it comes time to say goodbye to Sam McCall.

As of now, a premiere date for her final episode has yet to be announced, but fans should prepare themselves. New episodes of General Hospital air weekdays on ABC and are available to stream on Hulu .