Major 'General Hospital' Star to be Replaced, But There's a Catch
Kelly Monaco had to briefly step away from the soap, with Lindsay Hartley replacing her as Sam McCall.
General Hospital has made yet another temporary casting change. The long-running soap previously brought on temporary replacements for a few of its cast due to conflicts, such as Nicole Paggi stepping in for Kirsten Storms, and Courtney Fulk replacing Eden McCoy while she deals with the death of her mother. Now Lindsay Hartley is filling in for Kelly Monaco.
The former appeared as Sam McCall on Tuesday's episode of the soap opera, but it won't be for long. Deadline reports that Monaco, who had to step away to take some personal time, will be back on today's episode. Hartley has previously filled in for Monaco, so it's nothing she couldn't handle. A reason for Monaco's absence has not been given, but at least fans know she will most certainly be back.
Kelly Monaco's temporary departure is the latest casting switch-up for General Hospital. On top of Storms and McCoy also briefly stepping away, Roger Howarth was fired after portraying Todd Manning for 11 years. Meanwhile, over the summer, it was reported that Nicholas Alexander Chavez was taking a leave of absence to star in Ryan Murphy's Monsters on Netflix. Considering how long General Hospital has been on, stars leaving or being temporarily replaced is nothing new, but it's definitely odd how so many changes seem to be happening at once.
While Monaco was absent in a few episodes of General Hospital this week, she was still part of the 60th anniversary special that aired last night. The special, which aired primetime, took a look back at the soap drama's legacy with stars, bloopers, special moments, and much more. General Hospital's actual 60th anniversary was last April, but it was the anniversary special was a great way to kick off the new year as the series continues its everlasting run.
It wouldn't be surprising if General Hospital saw yet another casting change, but it's nothing they can't handle. Due to being a soap opera, the series definitely has the advantage of being able to temporarily replace cast members or have someone take over a role, and it's not so much a huge deal, for the most part. Hopefully, this will be the last casting news for a while, but at least Kelly Monaco's leave of absence was very short and only a few episodes long. General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC.