INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

‘General Hospital’ Spoilers: Contract Actor’s Shocking Exit By Year End — Who’s Leaving And Why

By Belynda Gates Turner
Published on: 01:55 PST, Nov 28, 2017

General Hospital spoilers from a blind item reveal that a contract actor at GH will exit by Christmas. The details of the blind item are as follows. First, it is the actor’s choice to leave the ABC soap and not a firing. Second, it is an actor, not an actress, leaving the show. Third, the exit will be timed to take place after GH shuts down for the holidays, which allows for his scenes to continue airing into January 2018. But who is it and why are they leaving? Let’s take a look.

Billy Miller just inked a new deal – Burton’s a lock too

From recent GH spoilers on contract status reported by ABC Soaps in Depth, Billy Miller inked a new deal early in November, and he signs on for one-year renewals, so don’t look for the ex-YR actor to leave. No matter if he’s revealed to be Andrew Cain, Jason Morgan, or resurrected Helena Cassadine, Miller isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The same goes for Steve Burton. The soap vet signed a three-year deal when he came back to General Hospital, so he’s obviously sticking around, too.

Maurice Benard and Roger Howarth are steady on

Some fans questioned Maurice Benard about exiting as Sonny Corinthos after he posted on Instagram about leaving a role where he played a gangster. This might have been an attention-grab and some fans on GH forums expressed hope that he was the blind item departee but General Hospital spoilers from ABC SID confirmed Benard is staying at least one more year at the soap. As for Roger Howarth, he was off-screen due to intense contract negotiations, but Soap Central reported in May that he renewed.

How about Chad Duell or Ryan Paevey?

General Hospital spoilers promise there are about a dozen actors on contract at the soap and all must be considered under this blind item. Ryan Paevey’s Nathan West is about to be a daddy, and after he survived a long dry summer in the Man Lander’s plot, he should be staying. Plus, GH has given him time off to make movies, so why leave? As for Michael Quartermaine Corinthos actor Chad Duell, he just hit year seven with the ABC soap with no signs of slowing, lots of good story, and no exit rumors.

Blind item not about RPW

One actor that you might assume could be linked to the blind item is Robert Palmer Watkins (aka Dillon Quartermaine), but you’d be wrong. In fact, RPW confirmed he’s already off contract and has been for a while. However, he’s also been attending General Hospital fan events, retweeting GH tweets, and sucking up to Frank Valentini via social media, and making it clear he’s available and interested. The actor has been busy making films and music but was released in mid-summer.

William deVry is just back, so he’s not leaving

After a lengthy contract negotiation which left Julexis fans frustrated, General Hospital renewed with Will deVry recently, and he had his first scenes from behind bars at Pentonville earlier this month. Then on yesterday’s episode, General Hospital spoilers offered us the first glimpse of the recently freed mobster as he caught up with Alexis Davis (Nancy Lee Grahn) at The Floating Rib. Suffice it to say it would be very strange for deVry to exit anytime soon given how hard he fought to get back on GH.

Matt Cohen finally got a storyline

A newer face on the contract roster is Matt Cohen who plays the recently de-frocked Dr. Griffin Munro. GH fans have been hoping he would finally get a storyline, so he’s not just an occasionally shirtless pretty face on the ABC soap. The soap powers that be have hooked him up with Ava Jerome (Maura West) in a plot that’s causing ripples all across Port Charles and there are no hints on soap social media that Cohen is departing the soap. You never know, but this blind item doesn’t seem to be attached to this soap hunk.

Anthony Montgomery may exit

Another likely suspect is the rarely seen Dr. Andre Maddox. Given his role doing illegal and unethical experimentation on the two Jasons, he might be run out of Port Charles, jailed by the WSB, or face criminal charges locally. Anthony Montgomery also has lots of side projects, making him a good candidae for exit. However, his character also might be key to unraveling the stolen memories and restoring those he erased of Andrew Cain’s former life, so maybe he’ll stick around after all.

Michael Easton exit rumors swirled

Earlier this year, Jamey Giddens of Daytime Confidential spilled some tea that Michael Easton wanted out of his GH contract. Those rumors didn’t pan out over the summer, but that doesn’t mean this blind item isn’t about Easton. He was abruptly killed off as Silas Clay by exiting head writer Ron Carlivati then resurrected as Hamilton Finn. With Rebecca Budig’s firing and late summer exit, General Hospital spoilers migrated Finn into a plot with Anna Devane (Finola Hughes), but the actor could depart anyway.

Donnell Turner is a possibility

Another contract actor that might be itching to walk is Donnell Turner who plays sexy PI Curtis Ashford. At a recent fan event in Atlanta, Turner shared with this writer that he had turned down many opportunities to stay with GH. The actor landed a role on a Tyler Perry series but then scheduling conflicts forced him to choose, and he stayed with the ABC soap, but as more opportunities fall into his lap, the talented man might seek the greener pastures of prime time. It would be a shame, though.

Dominic Zamprogna rumors crop up

A third actor that’s a strong possibility for the General Hospital spoilers blind item is Dom Zamprogna (aka Dante Falconeri). The ABC soap has tried varying plots with him including pairing him with his wife’s cousin in a cheating arc that had GH fans barking mad. Since then, he’s played an ancillary role in some of the mob and crime plots but hasn’t had a front-burner story of his own in almost two years. Since Zamprogna’s contract renews in November, it could be that he’s decided to walk away.

Who’s leaving? We’ll know in 2018

The strongest contenders for this blind item seem to be Zamprogna, Turner, and Easton but there’s a chance it won’t pan out or will be an actor no one suspected would leave. With all eyes on the Patient 6 plot, it wouldn’t be too shocking if one of these actors not involved in that core plot feels marginalized enough to leave, particularly if they have other work available to them. Catch up on the latest GH scoop on the Andrew Cain reveal, Franco’s twin lies, and Ava’s plastic surgery debacle. Check back soon for the latest General Hospital spoilers.

[Featured Image by Craig Sjodin/ABC]

Share this article: ‘General Hospital’ Spoilers: Contract Actor’s Shocking Exit By Year End — Who’s Leaving And Why
General Hospital
More from Inquisitr