Former General Hospital head scribe, Ron Carlivati, crossed the line when he attacked fan favorite Anthony Geary at the Writers Guild Award ceremony on Saturday. Soap Opera Network reported that General Hospital won, beating out the favored to win, Bold and the Beautiful. Carlivati was shocked to win and apparently hadn’t written a speech for his acceptance speech. The words he chose as he accepted the prestigious award were baffling, to say the least.
Ron Carlivati was surprised that General Hospital won, as he was sure Bold And The Beautiful had the win in the bag for Maya Avant’s (Karla Mosley) transgender storyline. Instead, General Hospital took home the win for the April 1, 2015, anniversary episode featuring the origin of Luke Spencer (Anthony Geary). As one would expect from an accomplished writer, Ron Carlivati was able to deliver drama just when it counted.
Ron Carlivati on WGA Win: ‘The Writer’ Is “A Badge of Honor”: As previously reported, the “General Hospital”… https://t.co/svY8xRMCDZ
— Soap Opera Network (@SoapOperaNetwrk) February 16, 2016
Ron Carlivati explained that the storyline was about a younger version of one of the most popular characters in the show’s history. Calivati claimed that at the time of taping the episode, Geary told him it was the best material he had ever been part of filming. Ron noted that Anthony was extremely proud of the finished product.
Imagine Ron’s surprise when several months later, Anthony told TV Guide ‘s Michael Logan that he had never met with “the writer” ever. Geary repeated that he had never talked to Carlivati, and was adamant that as long as Ron was in charge, he didn’t want to return to General Hospital .
“You don’t need to agree with me. You don’t need to give me my way. I just want to be heard. I think the problems were always more with the writer than with Frank Valentini, executive producer, although the writer and I have never spoken.”
Anthony Geary clarified that they had sat at the same tables at award ceremonies. However, they have never engaged in a conversation–public or private. Anthony seemed to be sincere when he explained they had never talked face to face. However, fans are left wondering who is telling truth about their encounters?
ICYMI: Ron Carlivati’s ‘General Hospital’ team win #WGAAwards for second consecutive year https://t.co/fu9gbPrFJK pic.twitter.com/FpfWZJuGSY
— SoapView (@SoapView) February 14, 2016
Ron Carlivati gave his acceptance speech and in soap opera fashion, he really delivered the drama. Ron noted that he was appreciative of the win for Luke Spencer’s childhood storyline. However, the success came at a price for him. He explained that “a favorite actor” (Geary) was pleased with the writing until the episode was aired. He revealed that the actor lied, claiming they had never met and stated he was displeased with the outcome of the storyline.
“On General Hospital , we told an origin story about one of the most popular characters on daytime television. At the time, the actor who played him told me it was his favorite storyline of his entire 37 year run on the show. Shortly after this, however, he became disenchanted with my writing and for some strange reason refused to acknowledge that we had ever even met, referring to me in interviews only as ‘The Writer.’ “
Ron noted that he figured that “the writer” was supposed to be an insult, but he wore it as a badge of honor. Carlivati explained that he appreciated Anthony for giving him the title. Apparently, Anthony Geary and Ron Carlivati are not in the best of terms, even now, because almost a year after the episode was filmed, Carlivati is still pretty angry about the comments Geary made about him and his writing.
Anthony retired a few months after the anniversary episode aired, and many speculated that the reason for his retirement was Carlivati. Anthony stated in an interview that he’d consider a return if they hired new writers. However, he will never work with Carlivati again. Geary never mentions Ron by name either–he calls him “the writer” through the article about his departure from the soap opera after 37 years portraying Luke Spencer.
WGA Winner Ron Carlivati: “I Consider Being Called The Writer a Badge of Honor” (WATCH) https://t.co/OmRLQZQvQ4 #GH pic.twitter.com/YnKbkjc8Pa
— Daytime Confidential (@dcconfidential) February 16, 2016
Carlivati never explicitly named Geary as the difficult actor. However, the fans knew who he was speaking about in his snarky speech. In fact, he was taking a play from Geary’s playbook when he referred to Ron as the writer. It isn’t apparent if Geary or Carlivati is lying about their meeting about Luke Spencer’s storyline. However, one thing is certain — Ron Carlivati’s acceptance speech calling Anthony Geary a liar was clearly out of line. Watch the acceptance speech, below. Ron Carlivati’s speech begins around the 2:15 mark.
Don’t forget to come back to the Inquisitr for all your soap opera spoilers, news, and updates. As always, voice your opinion about the ongoing Anthony Geary and Ron Carlivati feud below.
[Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for NATAS]