GH Shocking News: Kelly Monaco Officially Removed from Closing Credits – No chance of return
General Hospital (GH) spoilers reveal that we’ve got some comings and goings news to pass along, so let’s start with some sad updates. After 21 years, Kelly Monaco has officially been removed from the closing credits following her exit as Sam McCall.
On social media, fans have been mourning the loss of Sam and voicing their frustration with TPTB’s decision to get rid of Monaco.
Seeing Monaco’s name get taken off the closing credits list makes all this feel even more real and adds another layer of heartbreak.
Nevertheless, the show must go on, so we should also talk about the return of a familiar face.
Sam McCall has officially put Port Charles (and Earth) in her rearview mirror. The Wednesday, Oct. 30 episode of General Hospital marked the start of Kelly Monaco‘s final appearance as the beloved character after 21 years.
News of Monaco’s impending exit broke in August, with the actress reportedly “blindsided” by the show’s decision to kill off her character.
It wasn’t immediately clear how Sam was going to meet her untimely end, but the writing was on the wall as soon as she agreed to donate her liver to Lulu Spencer.
Sam was prepped for surgery on Thursday, Oct. 24, giving her time to say goodbye to some of the people who have meant the most to her over the years, including Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn), Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) and Jason (Steve Burton).
That episode ended with her being wheeled into the operating room, holding back tears as she attempted to maintain a brave front.
When Sam returned to the screen on Oct. 30, we learned that the surgery was a success. She even celebrated the occasion by getting engaged to Dante!
Unfortunately, that’s where the good news ended for her. Sam started crashing, and her poor half-brother was forced to call her time of death.
One day after Sam’s death aired, Grahn posted an empathetic message on X to GH fans everywhere who were disappointed by Monaco’s departure.
“As hard as it may be for #gh viewers to watch today’s episodes and the episodes to follow, it was equally as hard for me and my casemates [sic] to play,” Grahn wrote. “Playing Kelly Monaco’s mom has been effortless and the love is real.”
General Hospital fans first met Sam on Oct. 1, 2003, having previously seen Monaco as Livvie Locke on the short-lived General Hospital spinoff Port Charles. Lindsay Hartley briefly filled in for Monaco in 2020, 2022 and 2024.
Monaco’s work on General Hospital earned her a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2006.
She was previously nominated in the supporting category in 2003 for playing Livvie on Port Charles.
