Kelly Monaco Exits ABC Series After 21 Years on Daytime Drama

A seismic shift is about to occur in Port Charles as Kelly Monaco, famously known for her role as Sam McCall, is soon departing General Hospital.

Deadline has confirmed that Monaco, who joined the ABC soap opera in 2003, will be leaving sometime this fall.

Soap Opera Network was the first to report the news about Monaco’s exit.

Monaco’s surprise departure is reminiscent of an earlier exit this year on The Bold & the Beautiful, where Executive Producer Brad Bell decided to write off Sheila Carter, played by Kimberlin Brown. Brown described the decision as a “hard pillow to swallow” — especially since they decided to bring her back two months later.

Monaco has shot over 2,200 episodes of General Hospital and has received two Daytime Emmy nominations for her work. She also gained substantial fame by winning the mirrorball trophy in the first season of Dancing with the Stars.

Changes are undeniably happening at General Hospital. Earlier this month, it was disclosed that co-head writer Patrick Mulcahey is exiting, while Chris Van Etten is set to return to lead the writers’ room alongside Elizabeth Korte.

Recently, Deadline announced that Sawandi Wilson, known for his role in Star Trek: Discovery, will join the cast. He will play a character named Isaiah, who has a “connection” to Jonathan Jackson’s Lucky Spencer.

Wilson’s first appearance as a cast member of General Hospital is slated for August 26.