General Hospital Comings & Goings for 2026: All the Cast Changes This Year
General Hospital comings and goings in 2026 continue to bring change to Port Charles. New characters have arrived, familiar faces have returned, roles have been recast, and exits have reshaped the canvas. Here’s a look at the major GH cast updates so far this year.
GH Arrivals and Returns
Carolyn Hennesy (Diane) returned to the screen in the January 13 episode after breaking her leg and undergoing multiple surgeries to set it again. “The love from the fans truly got me through this and kept my mind right,” the actress told Soap Opera Digest when her three-month hiatus from the show ended.
Wes Ramsey returned as Peter August in the January 23 episode when Anna hallucinated a visit from her late nephew. The actor, who began playing Peter in 2017 and was killed off in 2022, told TV Insider that reprising the villainous character was “not something that I was anticipating, but certainly I was ready to step back into that world and do what I could to help out my old friends.” The actor then resurfaced in the July 2 episode and continued to appear as Anna had more visions of Peter.
Jonathan Bennett, who launched his career playing J.R. Chandler on All My Children, returned to daytime to take on the role of detective Joe Fitzpatrick, making his debut on May 18. He told TV Insider that upon reading the casting breakdown for Joe, he knew he wanted the job: “I called my agent and said, ‘I’m playing this character.’”
Finola Hughes was absent as Anna from March until June 24, when the troubled heroine was reintroduced to the canvas in France.
Michael E. Knight brought his alter ego, attorney Martin Grey, back to Port Charles on July 8 after taking a break from the soap that kicked off in March.
Steve Burton returned to GH on July 13 when Jason was set free from WSB custody. The actor took a hiatus from the soap that began with the March 25 episode. “I’m newly married,” Burton explained on an episode of his That’s Awesome podcast. “I want to take a break, I want to live life a little bit and go enjoy.”
Dean Geyer, who has appeared on shows like Terra Nova and Glee, was cast in the new role of Tristan Roberts and first appeared in the July 13 episode as the doctor arrived in town escorting Jason back to Port Charles.
Grady Eldridge made his first appearance in the recurring role of Simon on July 15, and the A&R rep will continue to be involved in Trina (Tabyana Ali) and Gio’s (Giovanni Mazza) music careers.
Sienna Goerisch took over the role of Amelia Corinthos with the July 15 episode, taking over for twins Sequoia and Serenity Mork Macko.
Kayden Brenna Tokarski is taking over the role of Scout Cain from Cosette Abinante and debuted in the July 20 episode. “A DREAM COME TRUE,” the young actress enthused on Instagram after Digest broke the news of the recast. “So honored to be joining the GH family!!”
In June, Digest broke the news that Jequan Jackson, who had played Quinn, a friend of Kai’s (Jens Austin Astrup), from November 2024 to February 2025, will be reprising his role, and his first air date was July 22.
The role of Serena Baldwin, previously played by Carly Schroeder, was recast with Kelly Kruger, who had previously played Mac on The Young and the Restless and Eva on The Bold and the Beautiful. She made her first appearance on July 30. “This is the absolute perfect fit,” she declared on Instagram, “and I can’t wait for you all to meet Serena!!!!!”
Troy Lennon Appel was cast in the role of Hudson, a mysterious new businessman, and he debuted in the July 30 show.
GH Exits and Temporary Absences
Jon Lindstrom, who had returned to GH as Laura’s (Genie Francis) husband in December 2025, wrapped up his stint on January 5 as Kevin took Ace overseas at Laura’s request to protect the boy from Sidwell. The actor then returned to his regular gig at CBS sudser Beyond the Gates, where he stars as mobster Joey Armstrong.
Anders Hove reprised the role of notorious supervillain Cesar Faison — at least aurally — when his voice was heard over a loudspeaker on January 16 as part of the scheme to gaslight Anna.
Lily Cardone’s brief run as Delilah Wilson came to an end on March 4 when the character passed away after giving birth to her daughter, who was later named Phoebe by foster parents Chase (Josh Swickard) and Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton).
Cosette Abinante made her final appearance as Scout Cain in the March 9 episode, where the little girl had a visit with her father, Drew (Cameron Mathison). She had been on the show since 2022.
Patrick Scott Lewis filled in as Ezra Boyle on March 2 and March 16 when regular portrayer Daniel Cosgrove, who lives on the East Coast, was unable to make it to the studio due to winter storms grounding flights.
Adrian Anchondo ended his one-year stint as Marco Rios when his character was brutally murdered by Cullum (Andrew Hawkes) in the March 25 episode. Of his character’s demise, the actor told TV Insider, “I can’t take it personally. It’s not really about me. It’s about the story and the story is more important than any one actor.”
Kate Mansi last aired as Kristina on June 13 after three years in the role. In an interview with former Soap Opera Digest Editorial Director Stephanie Sloane for her newsletter, SoapSteph’s Soap Dish, the actress said making the decision to leave was “very difficult,” but noted, “it feels like the right time for both Kristina and me to step into new adventures.” In the storyline, Kristina headed off to medical school.
Maxwell Caulfield, who starred on Dynasty and The Colbys as well as in movies like Grease 2 and Empire Records, made a guest appearance as NYC art gallery owner Apollo on May 29 in scenes with Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) and Ava (Maura West).
Elliott Carr, brother of Finn Carr (Rocco), appeared in the June 1 episode as Nurse Grant, who was seen caring for Jack (Chris McKenna) as the WSB head was recovering at Turning Woods.
Marc Forget, who debuted in August 2025, exited as Pascal in the June 4 episode when the villainous butler beat a hasty retreat to save his own skin after he found himself in the frame for murdering Marco.
Kirsten Storms returned as Maxie Jones on February 12 after taking a leave of absence that began in August 2025. She made a handful of appearances, last airing on March 13. Then, in June, the Nashville-based actress revealed on Instagram that she is unlikely to reprise the role in the future, explaining that in light of things going on in her personal life, “I can’t say I will feel comfortable heading back to Los Angeles and returning to work.”
After debuting as Ross Cullum on January 14, Andrew Hawkes’s run as the WSB double agent came to an end in the July 2 episode when the villain was shot to death by Josslyn (Eden McCoy). “It was an epic sendoff, without a doubt,” the actor told Digest as he wrapped his stint in daytime.
John Oliver, the Emmy-winning comedian and star of Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, was cast on GH as Z, the head of the WSB, for episodes that aired on July 2, July 3, and July 6. In a behind-the-scenes clip the soap posted to social media, Oliver was up for a return visit, teasing, “I would love a twin brother and one of us to die, and then that one to come back to life and kill the other one.”
Bryce Durfee was back as WSB agent Vaughn for two episodes that aired on July 3 and 6 as the storyline surrounding Faison’s final project wrapped up. He originally appeared on the soap from March to November 2025.
Ryan Paevey wrapped up his run as Cassius Faison with the July 6 episode. The actor, who had previously played Nathan West from 2013-18, returned to GH in September 2025. While he initially appeared to be playing Nathan back from the dead, it was revealed in March 2026 that he was really the late detective’s twin brother, Cassius. While everyone in Port Charles believes him dead following a shootout on Spoon Island, Cassius is actually alive and in the custody of the WSB.
Nathan Dean made his final appearance as Ethan Lovett on July 17 after returning to the role on April 17. He had originally played the character from 2009-12, with visits in 2013, 2015 and 2020. Shortly before Ethan touched back down in Port Charles, the actor noted to TV Insider that his alter ego has “a little bit more of an edge now” and said that he was “very excited to dive into all of it.”
Easton Wnn temporarily filled in for an injured Gary James Fuller as James West in the July 16 and July 23 episodes as the boy learned the truth about Cassius (Ryan Paevey) pretending to be his father, Nathan, and then moved to Australia with his family.
Christian Howard stepped into the role of Ethan Lovett on July 27, taking over for Nathan Dean, who last aired as the character on July 17. His brief run came to an end with the August 4 episode.
Chris McKenna is reportedly exiting the role of Jack Brennan in the fall. He joined the cast of GH in February 2025, taking over the role of the WSB Station Chief from the departing Charles Mesure.
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Soap Opera Digest does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.