General Hospital’s Original Carly, Sarah Brown, Celebrates 30 Years Since Her Debut: ‘A True Honor’
On April 6, 1996, the General Hospital landscape changed forever when daytime newcomer Sarah Brown made her Port Charles debut in the role of Carly Roberts, the fiery and vengeful secret daughter of Bobbie Spencer Jones. By the time she left in 2001, she had collected three Daytime Emmys (two for Younger Actress, one for Supporting Actress) and two Soap Opera Digest Awards (for Younger Lead Actress and Favorite Actress) and been at the center of many unforgettable storylines, from Carly seducing Bobbie’s husband, Tony, to her emotionally charged friendship with Jason, her machinations to conceal baby Michael’s paternity and her unlikely romance with Sonny. On the 30th anniversary of her first episode, Brown shared an emotional post on social media, reflecting on her time as the original Carly and paying homage to the fans who supported her along the way.
Building a Legacy
Brown was cast as Carly after GH conducted an exhaustive search for the pivotal role, and the process involved multiple auditions and a screen test opposite Steve Burton (Jason). “That was intimidating, and the role was intimidating, and the material was intimidating!” the actress summed up to Digest in 2023. Looking back on her action-packed five years as Carly, Brown shared, “It was the craziest time ever! It was all at once , it was all happening very quickly and I had my daughter in the middle of it, and that was challenging. But the character had been so much fun and had so much potential and was involved in so many storylines at such a high level that I felt like it was an incredible gift that had been given to me. It was a dream come true, it really was.”
As the character of Carly hit the milestone of three decades in Port Charles, Brown wrote on Instagram, “Thirty years ago—just after April Fool’s Day—a firecracker named Carly exploded onto the scene in Port Charles… for better or worse. Was it really that dramatic? Maybe not. But for the sake of memory, let’s say absolutely yes,” Brown’s post began.
The actress continued, “Not long after I arrived, a few devoted GH fans took me under their wings. Through them, I began to understand the incredible, multigenerational audience that makes General Hospital what it is—an audience that would soon be judging, cheering, and questioning me from their living rooms most days of the week (sometimes quietly… sometimes not so much).
“It was a true honor to originate a character who would go on to play such a meaningful role in the legacy of daytime television,” she concluded. “And I can honestly say—I had an absolute blast bringing her to life. I’m grateful to every single one of the fans, and the talented co-workers who went on the journey with me. The fans are arguably the most vital piece of the complex puzzle that makes great daytime TV possible. I got so lucky with Maurice [Benard, Sonny], Steve [Burton], Jackie [Zeman, Bobbie] and Tony [Geary, Luke] as my anchors 💯.”
Takes One to Know One
When Brown left the show, Tamara Braun (now Sienna, Young and Restless) was tapped to replace her as Carly. Braun left after four years, and Jennifer Bransford stepped in for six months before the current and longest-running Carly, Laura Wright, came aboard in November 2005. Wright shared Brown’s Instagram post on her own account, writing, “Grateful for you @isarahjoybrown The OG” — and Brown replied, “You shine like a diamond in this role babe.”
Brown and Wright wound us as co-stars when Brown returned to GH in a new role, Claudia Zacchara, from 2008-09. In 2013, Wright admitted to Digest that sharing the stage with Brown was “intimidating,” but raved, “I loved it. Sarah made it so wonderful. The first day that I had to work with her, it wasn’t scripted, but she called my Carly [in the scene]. She did that on purpose, almost like, ‘You’re Carly.’ She didn’t have to do that, but that moment, for me, was like, ‘Okay, I can breathe.'”
Later, in 2014, GH invited both Brown and Braun back to appear in the show’s anniversary episode, in which Sonny reflected on the various eras of his long, on-again/off-again love story with Carly; while Braun went on to portray Kim Nero from 2017-19, this marked Brown’s final GH appearance.
Check out Brown’s post in full below!
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