As of the Friday, February 16 closing credits, actor Adam J. Harrington is officially on contract at “General Hospital” as John Cates.
First appearing in the Friday, February 2 episode wherein Jagger, now going by his first name, John, met Carly (Laura Wright) outside of the newly christened Bobbie’s eatery, which is named after Carly’s late mother, Bobbie Spencer (played by the late Jacklyn Zeman).
Christine Bartolucci/Disney
In episodes since, John has reconnected with Anna Devane (Finola Hughes), among others, as they work to figure out who’s behind the hits against mob bosses, including the recently deceased Olivia Jerome. Anna even questioned John about what Stone would think if he didn’t at least try to cooperate with Sonny (Maurice Benard) in providing intel on the danger surrounding everyone so that the mob boss could ensure he’s well protected. Agreeing with her, John met with Sonny, only for the two to get into a heated discussion that virtually went nowhere.
The casting of Harrington in the role of John Cates didn’t come without some controversy, primarily from words stated by original portrayer Antonio Sabato Jr., who portrayed the character for two years from 1992-1994 when the character went by the name John “Jagger” Cates, with friends and family primarily referring to him as “Jagger.”
In a series of since-deleted videos published on Instagram and other platforms, Sabato Jr. claimed that no one from the daytime drama series had contacted him in the nearly 30 years since he last portrayed the role on “General Hospital” to return to the role. However, he failed to mention his reprising the role in 2008 during season two of the spinoff series “General Hospital: Night Shift,” which aired on SOAPnet.
A more eloquent response came from Harrington, which he posted on the day he debuted in Port Charles, saying, “Thank you for the welcome! I am excited to be joining @GeneralHospital and am very honored and take seriously the chance to play this beloved character that @AntonioSabatoJr so brilliantly brought to life.”