A recent update to the official website for “General Hospital” sees the daytime drama series formally say goodbye to former contract cast members Tajh Bellow, Chad Duell, Evan Hofer, Charles Mesure and Kelly Monaco, whose bios have all been removed from the show’s meet the cast page on ABC.com.
In recent months, two of the five cast members saw their characters killed off courtesy of Cyrus Renault (played by Jeff Kober), while another two chose to exit of their own accord, and one other was taken off contract, albeit with no formal reason given at press time.
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Tajh Bellow
Three years after being placed on contract, Bellow is now off contract with the series, with his character, Dr. TJ Ashford, not being seen on screen since at least December 2024.
In a message posted to Instagram last week, Bellow teased an update to his status with the show, saying, “I know a lot of my fans are wondering what’s next for TJ, but before I speak to that I wanted to celebrate all that we’ve accomplished together. I’m excited for this years EMMY AWARDS!”
For more on Bellow’s message to his Instagram followers, click here.
Christine Bartolucci/Disney
Charles Mesure
As for Mesure, the actor reportedly chose to exit the series just a few months after he was upped to contract status with the soap. He last appeared in late January on the series with his character, Jack Brenann, immediately recast with soap veteran Chris L. McKenna (“One Life to Live,” “The Young and the Restless”).
Mesure first joined the cast in a recurring capacity in December 2023 before being placed on contract last fall. Meanwhile, since first appearing on the Tuesday, February 4 episode, McKenna has yet to be credited on either the official website or in the show’s end credits released each Friday.
Christine Bartolucci/ABC
Evan Hofer, Kelly Monaco & Chad Duell
In the case of Hofer and Monaco, their characters, Dex Heller and Sam McCall, respectively, were murdered in their hospital rooms at General Hospital after Cyrus injected their IVs with digitalis, a drug meant to improve the strength and efficiency of the heart, or to control the rate and rhythm of the heartbeat, which in itself isn’t harmful, but with a higher dose could lead to death if not caught in time, which is something that nearly happened to Michael Corinthos (Duell) after Cyrus attempted to take his life while the Quartermaine heir was in the hospital being treated for severe burns to his body as a result of a bomb exploding at his father’s penthouse in early January.
After it was finally revealed that Cyrus was behind all the chaos last week, a confrontation with Michael’s sister, Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy), saw the character killed off with Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) pegged as his murderer.
In reality, it was Josslyn who pulled the trigger with Dex’s gun, while Drew Quartermaine (Cameron Mathison) was actually with Jason at the time of the incident, but ended up lying to the police, refusing to tell the truth due to the animosity he has against Jason and Carly (Laura Wright), two people who he feels are threatening his relationship with Willow Corinthos (Katelyn MacMullen), Michael’s wife who he’s been having an affair.
Currently, Brennan is covering for Josslyn, with all evidence pointing at Jason.
Last November, Duell made the sudden and shocking announcement that he would be exiting the series after a 15-year run. In a statement at the time, he said, “After many incredible years with ‘General Hospital,’ I’ve decided to step away from the show. This wasn’t an easy decision for me, but it feels like the right time in my life. I’m beyond grateful to Frank Valentini [Executive Producer], the cast, crew, and everyone behind the scenes who have been like family to me throughout this amazing journey.”
Following Duell’s announcement, Valentini revealed the show had no immediate plans to recast the role, with Michael now receiving treatment for his injuries at a medical facility in Germany.
Christine Bartolucci/Disney
Hofer Take Two
Despite his character being killed off and his bio removed from the show’s official website, Hofer has remained credited as a contract player with the series, with the actor most recently appearing in flashback scenes that saw his character in the morgue as Cyrus removed his hospital band. It’s unclear when Hofer will officially be removed from the show’s credits, thereby concluding his run on the series, which began in 2022.
ABC
Missing Character Bios
Bios that have yet to be included on the show’s official website include those for contract cast members Giovanni Mazza (Giovanni Palmieri), Jonathan Jackson (Lucky Spencer), Sawandi Wilson (Dr. Isaiah Gannon), Jens Austin Astrup (Kai Taylor), Alexa Havins Bruening (Lulu Spencer) and Braedyn Bruner (Emma Drake).
Actors on recurring status do not receive a bio on the show’s official website.
