Kelly Monaco leaves General Hospital after more than two decades – and the fans are not happy about it.
“No, no, no, no, NO!! Turn back immediately!” wrote one X-user on Monday, August 26. “Kelly plays one of the most deeply connected, meaningful characters on screen. Sam has had one of the most beautiful evolutions on #GH and there is no storyline that should keep her away from her home!”
Another fan called Monaco’s departure a “huge mistake,” tweeting, “Sam McCall has a HUGE fanbase and we will fight for them!” Another X user agreed, writing that he “prayed I would wake up and it would all be a nightmare but it wasn’t.”
Other social media users took the news of Monaco’s exit to praise the actress’ performance on the ABC soap opera. “Kelly really made every pairing work. She is such a valuable and talented actress,” one person wrote of X.
When soap opera stars leave their roles, it can be as shocking as the plots of their shows. Alison Sweeney surprised longtime fans of Days of Our Lives in 2014 when she announced she was leaving the series after 21 years. “I’ve been on Days of Our Lives since I was 16, and I’ve never (…)
Another added, “Shout out Sam family. Look at all the love for Kelly Monaco!! Truly incredible. I hope #KellyMonaco sees all the support from you and I hope those at ABC #gh see it too. We love KeMo. We want more Sam. #StoryForSam please. We’re waiting. ❤️❤️ Thanks again Sam family!!”
Soap Opera Network was the first to confirm that Monaco, 48, would be saying goodbye to the fictional town of Port Charles later this year. The outlet claims that Monaco’s character Sam McCall will be killed off and that the decision completely blindsided the longtime soap star. Monaco has not publicly commented on her exit or any news about Sam’s fate. We weekly has asked ABC for comment.
Several fans have started a campaign to prevent Sam’s death, posting hashtags such as #SaveKelly, #SaveSamMcCall and #IStandWithKelly on social media and sharing resources to reach out to the show’s network and comment section.
“#GH fans unite. Let’s please create some kind of momentum and band together to save Kelly Monaco from being eliminated from Port Charles,” one fan wrote on Tuesday, August 27, alongside pictures of Monaco via X. “General Hospital needs Sam McCall. Port Charles is Sam’s home. #SaveSamMcCall #KeepKellyMonaco on #GeneralHospital.”
It’s never easy for fans to say an unexpected goodbye to their favorite characters – and 2024 has brought with it a number of shocking departures from our television screens. In January, viewers learned that Josh Stewart would not be reprising his role as William LaMontagne Jr. in Criminal Minds: Evolution. Stewart reprised the role of JJ’s (…)
Monaco has played Sam since 2003 and received an award for her performance in General Hospital in 2006. She received another Daytime Emmy nomination in 2003 for her role as Livvie Locke in the series Port Charles.
Outside of the soap opera, Monaco famously won the first season of Dancing with the stars in 2005 and took third place during the competition show All stars Season 2012.
Lindsay Hartley temporarily represented Monaco for a series of General Hospital earlier this year, after doing so for a handful of episodes in 2020 and 2022. Monaco promptly returned for the show’s 60th anniversary primetime special in January, where she starred alongside her former DWTS – All Stars partner Val Chmerkovskiy.
