Kelly Monaco is leaving General Hospital after more than two decades — and fans are not happy about it.
“No no no no NO!! Reverse course immediately!” one X user wrote on Monday, August 26. “Kelly plays one of the most deeply connected, significant characters on the canvas. 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 BIG fan base and we will be fighting for her!” A different X user agreed, writing that they were “praying that I’d wake up and it was all going to be a nightmare, but it wasn’t.”
Other social media users used news of Monaco’s exit to praise the actress’ performance on the ABC soap opera. “Kelly has truly made every pairing work. She is such a valuable and talented actress,” one person wrote via X.
When soap opera stars leave their roles, it can be as shocking as their shows’ plotlines. Alison Sweeney surprised longtime Days of Our Lives fans in 2014 when she announced she’d be exiting the series after 21 years. “I’ve been on Days of Our Lives since I was 16 years old, and I have never […]
Another added: “Shout-out Sam fam. Look at all the love for Kelly Monaco!! Truly incredible. I hope #KellyMonaco sees all the support from you, and I hope that those at ABC #gh see it too. We adore KeMo. We want more Sam. #StoryForSam please. We are waiting. ❤️❤️ Thank you again Sam fam!!”
Soap Opera Network was the first to confirm that Monaco, 48, would be bidding farewell 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 blindsided the longtime soap star. Monaco has not publicly addressed her exit or news of Sam’s fate. Us Weekly reached out to ABC for comment.
Several fans have begun a campaign to stop Sam from being killed off, launching social media hashtags such as #SaveKelly, #SaveSamMcCall and #IStandWithKelly and sharing resources to reach out to the show’s network and comment line.
“#GH fans unite. Please let’s get some type of momentum going and rally to save Kelly Monaco from being eliminated from Port Charles,” a fan wrote alongside pics of Monaco via X on Tuesday, August 27. “General Hospital needs Sam McCall. Port Charles is Sam’s home. #SaveSamMcCall #KeepKellyMonaco on #GeneralHospital.”
It is never easy for fans to unexpectedly say goodbye to their favorite characters — and 2024 has featured an influx of shocking departures from our TV screens. In January, viewers learned that Josh Stewart would not be reprising his role as William LaMontagne Jr on Criminal Minds: Evolution. Stewart brought the role of JJ’s […]
Monaco has played Sam since 2003 and scored a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for her performance on General Hospital in 2006. She earned another Daytime Emmy nomination in 2003 for her role as Livvie Locke on the series Port Charles.
Outside of the soap opera, Monaco famously won the first season of Dancing With the Stars in 2005 and placed third during the competition show’s All Stars season in 2012.
Lindsay Hartley temporarily filled in for Monaco for one episode of General Hospital earlier this year, having done so for a handful of episodes in 2020 and 2022. Monaco promptly returned for the show’s 60th anniversary primetime special in January, during which she appeared alongside her former DWTS All Stars partner Val Chmerkovskiy.
