Jonathan Jackson's General Hospital Exit, Explained: ‘The Hope Was to Stay On Longer'
The end of Jonathan Jackson's latest General Hospital run came as a bit of a surprise to fans of the long-running ABC sudser, in part because the five-time Daytime Emmy winner has only been back for nine months.
The brevity of his encore surprised Jackson, as well.
More from TVLine
Casting News: GH Brings Back Kelly Thiebaud, Love Story Adds 3 and More
Samuel L. Jackson to Star in Tulsa King Spinoff NOLA King at Paramount+
Casting News: Jonathan Jackson's GH Exit, Paige Quits Summer House and More
Jackson shared with TV Insider, 'No, it wasn't' his intention to leave just nine months in; rather, he and GH had made 'a real, sincere attempt… to make it work for a longer period of time. The hope was to be able to stay on longer.'
In the end, what Jackson called an 'experiment' — to travel between his home in Tennessee and workplace in Los Angeles — proved not to be tenable.
'There were moments where I thought, 'I can find this balance with the family' — wife Lisa Vultaggio (ex-Hannah, GH) and their three kids, age 21, 20 and 14 — 'and time back and forth,' and then you just have to pray about it and try to do what you feel is right,' he said. 'We gave it our best shot, but we weren't able to keep it going.'
'I have to say that none of this would have happened at all if [GH executive producer] Frank [Valentini] wasn't so open and helpful to even get it this far,' Jackson noted. 'So that's definitely something I've been extremely blessed by.
Valentini himself said in a statement last week, 'We were so glad Jonathan was able to reprise the role of Lucky, even if it was for a limited time. We wish him nothing but the best and the door is always open for Jonathan to return.'
Jackson last airs on GH sometime this week. Setting the stage for Lucky's latest sendoff was longtime love Elizabeth's (Rebecca Herbst) turn-down of his marriage proposal in the June 5 episode, knowing that he wouldn't be content to stay put in Port Charles.
Best of TVLine
Yellowjackets' Tawny Cypress Talks Episode 4's Tai/Van Reunion: 'We're All Worried About Taissa'
Vampire Diaries Turns 10: How Real-Life Plot Twists Shaped Everything From the Love Triangle to the Final Death
Vampire Diaries' Biggest Twists Revisited (and Explained)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Black America Web
2 hours ago
- Black America Web
In Control: How Janet Jackson Shaped Her Destiny, Her Way
Source: Bonnie Schiffman Photography / Getty 'This is a story about control. My control . Control of what I say. Control of what I do. And this time, I'm gonna do it my way.' The opening monologue of Janet Jackson's 1986 hit 'Control' was more than just a lyric. It was a mission statement. Before this point, the public mostly regarded her as the baby sister of the Jackson 5. Even as she was already gaining notoriety with TV roles and her first two albums, Janet's career and image were carefully crafted in her family's cookie-cutter image. Then she decided to grab her career (and her life) into her own hands. For many female artists, Janet Jackson serves as the blueprint for how to navigate the business. As a singer, songwriter, producer, actress and all-around entertainer, she has paved the way for the generations that followed her, even as she continues to earn her stripes herself. RELATED: Janet Jackson Announces Las Vegas Residency Jackson's independence in her career was a long time coming, especially since it was a career that, she admitted, wasn't her first choice. As she explained in an interview with BBC News, it was never really her choice to join the family business. As she made her television debut alongside her brother Randy on the Carol Burnett Show, she admitted, 'I don't ever remember being asked. I just remembered doing it.' The same was said about her music career, as her late father, Joe, told her that she was going to sing after discovering a recording of her first song, 'Fantasy,' that she wrote out of boredom at the age of nine. 'I was so embarrassed. The studio door was open and Mike was listening to it,' she says, referring to her brother Michael. 'I think Randy was listening to it, my father was listening. 'Then my father said, 'You're gonna sing'. 'I said, 'No, no, no, I want to go to the college and study business law.'' But when Joe Jackson told his children what to do, they fell in line. 'It was kind of hard [to argue] because, look at where he led my brothers,' she says. 'So I said, 'OK, I'll give it a go.'' After her first two albums failed to sell, it was clear that things needed to shift for her. Ditching her father's preferred producers in favor of revered Minneapolis production duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, her third studio album, Control, was a landmark project that changed the trajectory of her career and the music industry as a whole. From that moment on, Jackson was her own woman. In the years that followed, Jackson became a history-making entertainer who continued to evolve sonically as she grew into her womanhood. Pushing the boundaries in a variety of ways, she was fearless on wax and on stage. From the politically-charged Rhythm Nation 1814 to the sensuality of Janet. and The Velvet Rope , she has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, has the most consecutive top-ten entries on the Billboard Hot 100 by a female artist (18) and is the only artist in history to have seven singles from a single album ( Rhythm Nation 1814 ) peak within the top 5 of the Hot 100. And she did it all in the face of several challenges and pushback from the often male-dominated industry. Even as her career was threatened following the infamous 'wardrobe malfunction' at Super Bowl XXXVIII and the subsequent backlash, she continued to move forward on her own terms, putting out 11 studio albums while also maintaining her acting career in films such as Poetic Justice, Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married, Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps, and Tyler Perry's For Colored Girls . Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty Today, Jackson has been in the game for nearly 50 years and shows no signs of slowing down. Now at the tail end of her 2nd Vegas residency, her decision to have full autonomy of her career, image, and life has paid off, inspiring the new wave of female musicians to follow in her footsteps. Her career is proof that to have longevity in the fickle music industry, it is perhaps best to take…well… control. SEE ALSO Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
General Hospital spoilers: Willow loses custody, and Drew makes a bold move to keep her under his influence?
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. It looks like General Hospital fans won't have to wait too long for the verdict of Michael (Rory Gibson) and Willow's (Katelyn MacMullen) custody hearing, as it's been teased that the judge will reach a decision during the week of June 9. Call it wishful thinking, but we suspect the moment the court is dismissed for the final time in this case, Michael will be granted full custody of Wiley (Viron Weaver) and Amelia (Sequoia & Serenity Mork Macko). Whether it be because the judge truly sees the harm in the kids being raised near Drew (Cameron Mathison) or someone paid the judge to sway things in Michael's favor, we can't help but hope the young children are placed with their father as Willow continues to fall for Drew's scheming and tricks. If our hunch proves correct, we sadly think Drew will use the loss as an opportunity to further sink his manipulative hooks into Willow. As we see it, Drew may try to make one of two bold moves that would leave us shaking our heads in disgust (we already find the character repulsive). Our first guess is that Drew might offer Willow a new family as a 'consolation prize.' After he tries to reassure her that the judge got the decision wrong and he'll use all his power to make sure a reversal is made on the custody ruling, Drew might propose that he and Willow get married, she adopt Scout (Cosette Abinante) and they get started on having kids of their own. While some would be repulsed by the suggestion of trying to start an instant new family right away that doesn't include their own children, we can't say Willow would feel that way. Lately, everything Drew says registers as right in her mind. If this isn't the move Drew makes, we suspect he could just suggest that Willow pick up and move with him to Washington, DC, leaving Port Charles behind. During the hearing, it was revealed that he bought property there (which he should have, considering he's a congressman), so he may want Willow to move with him and Scout. Which would effectively isolate her from Nina (Cynthia Watros) as well. Now Willow may initially resist an idea that puts distance between her and her children, but again, Drew has become very good at convincing her to do whatever he wants. He may say it's good for them to relocate as they work to figure out how to get her kids, and she might agree. Of course, regardless of what Drew proposes, we have to think Willow will finally wake up to the real Drew Cain one of these days. Heck, maybe Nina finally reveals all to make Willow realize that she's destroyed her life for a selfish and loathsome human being. Or perhaps the bombshell drops that Willow has been dating Shiloh (Coby Ryan McLaughlin) this whole time as he pretends to be Drew. Having said all of that, we have to wonder how Willow changes her perception in Port Charles and among General Hospital fans at home. Right now, Drew may be the most disliked man in all of daytime, but she doesn't exactly have a bountiful fan club. New episodes of General Hospital air on weekdays on ABC. If you miss an episode, you can catch up on Hulu.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Beach Boys Past And Present Remember Brian Wilson
The death of Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson at the age of 82 caused waves of emotion all over social media on Wednesday. But the most heartfelt tributes may have come from family members and his former bandmates. After Wilson's family announced his death, the Beach Boystook to Instagram to pay tribute to the man who helped them make a big splash in the music world. 'The world mourns a genius today, and we grieve for the loss of our cousin, our friend, and our partner in a great musical adventure,' they posted. They also added: 'Brian Wilson wasn't just the heart of The Beach Boys—he was the soul of our sound. The melodies he dreamed up and the emotions he poured into every note changed the course of music forever. 'His unparalleled talent and unique spirit created the soundtrack of so many lives around the globe, including our own. 'Together, we gave the world the American dream of optimism, joy, and a sense of freedom—music that made people feel good, made them believe in summer and endless possibilities. 'We are heartbroken by his passing. We will continue to cherish the timeless music we made together and the joy he brought to millions over the decades. And while we will miss him deeply, his legacy will live on through his songs and in our memories. 'Our hearts go out to Brian's family and his loved ones during this difficult time.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Beach Boys (@thebeachboys) Wilson's cousin and current Beach Boys leader Mike Love, who cowrote many of the Beach Boys' most popular songs with Wilson, posted a musical tribute on Instagram that featured photos of the two, backed by a song called 'Brian's Back' which was originally written in 1979. Love's caption to the video lamented that 'the world lost a genius, and I lost a cousin by blood, and my partner in music.' In the post, Love said he knew there was something otherworldly about his cousin 'from the first time we sang together as kids in my living room.' Love also declared that Wilson's 'musical gifts were unmatched,' and that the melodies and the emotions 'he poured into every note' had the effect of '[changing] the course of music forever.' The Beach Boys singer also noted their 'journey together was filled with moments of brilliance, heartbreak, laughter, complexity and most of all, LOVE.' Love, who actually sued Wilson in 1994 over missing songwriting credits, admitted in his post that, 'like all families,' he and his cousin 'had our ups and downs,' but insisted, 'through it all, we never stopped loving each other, and I never stopped being in awe of what he could do when he sat at a piano or his spontaneity in the studio.' The Beach Boys front man also praised his cousin's ability to show the world 'what vulnerability and brilliance sound like in harmony. He was fragile, he was intense, he was funny — and he was one of a kind.' The lengthy post ended with Love saying, 'I'll miss you forever, my beloved cousin.' Former bandmate Al Jardine, who later joined Wilson on solo tours, also posted his own tribute to the man he called 'my friend, my classmate, my football teammate, my Beach Boy bandmate and my brother in spirit.' He added: 'I will always feel blessed that you were in our lives for as long as you were. I think the most comforting thought right now is that you are reunited with Carl and Dennis, singing those beautiful harmonies again. You were a humble giant who always made me laugh and we will celebrate your music forever. Brian, I'll really miss you…still I have the warmth of the sun ☀️🎶❤️' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Al Jardine (@aljardine409) Wilson's daughter, singer Carnie Wilson, also paid respect to her father on Instagram, noting that while 'he will be remembered by millions and millions until the world ends,' she considers herself 'lucky to have been his daughter and had a soul connection with him that will live on always.' The Wilson Phillips singer continued: 'I've never felt this kind of pain before, but I know he's resting up there in heaven ... or maybe playing the piano for Grandma Audree, his Mom. I will post something else soon but this is all my hands will let me type. I love you Daddy....I miss so much you already.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Carnie Wilson (@carnie68) Brian Wilson's Death Sparks Heartfelt Tributes From Around The Globe The Beach Boys Founder Brian Wilson Dead At 82
