It was shocking when news broke about Kelly Monaco being fired from General Hospital.
She has been a staple on the ABC soap for two decades, and before joining GH, she appeared on the spin-off series Port Charles.
When she arrived in Port Charles in 2003, Sam McCall was a force to be reckoned with, but lately, watching the character lose everything she was has been frustrating.
The spark in Sam has been dimming since Billy Miller left the show, and it has been challenging to watch for the last year or so.
Sam morphed into an overprotective mom, paired with Dante (Dominic Zamprogna), which was weird. No shade to Dominic, as we love him as Dante, but a Sante pairing was not what we wanted.
Kelly has always given her all, even with the terrible storylines. Unfortunately, the material she has been given over the last several months (maybe even longer) has been a slap in the face to Sam fans.
Sam dying to save Lulu is trash
If firing Kelly Monaco was an absolute must (which it was not), the writers could have done a much better job with the storyline.
However, we know better. This storyline was thrown together. It was very obvious that Lucky (Jonathan Jackson) was brought back to be the one who saved Lulu (Alexa Havins) until the network opted to ax Kelly.
The idea that Sam’s death culminates in the revival of Lulu is insulting — not only to Kelly but also to her legion of fans who have rocked with her since the beginning.
Something could have been done to honor the time Kelly put in and to the character’s more adventurous side.
The history with Sam and Jason (Steve Burton) has greatly impacted General Hospital viewers, especially millennials who have watched since Kelly joined the show. JaSam was the hottest thing for some, and something to tie it together should have been done.
We aren’t too mad about the lack of a Drew (Cameron Mathison) connection because it isn’t the same. Billy Miller was Drew, and while some like Cameron in the role, having him connected in a big way would have been wrong.
Using Sam to prop up the return of Lulu just feels gross. There were so many other ways the writers could have honored Kelly’s tenure with ABC (24 years to be exact), but choosing to kill her to save a recasted Lulu is just not it.
Kelly Monaco was a massive part of ABC
Not only did Kelly Monaco give her all to her roles on Port Charles and General Hospital, but she also appeared on Dancing With the Stars multiple times throughout its 33 seasons.
She won the mirrorball trophy during Season 1, which garnered the attention of soap viewers. Reality TV competitions were newer then, and she brought a new demographic into it.
Her first run was in 2005, and she was brought back to compete again in 2012 to compete for a second chance at winning in 2012. Kelly was partnered with Val Chmerkovskiy, who has appeared on General Hospital with her.
After everything she has done and the time she put into being Sam, General Hospital owed her more than she got.
Kelly promised to speak out, and while we are waiting to hear what she has to say, the actress hinted her firing was “retaliation,” which begs the question of what happened behind the scenes.
We are and will always be for Kelly Monaco. She will be missed on General Hospital, and we hope either Days of our Lives or The Young and the Restless will pick her up as long as she wants to remain in the business.
General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC.