Not only did Kelly Monaco’s exit from General Hospital after 21 years shock Us, but it also sent waves throughout the soap opera world.
Many members of the Days of Our Lives family were equally surprised to learn that Monaco was leaving the iconic soap.
“That’s the hard thing about soaps, you get used to being a regular person, and you forget that most actors don’t work this long, this consistently,” Martha Madison exclusively told Us Weekly at the “Days of Days” fan event in Los Angeles on November 2, 2024. “I think as actors you have to remember you’re supposed to be unemployed at certain parts.”
Madison added, “She’s so wildly talented and I don’t know any of the reasons as to why she’s not on that show anymore, but definitely someone’s gonna scoop her up.”
Monaco notably played Sam McCall in more than 2,000 episodes of GH starting in 2003. News broke in August 2024 that she would be leaving the show and her final episode — where Sam was killed off — aired in October 2024.
“Last scene with the Davis girls,” Monaco wrote via Instagram that month, sharing a photo from set. “Still doesn’t make any sense to me.”
Keep scrolling for all of the Days of Our Lives stars’ thoughts on Monaco’s exit — and pitches to have her join them in Salem:
Brandon Beemer
Beemer, who previously appeared with Monaco on Dirty Soap, wasn’t sure that Sam would be gone for good.
“I don’t think she’s really fully leaving. I mean, who knows,” he told Us. “I didn’t think that Steve Burton was going to come back, and Steve Burton went to Young and the Restless and Day of Our Lives and back to General Hospital.”
He added, “When somebody leaves, [you say,] ’Oh my God, I’m so sorry. You’re gonna be unemployed for maybe a year.’ You’ll end up coming back; otherwise, another soap is gonna pick her up.”
Martha Madison
After praising Monaco’s “incredible” talent, Madison pitched a potential arrival on Days.
“I would love to have her on Days of Our Lives,” she told Us. “Her fanbase is tried and true, and any show would be lucky to have them and her!”
Billy Flynn
While Flynn didn’t “know much about the Kelly situation,” he predicted her star will continue to rise.
“I think Kelly’s amazing, and she’s going to go on to another thing,” Flynn said. “I think when you see these people who are incredible that we’ve lost [off shows], and the outpouring of love that comes with, I think that gives you a testament of what the daytime fans [are] all about.”
Susan Hayes
Hayes, for her part, admitted to Us that she expected Monaco’s exit would be met with a passionate response from fans.
“You can’t spend so much time following someone that you don’t feel the connection coming through the television set,” Hayes said. “Opportunities to meet the fans live are always very rewarding to the actors. We’ve never had an interface with the fans that didn’t send us back to the studio a little jazzed up like, ‘I’m not alone in a room. I got a million people that care as much as I do.’ It’s a great affirmation.”
Judi Evans
Evans praised Monaco’s legions for supporters having her back.
“If a character goes that so many people love and cherish, it’s almost unfathomable to [fans],” Evans told Us. “That’s the good thing about Salem. You never really die.”
Wally Kurth
“She was there for 20-something years,” Kurth told Us. “I work at GH sometimes too, and I drove into the studio and there was a sign with LCD lights that said, ‘Kelly Monaco, bring her back’ and it was like outside our studio, just flashing lights for like a week and that was from fans.”
He added, “It happens to us all. I’ve been fired a few times. You can’t take it personally. We’re actors.”
Cherie Jimenez
Monaco’s departure from General Hospital reminds Jimenez of Brandon Barash‘s sudden exit from Days of Our Lives earlier this year.
“This is a soap opera. I trust that the writers know what they’re doing. People come and go,” Jimenez said of her costar’s exit. “That’s just the way it is, and it creates more drama. It creates more angst. … Characters do come back so I’m hopeful, and we’re just gonna leave it at that and whatever happens, happens. I guess we will see.”
Eric Martsolf
Martsolf was in awe that Monaco’s fans made a billboard in Times Square to call for her GH return.
“It’s pretty simple. Tom Cruise is a movie star, but you might only be subjected to him on screen, maybe 2,3,4, 5, times a year maybe. We’re in your living room every day,” Martsolf explained. “We’re part of your furniture. The comfortability and accessibility that fans have with us, you can’t challenge that in any other realm of entertainment. So that’s why they feel so connected to you. Soaps are like caramel corn. It’s, like, salty and sweet, but it’s comfort food. If you don’t have your comfort food, if you don’t have your snack at the end of our day, you’re angry.”
Outside of celebrating Monaco’s illustrious GH tenure, the Days cast came together to mark the start of their milestone season 60. New episodes of Days of Our Lives stream weekday mornings on Peacock.
With reporting by Mike Vulpo
