Kelly Monaco was the latest victim of sweeping budget cuts at General Hospital. The actress was let go in August. She bid a sad goodbye to the character she’s played for over two decades. Keep reading for Kelly Monaco’s best quotes about playing Sam McCall.
What Kelly Monaco Has Said About Firing
Many General Hospital fans were outraged at the news that Kelly Monaco was fired. They tried petitions, billboards, and social media hashtags to try to convince the show to rehire her. However, nothing worked. Kelly Monaco’s last air date was November 1, when Sam’s loved ones said their final goodbyes.
The actress was reportedly blindsided by the show’s decision to fire her. She promised fans that she would tell the whole story about what happened. The actress isn’t ready yet but she sent love to her fans.
How She Won Over General Hospital Fans
Sam McCall wasn’t always a popular character with GH fans. Kelly Monaco joined the show in 2003 after Port Charles was canceled. She previously told Soap Opera Digest that she had her pick of soaps, but chose General Hospital because her mom used to watch it.
When she first came to town, Sam McCall was a con artist looking for a mark. She had entanglements with Jax and Sonny before her most popular romance with Jason. The actress candidly told SOD the tipping point of when fans actually started to like her. She credited her 2005 stint on Dancing With The Stars for giving viewers the chance to get to know her as a person and separate from the character she played on the soap. Kelly Monaco was the first season of DWTS.
@myfavdwts my reasoning: i have got to be honest i have no clue how she got perfect 10’s across the board because i saw plenty of mistakes. She is not a bad dancer, but she watches to make sure when to do certain parts of the dance and the ins and outs of lifts were not graceful. #dancingwiththestars #dwts #fyp #kellymonaco
♬ original sound – DWTS 🌟
Working With Billy Miller
Sam eventually found romance with Jason Morgan. But ‘JaSam,’ as fans called them, looked a little different in 2014 when actor Billy Miller replaced Steve Burton as Jason. But Steve returned a few years later. At that point, Billy Miller’s Jason was retconned as Drew, Jason’s unknown twin brother.
Kelly Monaco had high praise for Billy Miller. “Billy speaks a different language than Steve, and our chemistry is completely different, our friendship is completely different, our working relationship is completely different. These are all things you have to figure out along the way,” she explained to SOD.
Billy Miller left GH in 2019 and sadly passed away last year.
Kelly Monaco Reflects On Sam McCall’s Evolution
Throughout her 21 years as Sam McCall, Kelly Monaco has seen the character through the mourning of a stillborn daughter, multiple relationships, and the birth of two children. She looked back at how far the character has come during an interview with Soap Digest.
“Sam came on to the canvas only having herself and her brother, always taking care of someone and never being taken care of. I think the biggest evolution for her is starting from being a really lonely, scared woman and becoming a woman who is still really independent.”
What will you miss the most about Sam McCall?