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Where Is Kelly Monaco on ‘General Hospital’?
ABC/Ricky Middlesworth

General Hospital is missing one of its own in the new year as star Kelly Monaco is nowhere to be found onscreen. But where did she go?

Lindsay Hartley surprised viewers by stepping into the role of Sam McCall at the start of 2024. The actress has appeared in the role before, filling in for Monaco three separate times in 2020, 2022, and now at the end of 2023 and into 2024.

(Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin; Mitchell Haaseth/NBC)

While Hartley has become a familiar face to fans since filling in for Monaco, they can rest assured that the original star will be back as the current situation is reportedly temporary, according to Soaps.

It isn’t clear how long Hartley will be covering for Monaco onscreen, but past stints didn’t last much longer than a week or so. Still, we don’t have any information about when Monaco is set to return specifically. Additionally, no news surrounding the reason behind Monaco’s absence has been revealed at this time.

Monaco has been a mainstay on General Hospital, making her first appearance back in 2003, and has been appearing for 20 years on the soap.

For now, Hartley is filling the Sam void in Port Charles, keeping the character’s story going in Monaco’s sted. As fans acknowledged Hartley’s appearance, she shared photos on her Instagram Story of herself as Sam alongside Dominic Zamprogna‘s Dante Falconeri. Cozying up in the images, Hartley’s appearance sees Sam’s romance with Dante continue despite Monaco’s temporary absence.

In one of the photos, Hartley wrote, “Yes, one more time,” and thanked viewers for their support amid her brief return. While we await news on Monaco’s impending return, stay tuned for any updates as General Hospital‘s landmark run on ABC continues. And don’t miss a single moment, check out episodes anytime on Hulu if you can’t make the network schedule.

General Hospital, Weekdays, Check your local listings

This article first appeared on TV Insider and was syndicated with permission.

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