Kelly Monaco blasts ‘General Hospital’ exit after 21 years as ‘retaliation’
Paging “General Hospital” fans.
Kelly Monaco, who has played Sam McCall for 21 years on the soap opera, was confirmed not to be returning to the long-running series in August.
The actress, 48, is now speaking out about her exit in a since-deleted response on Instagram.
Monaco replied to a comment on Soap Hub’s Tuesday Instagram post that read, “What do you got concrete in your head she wasn’t fired she didn’t take the pay cut so she had to leave.”
In response, the actress wrote: “‘No primary role’.. do your homework. When Billy Miller was fired, Sam’s storyline stopped. Stripping Sam of every characteristic she had. Something I worked for decades to build… Slowly dismantling her, into a character that I did not recognize, let alone the audience. Call it what you will… retaliation at it [sic] finest. I will give a proper statement. The truth will set you free.”
The Post reached out to Monaco’s rep for comment.
A few days earlier, Monaco’s mom, Carmina, took to her Instagram to share a lengthy message about her daughter being let go from her role on “General Hospital.”
“I want to take this moment to reach out to Kelly’s incredible fans and express my deepest gratitude for the unwavering love, loyalty, and support you’ve shown her throughout her time on General Hospital,” she wrote on Sept. 28. “On this final day, just four days shy of the anniversary of her first episode on October 1, 2003, Kelly will close the door of her dressing room for the last time.”
Carmina went on to explain that although this has been a hard transition for her daughter after two decades, the unwavering fan base has made it a little easier.
“This moment is a difficult one, but knowing that she has had such an incredible, devoted fan base has given her strength,” the former figure skater continued. “You’ve stood by her through every twist and turn, celebrating her achievements and providing comfort in the hard times. Your love and dedication have meant more than words can express, not only to Kelly but to all of us who care so deeply for her.”
“Thank you for being there, for believing in her, and for reminding her of the impact she’s made,” Carmina concluded. “We will always be grateful for you standing with her through it all.”
She captioned her message, “Thank you. You are the best of the best!”
Fans flocked to the comments section about Monaco’s shocking exit.
“I have watched GH for over 46 years and no character have I ever gravitated to like Sam,” one user shared. “She had me girl fanning her from day 1. My loyalty and viewing ends with kelly_m23 last scene.”
Another remark read, “I’m so devastated & don’t know if I can continue watching without her on.”
Rounding out the heartfelt messages, one person gushed, “Kelly is so loved and supported by so many and didn’t deserve this !! I will always love and support her ! Love you both. she will always be my/GH’s iconic Samantha McCall . Always here for you guys.”
The actress was reportedly “blindsided” by the network’s decision to kill off her character.
Monaco first appeared in the town of Port Charles in 2003 and has since starred in over 2,000 episodes of the ABC soap. Three years later, in 2006, she earned a Daytime Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Monaco previously played Livvie Locke on the “GH” spinoff “Port Charles” from 2000 to 2003.
In 2005, she also gained notoriety after becoming the first star to take home the Mirrorball trophy with professional dancer Alec Mazo in Season 1 of “Dancing With the Stars.”
“I was driven to win,” the “General Hospital” star admitted to ESPN in 2011. “I didn’t realize how many hours I had put in because I had the end goal of capturing the title and I achieved that.”
