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‘GH’ Spoilers: William DeVry Confirms Exit, Still Hopes To Return As Julian Jerome

By JohnThomas Didymus
Published on: 09:19 PST, Aug 4, 2017

General Hospital (GH) spoilers state that William deVry has finally confirmed his exit from the ABC soap opera. The fan favorite reportedly filmed his final scenes for the show on June 30. However, he admitted that he hopes to return to the show in the future as mob boss Julian Jerome.

William deVry confirmed during a recent GH Fan Club Weekend that striking a deal for a new contract hit a snag.

“We still don’t have a deal,” he said, according to ABC Soaps In Depth. “My last day was June 30. I’m not greedy. It’s open ended. I’m auditioning a lot. We’ll see. I mean, I want to come back. Eventually.”

He arrived at the August 3 event late and explained to fans that he was delayed by matters relating to his search for a new gig.

“I was auditioning for TAKEN on NBC for a recurring role,” he explained.

He expressed regret that he is leaving General Hospital and said he thinks his character, Julian Jerome, still has important roles to play in Port Charles.

“It’s unfortunate that the end of my contract came along, because Sonny’s trying to get out of the business now,” he joked. “Really, the only person that can sympathize with him is Julian!”

Rumors that deVry is leaving General Hospital first began circulating early in the year. The rumors intensified early last month, but there was no confirmation from deVry or an official statement from GH that he was leaving.

According to ABC Soaps In Depth, GH’s silence on the matter conforms with policy.

However, it was known all along that he was having problems reaching a deal with GH on his contract. Fans continued to hope amid rumors of his exit that the situation would change. The hopes have now been dashed with the confirmation from deVry that he is leaving.

His final scenes were reportedly shot before the GH cast took their summer vacation.

DeVry told fans at the GH Fan Club Weekend that the writers ensured Jerome’s departure was left open ended so that the character can return anytime in the future when the need is felt.

“There’s still hope,” he assured fans. “They set it up to where Julian could be gone for a little while or Julian could be gone a long while.”

Before he came to General Hospital, he had a minor role in 2002 as Tim Dolan on the General Hospital spinoff Port Charles. Later in 2003, he portrayed the villain Michael Cambias on All My Children.

The role earned him a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor.

He appeared in 2006 on CBS’s The Bold and the Beautiful as Storm Logan and joined General Hospital in 2013 as Derek Wells. Wells was later revealed to be the mob boss Julian Jerome.

He became embroiled in a mob war sparked after Ava Jerome (Maura West) killed Connie Falconeri (Kelly Sullivan). Viewers soon learned that Jerome is the father of Samantha Morgan (Kelly Monaco) with Alexis Davis (Nancy Lee Grahn).

Jerome eventually revived his relationship with Davis, and they got married. The “Julexis” couple have a huge social media following. Jerome continued life as a mobster after marrying Alexis who developed a drinking problem. He pulled a knife on Alexis and nearly killed her when he fell under the nearly fatal influence of his sister Olivia St. John (Tonja Walker) who was previously presumed dead but returned to Port Charles seeking revenge.

The decision of the writers to pit Jerome against Alexis displeased many Julexis fans.

Fans are generally upset about deVry’s exit, and many have expressed displeasure on social media, wishing that GH would do something to keep him on the show. There are rumors that his exit could be a fallout of Steve Burton’s return. It is alleged that the huge pay offered Burton might be part of the reason why GH isn’t making the effort to keep deVry.

[Featured Image by Michael Buckner/Getty Images]

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