General Hospital is about to welcome a very special guest star. The long-running ABC soap is rolling out the red carpet for Colonel Sanders, as played by screen legend George Hamilton.
The Colonel will pay a visit to Port Charles on Friday, July 6, in honor of National Fried Chicken Day! TV Insider posted several sneak peek pics of Hamilton in his meatiest role yet, and there is no denying that the actor is a dead ringer for the famous Kentucky Fried Chicken pitchman. In the photos, Hamilton sports the Colonel’s signature white facial hair and white suit, and he even dons glasses to play KFC’s iconic ad man.
Chicken lovers may have been wondering why the official KFC Twitter account was offering up General Hospital “recaps” all week. The chain’s social media page was filled with commentary about GH’s characters, throwing followers through a loop.
Throughout the week, the famous fried chicken chain posted numerous tweets about the ABC soap, calling out fan-favorite characters such as Jason Quartermaine, Michael and Nelle, CC, Sonny, Carly, and more for their outrageous antics. There was even a shout-out to the Port Charles watering hole, The Floating Rib. Now, it turns out it was all a preview for this surprising crossover with the Chicken Man.
Exclusive First Look: George Hamilton on #GeneralHospital as KFC's Colonel Sanders https://t.co/iuc7x8tyLf
— TV Insider (@TVInsider) June 29, 2018
You can see some of the hilarious KFC tweets below that had chicken fans confused and General Hospital fans in a frenzy.
SONNY, YOU LIL RASCAL! #CarSon #GH #GH55 #GeneralHospital
— KFC (@kfc) June 26, 2018
C’mon, Sam. All we’re asking is for you to passionately punch Jason in the lips with your lips—ya know, for old times’ sake. #GH55 #GH #GeneralHospital #JaSam #Lipboxing #KissAgain #OldTimesSake
— KFC (@kfc) June 28, 2018
I don’t know, Carly. There’s something fishy about Kevin. And that goes for all Kevins everywhere, every time. #GH55 #GH #GeneralHospital
— KFC (@kfc) June 29, 2018
While George Hamilton makes a very convincing Colonel Sanders, he is not the first big-name star to take on the role of the Kentucky Fried Chicken icon. Last year, actor Rob Lowe stepped into the white shoes of the iconic Colonel. Lowe’s high-profile commercial gig coincided with the launch of the eatery’s Zinger spicy chicken sandwich as part of the chain’s popular $5 fill-up menu. Lowe recorded several commercial spots for KFC, including a parody of John F. Kennedy’s famous “moon” speech, which featured him as Mission Commander Colonel Sanders launching the new menu item.
In addition to Rob Lowe, past Colonel Sanders impersonators include comedians Darrel Hammond, Jim Gaffigan, and Norm Macdonald, as well as actors Vincent Kartheiser and Billy Zane. George Hamilton joins an impressive list of Colonel Sanders impressionists, so now it’s time to see if he’s “finger lickin’ good” when he brings the chicken to Port Charles next month.
You can see George Hamilton as Colonel Sanders on General Hospital, Friday, July 6.