General Hospital is losing actress Michelle Stafford, as she has decided to depart the place she has called home for nearly five years to return to her old stomping grounds at The Young and the Restless. The news came as a major shocker when it first emerged Saturday night, but now others from the soap world have confirmed that it’s true. By the looks of things, GH fans are pretty stunned by it all.
As The Inquisitr detailed, reports emerged on Saturday that Stafford had been unable to come to a deal with General Hospital on a new contract. Apparently, as soon as The Young and the Restless heard about this, they snatched Michelle up, where she will return to play Phyllis. As for Gina Tognoni, who has portrayed Phyllis since Stafford’s exit, she’s been fired.
Stafford herself hasn’t confirmed this via social media, but as The Inquisitr noted, Tognoni has. Specific dates — as to when viewers can see the changes for themselves — have not been revealed yet. However, it seems likely that it’ll be happening fairly soon.
Fans have a lot to say about this news of Stafford’s departure from General Hospital . As some note, this is yet another exit on the heels of several other big departures from the past year or so.
BREAKING NEWS: Michelle Stafford IN; Gina Tognoni OUT at The Young and the Restless! #GH #YR https://t.co/GLvQGz5deC pic.twitter.com/QuAi0bCmUO
— Daytime Confidential (@dcconfidential) March 30, 2019
Viewers have seen Dominic Zamprogna (Dante), Ryan Paevey (Nathan), and Matt Cohen (Griffin) leave, and now Stafford as well. Some are already wondering what this means for James Patrick Stuart, who plays Valentin. Will he end up leaving too?
As for Stafford’s departure, one General Hospital fan wrote (on Twitter ) that she hopes the show doesn’t recast the character of Nina, as “the only reason I like Nina is BECAUSE of Michelle Stafford.”
General Hospital fans are hoping that the writers will properly write out the character of Nina if that’s the direction they head in, especially since that hasn’t always been the case with some of these exits lately. It seems quite likely that Nina will soon learn the truth about Valentin and Sasha lying to her and perhaps leave town, although it’s possible the show will bring on a recast.
WATCH: Valentin and Nina catch Willow at the worst imaginable time… and she lets them know it. @japastu @TheRealStafford #GH55 pic.twitter.com/r7HnA6oLOT
— General Hospital (@GeneralHospital) March 22, 2019
Some fans are already speculating about the idea of bringing Tognoni to General Hospital , but that’s not a winning idea with all of the viewers. As one said via Twitter , GH snagged both Stafford and Billy Miller after they left The Young and the Restless , and many would say neither has been utilized to their full potential.
“Good for Michelle Stafford. Go where they clearly value you. I respect anyone who knows their worth and goes out and gets it,” one Stafford fan noted on Twitter ,
Not all General Hospital viewers are crying over this news regarding Stafford’s exit, as one quipped on Twitter that “Christmas has arrived early!!”
Reactions among The Young and the Restless fans seem fairly mixed too. General Hospital spoilers regarding how Michelle Stafford exits the role of Nina Reeves should emerge soon, and fans will be quite curious to see what happens with the other characters connected to Nina.
