General Hospital viewers often play guessing games about how its often exaggerated but always entertaining storylines are going to end up. Another common part of the experience is wondering who will move away from Port Charles, and who will show up again. Sometimes an exciting, beloved character returns. Other times, you learn some tough news that makes you want to shout at your TV screen (even more than usual, that is).
Réal Andrews, who played Marcus Taggert, explained in a video that he isn’t coming back to General Hospital. Andrews said, “my chapter with General Hospital is over” and added, “The writing has been on the wall for a long time.” He shared that it’s not all bad, because he has been cast in an exciting role that is “the best, biggest project of my life, ever.” He didn’t say what it is because of a non-disclosure, but said it’s on the “biggest and best network.”
Fans celebrated Andrews’s news but also expressed how disappointed they are in ABC in several posts on X. One viewer wrote that executive producer Frank Valentin has “destroyed GH.”
Other fans noted that more than a few characters have left General Hospital, especially lately. This makes Andrews’s departure even more concerning. Although it’s been a few years since his last appearance, no one thought he would never come back.
Like his co-star Maurice Benard who plays Sonny Corinthos, Andrews was a General Hospital mainstay who first joined ages ago. Andrews played Marcus Taggert from 1996 to 2003, and then again in 2020. Asante Jones began playing Taggart in November of 2020, then Andrews played Taggert in 2021, and then Jones took on the part again in 2022.
Fans feel awful about one of Andrews’s final General Hospital storylines. After taking care of Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) as if she were his own daughter, he was more than a little emotional to discover that Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) is her biological father. There are still a lot of layers to unpack here, and a lot more of this family story to tell. If only he could come back for one more episode so he could get a happier ending. Taggert’s time as a police officer has seen him going up against strong characters like Sonny, and it’s hard not to wish for more scenes between the talented and excellent Andrews and Benard.
Whether explaining his big news in a recent video or giving interviews about his time as Taggert, Andrews has always been positive about how much fans love watching him. In his video, he said “I know a lot of you are gonna be like, mad or whatever,” which couldn’t be more true. When he joined the soap opera again in 2020, he told Soap Opera Digest that he felt emotional over how pleased fans were to see him again. He said, “It has brought me to tears, actually, just in gratitude. I never imagined the response that I’m getting, to be honest with you. I just appreciate it.”
General Hospital fans may be majorly bummed Andrews isn’t coming back as Taggert, but they’ll no doubt be watching and waiting to find out more about his new job. Still, no one will be able to resist wondering if the character might randomly pop up in Port Charles one day to say a real goodbye.