General Hospital is making fans buy more than a few boxes of Kleenex once again. Maybe they should just keep tissues in their pockets 24/7, because another celebrated character could be moving on.
According to Closer Weekly, Leslie Charleson, who left the soap opera in December 2023, might not come back to play Monica Quartermaine. A source told the publication that this is because of her health. She had “several falls” and hurt her leg in 2018 when walking her dog. However, the source explained she is “doing OK under the circumstances and in no rush to push herself.”
General Hospital fans are never ones to sit back and let their favorite characters leave without chatting about it, so naturally, they wanted to talk about this on X. The consensus? Viewers are upset and wish they could see one more Monica storyline. After all, it’s tragic that Kelly Monaco’s Sam McCall is leaving, but least fans got to wave goodbye. Viewers also, of course, hope Charleson is okay, and feel bad about her struggles.
One fan wrote, “For 4 consecutive decades, Monica Quatermaine has been my favorite.” Another suggested that the soap follow in Palm Royale‘s footsteps and write the star’s health problems into the show.
It’s never easy to leave an awesome job or to retire, especially when life circumstances prevent you from doing what you love. And Charleson definitely relished the chance to play Monica, which is likely why she did it for so long! In 1981, the actress told Soap Opera Digest, “As an actress I enjoy Monica because she can wear any hat, go any place, do any thing. When you’re all good, you’re boring.” She’s right about that! Charleson called her character “interesting” and added, “She handles being a surgeon better than her social life.” The star also said she appreciated Monica’s “independence” and “spunk” and has observed, “Back then, there weren’t a lot of good female roles.”
After Patsy Rahn began playing Monica in 1976, Charleson became part of the General Hospital cast in 1977. According to Closer Weekly, no other actor stayed on the soap opera as long as she did. That fact alone makes it tough to say goodbye to her character. It’s also just plain fun to see someone who cares about having an impressive medical career, but can’t help but get swept up in the drama of their personal life. That balance made her a dream to watch. It’s also nice that although her marriage to Alan Quartermaine (Stuart Damon) is a big part of her arc, it’s not the only thing that matters. Sure, Monica was unfaithful more than once, but so was Alan.
Charleson was so important to the General Hospital universe that she played Monica on the spinoff Port Charles from 1997 to 2000. Monica has been considered a recurring character since 2010, but even if she isn’t a main cast member anymore, she’s still close to many viewers’ hearts. Is it possible to feature Monica in one more scene, even if she appears via Zoom, somehow? What if some other General Hospital characters mentioned this iconic character and honored her that way? Maybe no one would be 100% pleased with any goodbye since no one can replace Monica, but anything would be better than never seeing her again.