After 33 Years, ‘General Hospital’ Stuns Fans as Sonny Corinthos Quits the Mob

It truly is the end of an era on General Hospital. Hot on the heels of Jason (Steve Burton) quitting the mob after 30 years as Sonny Corinthos‘ right-hand hitman, Sonny himself decided he is also done, which is a seismic shift for the 63-year-old soap.

GH Fans in Disbelief

On the August 6th episode of GH, Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) worried about who would protect his father without Jason by his side. Sonny sent shockwaves throughout the GH fandom when he told Dante that it wasn’t a concern because, like Jason, he was also leaving mob life behind when a mobster is all Sonny has ever been.

Since Maurice Benard‘s 1993 debut, Sonny has always had mob ties. He began Port Charles life as a strip club owner, which was a mob front. By 1995, when he and Luke (Anthony Geary) had brought down Frank Smith and opened a nightclub together, Sonny claimed he had left the criminal life behind. However, in one of the soap’s most memorable scenes and stories, Sonny caught his girlfriend, Brenda (Vanessa Marcil), wearing a wire to gain proof of Sonny’s criminal activities.

In the 30 years since, Sonny has been an open mobster and the soap’s leading man, with rival mobsters constantly appearing for Sonny and Jason to thwart. When Sonny announced that he was done, fans flocked to social media in complete shock. Jason’s mob departure was expected after Steve Burton hinted at a big change to his character on his podcast, That’s Awesome. While Sonny’s potential mob retirement had been spoken of in 2025, it was never something the audience expected to happen.

“Sonny’s character Sonny Corinthos set the standard for the mob boss with the heart of gold who values family over everything,” one fan tweeted. “For his character to quit the mob is a big deal.”

Another fan wonders how Sonny can do this without a problem, since he had always said you can’t just walk away from the mob. “WTH????????? SONNY LEAVING THE MOB AS WELL???? Now this is a freaking turn. However would it be that easy for him to leave?” they asked.

Others are insistent that this change won’t last, saying, “I don’t believe Sonny. Oh he might say that. But he won’t be exiting the job of Don Corinthos anytime soon.”

There is also a contingent of fans who believe this is the best thing that could happen to both Sonny and Jason, with one viewer summing things up: “Right now, Sonny & Jason, are at their most compelling when they’re just being family men with money, Sonny especially. Him becoming a grandfather has done wonders for the character. Jason, embracing the Qs has been gold though they still have to address the Jake issue.”