Chris McKenna Reveals the Real Story Behind His Shocking ‘General Hospital’ Exit

It’s been more than a month since General Hospital teenagers Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) and Charlotte (Bluesy Burke) found Jack Brennan’s dead body floating in the Metro Court pool, marking the end of Chris McKenna‘s year-and-a-half-long run with the ABC soap. While Jack’s death has led to a plethora of story possibilities, including a murder mystery and a false arrest, both McKenna and fans were sad to see him go.

McKenna has now opened up and explained how and why he was blindsided by the news that GH had let him go.

“Just a couple of days before it happened, one of the producers was telling Cynthia and I about the whole plan they had for Jack and Nina,” McKenna told Soap Hub in a new interview. “And then two days later, I was getting killed.”

McKenna was referring to the new romance that was brewing between Jack and Cynthia Watros‘ Nina, something fans had been enjoying. Now, Nina is in a WSB prison, accused of killing her latest love interest.

“There was a hard left turn made on a lot of storylines,” he stressed. “A very quick left turn.”

That was indeed how it seemed to the audience, as Jack had survived multiple brushes with death last spring, only to die by fall when the character had just been thrust into a new storyline and pairing. McKenna noted that the producer who had spoken with him and Watros later apologized and told them he had no idea what was in the works.

Still, McKenna is grateful for the outpouring of love from fans since news broke that McKenna and Jack were being written off the canvas. He also began working in television as a teen, with his first soap role coming in the 1990s as Joey Buchanan on One Life to Live.

“I don’t know all the reasons,” he said of his exit. “This business hits you in the mouth every once in a while. This was a blow.”