‘General Hospital’ Bosses ‘Scrambling to Boost Ratings’: The ‘Soap’s Been in Trouble’

General Hospital is in free fall. Between plummeting ratings and poor plot lines, firings and tragedies, cast members are walking on eggshells.

“Kelly Monaco‘s axing was just the tip of the iceberg,” an insider exclusively tells Closer of the 48-year-old actress who plays Sam McCall.

In September, Kelly’s mom, Carmina, spoke out about her daughter’s unexpected firing, posting to Instagram, “This moment is a difficult one, but knowing that she has had such an incredible, devoted fan base has given her strength.”

While her iconic character died on the October 30 episode of the show, Kelly’s final appearance on General Hospital is slated for this week.

Amid the apparent turmoil happening behind the scenes, the source reveals, “The soap’s been in trouble for a long time, and bosses are clearly scrambling to boost ratings while trimming the budget of cast members they think they don’t need.”

Because Kelly’s firing came as quite a shock to fans and fellow cast members, others are in fear that they could be next.

“If some stars haven’t had much to do story-wise recently, then that’s a sign they could be next on the chopping block,” the source explains, adding that the creative team is thinking of other ways to spice up the show’s characters.

“The powers that be are keen to throw money to bring in more ‘celebrity’ guest stars like SNL‘s Sarah Sherman, which will only strain costs even more,” says the insider. “There’s a lot of griping behind the scenes that this isn’t fair, especially when most of the stars are paid so little anyway.”

Adds the source, “The loss of so many General Hospital stars past and present had a torpedo effect, and [longest-serving cast member] Leslie Charleson is out of the picture.”

Her character, Monica Quartermaine, became beloved among fans, and Leslie earned multiple Daytime Emmy Award nominations for the role. However, she stopped appearing on General Hospital in December 2023 due to health issues.

“They were hoping to get Leslie back, but that’s looking more and more unlikely,” the source says. “General Hospital is ABC’s only soap, but it’s stuck in a rut and facing extinction like the rest.”

Leslie, 79, has “suffered several falls in recent years,” a source told Closer earlier this month. For example, in April 2018, the actress had an accident where her dog, Riley Rose, tripped her during a walk and injured Leslie’s leg.

The source revealed that Leslie is “doing OK under the circumstances and in no rush to push herself.” While she hasn’t appeared on General Hospital in several months, the Emmy nominee was spotted out to lunch and having a glass of wine in Los Angeles in October 2024. She was using a walker and had a caregiver helping her during the outing.

“She’s seeing friends and staying social,” the insider said.

As for whether or not the actress will go back to General Hospital someday, the source added, “Although she’d be welcome back to the show with open arms, it’s unlikely she’ll ever return.”