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Eight months after soap icon Genie Francis was taken off contract at ABC’s General Hospital as Laura Spencer Collins, fans can rejoice with the news that the Daytime Emmy winner is officially returning to GH this fall!
“I’m really excited for Genie to be rejoining the cast and we have an amazing story for her,” said series producer Frank Valentini in TV Insider’s exclusive report.
As reported by Soap Opera Digest , Laura will show up back in Port Charles sometime in September. Thrilled to be back on the show that she’s called home off-and-on for the better part of 40 years, Genie took to Twitter to share her excitement and gratitude for her fans for their never ending support.
Laura is back. Starting another new chapter in my @GeneralHospital journey. 🤗 Thank you to all my fans! ❤️ #GH pic.twitter.com/bNzbbnH3DD
— Genie Francis (@GenieFrancis) August 1, 2018
All soap hell broke loose earlier this year when Francis was abruptly written out of General Hospital storylines in the midst of a contract dispute. Entertainment Weekly reported General Hospital opted not to extend the actress’ contract for another year. “She did not want to leave the show as a series regular,” Francis’ agent Arthur Toretzsky told EW at the time. “It was not her choice to leave.” Laura had just married Jon Lindstrom’s Kevin Collins and was running for mayor of Port Charles. Francis’ exit spawned soap fans to create the #GenieIsGH hashtag, which was frequently used over the months to show support for the beloved star.
Francis’ rise to stardom began when she took over the role of Laura Spencer on General Hospital, which she assumed in 1977. She is most noted as one half of daytime’s most popular super couple in Luke and Laura. Luke and Laura’s November 1981 wedding drew 30 million viewers, turning the episode into the highest-rated hour in soap opera history. In addition to GH, Francis has also starred as Diana Colville on Days of our Lives, Ceara Connor Hunter on All My Children and Genevieve Atkinson on The Young and the Restless. Francis won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2007.
TV Source Magazine was very vocal about her departure in January, so we are excited to see the actress back where she belongs. Now let’s hope GH delivers on the creative front. #GenieIsGH
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