The news of Kelly Monaco’s exit from General Hospital sent shockwaves through the soap opera community. Coworkers and fans alike have been scratching their heads as no explanation for firing her has been presented by the show. Devastated fans, however, will not let her go quietly into the night. They have banded together to implore the Powers That Be to reconsider their decision to eliminate Sam McCall’s portrayer.
United Front Online
Ever since it was announced that Monaco would be leaving GH and her character, Sam, would be killed off sometime in the fall, fans have been unhappy. Several hashtags have popped up on X, formerly Twitter. The tags are variations of the same theme: to get the show to rescind her firing: #IStandWithKelly #NoKellyNoGH #savethecast #IStandWithKellyMonaco #SaveKellyMonaco #SaveSam #SaveSamMcCall #KellyIsSam.
Errol Lewis, whose website Soap Opera Network broke the news, tweeted the GH logo with a hopeful message that said, “Keep up your efforts! It’s having an impact,” and then referred to undisclosed insiders, adding, “Sources say that there’s more at play behind the scenes at #GH than meets the eye. Allegedly, budget cuts are the excuse, but some of it is more personal. #GeneralHospital #SaveTheCast.”
We’re not sure what he meant by “personal,” but some speculated that she’s had conflicts with executive producer Frank Valentini, which may be why she seems to have been sidelined for several years.
Fans Started a Petition
In addition to circulating the hashtags and spreading the word, fans also created a petition through change.org entitled, “Retain Kelly Monaco in the Cast of General Hospital,” with a current goal of 10,000 signatures. The description was lovingly written, stating the heartfelt, “Sam McCall is more than just a character to us, she represents a part of our own lives – triumphs, hardships, love, and loss. Without Kelly Monaco, this character’s journey abruptly ends, leaving her viewers with an incomplete story and void that can’t be filled.” (Find out all about Sam!)
Even Ella Ramacieri, who plays Sam’s daughter, Scout, tweeted a video with the caption, “We’re not active on here anymore, but as soon as we found out, we had to jump on here and show our support. We will ALWAYS stand for @kellymonaco1 she played a huge part in Ella’s life and is an amazing role model. We love you Kelly! #istandwithkelly #nokellynogh #kellymonaco”
In the video, Ramacieri said, “Hi guys, it’s Ella! I hope you guys are all doing well and I hope that we can all participate in getting Kelly’s job back because she means a lot to us, obviously. And I miss her so much. Team Kelly!”
Fan movements in the past have occasionally caused producers to rethink their decisions, and we hope this is one of those times.
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