General Hospital fans worry over rumors that soap star Maurice Benard is retiring. What’s behind the shocking speculation? Keep reading for the latest details.
30 Years At General Hospital
At this point in his career, Maurice Benard is a daytime veteran. He’s been in the industry for nearly forty years. He got his start in 1987 as Nico Kelly on All My Children.
The actor recently paid tribute to his iconic co-star Susan Lucci in honor of her lifetime achievement award at the 2023 Daytime Emmys.
“It was great working with you, even though most of our stuff was cut out, it really was exhilarating,” he wrote on an Instagram post that included a photo of them from back in the day.
He joined another ABC soap, General Hospital, in 1993 as gangster Sonny Corinthos. He’s played the mobster off and on for over 30 years, but is the fan-favorite actor eyeing retirement?
Maurice Benard Retirement Rumors Worry Fans
The fictional character Sonny Corinthos was diagnosed years ago with bipolar disorder, mirroring Maurice Benard’s real-life diagnosis. The actor has seen Sonny through breakdowns that have resonated with the viewers.
Now it seems that Sonny Corinthos is again in the throes of a mental health crisis but doesn’t know it. Someone in Port Charles is messing with his meds, causing the mob boss to act out in unpredictable ways.
To make matters worse, his former enemy John “Jagger” Cates has returned to town with the mission of taking Sonny down. As the town begins to turn against Sonny, viewers can’t help but wonder if the actor is retiring and the show is writing the character off the canvas.
Popular soap site GH WUBSNET asked on Twitter if Maurice Benard is retiring. They based their speculation on the current General Hospital storyline. Other soap fans chimed in with fears of their own. Check out some of the chatter:
- I’m trying to maintain but I noticed that VM is kicking off GH Fan Club Weekend
- He has his pod cast and grandbabies. Sounds like a great time to retire with option to visit
- I know he talked about it on state of mind . He has the grandchildren and thought about doing state of mind full time
- This is honestly what I have been thinking is going on with his storyline.
- Exactly my thought. Why else would they be dragging Sonny??
In addition to his acting career, Maurice Benard has a popular podcast called State of Mind that welcomes guests to discuss mental health issues. Could he be retiring from acting to focus on mental health awareness?
Has The Actor Responded To Rumors?
The questionable storyline and growth of his podcast aside, fans noticed that Vanessa Marcil (Brenda) and Maurice Benard are reuniting at this year’s fan club weekend. Could she be returning to her old stomping grounds to help usher Sonny out of of Port Charles?
These are the questions fans are asking.
Maurice Benard is very vocal with his followers on social media. It’s likely that he’s seen the discussion about his possible retirement. He hasn’t addressed the speculation outright.
One GH fan claimed the actor had a subtle reaction to the retirement rumors. “I saw on his page that he liked a tweet about retiring and doing State Of Mind full time,” the fan wrote.
Based on Sonny’s storyline on General Hospital, do you think Maurice Benard is retiring?
