James Patrick Stuart is famous for playing Valentin Cassadine on General Hospital. Since 2016, the Daytime Emmy nominee’s been playing the evil businessman and Cassadine heir. Although Valentin is a bad guy, Stuart’s performances makes you feel sorry for the villain and root for him. But could fans be saying goodbye to the actor and his character?
In 2024, there’s been a lot of departures from the General Hospital cast. Avery Kristen Pohl and Nicholas Alexander Chavez, two of the show’s popular stars left earlier this year. Most recently, Gregory Harrison wrapped up his four-year run when his character Gregory Chase died on the May 21st episode.
So who could be the next cast member to say goodbye to the soap opera?
James Patrick Stuart is raising suspicions about his future with the show after a cryptic post on his X account. On May 20th, the actor posted a photo of an Exit 21 sign. Underneath it was another sign with the word Talent and a right arrow.
The photo immediately sparked concern among fans, who flooded the comment section.
One follower wrote:
Don’t exit. Stay.
Another fan feared the worst:
Tell me this isn’t an omen! I’ve been hoping beyond hope that this S/L isn’t leading to you being gone!
One commenter expressed their appreciation for Stuart:
I’m afraid of what this means.
You are one of the best actors on GH. I would miss you very much if you were gone. Valentin is a complicated, intelligent, & intriguing character. I loved Vanna too.
It’s unclear whether Stuart’s photo referred to his General Hospital status or something else. But given the current storyline for Valentin, it’s understandable why viewers are worried the actor could leave.
Valentin is back to his evil ways now that it’s been revealed he’s in charge of Pikeman. His main goal is to take down Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan. Since Valentin is going up against two of Port Charles’ heroes, the audience knows he’ll come out on the losing end. With Valentin partly responsible for Sonny spiraling out of control, there might be no coming back for the character.
Until the show or Stuart say more about his status, Valentin will still be a presence onscreen. However, given the recent cast and crew changes this year, fans better enjoy things while they last.
