Lucky Spencer is putting Port Charles in his rearview mirror again.
Less than a year after Jonathan Jackson returned as the beloved character, the actor will leave General Hospital, Entertainment Weekly confirmed on Friday.
“We were so glad Jonathan was able to reprise the role of Lucky, even if it was for a limited time,” General Hospital executive producer Frank Valentini said in a statement to EW. “We wish him nothing but the best, and the door is always open for Jonathan to return.”
Lucky hinted at his exit — which will come nine months after he reappeared on the soap on Aug. 23, 2024 — during the June 5 episode, in which Lucky told his estranged love and ex-wife, Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst), that Port Charles was “not his home anymore.”Although Lucky and Elizabeth had recently rekindled their romance after years of being apart, the General Hospital head nurse turned down his surprise marriage proposal, explaining that she’s come to realize that he could never be happy in a small town when he’s used to traveling the world. Lucky announced he was leaving, admitting that he knew it was sudden, but he said, “Being here, knowing that we can’t be together, it just hurts too much.”
Fans can expect the father of three to make his exit in the coming weeks.
EW confirmed that Jackson was returning to the long-running soap opera for the first time since 2015 back in June 2024. The actor originated the role of Lucky Spencer, the troubled yet noble son of soap super-couple Luke Spender (Anthony Geary) and Laura Collins (Genie Francis), in 1993. As a Port Charles police detective, Lucky endured a series of tragic storylines over the years, including his struggles with addiction and the death of his wife.
As Lucky, Jackson has appeared in more than 380 episodes of the daytime drama. He first departed the show in 1999, with the role going to Jacob Young and then Greg Vaughan. Jackson then returned to the series in 2009 before exiting two years later for a role on the ABC-turned-CMT musical drama Nashville. He briefly returned as Lucky again in 2015.
During his run on the soap, Jackson was nominated for nine Daytime Emmy Awards, winning in 1995, 1998, 1999, 2011, and 2012.
