The 2025 Nurses Ball kicked off with red carpet fashions and toe-tapping numbers, but it was soon eclipsed by all the juicy drama behind the scenes. The truth is out about Gio. Can Lois salvage things with Brook Lynn or has she gone too far? Now that Michael is home, will he be able to turn the tables on Drew and Willow? I’m shining a spotlight on all the soapy goodness in an all-new General Hospital commentary for the week ending May 23, 2025.
Dear readers, the 2025 Nurses Ball was the best I’ve seen in recent years. General Hospital has always pulled out all the stops for the beloved annual event, but this year was particularly exciting. I loved everything about it from the performances to the shocking twists and turns. The best part was the end when our new Michael was unveiled. The prodigal son returned home and did what so many of us had been clamoring for. He fetched his children!
Daddy is home!
Michael has returned — and his timing was absolute perfection!
As the 2025 Nurses Ball drew to a close, the audience broke out in loud applause for the final act. Just then, Michael appeared in the ballroom’s doorway. “Daddy!” Wiley excitedly shouted before scampering off stage and running into his father’s welcoming arms. I couldn’t have asked for a better reunion, especially when the camera zoomed in on Willow and Drew’s shocked expressions. Utterly priceless! It was one of the best returns I’ve seen in a long time.
Rory Gibson is our new Michael, and I’m delighted. He looks Billy Warlock’s A.J. rather than Carly’s son. Nothing against Sean Kanan — I loved him too — but Billy’s A.J. was the one who slept with Carly, and he was the one who was tortured for years by the terrible trio. I know A.J. was deeply flawed, but so were Sonny, Carly and Jason. What they did to A.J. during those years was cruel and often criminal. It was a gang of three against one man who just wanted to be a father to his only child.
But that was the past. This is about Michael and his children.
Michael’s grand entrance
Seeing Willow and Drew’s gobsmacked expressions was everything I could have hoped for and more. A brilliantly executed bombshell moment. It was so satisfying to watch. I cackled with laughter and promptly hit rewind to watch the glorious scene unfold all over again.
I’ve despised Willow and Drew since their affair began, but I grew to hate them when they decided to use Michael’s medical proxy as a bargaining chip. Good people would never do that. They would find another way. Not Willow and Drew. They are selfish and vindictive. Not surprisingly, they opted to falsely accuse Michael of abandoning the children. A ludicrous legal stance since he was in Germany receiving burn treatment and remained in touch with the kids through video calls. Also, a parent who abandons their children generally doesn’t file for sole custody.
A child needs both parents, but it bothers me that Willow seems to feel that her role is more important to the children than Michael’s. When Drillow (they are a unit now 🙄) suggested that Michael get visitation every other weekend and two weeks in the summer, I seethed. How is that fair or good for the kids? It’s not. Drillow are two insufferable people who only care about themselves.
What goes around comes around
Willow likes to pretend that she’s kind and fair-minded, but she’s only that way when people don’t challenge her. She has consistently put her wants and desires ahead of her children’s well-being. It was clear from how excited Wiley was to see his father that he loves him very much. Heck, Wiley didn’t even spare Willow a glance as Michael carried him out. That spoke volumes about how much Wiley missed his dad.
Willow can view her tawdry relationship with her husband’s uncle through those rose-colored glasses she wears, but a judge won’t. Her marriage blew up because she was unfaithful. Ric is not going to be able to convince anyone let alone a family court judge that Michael was happy to be rid of his kids so he could galivant off to Germany for plastic surgery. Drew’s antics with the escort and ketamine won’t help Willow’s case either.
I hope our intrepid General Hospital scribes don’t let us down. I want to see all the garbage that Willow and Drew have spent months dishing out come back and smack them in their smug faces.
The family drama didn’t end with Michael’s return. Trouble brewed elsewhere too.
General Hospital’s showstopping parental reveal
Gio got an earful when he overheard a conversation between Lulu and Lois. Lulu dragged Lois to a backstage room to confront Lois about hiding Gio in plain sight. Lois insisted that Brook Lynn didn’t know that Lois and Gloria had given him to Camilla, but Gio didn’t hear that part. All he heard was that his life was a lie. He. Was. Shattered. Soon, so was his violin.
Kudos to Giovanni Mazza for his performance as he took to the stage and dropped that deep dark family secret. He did an outstanding job showing Gio’s swirling emotions of rage, hurt, and shock at learning the truth. The way Gio violently smashed his beloved violin brought tears to my eyes. It was such a raw moment. My heart broke for him.
I would love to see that scene submitted for a Daytime Emmy consideration. Honestly, Giovanni has really grown in the role since his early days on General Hospital. Not only is he a gifted violinist, but he’s become quite a good young actor.
Cruel intentions
Lois might not have had cruel intentions when she gave Gio to Camilla, but what she did was heartless. Brook Lynn trusted her mother to find Gio a good home with two loving parents. She expressly didn’t want to be a part of her child’s life because she wasn’t ready to be a mother. Plus, Brook Lynn has never been the type to take a backseat to anyone. Not only did Lois and Gloria ignore Brook Lynn’s wishes, but they also found a way to be a part of Gio’s life as family. It’s unconscionable and such a deep betrayal of trust. Brook Lynn might find a way to forgive her mother and grandmother — in time — but she might never fully trust them again. How could she?
It was wrong of Lois to exclude Brook Lynn from such an important decision. It was Brook Lynn’s right as Gio’s mother to have the final say in where he was placed. Had Brook Lynn known that Lois intended to place Gio with a young single mother, she might have nixed the idea — or decided to keep her son. Lois chose her own wishes and desires over Brook Lynn’s. She will pay a high price for that. Gloria too.
Confession is good for the soul but not for the marriage
Curtis and Portia are over. If Portia’s confession about Brad and Drew blackmailing her set Curtis off, there will be no coming back from the revelation that she played a part in drugging Drew with ketamine. Portia really has no one to blame but herself because she chose to lie when it wasn’t necessary. Curtis already knew about the original sin of changing Heather’s cobalt results. It didn’t make sense that she wouldn’t tell Curtis about Brad’s blackmail.
I don’t buy Portia’s excuse that it was a “hospital matter.” Being blackmailed had nothing to do with General Hospital. It was personal.
A soapy twist offers a reprieve
Fortunately for Portia, Drew foolishly decided to tell Mac that Tracy was the one who drugged him. Drew took it a step further by having a vial of ketamine planted in Tracy’s car.
It’s an incredibly lucky break for Portia and Nina because it muddies the waters and provides reasonable doubt if the incident is ever tied back to them. Brad and Jacinda have no credibility. A decent lawyer could argue that Brad was paid to frame Portia by a vengeful Drew as payback for Curtis taking over Aurora Media, and Nina could claim that she paid Drew’s party paramour to leave town in order to spare Willow further heartache.
Drew lost his leverage, and now he has poked the dragon. Here’s hoping Tracy joins forces with Michael and together they take Drew down. It’s long overdue.
Double indemnity
Speaking of long overdue things, Alexis finally came clean to Kristina. She told her wayward daughter that Ric and Ava have been blackmailing Alexis over Kristina’s attempt at murder. Kristina was shocked that her secret was out, but in typical Kristina fashion, her first instinct was to make things worse. She actually thought it would be a good idea to bring her mob boss father in on the mess that she had made.
Our General Hospital writers have almost guaranteed that Alexis or Kristina — possibly both — will end up spending time in jail when this is all over. Alexis is such an idiot. All she’s doing is buying Kristina some time to come up with another cockamamie solution to her problems. Only next time, Kristina just might succeed in killing someone.
I can’t see Kristina standing idly by and watching as Ric and Ava put the screws on her mother. Disaster looms on the horizon and no one is safe.
General Hospital Quick Takes
The 2025 Nurses Ball Rendition
As I said in the beginning, I loved everything about the Nurses Ball this year starting with the opening number, “Holiday.” Nothing disappointed me. Not Spinelli and the ladies’ fun rendition of “These Boots Are Made for Walkin'” or Chase and the boys dancing and singing “The Look of Love.” However, my favorite act of the evening was the final performance. Donna, Wiley, Georgie, Scout, and James singing “I’ll Be There” was chef’s kiss. My favorite part was Wiley singing off key. Perfection!
Yde’s “Old Her” was another high point. I loved that song. 💜
Where were all the stagehands? All we saw backstage were performers about to go on stage, Lucy and a llama.
Red carpet fashions
The fashions were a bit lackluster this year. Don’t get me wrong. The ladies looked elegant, and the gentlemen were dapper, but overall, it was a forgetful fashion year. However, there were a few notable exceptions.
Best dressed: I did like Carly’s blue dress, but Jordan wins best dressed hands down. Her gown was dazzling and looked spectacular on her. Tanisha Harper is absolutely stunning.
Best hair makeover: I can’t stand Willow, but Katelyn MacMullen’s sassy new haircut is cute. Unfortunately, someone decided to stick her in an ugly red prom dress.
Worst dressed: What in the world was Brook Lynn wearing? She looked like she was headlining for a Liberace show.
Cutest couple: Lucas and Liz watching the Nurses Ball from the sofa. I’m so happy the writers remembered to include her, and I loved the little paper crown that Lucas placed on her head. Their friendship is one of my favorite things on the show right now.
What General Hospital viewers are saying
I always love getting to read what viewers think of not only the column but also the show. So please join in the discussion in the Comments section below the column. Since I am also active on quite a few social media platforms, I also share viewer feedback and comments from there.
Emma’s metamorphosis
Braedyn Bruner looks so much like Jason Thompson when she’s in a fit! I have fully accepted her as the Emma recast, even though I think that she embodies some of her parents’ worst flaws. I am not loving the execution of this storyline. As a scientist, Emma’s behavior comes off as reactionary without context to Dalton’s research. Animal testing should be cruelty-free and regulated, but there are times when it’s incredibly necessary. They keep talking about cats and dogs, but those animals are less useful to an environmental scientist; unlike say worms, frogs, fish, mice/rats, etc. So, is this about cute & cuddly or the rights of living creatures? — JBJ
The Godfather of Port Charles
So, Sonny selling two piers is supposed to get him out of the “business”. For decades we’ve been told that Sonny has the biggest crime syndicate on the Eastern Seaboard but sell the two piers… yeah… that’s the ticket.
Those of us who have been watching GH for years will remember that Sonny once sent Roy DeLuca down to Miami to run his “businesses” down in that part of the country. There’s also Sonny’s island, casino and Puerto Rico operations. The idea that the piers in PC are central to running a crime organization doesn’t hold up anymore. Plus, Port Charles has a large waterfront and there are plenty of piers that Sonny doesn’t own, not to mention that there is no shortage of waterfront property on the Great Lakes. — JDF
Michael returns!
Until next week, friends. And if you are watching Beyond the Gates, be sure to check out Dan J Kroll’s latest commentary called It’s not an obsession…I just enjoy it. He talks about Ashley and Derek’s rocky relationship and the new Ted!
Happy viewing,
Liz
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Liz, I love what you had to say about drew and willow, but I wish that you had went in on Nina too. Her behavior this week was disgusting. Her glee at taking Michael’s kids away from him was sickening.
Oh, don’t worry. Her time will come soon enough. I imagine I’m going to have a lot to say about her next week. 😉
She’s all about trying to get Willow away from Drew, but it’s about Willow not the kids. The only people who seem to worry about the children are Michael and his supporters.
I absolutely lived how they brought Michael back. He simply walked in, picked up Wiley and said “let’s go Buddy”. Drew looked like he was choking on something.
That entrance couldn’t have been written better. It really was brilliant. It’s one of my favorite moments in eons.
JDF
FINALLY! Alexis reads the Riot Act to Kristina. I’ve been waiting for Alexis to explode and say “I know what you did”. I really hate what they have done to Kristina. Our Original Kristina was a deep, emotionally complex personality. Our current Kristina is a shallow, narcissistic nitwit.
Mac had no grounds to arrest Tracy and certainly no grounds to search her car. A judge would not have given them a warrant based on Drew’s word. If Tracy drugged Drew, the vile of ketamine would be empty and the vile that we saw Drew wave at Willow was full. Do you think Willow will make the connection?
It did seem — for a brief moment — as if Alexis had had enough of Kristina’s ish. However, by the end of the scene, that sentiment appeared to have faded. They are now literally partners in crime and Alexis relishes that.
Alexis will always choose Kristina over Molly. Every. Single. Day.
I think the Nurses Ball has become silly. Each year the audience gets smaller and smaller and 90% of it are cast members. TPTB doesn’t want to spring for extras or so it seems. I can imagine the citizens of Port Charles watching the ball on TV and wondering “who are these people and why are they on the Red Carpet”? Then we have Lois telling Gio that she told everyone in the old neighborhood to watch the NB to see him perform. Why on earth would a local event in upstate NY be telecast in Brooklyn? Time to pull the plug on the NB or make it more realistic.
Curtis is back on his high horse. Maybe he should be the Q stable master.
Portia’s problem can be easily solved. Just get Spinelli to delete any record of her logging in to the GH data base and changing Heather’s test results.
I totally agree and have always thought that about the beloved event.
Yes, it IS a nice way to showcase the other talents of the cast.
But – the acts are cheesy, the production values are limited (due to budget?) and some of the acts are down right silly. And – the audience is limited to 6-8 tables? Must be some very rich people. The one and only Gala charity ball I attended back in the dark ages had 70 tables, a band, guest stars (including one soap star who looked bored silly), and no red carpet. And it was in a rooftop ballroom. It is time to call it what it is – a variety show – or come up with a different venue.
The problem is that Ric also has proof of Portia’s crimes, and Liz is a witness. Spinelli can delete the record, but the truth is still out there.
I still very much have a soft spot for the nurses ball, and am willing to suspend disbelief about the lack of enough extras and production values (but wish at least more cast members were there!) Without this year’s NB we would have missed Giovanni Mazza’s EPIC performance of his original piece, which blew me away!!
I assumed that it was also being streamed
Greetings and Salutations, Citizens of Earth!
Well well! There’s Olivia!!
It’s about time they let her out of the Attic.
You know, the Faux Attic Above Joss and Trina’s Garage Apartment where Leo, Bailey Lou, and the Other Invisible Citizens of Port Charles are stashed.
I still can’t believe that Lois never let it slip to Olivia that Gio is Dante’s Spawn.
Perhaps Livvie will have a Flashback/Premonition/Whatever and realize who Gio is. Remember when Heather drugged her and she became Psychic? That was fun.
~~~
Well. I must say, most of Monday’s Episode had me dozing off, until Ninny took a Swing at Carly.
How long have Y’All been waiting for that??
And Agent Barbie had to come break it up.
Dang.
~~~
I really wish Curtis would Man Up and call EwDrew’s Bluff.
~~~
Oh,Yay.
The Nurses Balz.
Pretty funny putting Ninny and EwDrew together on the Red Carpet.
Llove Llucy’s Llama!!
Llucy?
Not So Much.
Loved Donna’s Dimpled Grin, and I LOVED Carly’s Retorts.
You know what I hate??
Besides Sonny(most of the time)?
Politics.
Omg I absolutely LOVED what Agent Barbie had to say about Ninny and her “Piece of Trash” Co-Host, though my words would have been much more Colorful, and my post would definitely be “Held For Moderation”.
So why was Gio with Barbie? Won’t the Anti-Emma be Insanely Jealous?
Will there be another CatFight??
Carly and Ninny’s was so much fun, I was hoping they’d get into it again at the Ball!
But, no.
Drew had Tracy Erroneously Arrested.
Really?
Even after Brad told EwDrew that Porthole was behind the whole Drug Fiasco????
Just when you thought Drew couldn’t be More Despicable.
Congressman Coitus Framed Tracy.
Speaking of Despicable.
What’s up with Willow’s Red Dress?
It was a Lovely Dress, really, but why do I get the impression that it’s a “Statement”?
And Yes, it really needed a Giant Letter “A”.
Just like Weeping Willow’s Freshly Chopped Hair (Ew! Yuck! Feh!! Ptooi!)
Well it looks as if Mikey’s on his way home!!
Can’t Wait!!!
~~~
About Damned Time Alexis let NutKrissy know that Everyone Knows that Krissy Cut Ric’s Brakes.
~~~
Boy oh boy.
I’m not sure what my favorite part of the Nurses Ball was…
It certainly wasn’t the Actual Performances, but the Back Stage Shenanigans were entertaining.
I did enjoy Cody’s Comment about Drew Being a “Jerk with Abs” (although the Comment was Far Too Kind.)
Barbie and Brillo in the Restroom was quite entertaining.
Barbie’s Willow Barbs were On Point.
(See what I did there? HA!)
Giovanni’s Performance got me Totally verklempt.
He IS Spectacular.
Bravo, Dude.
~~~~
What I don’t enjoy, is ShrewLu constantly ragging on everybody within Earshot about BLQ’s Teenage Shenanigans, and how she “Tried to break up ” Dante and Shrewlu about a Thousand Years Ago.
Shaddap!
Dante is still being an Insufferable Tool, even though he grudgingly told Gio his performance was “Awesome”.
ShrewLu and Dante deserve each other at this point.
Two Insufferable Tools.
~~~
My heart was breaking for Gio when Emma found him.
The look on her face was perfect.
Sympathy, Empathy, and Horror blended perfectly like a Symphony.
Brava.
I hope they stay friends forever. Or however long Forever can be on a Soap.
Definitely time for a Quartermaine/Corinthii Family Meeting.
Lots of Exploding Heads and Short-Circuiting Brains going on here!
Thanks, ShrewLu!!
Like Carly Sez, (and she should know), “Haven’t you done ENOUGH??”
~~~
It looks like the Lighting Crew of the Nurses Ball bought their Equipment from Temu.
I have the same Lighting Effects used during Trina and Joss’s piece in my Bedroom.
~~~
I have to say that the “Lip-Synching Invisible Children of Port Charles” was by far my Favorite Act, other than Gio.
But where was Avery??
Woah!!
New Mikey is Cute!!!!
And the look on EwDrew and Brillo’s faces.
I might just get used to him.
Yes!!!
Bring It On!
I’m pretty sure Sean Kanan was AJ when he slept with Carly which was April 1997. BW took over the role in June. SK came back just in time to be shot by Sonny.
This is true. My recollection is that Sarah Brown & Sean Kanan had really great chemistry. So the show may have been setting up a Carly/AJ pairing for when her relationship with Tony imploded. But then AJ was replaced with Billy Warlock who was the complete opposite of Sean Kanan…and he had NO chemistry with Sarah Brown.
I was fine with both actors as AJ. When the recast happened, AJ was trying to turn his life around, and Billy Warlock brought a sweetness to the character (my opinion, of course) when he was trying to be a good guy. I completely agree with Liz Masters that AJ was done in by Carly, Sonny, Jason and, of course, the writers to justify all of their choices.
Ancient history of course. But it does still come up. I appreciate that Carly is more measured now days; for example, her stance towards Brooklyn shows a degree of empathy that old school Carly never had. But when she talked about her own history lying about Michael’s paternity…well, let’s be clear: Carly was not thinking about what was best for Michael back then. She was thinking about what was best for her.
This was the big problem with her argument with Nina. When has Carly ever sacrificed to do what was best for her kids? She took them where ever she wanted to go. Michael got shot in the head, sent to prison and severely burned because of those choices. So pot meet kettle. Though I am otherwise on Carly’s side, and the fight was entertaining.
Thank you for the clarification. In all fairness, I’d just given birth to my second child, and had a two-year-old under foot, so I was pretty sleep deprived. 🤪
But, it was Billy Warlock’s A.J. who bore the brunt of torture from Carly and her enablers during Michael’s childhood.
I always thought SK’s AJ had the most vulnerability and Ned was awful to him as well. BW was easy to dislike and I always thought that SK and SB looked like they could be brothers. BW and SB, not so much.
SK came off as more of a rascal than BW’s rat, to me at least (and I’d been a fan of his from DOOL & Baywatch). I remember being really upset about the recast because SK always had great chemistry with the actress who played Keisha, so I rooted for them to get together. Then BW came in having zero chemistry with her, and that’s when the writers decided to finally pull the trigger?!
It was definitely Sean kanan’s a.j. that eatheeed Michael. Bulky was just ok I never thought he fit the part very well. But I always liked him as an actor so it was fine. But kanan was the best. Cobra Kai
I had to go to the Video and watch Gio like Six More Times.
I was Verklempt, right along with Olivia.
If you can watch and listen to this kid and your Eyes are Dry, then you Have No Soul.
Agree!
This is one of those times I really wish they had not dropped the younger actor Emmy category. It was always a nice feather in the cap for young, talented actors and actresses who would have a hard time breaking into the supporting actor categories at that stage in their careers. And, honestly, it was also the one category that seemed to give the award based solely on the merits of performance. As opposed to the higher up categories where there seem to be other things going on.
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