Jonathan Jackson on His ‘General Hospital’ Comeback After 10 Years Away: ‘It’s Very Surreal’ (EXCLUSIVE)
After more than a decade, Jonathan Jackson shares why he came back to 'GH'—and if Lucky will, too
On the heels of winning his sixth Daytime Emmy, General Hospital star Jonathan Jackson talks to Woman’s World about what it was like to bring Lucky Spencer back to Port Charles—not to mention the arms of onscreen mom Genie Francis and onscreen childhood sweetheart Rebecca Herbst!
Jackson—who is set to tour with his Nashville TV series pals and release a new solo album soon—gets candid about joining General Hospital as Luke and Laura’s son at only 11, watching those amazing Lucky and Elizabeth flashbacks that aired before he exited General Hospital in June, and whether or not soap opera fans will get to see Lucky again.
Genie Francis & Becky Herbst were among Jackson’s ‘main motivations’ for return
They say you can’t go home, but General Hospital lifer Jonathan Jackson brought Lucky back to Port Charles after Jacob Young and, later, Greg Vaughan assumed the role—and his most recent nine-month return just earned him yet another Supporting Actor Daytime Emmy.
“It’s very surreal,” Jackson admits of winning. “And I’m a bit overwhelmed, to be honest. It’s a strange thing to leave for over a decade and come back and not only be embraced by your coworkers and writers and everybody, but also by The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. This is really amazing.
“And getting to work with Genie Francis again was so special,” he adds, referring to Laura Spencer’s iconic portrayer. “One of the main motivations that I had to come back to the show was to get to work with her again—and Becky Herbst (who plays Elizabeth) as well, because I always felt like there was more of the story to be told there.”
Jackson on being a life-long Spencer—‘In what other job can this happen?’
Having first joined General Hospital in 1993 and come and gone from the soap a few times over the decades, Jackson realizes just how unique his actor’s experience has been.
“To have Genie Francis and Anthony Geary play your parents at 11 years old, through your teenage years, and then come back all these years later and look at Genie and say, ‘Mom, it’s you,’” he marvels. “In what other job can this happen than in this business? It’s impossible, and it’s the same with Becky.
“To get to come back all these years later and have the same characters with all that history, it’s a very special thing,” he continues. “And I don’t take it for granted. I’m very grateful.”
Jackson on Lucky’s return— ‘It reminded me a lot of Luke’
Amid all the action of this latest return, Lucky reconnected with his ex-wife and baby mama, Elizabeth, as well as their son, with son, Aiden.
With no rehash of the infamously volatile love triangle involving Steve Burton’s Jason, Lucky eventually proposed to his first love again. He apparently hoped the third time would be the charm… only to have Liz remind him that he’s a lot like his restless and heroic father, and not one to ever be happily tied down in Port Charles.
“I loved the way the show reintroduced Lucky, and it reminded me a lot of Luke,” Jackson says. “In the past, it was almost like Lucky was running away from his father. But this time, I felt like he was embracing him a little more.”
Jackson on Lucky and Elizabeth’s reunion and ‘ending’
Unfortunately, embracing Luke’s spirit ultimately meant that Lucky said goodbye to Port Charles and Elizabeth, yet again, this summer. On the upside, viewers were treated to some very sweet “L&L2” memories before he did so.
“It’s amazing,” Jackson marvels. “I was 15 or 16 when Becky and I started working together, and they flashed back to the ‘90s. The one I do remember is playing the song on the guitar with Elizabeth. It was really cool to get to do that again—and see that!”
Jackson’s short return gave Liz and Lucky fans a bit of time with a super couple from the past, and also let them find some closure.
“Well, it was as close as you can get on daytime,” Jackson hedges. “I mean, you can’t really get an ending unless two people leave the show together.”
Even then, one of those characters can come back—with or without the other!
Would Jonathan Jackson return to ‘GH’?
While Jackson’s character set off on yet another adventure only nine months after coming home in 2024, he did take his son Aiden with him this time—keeping Lucky closely tied to canvas and the General Hospital door open.
“I’d like to return,” Jackson says. “It’s just a logistical thing. With my life in Nashville, with music and a lot of other things going on, it’s difficult to commute across the country for a demanding job like this.”
Jonathan Jackson talks ‘Nashville’ tour and making music
Jackson isn’t counting out another run on General Hospital, but the soap opera crooner—who’s hitting the road this January with Nashville TV series alums Clare Bowen, Sam Paladino and Charles Esten—has currently got a lot in the works for country music fans.
“I have an album coming out,” he lists. “We’re doing a Nashville in Concert tour, with a few shows here and then in the UK, Germany and Switzerland, and just a lot of music. It keeps me on the road and keeps me busy.”
At 43, this six-time Daytime Emmy winner and one-time Tiger Beat teen heartthrob has spent most of his life on soap operas like General Hospital and Nashville, not to mention crooning on the stage. Call him Lucky or not, he’s never had to think about taking a day job along the way!
“I didn’t know what I was getting into when I was 10 or 11, believe me,” Jackson admits to Woman’s World with a laugh. “I take it one day at a time. But thank God for my family and people around me who keep everything in perspective.”
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