Why Vinessa Antoine Left General Hospital

The revolving doors of “General Hospital” move quickly, and, like many classic soaps, the long-running ABC show isn’t afraid of a little recasting. Scheming Carly, unlucky Lucky, and Ric and Alexis’ daughter Molly are just a few of the characters who have undergone three or more cast shake-ups over the decades, and there are always more recasts on the horizon. For one former Port Charles resident, though, the doors of “General Hospital” unexpectedly slammed shut behind her after a recast that she says she didn’t anticipate.

Vinessa Antoine made history when she took the lead role on “Diggstown,” a legal drama that broke new ground for Black women on Canadian TV over the course of its four-season run. Unfortunately, playing lawyer Marcie Diggs meant giving up the part of former DEA agent Jordan Ashford on “General Hospital.”

Antoine originated the Jordan role in 2014 and played the mother and law enforcement officer for four years before her 2018 exit. Speaking to The TV Watercooler two years later, she says she “never planned to leave the show” but was replaced nonetheless.

Antoine was up front about the fact that she wasn’t leaving of her own volition when she originally announced her “General Hospital” departure. In an Instagram post (via Soap Opera Digest), the actor wrote that she was “open to stay and play in Port Charles,” but she was informed during negotiations that the powers-that-be at “General Hospital” weren’t willing to give her the time to film another major project. “I was told by my reps that @GeneralHospital felt that my character would be off the canvas for too long for me to continue playing her,” Antoine explained, adding that the parting was ultimately “mutual” and that it was “time to make room for more women of color in prominent roles on television.”

Antoine later shared more details with TV Watercooler, admitting, “I thought that I would get to stay. It was quite a shocker for me. I never planned to leave the show.” She had originally hoped “to get to do what the other actors get to do,” leaving on a sabbatical to film “Diggstown” over the summer before returning in the fall. “I thought maybe my character could go away on an undercover mission or fall into a coma,” she said. “But they had other plans, which was out of my control.”

Speaking about the dearth of Black couples on daytime soaps, Antoine also said that the fact that she couldn’t stick around to film a planned wedding scene for her character will “always be a sore spot.”

When it comes to Black representation in the daytime soap landscape, Antoine hasn’t been afraid to be frank about the shortcomings of her previous TV home. “Some people used to make the joke, ‘General Hospital? Generally White Hospital,'” she told TV Watercooler, noting that she actually sees “The Young & The Restless” as the soap with the best track record for Black characters. “I think that if you get hired [on ‘General Hospital’] as a person of colour, you do the best you can,” she said. “It’s good work. But, you’re not going to be someone who is on the forefront.” As Antoine wrote in her original departure announcement, she took her role as far as she was able, then moved on.

After Antoine’s departure, Briana Nicole Henry took over the role of Jordan, and the character eventually left the show under the guise of getting post-op treatment for a much-needed kidney transplant. Tiffany Daniels briefly subbed in for Henry in 2021, and Tanisha Harper started playing Jordan, who returned and became the town’s deputy mayor, in 2022.

Though “Diggstown” ended that same year, Antoine has stayed booked and busy, appearing in much-loved dramas like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Ginny & Georgia,” along with roles in limited series thrillers “The Madness” and “Plan B.” She’s also been nominated for three Canadian Screen Awards.