Jonathan Jackson is leaving General Hospital next week, nine months after he returned to the role of Lucky Spencer.

Jackson, who made his debut in 1993 as the son of soaps’ most famous duo, Luke Spencer (Anthony Geary) and Laura Collins (Genie Francis), returned in August 2024 for what he told TV Insider would be a longer visit than the others he’d made since first leaving the soap in 1999. “When I came back in 2015, that was just for a few episodes for Tony [Geary’s] exit and this is not that,” he noted. “This is back in a substantial, real way, which I’m excited about.”

Reuniting with his TV family was at the top of Jackson’s wish list when he returned to the soap. “Working with Genie [Francis] was a big personal incentive to come back, because when I was there in 2010, 2011, Genie wasn’t on the show and I always kind of felt like I missed out on working with her as an adult, so I’m very excited about that, obviously,” he explained.

In addition to working alongside Francis, Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos), Colin Cassidy (Aiden Spencer), Jeff Kober, (Cyrus Renault) and Kate Mansi (Kristina Corinthos), to name a few, Jackson’s Lucky also rekindled things with ex-wife Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst), a story fans had been waiting to see for years.

On the June 4 episode, Lucky surprised Liz with a romantic picnic in the park and a marriage proposal. She turned him down gently, explaining that her life was in Port Charles, while he seemed happier traveling the globe. Acknowledging that Port Charles was “not his home anymore,” Lucky then announced that he would be leaving town. “I know it’s sudden,” he explained. “But being here, knowing that we can’t be together, it just hurts too much.”

Look for Lucky to make his rounds saying goodbye and then take off once again. However, that doesn’t mean this is the end of the road for the three-time Daytime Emmy winner.

“We were so glad Jonathan was able to reprise the role of Lucky, even if it was for a limited time,” says the show’s executive producer Frank Valentini. “We wish him nothing but the best, and the door is always open for Jonathan to return.”

General Hospital, Weekdays, ABC