General Hospital Spoilers | Roger Howarth returns to GH in July, Franco shocks Liz and Jason

General Hospital spoilers and updates reveal General fans were devastated when Roger Howarth departed from the show in November 2023.

He had portrayed Austin Gatlin-Holt on the ABC soap since 2021 until the character was ᴋɪʟʟᴇᴅ in 2023-the identity of the murderer remains a mystery.

Many Suspect Cyrus Renault

Many viewers believe it was Cyrus Renault (Jeff Kober), as he subsequently ᴍᴜʀᴅᴇʀᴇᴅ Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco) and others, despite using a different method.

The ABC soap might be starting another ᴍᴜʀᴅᴇʀ mystery featuring Drew Cain (Cameron Mathison), but Austin’s ᴍᴜʀᴅᴇʀ is still unsolved; Austin Gatlin Holt was not Roger Howarth’s first character on GH.

He portrayed three different characters on the show; his first appearance was in 2012 as Todd Manning, a role he originally played on One Life To Live.

Unfortunately, he could not continue in that role for long because of a lawsuit involving ABC and Prospect Park.

That was the company that acquired the rights to One Life to Live and All My Children after the soaps were canceled.

Next Came Franco, Then Austin

Roger Howarth came back in 2013 to play Franco Baldwin, a role that was earlier portrayed by film star James Franco; Franco was ᴋɪʟʟᴇᴅ off in 2021.

Franco was one of the most popular villain redemption stories in the history of GH, he helped capture Ryan Chamberlain (Jon Lindstrom) and went from being a psycho to a family man.

After a few months off, he returned as the quirky doctor Austin Gatlin-Holt, the son of Jimmy Lee Holt (Steve Bond) and Charity Gatlin (Gloria Carlin).

His character evolved from trying to get his rightful inheritance as a Quartermaine to being apparently blackmailed into working for Cyrus, an old family friend.

Fans Have Wondered What Happened To Roger

Fans have wondered what happened to Roger, especially since he’s not a big social media guy; they have been curious about what the actor has been doing since his departure from the series.

A few fortunate fans had the chance to meet him at a planned meet and greet event, but even those are very rare. The actor started using Instagram in 2022, but he has only shared a few posts; his most recent post was in June 2023.

Earlier this week, he made an unexpected comeback to social media to discuss a transformative experience he recently encountered. Roger had gone to see an off-Broadway production, and it excited and invigorated him.

Roger Took To Social Media To Thank The Star

Roger Howarth ended his year-long silence on social media to share an experience that transformed his view on acting-he is widely regarded as one of the finest actors in daytime television.

However, there is always room for learning and personal development; he took to social media to express his gratitude to Candace Nicholas-Lippman for altering his life.

“Candace Nicholas-Lippman just changed my perspective on acting, I will always remember what I witnessed last night,” he wrote alongside a photo of the actress.

He continued, “I am simply thanking her publicly for that-I’m not quite sure what else to add, I’m eager to see what she will do next.”

The post lacked specific details about what Candace Nicholas-Lippman did to earn such accolades, but a bit of social media investigation uncovered the answer.

So, Who Is Candace Nicholas-Lippman?

Candace Nicholas-Lippman is an actress known for her roles in Grey’s Anatomy, Good Trouble, and other productions; in addition to acting, she is a spoken-word poet who weaves her faith into her art.

Over the weekend of June 27th, she showcased her talent in a solo play-the off-Broadway production titled A ROSE CALLED CANDACE was completely sold out for the weekend.

Among the fortunate audience members was Roger Howarth, who expressed being deeply touched by the performance.

Following the event, Roger Howarth’s fans filled the comment section with messages about how much they miss him on GH and their desire for his return.

Although Austin Gatlin-Holt has met his end, there remains a possibility that the ABC soap could resurrect him in a fourth role.