Nicholas Alexander Chavez’ General Hospital Leave of Absence: Spencer’s ‘Last’ Airdate Revealed — Plus, Is Trina Exiting, Too?

Michael Ausiello
·1 min read
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Nicholas Alexander Chavez’ General Hospital days are numbered — and the number is in the single digits.

As previously reported, the Daytime Emmy winner is taking a temporary leave of absence from his role as Spencer Cassadine on the ABC soap to join Season 2 of Ryan Murphy’s Netflix anthology Monster (in which he’ll star as one half of the infamous Menéndez Brothers).

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According to sources, Chavez — who began shooting Monster last month — will make his final GH appearance on Wednesday, Jan. 31, at which point Spencer will disappear from the canvas for several months.

It remains unclear how Chavez’ on-air absence will be explained, although the storyline currently playing out on screen has Spencer accompanying his Sorbonne-bound girlfriend, Trina (Tabyana Ali), to Paris for a semester. (For the record, an insider confirms that Ali will not be taking leave from the show.)

Chavez’ GH sabbatical comes as the venerable sudser is navigating a major change behind the scenes. Earlier this week it was announced that head writers Chris Van Etten and Dan O’Connor have stepped down, replaced by current GH script editor Elizabeth Korte and celebrated soap vet Patrick Mulcahey (GH, Santa Barbara, Guiding Light).

In Season 2 of Monster — officially titled Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story — Chavez will play Lyle Menéndez opposite relative newcomer Cooper Koch (as brother Lyle). Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny roound out the cast as the murdered parents, Jose and Kitty Menéndez.

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