Avery Pohl's Exit From General Hospital Leaves Esme Fans Fuming

As Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and Ava Jerome (Maura West) were under attack in Puerto Rico, another violent showdown was happening in Paris, France, on "General Hospital," keeping fans on the edge of their seats during the January 31, 2024, episode. In Paris, vindictive villain Esme Prince (Avery Pohl) followed Spencer Cassadine (Nicholas Chavez) and Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) onto a private yacht. Armed only with a syringe, zip ties, and duct tape, she overpowered the ship's captain, leaving a puddle of blood in her wake.

Esme then captured and tied up Trina, and planned to take Spencer hostage to flush out his father, Nikolas Cassadine (Adam Huss), who took their baby son, Ace (the Clay Brothers). Trina freed herself and a struggle ensued between the trio, resulting in Spencer and Esme careening over the side of the ship into the English Channel. Spencer and Trina's families managed to get there in record time, but it was too late; The bodies could not be found by the Paris police and the effort went from rescue to recovery, much to everyone's dismay.

While most fans were aware that Chavez was taking a temporary break from the show to play Lyle Menendez in "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story" on Netflix, they were shocked when Soap Opera Digest reported on February 1 that Pohl was exiting completely and that this would therefore be her last episode. Many fans on social media wished the actor well but were nevertheless unhappy at this devastating news.

In a separate Soap Opera Digest article, Tabyana Ali raved about the "General Hospital" stunt work involved in the harrowing scenes on January 31, and praised Avery Pohl, describing her co-star as "basically like a stunt coordinator herself! She took some classes back when she was younger." Ali added, "I was so happy that I was doing this with her because she knew that world really well." But fans weren't too happy that Pohl was leaving the beloved soap, and X, formerly Twitter, was abuzz with commentary. 

"Noooo!!! She was one of my favorites on #GH!!! Why does @GeneralHospital keep letting all of the great actors and actresses go???" lamented one fan, while another listed characters they would rather see leave, and asserted, "Avery did so well in that role, she could have had longevity, but they wrote her into a corner." Esme's dastardly deeds over the years had turned her into a character that fans loved to hate. In portraying her so well, Pohl ran the risk of causing them to hate her as well as the character. 

However, as the soap star confidently told SOD, "At the end of the day, my job is to help tell a story and to entertain people, and if people are entertained by the fact that they love to loathe me, then I guess my job is done!" But Esme could easily return sometime soon, perhaps after she wrestles baby Ace away from his bio dad, and could once again menace Port Charles before we know it.