Is Ava Jerome leaving ‘General Hospital’?

The longest-running American soap opera in production, General Hospital is known for its cast members sticking around for a long time, with roles being stretched for decades at times.

Lately, there have been rumblings of one of the key cast members, Maura West, leaving the show. At the time of writing, there has been no confirmation as to whether the actress who plays the role of Ava Jerome has been relieved of her responsibilities. West is expected to feature in the soap opera going forward, unless an official word in the future confirms her exit.

The speculation around West quitting General Hospital originated when The Chat podcast host Casey took to their X account in May 2024 to drop a nugget about a female character reportedly leaving the show by the end of the year. The post sent the fans of the soap opera in a puzzled state, which led to the podcast host’s comment section littered with suggestions as to which female character had made their last appearance on the show.

A majority of fans settled on Ava Jerome due to the likelihood of her fleeing from Port Charles because of her continuous shady activities. A few events on the show have hinted towards this direction, most notably Ava keeping mum about Sonny’s compromised medication and her being complicit in Alexis Davis losing her medical license. Her scuffle with Sonny, which led to him asking her to leave his penthouse, was another instance where fans took it for Maura West appearing in her final few episodes.

The character of Ava Jerome is associated with the Jerome crime family and first appeared on General Hospital on May 8, 2013. She is the daughter of the late mob boss Victor Jerome and had her own episode dedicated to her on January 17, 2018. Her criminal history has been brought to the audiences’ attention multiple times on the show, and she had to adopt the alias Denise DeMuccio after having a close shave with death.