Maurice Benard announces sad news, he will soon retire from ABC General Hospital

Maurice Benard has been a soap opera staple since for over 30 years, having played Sonny Corinthos on General Hospital since 1993. With more than three decades under his belt, it’s hard to imagine the world of Port Charles without Sonny.

In a new interview on the podcast Soapy, Benard addressed his future with General Hospital.

Host Rebecca Budig asked Benard if he’ll still be playing Sonny on GH when he’s 80 years old, like The Bold and the Beautiful‘s John McCook and The Young and the Restless‘ Eric Braeden have done..

“I don’t know, in all honesty, if I can last that long and not because I don’t want to,” Benard explained. “People are going to get mad at me for saying this, but I’m always just going to be honest.

I don’t think mentally if I can keep going that long, and I don’t know if I could act on GH if I’m not at least at 90 percent. That’s the truth.”

He added, “Right now, I’m 62. Maybe another couple of years, three years, and then we’ll see what happens.”

Host Greg Rikaart noted that Benard’s got to do what’s best for him. Benard said he’ll know when it’s time to retire. “I’ll know from mental health,” he said.

When asked about what career he’d have if he wasn’t an actor, Benard said, “I’d say a boxer or a lawyer. I always wanted to be a lawyer.” The Daytime Emmy winner noted that he’s a huge fan of Dateline, 20/20, and Netflix documentaries.

In a previous interview, Benard opened up about a time in 2024 where he didn’t know he’d be able to return. He told Woman’s World that he “called in sick for two weeks—and I’ve never called in sick.

I was in a really rough period where I didn’t sleep at all and had enormous anxiety. It was physical, as well as emotional. I was in bad shape. I didn’t know if I’d ever act again.”