Get in, loser, we’re going to Port Charles.

Mean Girls star Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of General Hospital

Get in, loser, we're going to Port Charles.

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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April 16, 2026 4:16 p.m. ET

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Jonathan Bennett in Los Angeles in 2026. Credit:

Presley Ann/Getty

- *Mean Girls *star Jonathan Bennett is joining the cast of *General Hospital*.

- Bennett will first appear as the new character Joe Fitzpatrick on the long-running soap opera in May.

- He is best known for his role as Aaron Samuels in *Mean Girls*, but is a frequent face on the Hallmark Channel and hosts the Food Network series *Halloween Wars*.

And on Thursdays we announce TV castings.

Jonathan Bennett is the latest star to join the expansive cast of *General Hospital* — the longest-running soap opera still in production.

The *Mean Girls* standout will appear as the character Joe Fitzpatrick, ** confirmed on Thursday. Little is known about the character, which was created for Bennett and will make his debut in May.

Jonathan Bennett as Aaron Samuels in 'Mean Girls'.

"We're so excited to have Jonathan joining our cast. He's a tremendous talent and will be a fantastic addition to *GH*," *General Hospital* executive producer Frank Valenti shared in a statement.

Bennett's new residency in *General Hospital*'s fictional setting of Port Charles, N.Y., does not constitute his soap opera debut. That came back in 2001, and doubled as his TV debut when the upstart 20-year-old was cast as J.R. Chandler on *All My Children*.

Bennett took over for Jesse McCartney as the character quickly aged, and he was replaced just a year later by Andrew Ridings. The role was eventually played for nearly a decade by Jacob Young, who had ironically moved from *GH *to *AMC*.

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Bennett is best known for his role as the North Shore High School "hottie" Aaron Samuels in Tina Fey and Mark Waters' generation-defining 2004 dramedy *Mean Girls*.

Since shooting to fame on the *Mean Girls *rocket, Bennett has appeared in films like *Cheaper by the Dozen 2 *and a bevy of series, from *Veronica Mars *and *Smallville *to *Dancing With the Stars *and *Halloween Wars*, which he currently hosts.

Bennett has lately come to be known as the "Gay King of Christmas" over on the Hallmark Channel, where he's appeared in a number of films and series, including the historic *Groomsmen *trilogy, which features a triptych of LGBTQ love stories.

Genie Francis, Maurice Benard, and Rick Hearst on 'General Hospital'.

Disney/Christine Bartolucci

Bennett's casting is a happy addition to the *GH *family fold after a beloved cast member recently struck out for other pastures.

In March, *Days of Our Lives *announced that Sofia Mattsson, who left *GH *in 2025, would be making her debut on the Peacock soap. Mattsson originated the tragic Sasha Gilmore on *GH *in 2018, and will make her first *Days *appearance in 2027.

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Soap”