General Hospital seems to be ringing out 2024 with controversy, as fans are scared that Evan Hofer's Dex may exit the series after more than two years.
The hit TV drama, which owns the record for the longest-running American soap opera still in production, is not one to shy away from putting its audiences on edge.
Its ever-evolving story of the residents of Port Charles, New York has wowed daytime television audiences since 1963, with Hofer's character being one of the more recent additions that fans have latched onto.
Dex's General Hospital Future Is Put Into Question
After being a part of General Hospital for over two years, recent events in the series have audiences wondering if the show is setting up Evan Hofer's Dex Heller for a potential exit.
This exit scare stems mostly from a dramatic twist of fate involving the character in the Tuesday, December 10, 2024 episode of the long-running series.
Dex, a Port Charles police officer investigating the various salacious activities of its particularly drama-prone residents (like the recent death of longtime character Sam), was shockingly stabbed in the December 10 episode, putting his fate into question.
The episode saw Hofer's character visiting Port Charles University (aka PCU), hoping to set a good example for its student body. However, as is often the case in General Hospital, things did not go as planned, as a drunken fight broke out between PCU and rival Llanview students over the merits of their football teams.
Dex broke up the fight with little resistance, sending the drunken teens on their way, but that is when things took a turn for the bloody. As he was pouring out the last of the remaining drinks from the confrontation, a mysterious, shadowy figure emerged, stabbing Dex and seemingly leaving him for dead.
It did not take long for Dex to be rescued though, as his partner, Felicia was nearby and ready to care for her fellow officer. Dex was taken to hospital to treat his wounds, where he would receive emergency surgery.
Dex would survive the procedure, seemingly securing his future on the series and confirming that he would not be written off the show.
However, a major question remains — who stabbed the Port Charles police officer to begin with? Some have assumed it was one of the disgruntled students from the fight Dex had broken up, but others believe there may be something more nefarious afoot.
A particular corner of the General Hospital fandom seems to think that Jeff Kober's Cryus may have been the one holding the knife. Dex and Cyrus recently nearly came to blows, as it was revealed he was the man behind Sam's recent death in the series (read more about Sam's General Hospital death here).
Is Dex Leaving General Hospital?
While Dex's General Hospital stabbing storyline could have left the character for dead, seeing actor Evan Hofer written off the series, that does not look to be the case.
With the character now having survived the attack and now recovering in a hospital bed, one can assume he is going to be fine (although you really never know with a series like General Hospital).
There has been no official indication that Dex or Evan Hofer would be exiting the series any time soon.
Other major characters like the aforementioned Sam as well as Tristan Rogers' Robert Scorpio have been sunsetted in the series. So, it would be a little bizarre for yet another series mainstay like Dex to get the boot so close together.
While Hofer's Port Charles police officer was initially only supposed to be a bit part when he was introduced back in 2022, the character has become an integral part of the ongoing General Hospital story.
With jaw-dropping plot points like Ava's ongoing trial playing a major part in the series as of late, a prominent keeper of the law like Dex has been vital to the show's dramatic storyline.
Hofer's first major contract with the show was signed back in 2023 (per Soaps In Depth).
Typically stars sign two-year deals with the series, so a new contract negotiation may be coming up for the actor, but, given just how much fans have enjoyed having him around, it would make sense that they get a deal done.
New episodes of General Hospital air on weekdays on ABC at 2 p.m. ET, and the series is also streaming on Hulu.
