The Truth About Wiley's Parents On General Hospital
In the four years since little Wiley Corinthos was born on "General Hospital," he has led quite a dramatic life because he had the honor of being part of a baby switch, with his parentage getting more confusing by the day even here in 2022. Even his birth wasn't without drama, as his biological mother, Nelle Benson (Chloe Lanier), gave birth to him in the woods with fugitive Dr. Liesl Obrecht (Kathleen Gati) helping out because she just happened by (via Michael Fairman TV).
The day before, school teacher Willow Tait (Katelyn MacMullen) gave birth to a little boy, as well, but felt she needed to protect him from his cult leader father, so she gave him up for adoption and he was handed to Brad Cooper (Parry Shen) and Lucas Jones (Ryan Carnes), a same-sex couple who were thrilled to adopt their first child (via Soaps In Depth). Lucas, a doctor, was performing a surgery when Brad was told he could take the baby home, so Lucas never met him. Tragically, when Brad went to make a bottle, he went back to the baby's crib to find he wasn't breathing. He quickly drove towards the hospital where he met his old pal, Nelle, in the woods, and that's where Wiley's strange story really began (via Soaps In Depth).
Nelle offered her healthy baby to Brad
By the time Nelle Benson had given birth to the baby now known as Wiley, she was a wanted woman for a myriad of crimes, and she also didn't want her baby's father, Michael Corinthos (Chad Duell), to raise him (via Soaps In Depth). So, she offered her living baby to Brad Cooper, who presented him to Lucas Jones as the son they just adopted, and Nelle showed up at the hospital with the baby Brad and Lucas really adopted and told Michael the little boy they planned to name Jonah, was stillborn. Nelle was soon carted off to jail knowing her baby was with parents who would love him who were not named Michael.
As for Michael, he got to know mourn his son for well over a year, but also take care of him plenty as Lucas and Brad named him Wiley's godfather. Brad was a wreck fearing that Lucas would find out the truth, and both were a wreck when Willow Tait wanted her son back, but then changed her mind again. However, they allowed Willow into their life and she became attached to a son she thought was her own. Lucas' father, Julian Jerome (William de Vry), also figured out the truth, so it was a secret he and Brad kept together (via Soaps In Depth).
Nelle escapes prison and tries to kidnap Wiley
Wiley was a toddler when Nelle Benson somehow finally got parole and decided she was going to take her son back from Brad Cooper and Lucas Jones — illegally. She got Brad to give her a place to stay without mentioning she planned to take her baby and get out of town (via Soaps In Depth). Her plan was thwarted by Willow Tait, who was babysitting at the time and Brad finally had to tell Lucas the truth once an injured Willow was taken to the ER.
Lucas was heartbroken, but did the right thing and forced Brad to confess the whole sordid story to a stunned Michael Corinthos. Lucas then gave the baby born as Jonah Corinthos to Michael, who decided the boy should keep the name Wiley since it was the only name he knew, according to Soap Central. Willow was later heartbroken to learn that the baby she gave birth to had died (via Soaps In Depth). While that sounds like everything was wrapped up in a neat little bow for Wiley's parentage, the story was far from over.
Nelle sued for custody of Wiley
After Nelle Benson managed to avoid more jail time, she sued for custody of Wiley. Michael Corinthos feared he would lose the case despite the boy's mother being a crazed criminal, so he and Willow married to give Wiley two parents and make them look better in front of the judge. Not to be outdone, Nelle decided to get herself a husband and convinced Julian Jerome to marry her, but she lost her case anyway (via Soaps.com). Nelle truly believed her old boss Nina Reeves (Cynthia Watros) would testify on her behalf, but instead Nina tore her apart and told the judge what a bad mother she would make (via Soap Hub).
Nelle lost custody, tried to kidnap Wiley again, and Michael's mother, Carly Corinthos (Laura Wright), ended up chasing Nelle through the woods. Nelle then ran off a cliff to her alleged death (via Soaps in Depth). Later, Carly realized that Nelle was the daughter that was taken from Nina at birth while she was in a coma. Carly decided to keep that secret to herself for a while, which wasn't a very good idea (via Soaps.com). After Nina learned the truth, she was furious at Carly and left town to clear her head. That was when Wiley's story and parentage started to go off the rails again.
Wiley gets a new mother and grandmother
Even after Michael Corinthos and Willow Tait annulled their marriage and then realized they were in love but chose not to remarry, Willow officially adopted the boy as her son (via Soaps In Depth). They then had to contend with the fact that Nina Reeves wanted to get to know Wiley as her grandson. At first, they accepted it because she wasn't around a lot anyway, but eventually they learned she was frequenting a fictional Pennsylvania town called Nixon Falls where she had found Michael's presumed dead father, Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard), living as a bartender with no memory of who he was. He also wanted to keep it that way so Nina let him, while she was also falling in love with him (via Soaps In Depth).
When Sonny got his memory back and all this was revealed, Carly Corinthos (who is in charge of her adult son), Michael, and Willow decided big, bad Nina should never be allowed near Wiley again. So, Nina decided to sue for grandmother's rights, but she used one last ploy before getting a lawyer, Willow's mother, Harmony Miller (Inga Cadranel).
The battle of Wiley's grandmothers
Willow Tait had been on the outs with her mother, Harmony Miller, for a while and they were finally becoming close again. Still, Willow was hesitant to give her more time with Wiley, her adopted grandson. This prompted Nina Reeves to approach Harmony about them forming a united front to gain grandmother's rights without the courts (via Soaps.com). Harmony was immediately freaked out by this, but gave it a try because she felt she owed Nina. And why did she owe Nina? Well, because it turned out that Harmony raised Nina's other baby, Willow. Yes, Nina, who was comatose when she had a C-section and remained that way for years, had twins and didn't even know it. This makes Willow not only Wiley's adopted mother, but his aunt too. But it doesn't end there.
As of this writing, Harmony is still willing to do anything to never let Willow discover the truth. That included a few murders and attempted murders that ended with Harmony hit by a car driven by Sasha Gilmore (Sofia Mattsson), the woman who pretended to be Nina's long-lost daughter a few years back (via Soaps In Depth). But Carly is the one with the knowledge again. She now knows Harmony is not Willow's biological mother and when she finds out who is, Wiley's parentage and his Grandma Wars will become more complicated than ever.