Chloe Lanier Reveals How She Really Feels About Bringing Nelle Benson Back To General Hospital
Evil has worn many faces on "General Hospital." One of the most sinister and devious characters was Nelle Benson (Chloe Lanier). When Carly Corinthos (Laura Wright) wanted to determine who the kidney donor for her daughter Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy) was, Crimson magazine editor-in-chief Nina Reeves (Cynthia Watros) used the publication's resources to locate the mystery donor. That donor was none other than Nelle, who turned to be the daughter of Carly's adopted father Frank Benson. When Joss' father, Jasper "Jax" Jacks (Ingo Rademacher), sought a kidney for her on the black market, he offered Frank a great deal of money, not realizing Frank would sell Nelle's kidney without her permission (via Soaps She Knows).
Per Soap Central, Nelle thought Carly forced Frank to sell her kidney, and came to town seeking revenge. Over time, Nelle's psychotic side showed itself, but not before she and Michael Corinthos (Chad Duell) got romantically involved and she became pregnant. After a big flap involving swapping her baby Wiley (then named Jonah) with one that had died, the truth came out and Michael fought Nelle in court for custody. However, as the walls started to close in on Nelle's evil schemes, she kidnapped Wiley but ultimately perished after falling off a cliff, according to Soap Opera Spy.
As Soaps She Knows reported, after Nelle's death Carly figured out that Nelle was actually Nina's daughter. Now Chloe Lanier is set to return to Port Charles, even though Nelle seemingly perished.
Chloe Lanier talks returning as Nelle
Soap Opera Digest interviewed former "General Hospital" star Chloe Lanier about returning to the role of Nelle Benson. She explained that since she last played the character in 2020, she needed to watch videos of herself as a refresher. "What did I even do? What were my speech patterns? How did I walk as Nelle?" she said, hoping that she'd be able to easily jump into the role again. "GH" executive producer Frank Valentini had texted Lanier, requesting she return to the show for a short time. Lanier agreed, saying future returns wouldn't be out of the question (via Soap Hub).
Recently, Carly Corinthos learned that Nelle was also the twin sister of Wiley's adopted mother, Willow Tait (Katelyn MacMullen). Carly then realized Nina is Willow's mother, per Soaps Spoilers. She kept this information secret, but now that Willow is not only pregnant with Michael Corinthos' child, and was diagnosed with leukemia, Showbiz Cheat Sheet speculated the truth about Willow's maternal lineage may need to be revealed to save her life.
Soap Opera Digest posted Lanier's return on Twitter, and fans were divided with one responding, "...the last thing GH needs is a Nelle return," while an opposite opinion stated, "I really hope Chloe can come back for good. I miss Nelle and all her shenanigans."
Whether Lanier stays for a long stint, or just a brief one, fans are eager to see how the secret is exposed.