General Hospital comings and goings: Charles Mesure OUT, Chris McKenna in as Jack Brennan

Just as Carly Spencer and Jack Brennan's romance is heating up on General Hospital, Jack is about to get a new face in the form of One Life to Live vet Chris McKenna.

Charles Mesure leaves General Hospital

According to Soap Opera Digest, it was Mesure's choice to exit the soap he joined in December of 2023.

"Charles Mesure opted to exit the role of Brennan," a spokesperson told the outlet. "We wish him all the best in his future endeavors. General Hospital looks forward to continuing Brennan’s exciting storyline with Chris McKenna in the role."

Mesure's Jack arrived on the Port Charles scene as a mysterious newcomer who took a liking to Carly (Laura Wright) right away after a visit to Kelly's Diner (now known as Bobbie's). Within a few weeks, Anna (Finola Hughes) had arrested Jack for leading the Pikeman Group, which trafficked in illegal arms.

Jack spent several months in Pentonville and despite him trying to take her hostage, Carly was smitten and frequently visited her new friend behind bars. When Jack was suddenly released on a technicality and became the new WSB bureau chief, Jack and Carly grew closer and finally shared their first kiss last week.

Chris McKenna becomes Jack Brennan

When we next see Jack on February 4, the character will have a brand-new face when McKenna makes his debut. The actor got his soap start in 1990 at age 13 when he played the role of Joey Buchanan on One Life to Live. He remained on OLTL for three years and went on to appear in a variety of primetime series, including Private Practice, Harry's Law, Castle, House, and NCIS Los Angeles.

In 2014, McKenna returned to soaps as Detective Mark Harding on The Young and the Restless where he worked with GH star Steve Burton, who played Detective Dylan McAvoy at the time. Mark turned out to be a cold-blooded killer.

We expect to see Burton and McKenna working together again as Jack has been trying to recruit Jason to work for the WSB and Jason has been warning Carly to stay away from the man. Last week, Jack was nearly killed when Valentin Cassadine (James Patrick Stuart) tried to strangle him when all Jack wanted was a facial and massage.

McKenna will be walking into quite a hot storyline when he debuts on February 4, but one question remains — will he have an Australian accent? Stay tuned to find out.

Catch all-new episodes of General Hospital weekdays on ABC and Hulu.