Rena Sofer, Ellen Travolta: General Hospital Comings and Goings: Ellen Travolta returns as Gloria

Fans of General Hospital were pleasantly surprised when Rena Sofer reprised her role as Lois Cerullo in October 2023 after being off the show for 26 years. It wasn’t long after that fans wondered if other members of the Cerullo clan would be returning, and sure enough, their wish was granted.

Ellen Travolta also returned in November 2023 to reprise her role as Lois’ mother, Gloria. After a short visit, she came back in 2024, but fans were disappointed that her stay didn’t last very long. However, they can now rejoice as Travolta returned to Port Charles on March 11 and we expect to see her some more.

Grandma Gloria to the rescue

General Hospital's Ellen Travolta greeted Lois and Olivia | Image Source: ABC

Ellen Travolta is the sister of superstar John Travolta, and had appeared on his show Welcome Back Kotter back in 1978 and 1979 as the mother of Arnold Horshack (Ron Pallilo). She also played Louisa Arcola, mother of Chachi (Scott Baio), on the classic sitcom Happy Days back in the early 80s, as well as dozens of other roles.

Travolta brought Gloria back to GH in 2024 to attend her granddaughter Brook Lynn’s (Amanda Setton) wedding to Chase (Josh Swickard). Currently, the happy couple is experiencing some turmoil. They wanted to have a baby but sadly learned that Chase could not father children. All of that longing to be a mother and disappointment has brought up old feelings in Brook Lynn: she had a baby while in high school, and with the help of her mother Lois, she gave it up for adoption.

To add a twist, Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) is the father, but has no idea. However, Lulu (Alexa Havins) learned of the secret and confronted Brook Lynn about it because she felt that Dante should know he has a son out in the world somewhere. On top of all that, Lois not only knew that Brook Lynn had a boy, but she also knows that Gio (Giovanni Mazza) is him.

With all that crazy drama, Brook Lynn’s going to need more family support and it’s Grandma Gloria to the rescue!

According to Soap Opera Digest, Sofer stated, “Lois’s return didn’t make sense to me if Ellen didn’t also come back from time to time. I love that she is such an important part of this story. And selfishly, Ellen is my adoptive mother — in my mind and heart — so any time spent with her is a gift to me.”

In April 2024, Setton shared the same sentiment about Travolta with TV Insider: “We fell in love immediately. What’s crazy is my maternal grandmother was Grandma Gloria. I had her till I was 30 and we were so close…And then in meeting Ellen, she looks like my grandma – same haircut, same high cheekbones. It really did feel like I had a few days with my grandma. It was very, very special for me.”