Daytime Emmy winner Sean Blakemore (Shawn Butler) is returning to General Hospital. The actor has not been seen on-screen since 2016.
Blakemore's 2015 exit from General Hospital caught many fans by surprise. Executive Producer Frank Valentini made the announcement during a backstage cake ceremony to celebrate the show's most recent set of live broadcasts -- and the exit of Blakemore and fellow castmate Jeffrey Vincent Parise (Carlos Rivera).
"Thank you all from my heart 4 all ur immeasurable [support]/luv during my time on GH," Blakemore shared on Twitter at the time. "It was a great ride!"
In story, Blakemore's character was written off when he was sent to Pentonville for shooting Hayden Barnes. It's a crime Shawn did not commit. However, Shawn still has ties to the current GH canvas: he is Jordan Ashford's former lover and T.J.'s biological dad.
Since leaving GH, Blakemore has kept busy. He appeared on Devious Maids, landed a role in the BET pilot for The Yard, appeared on the digital comedy series Dangerous Curves, shared scenes with Brad Pitt in Ad Astra, and booked a series regular role in the Freeform pilot Close Up.
Blakemore won an Outstanding Supporting Actor trophy at the 2016 Daytime Emmys.
ABC has yet to officially announce Blakemore's return, and, as a result, a first date has not yet been revealed. News of Blakemore's return was first reported by Soap Opera Digest.
What do you think about the return of Sean Blakemore's Shawn? What do you think the character's story might be? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
