General Hospital fans are grieving Jack Brennan, but the most heartbreaking part of Chris McKenna’s exit may have nothing to do with the grave where his character was left behind. Behind Brennan’s confidence, danger, humor, and unexpected vulnerability was an actor quietly carrying a deeply personal story of his own. Now that McKenna has opened up about what he survived before finding his way to Port Charles, his GH goodbye suddenly feels much more emotional — and one carefully chosen word from the actor leaves the door cracked open.
McKenna recently revealed a private struggle that many viewers watching him as Brennan never knew about. During an appearance on Maurice Benard’s State of Mind, the actor shared that he had lived for years with bipolar disorder without receiving the diagnosis he needed. He traced his struggles back to his teenage years, but things became especially serious during the COVID era, when a severe depressive period was followed by a manic psychotic episode and hospitalization. That hospitalization ultimately led to his diagnosis and treatment.
That revelation changes the way fans may look at McKenna’s time on GH. Brennan appeared controlled even when chaos surrounded him. He could be intimidating one minute and vulnerable the next, delivering humor, anger, compassion, romance, and menace without making the character feel inconsistent. Fans praised that range repeatedly. What viewers could not see was the very real journey the actor behind Brennan had already traveled before stepping into the role.
Then McKenna’s life entered a dramatically different chapter. He married Lovisa Jansson in 2020, and in July 2024, the couple welcomed their son, Spencer. Becoming a father overlapped with McKenna’s GH journey, giving his time as Brennan a meaning that went far beyond another television job. Looking back on that period, McKenna described having his son while also having somewhere to go and work as an extraordinary chapter in his life. Despite his disappointment over Brennan’s ending, he called the GH opportunity a “gift.”
That is what makes the goodbye sting. McKenna has openly acknowledged that he was disappointed with how Brennan’s story ended. He had imagined something bigger for the WSB chief — perhaps a heroic sacrifice or the kind of grand final speech worthy of a complicated spy who had become increasingly important to Port Charles. Instead, Brennan ended up dead, with Drew and Ava secretly burying his body in an unmarked grave.
Fans clearly share McKenna’s frustration. Some longtime viewers have called Brennan one of the best additions GH has made in years, while others insist the character deserved a far more dignified farewell. The reaction is not simply about losing a handsome romantic lead. Brennan still had unfinished relationships, unanswered questions, and enormous storyline potential.
McKenna himself has revealed just how different Brennan’s future once looked. When he moved onto contract, he believed there could be significant material involving Brennan and Anna, potentially even creating romantic complications involving Carly. That direction never fully materialized. He also discovered surprising chemistry with Cynthia Watros and jokingly described Brennan and Nina — “Brennina” — as the greatest GH love story never told.
Those abandoned possibilities make Brennan’s ending feel even more abrupt. He was connected to the WSB, Josslyn, Carly, Anna, Nina and some of Port Charles’ most dangerous secrets. He did not feel like a character whose story had naturally reached its conclusion. He felt like a character standing in front of several unopened doors when GH suddenly closed all of them.
McKenna’s final days at the show also reveal something about the man fans were saying goodbye to. He and Paige Herschell learned about their exits on the same day, and McKenna spoke about wanting to make sure his co-star received recognition and support. On his own final day, cast and crew members came out to applaud him, while executive producer Frank Valentini marked the occasion with a bottle of bourbon rather than the traditional flowers.
There is another emotional layer to McKenna’s story. His daytime career began when he was only 12 years old as Joey Buchanan on One Life to Live. Decades later, GH reunited him with people connected to those early years, making his arrival in Port Charles feel almost like returning to an old family. Even Erika Slezak, who played his television mother on OLTL, reached out after learning about Brennan’s exit.
Perhaps that is why this goodbye does not feel like an ordinary soap departure. McKenna arrived at GH after surviving one of the most difficult chapters of his personal life. During his run, he became a new father, rediscovered old daytime connections, created a character viewers fiercely embraced, and found another professional home.
But there is one final detail fans should not ignore.
McKenna did not declare that Brennan was gone forever. Discussing the future, he carefully said this “may” be the end for Brennan while also teasing that viewers would see him again very soon and revealing that he has other projects in development.
That is not confirmation that Jack Brennan will rise from that grave. But in daytime television, “may” is a very different word from “never.”
GH buried Jack Brennan.
Chris McKenna’s story, however, is nowhere near finished.
