General Hospital Recap, May 23: Michael Corinthos returns and claims his son

Here is your General Hospital recap for Friday, May 23, 2025, when Michael Corinthos stunned all.

What happened on General Hospital

At the PCPD, Mac was relieved to see Jason so he could deal with Aunt Tracy. Jason entered his interrogation room and didn't say a word. "Oh, please, this is not the time for your strong, silent act. Get me out of here," she demanded. Jason informed Tracy that once Diane talked to the judge, he'd post bail.

"Bail? The charges should be dropped. I was framed by that wretched brother of yours," Tracy declared. "Drew sailed up to the boathouse on that barge of his. Then, he trespassed on our property and he planted that...whatever it was...in my car."

Jason just stared at Tracy, angering her more. "Why are you giving me the dead eye?" she asked. "I was just thinking, maybe it wasn't a good idea to team up with Drew," Jason replied, which shut Tracy up for a whole 30 seconds before telling Jason that she had no regrets.

Mac soon walked in and told Tracy that Diane had worked her magic, so she was free to go. Just then, Jason received a mysterious phone call. He picked up and asked the person on the other end what he needed him to do. Jason told Tracy she needed to find another ride cause he had something more important to do.

Elizabeth watched the ball from her house. When she saw Gio's public display of fury, she turned off the TV and commented, "Well, that was intense." Lucas soon walked through the door dressed in a tux and carrying a bottle of champagne. He thought he would just bring the Nurses' Ball to Liz because, apparently, the head nurse can't use crutches or a wheelchair to sit down in a ballroom.

Liz donned the paper tiara that Lucas brought and poured Liz some champagne while Lucky was out running a long errand. They remembered the ball from 10 years ago when Brad proposed to Lucas, Ric proposed to Liz, and Carly told everyone that Hayden was an impostor, who was not really married to Jake Doe, aka Drew Cain. (Liz also learned Jake was Jason, which, of course, he wasn't.)

After Gio's meltdown announcing that Brook Lynn and Dante are the parents who gave him away, Emma chased after Gio, and Lucy tried to calm the audience. "Didn't I tell you guys that anything can happen at the Nurses' Ball?" she nervously asked with a smile.

Chase still stood on the stage and nodded at his wife. Brook Lynn got up and chased after her mother, who also ran from the ballroom. As Lucy rambled, Dante looked at Lulu and whispered, "What the hell is Gio talking about?" Cody approached Dante and pulled Dante aside to talk.

Cody took Dante to a dressing room to give him some answers. "I know this is a lot to take in. I don't know the whole story, but I know one thing for sure. Brook Lynn had your baby," he told a stunned Dante, who asked how Cody knew. "I've known about the pregnancy since that summer. That's why Brook Lynn left Camp Martha early. She was pregnant," Cody explained.

Dante was outraged that Cody never told him, but Cody said that Brook Lynn swore him to secrecy. "Then, when I didn't hear any more about it, I assumed that she terminated the pregnancy," Cody said.

"And that baby was...is...Gio. Gio Palmieri is my son," Dante marveled, before nearly breaking down in tears. "So, that little kid that I used to see lighting sparklers on the Fourth of July block party. That was my boy? Did Brook Lynn know?" he asked.

Sonny, Ned, and Lois also left. Lulu tried to follow, but Carly stopped her. "Lulu, don't. You've done enough," she said. Carly took Lulu into the ladies' room, where she gave her hell. Lulu explained that she confronted Lois, and Gio probably overheard. She wanted to find Dante, but Carly refused to let her.

"Dante needs to hear the truth, but he needs to hear it from the people who were actually involved. That is Lois and Brook Lynn, not you. You need to calm down because, for better or worse, you're the one who set this whole train in motion. You need to get off the track before you get leveled," Carly advised before going to watch Joss and Trina perform.

In the lobby, a breathless Olivia caught up with Sonny. "Could this be true? Is Gio our grandson?" she asked. Sonny seemed just as stunned. "Did you know anything about Brook Lynn having a baby?" Sonny wanted to know. "I'm embarrassed to say I did not," Ned replied.

When Chase appeared, Olivia started questioning him. "Brook Lynn had a baby? Is it true or is it not?" she asked. Chase simply replied, "Yes, Brook Lynn had a child when she was in high school." Olivia wanted more info, but Chase told her that she needed to talk to Brook Lynn because this wasn't his story to tell.

Ned was reeling and wondered where Gio got his information from. "I don't know how Gio fits into this, but my gut is, Gio's just as confused as we are," Chase said. "Bet I know who can clear it up," Sonny chimed in. Olivia realized he meant Lois. "Lois has to know something. I'm sure of it," Sonny added.

Olivia couldn't believe that her best friend would have kept something like this from her. Dante walked up behind them, looking for Brook Lynn. When he didn't find her, he walked away, so Chase tried to go after him. Sonny stopped Chase and told him that Brook Lynn and Dante needed to hash it out alone.

Sonny also had to stop Olivia from going after Dante. "We need to go back into that ballroom, distract our minds, and let the kids do what they're gonna do," Sonny announced. Olivia and Sonny walked away, but Ned stayed to talk to Chase.

He was glad that Brook Lynn confided in Chase, but was hurt that she never told him. "I'm her father. Did she think that she couldn't trust me with that?" he asked. "I should have known, so I could have been there for my little girl," Ned added, as his voice broke.

Chase told Ned that Brook Lynn thought the truth would hurt him. "Is that really what Brook Lynn thought or what Lois made her think?" Ned wondered.

Backstage, Trina and Josslyn wondered if they should find Gio, but Lucy found them and told them they were going on next, so they needed to get changed. Lucy finally introduced the young ladies to the stage, where they sang a beautiful ballad about friendship.

After they sang, Curtis, Portia, and Kai praised Trina before Curtis and Portia left for the night. Carly praised Joss, who was worried about Gio. Willow and Drew then approached them and asked to speak with Carly privately.

"I want to end this terrible fight over the kids. It's not good for anyone, especially not Wiley and Amelia," Willow said. "We just want a peaceful path moving forward. That's why we're willing to find common ground. Even you have to admit that we have the upper hand when it comes to the custody hearing," Drew added.

Carly confidently smiled and told Drew she didn't believe that at all. Drew started to call Carly delusional, but remembered he was supposed to be nice, so he returned to his mature act. "It would really be nice if you could speak for yourself," Carly told Willow. So, Drew spoke for Willow again and said, "We're a unit, Carly."

Willow finally formed some words. "Drew and I believe we can come up with a custody arrangement that could satisfy both sides," she said. Carly suggested joint custody, but Willow asked her to be realistic. "We're willing to let Michael see the kids every other weekend," she said, with no hint in her voice of how wrong that was.

"Plus two weeks in the summer," Drew offered before mentioning possible plans to move to DC. Carly was outraged and even spoke for poor Scout, who would be taken from her brothers. Drew claimed that he and Willow were all the family that Scout needed. "I'll see you in court," Carly said. Willow ran off before Drew got in Carly's face. In his usual creepy tone, he said, "The best part is, if you lose Michael his kids, he's only going to have you to blame."

Finally, everyone sat down in the ballroom for the last number. Port Charles' kids took to the stage. Donna, James, Georgie, Wiley, and Scout all performed an absolutely adorable rendition of I'll Be There.

When they were done, Drew and Willow were stunned when Wiley yelled, "Daddy!" and ran from the stage into Michael's arms. Michael picked him up and said, "Come on, buddy. We're going home," as a devastated Willow watched Michael leave with his son.

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