Alexis Is in Prison on 'General Hospital' — Is She Leaving the Show for Good?

The daytime soap opera General Hospital has been on-air since 1963, serving fans more than 6,000 episodes of drama, romance, and suspense. But recently, 25-year General Hospital veteran Nancy Lee Grahn had a special tribute episode dedicated to her tenure on the show, in which her character, Alexis, was sentenced to prison for three years.

This shocking turn of events has left many fans wondering what could be next for the attorney, who is now facing time behind bars. Did Alexis really leave General Hospital? Is Nancy leaving the show for good? Here's what we know.

On the show, Alexis's arc has taken a turn for the worse, and she'll be spending some time away from Port Charles and instead be going to the Pentonville Penitentiary, as highlighted in the special 25th-anniversary episode for Nancy.

Previously, Alexis attempted to stab Franco with a syringe, only for Dante to attempt to stop her, which led to him getting injected. Inside the syringe was a full dose of lidocaine, causing him to code.

This, of course, catches up with Alexis, who is then arrested for assaulting Dante. As a result of her actions, Alexis is sentenced to three years in prison for the assault after pleading guilty.

In the special tribute episode, we got to see another in-depth look at Alexis's backstory that led her to the actions that landed her in prison. 

"There’s something very poignant that happens at the end that will be very relatable. It serves the emotional well-being of the audience," she hinted about the tribute episode to TV Insider. "Everybody will be able to relate to what happens. [Viewers] will see that you don’t get to skip over parts of your life and not deal with them. You can, but then you end up faking a lot of your life."

But Alexis's prison sentence means she'll be away from the hospital. Did she leave General Hospital?

While a prison sentence like Alexis's is usually an indicator that a character is about to be written off a show, Nancy is not leaving General Hospital anytime soon.

While live-tweeting about the special episode on Twitter, she told fans, “I’m not going anywhere.”

Instead, it looks as though we'll continue to watch Alexis's arc as she tries to find a purpose in prison (like her therapist recommended she do), which appears to be helping fellow inmates with their legal cases.

It looks like the coming season will be split between the hospital and the prison. Actress Sydney Walsh was recently cast as Maggie, another inmate at the penitentiary, expanding the cast further. Former General Hospital character Shawn Butler is also reportedly returning this season, meaning Alexis's prison sentence is just an opportunity to bring new arcs to the table.

You can watch General Hospital on ABC at 2 p.m. EST every weekday.