Sure, General Hospital’s Nelle has been dead and gone for quite a while. But given how many folks in Port Charles once sported toe tags, we’re not entirely convinced

Willow’s half sister is really, most sincerely dead. And guess who agrees with us? That’s right, portrayer Chloe Lanier! Nelle’s fall off a cliff after

a heated confrontation with Carly (Laura Wright) in August 2020 still leads to speculation as to whether she’s really dead. Even though Nina (Cynthia Watros)

buried the body, Nelle has come back to haunt her mom in her dreams. It’s one of the reasons why Lanier leans into the rumors that her character has more lives to live. She shared with Soaps.com that she isn’t necessarily buying the idea that Nelle is gone for good.

 

“Nelle’s too tough to be dead,” Lanier wrote in a recent email interview with Soaps.com. “She’s probably set up camp at the bottom of that cliff, living her best life until Cody (Josh Kelly) comes and finds her.”

If that scenario played out, Lanier would be back onscreen with her real-life love, Kelly, and she could also explore Nelle and Willow’s (Katelyn MacMullen) sisterly relationship, which Lanier is game for.

“I think it would be fun to see them team up to take down Michael (Rory Gibson) and the Corinthos crew,” she said. “Katy is so sweet. We talk about how fun it would be to get to work together again every time we see each other.”

Lanier seems open to a return to Port Charles, but she’s not looking for a redemption arc for Nelle. She described her somewhat misunderstood character as “human,” even though she had her villainous moments.

“We’re all just people. All human. There’s bad behavior, though, and she definitely has engaged in her fair share of that,” Lanier explained. “She didn’t have the proper tools to process her anger… but honestly, she’s way more entertaining that way. If Nelle ever did resurface in some fashion, I wouldn’t want her to be redeemed. Her grit is what makes her entertaining and fun to watch.”

Lanier appears ready to shake up the Port Charles landscape with a Nelle return. It would certainly bring some high-stakes drama to General Hospital in 2026 if it happened.