Nicholas Alexander Chavez Leaving “General Hospital” for Good After Menéndez Brother Role in Ryan Murphy Series: Report

Chavez is playing Lyle Menéndez in the second installment of Murphy's anthology series 'Monster', set to premiere on Netflix later this year

Nicholas Alexander Chavez is reportedly saying goodbye to General Hospital.

According to TVLine, the actor, 24, will not return to the ABC soap after taking a leave of absence from the show last summer.

As Chavez vacates his role as Spencer Cassadine, it is currently unclear whether the long-running program will recast his role. His character’s last on-screen appearance in January saw him presumably die after falling into the Seine River.

Viewers speculated that Chavez permanently left General Hospital after his name disappeared from the show’s closing credits in late March.

PEOPLE has reached out to reps for Chavez and General Hospital for comment.

Related: Ryan Murphy's 'Monster' Season 2 on Netflix Will Ask 'What Happened?' in the Menéndez Brothers' Murders

Last July, Chavez went on temporary leave to film the second installment of Ryan Murphy’s anthology series Monster. Scheduled to premiere on Netflix this year, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story will tell the story of the Menéndez Brothers, Lyle and Erik, played by Chavez and Cooper Koch, respectively.

Chavez took over the role of Spencer Cassadine from Nicolas Bechtel in 2021, and the subsequent year, he won a Daytime Emmy for outstanding younger performer in a drama series. He earned another acting nomination at the ceremony in 2023 for outstanding supporting actor in a daytime drama series.

Calling the Emmy win a “lifelong dream” on Instagram, Chavez said, “Thank you for the outpouring of love I’ve received from the fans. Thank you to my family and friends for all of your support and for believing in me.”

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Speaking to PEOPLE about General Hospital’s impact on his career, Chavez labeled himself “the luckiest guy in the world.”

Related: The 10 Most Memorable Moments on General Hospital

“It's changed everything about me," he said of the show. “Before the show, I was selling cars in Florida. I live across the country now. I was driving my dad's old Jeep and now, I'm sitting in a car that I paid for. This show has given me the opportunity to become my own guy. It's also given me the gift few people get in life — the privilege to earn an income doing what I love to do every single day.”

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