On This Day in 1996: A Secret Daughter Arrived in 'General Hospital'—And Daytime TV Was Never the Same

On this day in 1996, General Hospital was forever changed with the arrival of Carly Roberts (Caroline Benson), as future Daytime Emmy winner Sarah Joy Brown made her debut.

The character quickly ingrained herself in Bobbie Spencer’s (Jacklyn Zeman) life, enrolling in a nursing program General Hospital and inserting herself into her world. Carly ultimately began a relationship with Bobbie’s husband, Tony Jones (Brad Maule).

It was eventually revealed that Carly was Bobbie’s daughter, given up at birth and adopted by Frank and Virginia Benson. Carly, born Caroline, grew up in a troubled home, as Virginia struggled with alcoholism and emotional abuse.

As a young woman, Caroline befriended another woman named Carly Roberts. After a car accident left the real Carly incapacitated, and following an affair with Carly’s father, Caroline assumed her identity and moved to Port Charles, determined to confront the mother she believed had abandoned her.

Throughout Brown’s tenure, Carly’s path to revenge was filled with twist and turns. Although she developed real feelings for Tony, she continued making self-destructive choices, including a one-night stand with A.J. Quartermaine (Sean Kanan) that resulted in the birth of her son, Michael.

It was through Michael’s birth that Carly finally revealed the truth about her identity to Bobbie, who only believed her after Virginia arrived in Port Charles.

Throughout the years, Carly would go on to become one of the most iconic and controversial characters in soap opera history, and remains one of the most divisive characters on the series.

Over time, Carly became one of General Hospital’s central characters. After Brown’s exit in April 2001, the role was recast with Tamara Braun and Jennifer Bransford, before Laura Wright took over the role in 2005 and became its longest-running portrayer.

In April 2014, Brown, Braun, and Wright all portrayed Carly in a special episode, dream sequence, celebrating General Hospital’s 51st anniversary.

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Following her departure, Brown continued working steadily in daytime television joining As the World Turns in 2004 as Julia Morrisey Larrabee, The Bold and the Beautiful in 2009 as Aggie Jones, and Days of Our Lives in 2011 as Madison James.

In 2008, Brown returned to General Hospital in a new role, portraying mobster Claudia Zacchara until 2009.

General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC and streams weeknights on Hulu.