Ava Jerome isn't your typical soap opera villain. Honestly, if you've been watching General Hospital lately, you know she’s more of a walking hurricane in designer heels. She doesn't just enter a room; she colonizes it.
People love to hate her. Or maybe they just love to watch her burn everything down and then ask for a glass of water. It’s been over a decade since Maura West first strutted onto the canvas in 2013, and the character of Ava Jerome on GH remains the most polarizing figure in Port Charles. Is she a victim of her mob upbringing? A cold-blooded killer? A grieving mother?
The answer is usually "yes" to all of the above, depending on which day of the week it is.
The Jerome Legacy: Why She Can't Just Be "Good"
You can't talk about Ava without talking about the Jerome crime family. She was born into a world where trust is a liability and a double-cross is just a Tuesday. Her father was Victor Jerome. Her mother? The legendary Delia Ryan. That kind of DNA doesn't exactly lead to a career in social work.
A lot of fans forget that Ava originally showed up as an art dealer. It was a "legit" front, but the mob ties were always dangling right there. She wasn't just Julian Jerome’s sister; she was his strategist.
The Murder that Changed Everything
The big turning point—the one that still gets brought up in every Twitter argument—is the murder of Connie Falconeri. This wasn't some accidental shove. Ava shot her in cold blood to protect her brother.
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It was a definitive "point of no return" moment. Most characters would be written off after that, or at least sent to Pentonville for twenty years. But Ava? She just kept moving. She’s like a cat that somehow has eighteen lives instead of nine.
What’s Actually Happening Right Now (January 2026)
If you’ve missed the last few weeks, things are getting weird. Even for Port Charles.
As of mid-January 2026, Ava is caught in a massive power struggle involving Jenz Sidwell and a very messy situation at Wyndemere. There’s a new mystery man on Spoon Island—Ross Calum, the Director of the WSB—who seems to be even more dangerous than the usual Cassadine riff-raff.
Ava just alerted Sidwell that Valentin Cassadine was hanging out in her old living room. It's vintage Ava: using information as currency. She’s currently navigating a professional (and potentially romantic) relationship with Sidwell, which is basically like playing with a flamethrower in a room full of gunpowder.
- The Shocking Encounter: Recent spoilers for January 13, 2026, teased a "shocking encounter" for Ava.
- The Valentin Factor: Valentin is hiding in Carly’s attic (don't ask), but his presence is still haunting Ava’s orbit.
- The Sidwell Risk: Sidwell isn't a guy you want to owe favors to, but Ava has never been one for safe bets.
The Maura West Masterclass
We have to talk about the actress. Maura West is the only reason Ava Jerome works. Period.
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On paper, Ava is a monster. She switched Morgan Corinthos’s bipolar meds, which eventually led to his death. She seduced her daughter’s boyfriend. She’s done things that make Sonny Corinthos look like a saint.
But when West plays her? You see the cracks. You see the desperate need for love and the bone-deep loneliness of a woman who has lost almost everyone she ever cared about. Remember Kiki? The death of her daughter Kiki Jerome was supposed to be her "redemption" arc, but in true soap fashion, it just made her more jagged.
The Great Misconception: Is She Redeemable?
Most viewers fall into two camps. Camp A thinks Ava is a goddess who deserves the world. Camp B wants her to fall off a parapet and never come back.
The reality is that Ava Jerome on GH is at her best when she’s not being redeemed. The writers tried to make her a "heroine" for a bit, especially during her marriage to Nikolas Cassadine. It was fine, I guess. But Ava is most electric when she’s cornered.
She’s a survivor.
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When people say she’s "ruined" because she’s acting villainous again, they’re missing the point. Ava isn't a person who finds peace. She finds leverage. Her recent actions involving Sonny’s medication—basically keeping him off-balance so he relies on her—is a callback to her darkest impulses. It’s toxic. It’s messy. It’s exactly who she is.
What to Watch For Next
The walls are closing in. With the WSB involved and Sidwell breathing down her neck, Ava is running out of places to hide.
If you're following the current storyline, keep an eye on her interactions with Alexis Davis. Their friendship is one of the most unexpected and fascinating dynamics on the show. Alexis is the moral compass Ava never had, and Ava is the reality check Alexis often needs.
Actionable Insights for Fans:
- Watch the body language: Maura West puts a lot of subtext into how Ava holds herself when she's lying versus when she's actually scared.
- Rewatch the 2014 episodes: If you want to understand her current obsession with Sonny, you have to see where the Connie Falconeri murder started.
- Check the spoilers: The situation with Ross Calum and the catacombs under Wyndemere is going to explode by February.
Ava Jerome is the ultimate wildcard. She isn't looking for a happy ending; she’s just looking to stay in the game. Whether you love her or want her gone, you can't deny that Port Charles would be a lot quieter—and a lot more boring—without her.
Keep an eye on the January 14-20 episodes. The fallout from her "shocking encounter" is going to redefine her alliance with Sidwell and might just put her back in Sonny’s crosshairs for good.