Leo on GENERAL HOSPITAL — Everything You Need To Know

Leo Falconeri on GENERAL HOSPITAL isn’t seen very often, so it’s understandable if viewers might have questions about the kid. After being born in 2015, Leo was played by a series of twins until 2017 when Pressly James Crosby took over the role. Max Matenko portrayed the character briefly in 2018 before Aaron Bradshaw stepped in from October 2018 through December 2019. In August 2021, Easton Rocket Sweda made his debut on GH as the newest recast of Leo.

Leo was conceived on New Year’s Eve 2015 when Julian Jerome and Olivia Falconeri slept together because they were jealous that Ned Quartermaine and Alexis Davis were with each other on the holiday. Olivia was naturally mortified that she’d spent the night with Julian and even more so when she learned in February that she was pregnant. She told Ned the truth and he agreed to claim paternity of the child to protect it from Julian and his violent mob dealings.

At the 2015 Nurses Ball, Sam McCall overheard Olivia and Ned talking about the baby and confronted the mom-to-be about keeping the truth from Julian. When he stepped in, Sam told her father the truth, but he had no time to process the revelation because Olivia went into labor and delivered Leo prematurely right there at the Metro Court! Later, at the hospital, Ned and Olivia enlisted Dr. Liesl Obrecht’s help to fake the infant’s death and Ned sneaked Leo out of Port Charles with Olivia following soon after.

When Olivia returned to town with baby Leo, she lied to Julian and claimed he was a baby she’d adopted and named Mateo. However, a suspicious Alexis snagged a pacifier to run a DNA test, telling Julian his son was alive. Julian went ballistic, but eventually, he and Olivia were able to have a civil conversation and agreed to settle custody out of court. Although Julian managed to get out of the mob and be a better father to Leo, he was sadly murdered after getting caught up with the dangerous Cyrus Renault.

Leo has mostly been seen during family gatherings, such as holiday celebrations and being a ring bearer at Ned and Olivia’s wedding. In the summer of 2021, Leo was at the pool with his mom and brother Dante Falconeri when he cut himself and Olivia rushed him to the hospital. Dr. Austin Holt gave the boy a tetanus shot and a fidget spinner and insisted that Olivia bring him back for a follow-up appointment, seeming very adamant that he see Leo again. When Ned brought the boy back to the hospital, he disappeared and Austin found him playing with his fidget spinner in an exam room. The doctor explained to Ned that Leo was exhibiting behavior that could warrant seeing a specialist and he agreed to speak to Olivia about it. But she refused to even entertain the idea that Leo could be autistic and dismissed Ned’s concerns.

Ned continued to press, but Olivia wouldn’t listen… until Leo went missing from a book launch party and their frantic search led to finding the boy at the docks. Ned admitted he’d known where to look because he’d done some research and autistic children are often attracted to water. Olivia finally gave in and admitted Ned was right. They had Leo evaluated and learned that he was on the autism spectrum.

Olivia and Ned shared with Leo their plans to renew their vows and also for Ned to adopt the boy. And in April 2022, the family celebrated Leo Quartermaine officially joining the clan. At the party, Leo was urged to perform his poem for the guests, but he suddenly panicked and ran away. Later, he was able to recite it from memory for Chase. And the cop was there to support Leo when he recited the poem at a school fair the following month.

Leo then returned the favor by making a video of Chase singing one of Brook Lynn’s songs and posting it online where it went viral. Then, during a charity picnic at the Quartermaine estate, Leo made a love potion from an old Falconeri family recipe and it caused some surprising pairings! When Cody Bell was hired to work at the Quartermaine stables, he helped Leo get over his fear of horses and the two became pals. But when Leo visited his father in the hospital in June 2023, he was upset when Ned shouted that he didn’t have any kids. Tracy Quartermaine explained to Leo that Ned had injured himself and didn’t know who he was, and she was just as upset about it as he was. 

Stay tuned to see what happens next!