General Hospital got its new and more grown-up version of Emma Scorpio-Drake, the daughter of soap-famous couple, Robin Scorpio (Kimberly McCullough) and Patrick Drake (Jason Thompson, now Billy, Y&R), on-screen in December of 2024 in the form of actress, Braedyn Bruner.
Since then, Bruner’s Emma has proven herself to be a young woman who can stand up to anyone and she has fallen hard for Gio Palmieri (Giovanni Mazza), as GH’s next young couple to watch as we head towards 2026.
General Hospital got its new and more grown-up version of Emma Scorpio-Drake, the daughter of soap-famous couple, Robin Scorpio (Kimberly McCullough) and Patrick Drake (Jason Thompson, now Billy, Y&R), on-screen in December of 2024 in the form of actress, Braedyn Bruner.
Since then, Bruner’s Emma has proven herself to be a young woman who can stand up to anyone and she has fallen hard for Gio Palmieri (Giovanni Mazza), as GH’s next young couple to watch as we head towards 2026.
Bruner, who started working on set at GH back on November of 2024, took some time to acknowledge her one-year anniversary with the iconic ABC daytime drama series via a heartfelt post on November 12 via her Instagram account with an accompanying ‘look-back’ photos of her journey thus far as Emma.
Braedyn expressed, “One year ago today, I stepped into the role of Emma Scorpio-Drake at General Hospital, and my life has been forever changed. Since as long as I can remember, I knew I wanted to act and tell stories that mattered – and now I get to do just that every single day, along side a cast and crew that quickly became my family. Thank you guys for supporting me and loving this crazy, amazing, and legendary show. I can’t wait for everyone to see what the future has in store for her.”
Several of Bruner’s co-stars jumped into her comment thread. Most notable, Giovanni Mazza who shared, “You are sorta the coolest person I’ve ever met.” Mazza and Bruner recently performed Stevie Nicks classic song, Landslide, originally recorded by Fleetwood Mac, at the GH Graceland event last month that was all the rage by GH fans via social media. Later, along with Kelly Thiebaud (Britt), Bruner provided back-up as Mazza performed Twist and Shout.
In an interview with Michael Fairman TV, Braedyn gushed about her GH co-star, Giovanni Mazza, and the moment at the 2025 Nurses’ Ball where Gio learned his birth mother was Brook Lynn Quartermaine (Amanda Setton) and his biological father was Dante Falconeri (Dominic Zamprogna) which prompted him to smash his violin on the Nurses’ Ball Stage. “He is one of my best friends in real life and on the show. I think that just makes our job a lot easier. He gave so much this week during his performances, as he always does. But this was different,” shared Bruner. “It was our (the cast) first time seeing him so upset and not his usual happy-go-lucky self and that really affected me, not only as the character, but me seeing him like that as a friend in real life. It just made the scenes that much more real and honest.”
In addition to Mazza sending their congrats to Braedyn, her on-screen grandmother, Finola Hughes (Anna) added, “Love you Braedyn. You’re a class act and I am so happy you came and auditioned that day!” Kristina Wagner (Felicia) added, “Cannot believe it is a whole year It’s not easy being the new girl on the block. Your stamina is amazing and so are you. Big hugs!” Tanisha Harper (Jordan) expressed, “You are killin’ it as Emma! We are so happy you are here!” Chris McKenna (Brennan) added, “You’re a star, lady,” while Kelly Thiebaud (Britt) said, “We love you Braedyn!” Eden McCoy (Josslyn) posted, “LOVE U MAMAAAA.” The Bold and the Beautiful’s Crew Morrow (Will) jumped in too and send along a heart emoji.
GH fans know that the role of Emma was first played as little girl by Brooklyn Rae Silzer, when she began on the soap at only 5-years-old. Silzer was a series regular until 2016. After which she made several guest appearances and was last seen in the role in 2023. Bruner officially stepped into the part on-screen during the December 23, 2024 episode of the ABC daytime drama series.
