Rebecca Budig opened up about her shocking ouster at the ABC sudser at the Official General Hospital Fan Club Weekend.
A Bittersweet Sendoff
“Maybe, bittersweet,” she replied when asked about her character’s impending departure. “But I hope it’s interesting to watch. It was interesting [for me]to watch [Michael Easton’s performance]. I hope everyone will enjoy it as much as I did,” she told our wonderful friends at Soap Hub, who also started a petition save Hayden!
Related: Sign the petition to keep Budig on General Hospital.
There are many fans who are very disappointed, to put it mildly, that Rebecca Budig (Hayden) will soon be exiting the GH canvas. This, just when her character has finally found happiness with the good Dr. Finn (Michael Easton) and is pregnant with their child. Budig chatted to our friends at Soap Hub at Easton and Roger Howarth’s (Franco) fan event at the Embassy Suites hotel in Glendale, California this past weekend. She thanked the fans for their unwavering support.
“It really humbled me,” she said.
What Could Have Been!
Breaking: William deVry Signs New Contract to Stay at GH!
Turns out Budig shared an interesting aside as well about her onscreen dad. Fans were excited awhile back to learn that past fave Dr. Jeff Webber (ex-Richard Dean Anderson) was, in fact, Hayden’s real father. There was subsequently a wave of support to bring the popular actor and his character back, unfortunately to no avail. Did Budig think that bringing the character –and his portrayer–onto the canvas might have helped to solidify Hayden’s place in Port Charles a bit more?
“Of course,” she said. “I actually think they tried [to get him]but I don’t know. It’s honestly more of a writer and producer question. I think the writer change was a struggle to sort of figure out who Hayden was and how she fit in.”
Don’t Count Her Out, Anything’s Possible in Soap Land!
We can safely bet that Budig, with her immense talent, intelligence, and beauty to boot, won’t be gone from our screens for long. She smiled and said, “Who knows?” when asked if a GH return was possible.
Petitions are circulating to bring her character back. After all, we were rooting for Hayden and Finn to live a well-deserved happily ever after! We at Soap Cities are sure that we’ll be seeing Budig on the small or even big screen in due time, and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors!
Don’t Miss: Frank Valentini dished on The Tale of Two Jasons to come as Steve Burton’s return nears!
When Easton said at GHFCW that she’ll be back at the ABC sudser in six months, she demurred and said she doubted it. With the wacky ups and downs behind-the-casting-scenes in daytime these days, and given Budig’s star quality, we agree with Easton.
Both Budig and Easton confirmed they’re not headed to Days of Our Lives, as rumors had circulated as Ron Carlivati’s writing reign began over at the NBC soap. That’s according to our friend Robert Davis, who also got us this lovely pic!
“I feel super-flattered — and just super-grateful” ~ Budig
Budig officially spoke out about her departure in the latest issue of Soap Opera Digest on sale now! She seems astounded by the support she has gotten from fans since her depature was announced. It “has been mind-blowing … I feel super-flattered, very unworthy and just super-grateful.”
We at Soap Cities hope Budig does come back to Port Charles, since there is so much interesting storyline to explore between her and her half-sister Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst)! Now that William deVry has re-signed with GH, we always say “never say never,” don’t we dear readers?!
It seems our Rebecca feels the same way! On coming back, she told SOD, “If I had the chance to work with Michael Easton [Finn] and Becky Herbst [Elizabeth] again, it would be an easy decision.” For more scoop on Budig, run, don’t walk to get the latest issue of SOD out right now!
Give us your input in the comment section below. Check back with Soap Cities for more GH spoilers, recaps, news, and fun! Follow us on Twitter at @soapcities, on Instagram at @soapcities, and come chat with us in our Facebook group. Catch General Hospital weekdays on ABC. If you want more soap action 24/7, go to Soap Fans United!
Discussion15 Comments
what happened to the petition that has over 16,000 signatures. Fans have heard nothing from Soaphub. I have tweeted and emailed them to no avail. Maybe u people can help us fans find out the status. We want Rebecca back on the GH canvas.
I truly hope there is some way they can bring Rebecca/Hayden back! If we’re lucky, the polls will work.
I’d love to know what the REAL reason was that she was let go! She’s in the middle of a major storyline, so it makes no sense! That’s why I wonder if she pissed someone off…LOL.
BRING HAYDEN BACK!!
Thank you all for your comments. We at Soap Cities are also hoping that they can bring Hayden back some way! Hopefully the fan outcry will yield some positive results!
General Hospital is really ignoring fans. Its fans that keep them going. Hayden is in the middle of a decent storyline. Is there no hope for a decent story with a little hope in this disturbing world we live in.? Just bring Budig back. Tired if the hate and gloom GH!!!
She was a breath of fresh air with love and pleasantness and they had fabulous chemistry. BRING HER BACK.
3 little words.: BRING HAYDEN/REBECCA BACK
Please bring back Rebecca Budig- an asset to GH!!! GH is letting so many key people go and keeping people like Nell and others.
Also I always loved Steve Burton but Billy is going a fabulous job, so if they let Rebecca go so they could pay Steve that is s mistake.
Frank Valentini must think we’re idiots if he don’t get that we understand that he fired all these people just so he can get Steve Burton back like he’s going to be the miracle worker on General Hospital now I can’t wait until it all blows up in his face
Bring her back and get rid of Nell. She’s the absolute worst and she has ZERO chemistry with Michael. Hayden was pregnant with Finn’s baby, and she’s Elizabeth’s sister!
bring rebecca budwig back to general hospital there is a lot of people on the show that don’t need to be there like valarie and aunt stellar also parker and christina and quite a few more and why bring steve burton back as a different character he will always be thought of as jason. whoever gh has writing for the show now needs to go back to where ever they came from because they are not doing a good job they are getting rid of all the good actors with good storylines and putting people in that don’t need or deserve to be there BRING REBECCA -HAYDEN back
I agree Billy Lowe! I can’t believe they let her go in the middle of a great storyline with her being pregnant. Think of all the things they could do with that. I agree…get rid of Valerie and especially Aunt Stella (can’t stand the part) and Parker and Christina. How dull! I skip over them every time. And yes, how about something good happening for once? Miraculously bring back Morgan or Nicolas. Stop tearing up Sonny and Carly’s relationship. We want to see some LOVE. ….and the Man Landers storyline….they have been dragging it out too long….boring. I like what is happening with Ava…hmmmmmm….but I would love for Valentin to get what he deserves…nothing ever stays in the dark forever.
They should’ve never let Hayden go. I love her and Dr. Finn together. They need to bring her back with the baby.
her storyline with Finn was so much better than with Nicholas Cassadine! i was looking forward to seeing how things would work out and lookng forward to their baby. such a stupid move letting her go.
totes! well, i loved both. but i know what you’re saying.