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In what has been one of the strangest weeks of soap news as of late, General Hospital fans rejoiced Friday when ABC Soaps In Depth tweeted that the recently pink slipped Rebecca Herbst has had a reversal of fortune. Seems that the struggling soap has had a change of heart and will be keeping the Emmy nominee around for the foreseeable future.
Axed 2-Time Emmy Nominee Gets Reprieve
The show has yet to confirm the news and with the set of General Hospital dark all next week, don’t expect to hear official word for some time. In fact, Herbst’s costars were just as bewildered as fans by the news. Lisa Locicero proclaimed, “Yay Becky! Vive le GH!!!” via her twitter on Friday evening. Laura Wright was in a celebratory mood saying, “I would love to cheers to Becky being Back!!! Woo Hoo.” Ingo Rademacher stated, “Well I guess Becky is staying on GH. Good choice Gh. And good for all of u fans out there for sticking to ur guns. I can only hope For that kinda love if I get fired.”
Indeed it appears as though the fan voice is what righted this wrong. Herbst’s fans took to twitter immediately after the news initially broke of the longtime veteran’s firing. Fans made Herbst’s name a trending topic on twitter, which is impressive, since it is rare for a soap related topic to trend. Next came emails, phone calls and letters. Fans inundated Prospect Studios where General Hospital is filmed and lit up the phone lines. Herbst’s final tape date had even been announced prior to this change in the tide. Details on the decision are scarce, and with rumors of epic budget cuts facing General Hospital in the wake of declining ratings, it’s safe to say that while Herbst may be safe for now, fans should read in between the lines of Rademacher’s sentiment. For all of the complaining about stories and the empty threats of tuning out unless xyz happens, it would behoove GH fans to step things up by proactively supporting their favorites. It seems tough times are ahead. Herbst has had her reprieve, but who’s head will be on the chopping block next? It’s time to rally and support your favorites, because yours may not be as lucky as Herbst has been this time around.
The character of Elizabeth Webber has had little to no storyline in the last few months since Herbst returned from maternity leave. Now that Herbst won’t be leaving the show, it’ll be interesting to see what direction, if any, the show chooses to take Elizabeth in. The character has oscillated between the bad boys of Port Charles for over a decade. With the paternity of Elizabeth’s son Aiden being brought back into question in the coming weeks, is a reunion with Aiden’s real father Lucky (Jonathan Jackson) far off? Or will Elizabeth be victorious in the brewing catfight between herself and Brooklynn (Adrianna Leon) over Nikolas (Tyler Christopher)? Only time will tell, but we’re wondering if rumors of an impending spiral out of control for Ms. Webber is still in the works after news that Herbst will remain with the show.
Rebecca Herbst joined the cast of General Hospital in 1997 and her work as Elizabeth has earned her two Emmy nominations, one in 1999 for Outstanding Younger Actress and 2007 for Outstanding Supporting Actress. Prior to joining GH in 1997, Herbst made appearances on Beverly Hills 90210, Step by Step, Boy Meets World, and Space Cases. Herbst met her future husband Michael Saucedo (ex-Juan) while on GH. The two have three children — Ethan, Ella and Emerson.
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