General Hospital (GH) fans were blindsided with the shocking news that fan favorite, Rebecca Herbst was considering leaving the ABC soap opera. At first her followers said it couldn’t be true–then they considered what would happen to her alter ego, Liz Webber if Herbst leaves General Hospital . It isn’t entirely unusual for other soap opera to try to entice core actors to their soap. Daytime drama followers are extremely dedicated and will follow their favorite actors from soap to soap.
Rebecca Herbst has struggled with embracing her alter ego, Liz Webber’s storyline over the past few years. Rebecca stated when it came out that Liz knew of Jason Morgan’s (Billy Miller) real identity and concealed it; she was struggling to portray her character. At one point, Rebecca claimed to have asked the writers not to write Liz so harshly. Herbst worried that Liz wouldn’t be able to have a redemption, and her fans may not understand why she kept his identity a secret for so long.
Thank you for loving Elizabeth as much as I have. You have no idea how much these totally made my day ????…XO pic.twitter.com/ZKccFGIEd5
— RebeccaHerbst (@RebeccaLHerbst) February 7, 2016
Daytime Confidential reported that Rebecca’s contract negotiations hit a snag, and neither party could reach an acceptable agreement. Herbst has portrayed Nurse Webber since 1997 and is one of the last fan favorites of the show. If she were to leave the daytime drama, it would leave an enormous empty spot in the series — one they would need to fill immediately.
That’s not all either, Jamey Giddens noted that Days of Our Lives was looking to sweep her away from General Hospital to bring her on board as Abby Devereaux. Kate Mansi left the role of Abby, and currently, NBC has not announced who may take over the role. Days fans have speculated about who could take over the role; however, Rebecca’s rumored exit from General Hospital has fans speculating whether she could be the recast.
Uh-oh: #GH ‘s contract negotiations with Rebecca Herbst reportedly hit a snag | https://t.co/zCQLQ33wzD
— Soap Central (@soapcentral) February 9, 2016
Soap Opera Spy reported that Herbst told Soap Opera Digest that it was difficult for her to portray Liz in the way she was written. The writing team had an objective in mind where Liz was concerned, and the direction they wanted to go was concerning to Rebecca. Even so, as a professional actress she portrayed her in the best way she could, and as believable as possible.
Apparently, at first, Rebecca thought that Liz would find out about his identity and eventually come clean to Jason. When she didn’t, the daytime actress became concerned that the writers could be damaging her character beyond repair. Is it possible Herbst became so concerned with Liz’s redemption that she considered leaving General Hospital over it?
REPORT: Have GH’s Contract Negotiations With Rebecca Herbst Hit A Rough Patch? Are Sony and DAYS Waiting In Th… https://t.co/Okhm2mD6Za
— MIchael Fairman (@MichaelFairman) February 9, 2016
Rebecca noted that after Jason Morgan’s reveal on General Hospital, she received threatening social media messages. Herbst explained that she couldn’t understand the hostility because she was just portraying Liz exactly as the script stated. One thing is sure, Rebecca is a talented actress and deserves an Emmy Award this year.
Daytime Confidential swears their source has told them that Rebecca Herbst is seriously considering walking away from General Hospital to join Days of Our Lives . The real question is, what happened behind the scenes to cause some who has been on the show for nearly twenty years to walk away and embrace a new role?
If Rebecca Herbst is, in fact leaving General Hospital , how will they handle her exit? Will Liz Webber leave Port Charles or will General Hospital issue a casting call for the role?
General Hospital fans have poured out their support for the daytime actress and stated numerous time that they don’t want her to leave. However, if she does, they will follow her to Days of Our Lives.
Rebecca Herbst’s @GeneralHospital Contract Negotiations Hit a Snag (EXCLUSIVE) #GH https://t.co/FCxCulguzD pic.twitter.com/d8S3iPj39A
— Daytime Confidential (@dcconfidential) February 8, 2016
Don’t forget to come back to Inquistr later for more General Hospital news, spoilers, or updates. Make your opinion count, and tell us what you think about the ABC soap opera’s current storylines, below.
Update:
Executive producer, Nathan Varni posted to his Facebook page that General Hospital has done everything they can to ensure Rebecca Herbst stays with the show. The ball is now in Rebecca’s court, and they hope that she decides to stay with ABC. Nathan also noted he hopes that the General Hospital fans continue to watch even if Rebecca decides to leave the show.
[Photo by Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images for Smile Train/ Facebook]