‘General Hospital’ News: Rebecca Herbst Is Staying On As Elizabeth Webber, But A Brief Hiatus Is On The Way


The character of Elizabeth Webber on General Hospital sparks a lot of passion from fans, both good and bad. Rebecca Herbst has been in the role for many years now, but some tense contract negotiations had many viewers wondering if the character would be leaving Port Charles. While it seems that Liz will be off the canvas for a short while soon, good news is out for those anxious to see where Webber heads in the episodes ahead.

As TV Insider details, Rebecca Herbst has finally signed a new General Hospital contract. However, the negotiations reportedly were quite difficult this time around, and for a while, it looked like Rebecca was very likely leaving the show. There was a lot of buzz swirling that she might head to Days of Our Lives and many were curious to see what GH would do with the character of Elizabeth if Becky did indeed walk out the door.

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The fact that negotiations were difficult became somewhat public, which is not necessarily the way these things usually go in the world of soaps. For her part, however, Rebecca says that her fans were the ones who got her through every day of this contract uncertainty. While there are some very vocal anti-Elizabeth General Hospital fans out there, Becky has many dedicated fans as well who were anxious for word that she was staying. Herbst says some even sent cupcakes and flowers during the negotiations and she wishes she could hug them all.

While Rebecca was serious about the possibility of leaving General Hospital, she says it is not because she was unhappy. Herbst says she loves her job and the people she works with, and the fact that she was considering leaving had nothing to do with the writing for Elizabeth or how things went with the Jason storyline.

Would she have really headed to Days of Our Lives, potentially to take over Kate Mansi’s role of Abigail Deveraux? Herbst says that she can’t share specifics, but she confirms that there were other soaps who expressed an interest in bringing her on. Rebecca won’t go into specifics about what made the negotiations difficult, but she does say that multiple heart-to-heart conversations with executive producer Frank Valentini paved the way to working things out.

The General Hospital star’s contract was just days away from expiring, and while she would have embraced the challenge of starting a new gig, Herbst makes it clear that she loves playing Elizabeth and is thrilled with where things are headed. That said, it seems that viewers will see Liz gone for just a bit.

Herbst tells Soap Opera Digest that the writers had to stop writing for Elizabeth for a bit because the negotiations were so down to the wire. Rebecca has had a break in taping as result, which will translate to Liz being off the canvas for a bit this spring. The General Hospital star says that they are going to try to find ways to keep her in the mix in some small ways, but viewers should expect a bit of a lull for Webber.

The General Hospital star says her last day of taping was March 8, and she may not return until mid-April. Right now, Elizabeth is reeling from Helena’s will reading, where the Cassadine matriarch left behind some teases about lingering mysteries regarding Jake. Reports indicate that Jake is being recast, as actor James Nigbor has apparently been let go, but fans can tell there are significant moments ahead on this front.

It sounds as if Liz may be written out of the mix to hunt down details on this Jake mystery for a bit, or something of that nature, but it seems big things are ahead for both Jake and Liz in the months ahead. Viewers also suspect that a fresh romance may be on the horizon for Liz soon, with perhaps either Dr. Griffin Munro or Michael Easton’s new character, said to be Dr. Marcus Byrne. Granted, many General Hospital fans would love to see the show bring Greg Vaughan back as Lucky Spencer, since he is leaving Days of Our Lives and the role of Eric Brady soon. However, no word on something like that happening has emerged.

Fans either love or hate Elizabeth Webber, but many are celebrating that actress Rebecca Herbst has come to an agreement with the show on a new contract. What do you think General Hospital has in store for the character in the months ahead?

[Photo by Helga Esteb/Shutterstock]

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