‘General Hospital’ Casting News: Valerie Spencer Not Gone For Good, Show Brings In Paulina Bugembe As Recast

Actress Brytni Sarpy recently exited General Hospital and the role she created of Valerie Spencer, and fans thought that would be it for Valerie. Now, news has just emerged that the show has decided they aren’t done writing for this Spencer gal yet, so a new actress has taken over the role.

TV Insider details that actress Paulina Bugembe has been cast as the new Valerie. She is apparently already on the General Hospital set filming and should start appearing on-screen in the middle of April.

Viewers recently watched as Valerie confronted Kristina over her deepening commitment to Dawn of Day. Kristina had hoped that her friend would see the value in DOD and perhaps become involved herself. Instead, Valerie called out Shiloh and the organization for seeming manipulative and shady. Things got intense and Valerie stormed out.

Considering how little General Hospital had been using Sarpy, things could have easily been left like that. Valerie has had little to do in recent months, so it came as little surprise that The Young and the Restless snapped up the actress for the new character of Elena in Genoa City.

Does this recasting news mean that the potential romance between Kristina and Valerie may not be entirely over? Parker is seemingly gone for good, and General Hospital spoilers suggest that Shiloh may not manage to live and shake things up in Port Charles all that longer. Given that, slowly building this possible romance could shake things up a bit.

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If Kristina is facing the shocker of being saved, pulled away, or otherwise distanced from Shiloh and Dawn of Day in some manner, she may need a friend like Valerie to lean on for support. Having the character appear again in mid-April could signal that she’ll have some significant scenes coming as the May sweeps period ramps up.

Bugembe is new to the land of soap operas, but she has been seen in quite a few shows previously. Paulina’s IMDb page notes that she has done short stints on shows like For the People, The Good Place, and Scandal, and she has done quite a bit of work behind the cameras as well.

The actress told Soap Opera Digest that her first day on the General Hospital set was “wonderful” and it seems she started taping scenes last week. Bugembe notes that everybody on the GH set was welcoming and warm, and her nerves immediately disappeared.

What do the writers have in store for the character of Valerie Spencer that warrants bringing in a recast? Additional General Hospital spoilers should emerge soon, and fans will be anxious to hear more.