Hayden's Mom Recast on General Hospital!

The name Hayden Barnes is being bandied about pretty regularly on GENERAL HOSPITAL these days. Recently released from prison, Shawn is on a mission to figure out who framed him for shooting Hayden; Finn is growing closer and closer with Hayden’s sis, Elizabeth, while wondering if his ex-fiancée will ever return to see their daughter; and Nikolas is hoping that none of that ever happens since he was the one who convinced Hayden to leave town for her own safety in the first place!

Now, it appears that GH is inching one step closer to what is hopefully the return of Hayden and her beloved portrayer, Rebecca Budig: The show has tapped Gigi Bermingham to take over the role of Hayden’s mom, Naomi Dreyfus, and she will make her debut in the Aug. 6 episode, according to Soap Opera News. “Catch me chewing the scenery on this daytime classic!” the actress announced on Facebook, without giving any hints about which character she’d be playing.

The role of Naomi was last played by Robin Riker (ex-Beth, THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL) back in 2016. Although Hayden — aka Rachel — was raised by Naomi and fallen financier Raymond Berlin, she is actually the product of her mom’s affair with Jeff Webber, which makes her and Liz half-sisters. After divorcing Raymond, Naomi changed her last name to Dreyfus and helped Hayden raise little Violet in the years before Finn knew of his daughter’s existence.

Fans are hopeful that Naomi’s return to town means that Hayden won’t be too far behind.

GH isn’t the first turn on daytime for Bermingham, an acting coach whose performing credits include AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D., ADAM RUINS EVERYTHING, and JANE THE VIRGIN. Back in 2005-’06, she had a run as DAYS OF OUR LIVES’ Dr. Lois Banks, a former schoolmate of Marlena’s who eventually tried to off her old rival. For now, it seems that Bermingham will only be on a handful of episodes. “I appear on Friday, Monday, and Tuesday,” she said on Facebook.

Might Naomi’s return to town be setting up her daughter’s eventual comeback? And is she connected to the news that DAYS vet Charles Shaughnessy (ex-Shane) has been tapped by GH to play a mysterious contract role? Stay tuned!