General Hospital Star Rebecca Budig Explains Hayden Barnes' Disappearance

Soaps recently asked Rebecca Budig why her character Hayden Barnes has yet to return to "General Hospital." Budig speculated, "Well, the only explanation I could say is that she can't come back. I would be shocked if it were [Hayden's] choice. She loved her daughter, you know. I would be shocked if she was away because she didn't want to go back. So to me, there's got to be a reason she's not back." 

Budig further theorized that Hayden's either dead or being kept prisoner somewhere. "I hope she's not dead," she stated, adding, "I don't want her to be dead. That would be sad." She further postulated, "[Hayden is] unable to return because her life is threatened or her kid's life is threatened or something," adding that even if Hayden were presumed dead, soap characters come back from the dead often. Budig holds out hope for a return to "GH."

As Soap Opera Spy points out, fans have been clamoring for Hayden's return and arguing that she had better chemistry with Hamilton Finn than Elizabeth Webber does. In 2021, Hayden's mother, Naomi Dreyfus (Gigi Bermingham), appeared in Port Charles and was promptly murdered. Viewers hoped it was a sign of Budig's return and that Violet might get her mother back, but that didn't happen.

Whether "GH" will bring Budig back to Port Charles is anyone's guess, but we're holding out hope!