General Hospital
Robin Mattson Shares Why She Didn’t Return as GH’s Heather Webber
In late October, General Hospital fans were in for a shock when the character of Heather Webber returned to the canvas, in the form of ex-B&B star, Alley Mills. Many viewers wondered why the previous Heather, soap vet Robin Mattson, did not return to tape new episodes.
Late last week, Mattson shared via her Facebook page an explantation as to why she was unable and unavailable to reprise her signature role on the ABC daytime drama series. Robin revealed she is recovering from knee surgery and will soon undergo hip replacement surgery.
Mattson’s full post expressed: “As nice as is to be missed and so many of you have wondered what happened to me, I just want to let you know that I’ve been recovering from my knee surgery and today I’m going to have hip replacement surgery. Thank you all for your love and support! Looking forward to a fast recovery! Love Robin ❤”
Robin is the third actress to play the role of Heather. She came on to GH back in 1980. Later, she exited to play Gina on Santa Barbara and Janet on All My Children, and also had stints as B&B’s Sugar, ATWT’s Cheri, DAYS Lee Michaels, and even Delia on Ryan’s Hope. The actress also continued to play GH’s Heather on and off through 2016.
So, glad to hear from Robin? Enjoying Alley Mills as Heather? Send your well-wishes and a speedy recovery to Robin via the comment section below.
Wishing you a fast recovery from your surgery! You are my favorite daytime actress of all time. Get well soon.
Robert, I’ve loved Robin since her days as Hope Bauer on GUIDING LIGHT. Her Heather is priceless but I admit Alley Mills is very good also. Her scenes with Cameron were really charged, raising Will’s performance also. I love when good actors raise each other’s game.
Mine too. I didn’t even know Alley Mills had begun playing Heather Webber because I haven’t watched GH in about a month. It bores me to death these days.
Wishing you a speedy recovery. I loved your take on Heather. i also loved “Janet from another planet.” You are a fabulous actress.
Robin is awesome as Heather and Alley Mills is doing an outstanding job too! I love both takes on the role, which feel completely different and totally work. Great acting by both! Lucky viewers! Wishing a speedy recovery to Robin.
Dear Robin, Thank you for all the years wonderful work on so many shows. You will always be Heather for me. I wish you a very speed recovery from your surgeries and hope you are back in working shape soon. Best to you and yours. Peace always.
Robin, you are definitely missed but you must take care of yourself first. Hopefully you can return as devious “Heather Webber”
I loved Ms Mattson as Janet on AMC, part of the glory days of that soap. She is just wonderful, often elevating material written for the character. That’s top talent!
Wishing you a speedy and successful recovery. I’ve enjoyed you on every show you’ve been on , my favorite being Sanra Barbara.
Get well soon.
Wishing you a speedy recovery Robin Matteson. Love you
Robin you were the best evil Heather EVER. I loved you playing her !!
I have had my hip replaced 12 years ago and both knees just done this year you’ll get along just fine do your exercises
God’s Speed for a Fast recovery ✝️❤️✝️❤️✝️❤️❣️❣️
Who is actor playing Elizabeth father
William Moses … formerly of Little House on the Prairie.
That’s William R. Moses who was Cole Gioberti on Falcon Crest. That was a very good nighttime soap too.
Hopefully she gets a full recovery and is back on the set in the near future….. your the only Heater for me!
Blessings. Robin—-miss you on GH!! Get well soon—
I think Holly was ‘conditioned’ to shoot Lucy…- As she, herself, said…..“Anner “ is incapable of killing in cold blood especially, a friend.
Celia, isn’t it nice to know that Port Charles PD is as effective as ever? Robert is casually, cluelessly catching up with Holly with no hint of suspicion…later, Laura sizes up she’s hiding something within 30 seconds! Some things never change.
Soaphound, Laura is a woman– and, as such, we are so much more astute than men ( no offense, guys) —we can smell a rat a mile away!!
Of course it was Holly who shot Lucy–We all suspected it–Her sudden appearance was too coincidental.—see what I mean? How stupid is Victor? The pieces to this puzzle fit too well. No sweat.
I just hope Lucy is not dead–no way.– I love Lucy–Ha!
Thing is; what is the purpose of this plot-line? Did Finola (“Anner”, as Holly calls her) need a vacation?
Now, in typical soap-style, Alex should reappear as Anna—
Oh Celia, I’m torn. I think Valentin is a better match for Anna but, ugh, those slobbery love scenes are too much. Remember her “romantic” scenes with Finn? You could literally feel the icicles forming! And you’re right about the ANNER thing and I would add that most people seem to love saying Anna’s surname. It’s always Anna Devane this or Anna Devane that …what’s that about?
I don’t know what that’s about, Soaphound, but I’m with you—could very well be that Finola/Anna is dissipating, and as all other aging characters ( not that there’s anything wrong with that—more piwer to them) need to be propped up , somehow—mainly due to the character’s popularity. Sonny and Nina make me want to barf, too. And, “Drew”— not fair to Carly, either. She and Jax made the best match. CM adds nothing to the show—
Finn?? Oh, Lord!! Why? And with Elizabeth, to boot. She is such a natural beauty—her features are stunning—terrible match!!
As far as the smacking, noisy, making out scenes, I FF them—“Anna” had her upper lip done—very obvious. However, because she has thin lips ( as would be the case), her lip, in profile, looks like a beak. She’s such a beautiful woman, why not age gracefully. I’ve made up my mind, Soaphound—I will never have that stuff done to my face or body.
Nevertheless, regardless of the “ultra-yucky” kissy-poo scenes between those two, Robert’s open-mouthed smooching grosses me out like nothin’ else. OMG–As The Somach Turns—-I love Robert, but please, we should not be subjected to that!!
Celia, off-topic: I have a theory about the imminent problems facing Joss and Cameron. Is it me or has she blossomed into adulthood while Cam still looks like a cute kid? Do you think the writers see the same problem? Or just another plot point / failed romance? Against my better judgment, Dex has really grown on me and seems a better match with grown Joss. Meanwhile, Trina looks even more mismatched with Spencer than ever and seems to be willing to ditch Rory (apparently forgotten by the writers) at the earliest opportunity! My bad: When Spencer apologized for his rumpled appearance with “There aren’t any hair products in here”, I yelled back, “Let me in…I’ll hair product you until your sentence is commuted.” He brings out my naughtiness.
While William Lipton does have a younger face, it’s more likely they are breaking up Joss and Cam because of Lipton’s availability. He wisely chose to go recurring when he entered college. Also, happy couples don’t stay that way long on soaps (a few exceptions being Laura/Kevin and Felicia/Mac).
They can always revisit Joss/Cam down the line or if Lipton has more availability (or recast) Cam can be connected with a new or Sorased character Lila Rae Alcazar or Emma Drake.
LOL—i have an image of you “hair pro-ducting” Spenser all over!!
Oh, yes, Soaphound—Joss is gorgeous with a body to match!!
I think you have a point. Cameron is not up to par—–his little lisp and Betty Boop cheeks create an aura of childhood in perpetuity….Thing is; I love Cam and I feel so badly for him.
Dex is cute, but his body hasn’t caught up with him yet. He’s so tiny. Maturity wise, yes, I agree, they’re a better fit. We shall see. I think there’s a story to be had—the writers are creating an aura of mystery around Dex. I think he was some kind of medic in another life, albeit he is very young to have such a background.
.nuTrina and Spense? God!! He’s so hot; which makes me dislike her even more–LOL. So immature of me.
Seriously, I can’t stand this girl. She’s not credible–Bring back the real Trina. I loved that “in your face” attitude of hers, and her honesty. She was a natural.
But, this new girl —I don’t know—her smile is similar to a cat’s.
Is Michael Kruse still leaving? If so, the PTB will throw Trina and Spenser together….If not, then some drama will follow.
I beg the writers to keep her away from Spense and introduce a brand new girl-character. Maybe, someone’s long, lost child?
Please pardon my typos, if any–❤️
Soaphound…I do think Robert is catching up with Holly, however I sense he knows he’s not getting the whole story. So he’s acting casual so she won’t suspect his suspicions. And like you and Celia, I think women have an intuitive gene that does size up things quicker than men (ditto “no offence guys” :)))). Especially when sizing up other women.
Robert has indeed caught on to Holly. Now, with only a week or so left in Emma Samm’s run, how will Holly exit the canvas? She has to have a good reason for working for Victor. Either he has Ethan (predictable) or Luke held captive. The writers are setting up a number of mysteries that will lead up to GH’s 60th anniversary in April.
One and only Heather Webber, I had a crush on you when I was a teen in High School.
Nobody can replace Robin Mattson. She was the greatest Heather.
Robin, the hip surgery is a pretty easy one, i have had both of mine done…get well and ger back to GH. Ally Mills is doing a good job for sure, but no one can replace you kiddo!
An original GH fan from day 1…..
You will forever be Heather and Janet from another planet, for me. Prayers for a speedy recovery. Hopefully you can make a return visit in the future. Best wishes!
The latest ratings are out for the week of October 26-30, 2026 and the big takeaways include: that CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates was separated by only 23,000 viewers behind third place (of the soaps) General Hospital! For the last several weeks, Beyond the Gates has been closing the gap on this year’s winner for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, and continuing to best GH in the key demos.
According to the latest Nielsen ratings breakdown from Soap Opera Network, the final week of October brought Beyond the Gates 1.790 million on average tuning-in and the show set a season high in total viewers. Meanwhile, General Hospital hit a new season low! The long-running ABC soap had 1.813 million for the week, and once again the series did not go over the 2 million mark.
Meanwhile, in the key Women 18-49 demo, Beyond the Gates was firmly ahead of GH with a rating share of 0.21, while General Hospital had 0.17 rating share.Then, in the key Women 25-54 demo, Beyond the Gates was once again ahead of the ABC soap with a ratings share for that demo at 0.30 while GH came in with 0.26.
Photo: CBS
MORE BY THE NUMBERS
In addition and comparatively, Beyond the Gates +22,000 viewers week-to-week, and had the largest gains in viewership year-to-year in daytime TV with +267,000 from this in 2025.. However, General Hospital seems to be going in reverse. The show was down -56,000 viewers week-over-week and down -22,000 year-over-year .
BEYOND THE GATES
Let’s take a look at some of the storylines that had people tuning-in to Beyond the Gates during the ratings week:
Hayley (Marquita Goings) attempted a massive shocker regarding her pregnancy and tried to use it to extract money from Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett). Although, Bill saw right through her game, he demanded a paternity test, and made it clear he has no intention of raising the child—planning instead to pay her off to take the baby and leave. Meanwhile, Hayley confided her plan to her cousin Randy (Maurice P. Kerry).
Jacob Hawthorne (Jibre Hordges) and Naomi Hamilton (Arielle Prepetit) clashed over Jacob’s ongoing investigation into The Impaler, causing significant strain in their marriage. At the same time, Smitty (Mike Manning) considered taking matters into his own hands—including potentially heading to Mexico for evidence—while Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) worried about what comes next.
Photo: ABC
GENERAL HOSPITAL
Over at General Hospital for the ratings period, the story served up included:
Carly (Laura Wright) and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) teamed up to investigate what really happened to Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna). Later, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) leads them to Jack’s dead body.
Jude (Wil Traval) dropped a bombshell claim to Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn); that he is Phoebe’s father, while Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard) signed their divorce papers.
Then, Danny caught Rocco (Finn Carr) and Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarski) sharing a kiss, plus the shocking return of Heather Webber (Alley Mills) capped the week.
Now the questions become; without having much promotional synergy in the ABC day-part to draw more eyeballs it is not helping but hurting General Hospital. It seems Beyond the Gates is also a benefactor of a one-two-three punch of CBS soaps (Y&R, B&B and BTG) and promotion.
However, that still doesn’t take away the fact that Beyond the Gates is close to besting GH in all ratings category as they go head-to-head in some markets across the country.
So, are you excited to see Beyond the Gates climb in the ratings? Are you concerned for General Hospital? Do you think they can stave off Beyond the Gates in total viewers or will the upstart soap overtake them in the next ratings report? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Antonio Sabáto Jr., the former Jagger Cates of General Hospital and GH: Night Shift, and the former Dante Damiano of The Bold and the Beautiful has issued his first public statement since the incident involving his son, Jack’s arrest in Alaska for a fatal hit-and-run.
Jack is the son of Sabáto Jr. and Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, and according to court documents obtained by KTUU Jack, was allegedly driving a white Chevy Tahoe when he hit and killed Carl Simmonds, 42, near an intersection in Anchorage around 5:35 a.m. on Monday, November 9.
The reports indicated that Jack fled the scene — but later decided to called the cops to say he hit “something” that “suddenly appeared in the road” while he was “doing late-night DoorDashing.”
Photo: NBC
Now, Antonio has taken to his Instagram breaking his silence on the situation, sharing, “At this time, my family and I are navigating an extremely sensitive and deeply personal matter.”
He added, “As a father, my love for my children remains unconditional, and my priority is the well-being of my family. We ask that the public and members of the media honor our privacy during this difficult time and keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.”
The soap alum concluded, “I also wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the gentleman who tragically lost his life. My thoughts and prayers are with them as well. We sincerely appreciate your compassion, understanding, and respect for the privacy of everyone affected.”
Jack Sabáto was arraigned in court on Tuesday, November 10 with bail set at $5,000, and a no-driving order and the potential of $5,000 penalty fees if he fails to attend future court appearances.
Antonio is the father to Jack, 34, daughter, Mina Sabato, 24 and son, Antonio Sabáto III, 15.
This is a developing story. You can check out Antonio’s official statement below.
So, let us know your thoughts on this tragic hit-and-run, which claimed the life of another man, and Antonio’s statement, via the comment section below.
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Sonny (Maurice Benard) and Ava’s (Maura West) daughter Avery looks quite different, starting on today’s November 9 episode of General Hospital. That’s because GH has made Avery into a full-blown teenager and the role is now being played by actress Alya Bullington.
In her debut, the Tennessee native was thrown into the deep soap waters with Daytime Emmy winners, Maurice Benard and Eden McCoy (Josslyn). Bullington weighed-in to TV Insider about her first scene which featured Avery overhearing a fight between Sonny and Josslyn.
She explained “It was something I have never done before, I did not have a lot of experience with the screaming and the crying stuff, but I got my first script, and I was like, ‘OK, this is a huge opportunity to learn so much about how that stuff works and to become this character that I have never even tried playing before.’”
Photo: ABC
THE TEENAGED VERSION OF AVERY WILL HAVE A LOT TO CONTEND WITH
Speaking of working with McCoy, Bullington shared, “She’s incredible. I remember her just laughing and making jokes on set, and then the minute that they started taping, she just locked in and she cried immediately, and my first thought was, ‘I want to be able to do that.’
The soap opera newcomer added, “I think she just inspired me so much because she is so great and she can just lock into whatever character she wants to in the moment.”
The character of Avery was born back in 2014, but as recently as the October 8 episode of General Hospital, the character was suddenly referred to as a teenager. This is the second young female character in recent months to be aged up following the casting of Kayden Brenna Tokarski as Scout Cain.
As for her take on Avery and what’s ahead, Alya said,“She’s emotional, and she’s curious, and she’s a really fun person to play because so much stuff is happening in her life. I think she’s kind of confused about what’s happening and what to believe.”
So, what do you think about General Hospital making Avery a teenager? Are you excited to see the conflict between Sonny, Ava and Avery now that they have aged up the character? Share your thoughts and welcome Alya to GH via the comment section below.
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
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B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
Antonio Sabáto Jr. Breaks Silence on His Son’s Arrest for Fatal Hit-and-Run
DANCING WITH THE STARS: A Shocking Elimination on Grammy Night Leaves Ballroom Silenced
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THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: Episodes From New Co-Head Writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, Begin to Air
‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos
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THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
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