Why was Molly from General Hospital recast? (Haley Pullos cast exit)

Updated: Aug. 1, 2023 – Back in May word broke that Haley Pullos had been recast on General Hospital. The actress who has played Molly Lansing-Davis since 2009 made the announcement of her departure herself.

Typically a soap opera has two choices when a cast member steps away from a role, they can either let the character drop out of the story and talk about them periodically and have other characters have one-sided conversations with them via the phone. Or they recast the character even if its temporary. The soap went with the latter.

Here’s everything we know about Pullos’ exit including why she won’t be on the soap and who has been playing Molly in her absence.

Is Haley Pullos leaving General Hospital for good?

No, this is a temporary departure. TVLine reports that the actress released a statement through Soap Opera Digest on May 11 that said the following:

"Unfortunately, I was involved in an automobile accident and I’m doing okay, but I am going to need a little time to recover I will be back as soon as possible!"

Haley Pullos accident

According to the outlet, based on reporting by TMZ, Pullos’ accident took place on April 29. Her car allegedly jumped the Pasadena freeway barrier and careened into oncoming traffic. There was a head-on collision between Pullos’ vehicle and another car (the driver survived but was hospitalized with major injuries). The report goes on to say that the actress was arrested for driving under the influence and that edibles and mini bottles of tequila were found in her vehicle.

Haley Pullos charged with felony DUI

Deadline reports the Los Angeles County D.A. has charged the actress with:

"[O]ne felony count of driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage causing injury; one felony count of driving with a .08% blood alcohol content causing injury; and one misdemeanor count of hit and run driving resulting in property damage."

Per the outlet, Pullos has pleaded not guilty. Her preliminary hearing has been set for July 27. The driver of the car her vehicle hit was seriously injured in the collision and is reportedly suing the actress. Considering the severity of the charges Pullos isn’t likely to be returning to General Hospital anytime soon.

Who is playing Molly on General Hospital?

In the wake of the accident, the daytime program moved ahead with a temporary recast. Holiday Mia Kriegel briefly stepped into the role. She made her first appearance the week of May 22. This was the actress’ first foray into the soap world. Her episodic TV credits include Bull and Animal Kingdom.

Then, on July 19, the role of Molly was recast again with Brooke Anne Smith portraying the character. Smith is best known for her role on Too Close to Home, a TLC soap opera from Tyler Perry that ran from 2016-2017.

Soap Central reports that in a post defending his sister’s casting, Smith’s brother, claimed that she’d be replacing Pullos permanently on General Hospital. This has not been confirmed by the team behind the series or ABC.

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