ABC Actor Returns to Show After Years Away in Major Plot Twist

Ryan Paevey is returning to Port Charles after nearly seven years!

The actor, who played Det. Nathan West on General Hospital from 2013 to 2018, will return to the ABC soap opera this fall, Deadline confirmed Monday.

Paevey’s return has yet to be explained by General Hospital, as his character was notably killed off in 2018, but the actor is scheduled to begin filming this week for episodes that will premiere next month.

Paevey Deadline that it was a text from Executive Producer Frank Valentini that prompted his return. “We talked a bit and he asked would I consider returning for a while, talking story, floated different story ideas involving different time commitments of me, and I thought if we’re going to do this, we should really do it and surprise the fans with a meaty storyline,” Paevey said.

He continued, “I was surprised by my excitement for a homecoming and reuniting with familiar faces after seven years. I still have my last call sheet from my final taping day on January 18, 2018, tacked up in my home office.”

Paevey recently hinted at a possible General Hospital return after attending a fan event, saying in an Aug. 14 Instagram Reel, “I’ve got some news to share with you guys soon. I’ve got some irons in the fire. I’ve got all kinds of fun stuff coming up. So stick around, and yeah. I hope to see you guys at another. And I’ll share some news with you as soon as I can.”

General Hospital fans last saw Paevey as Nathan when the character was killed by his father, Cesar Faison (Anders Hove), while attempting to protect his love, Maxie (Kirsten Storms). Nathan’s sister Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) returned to the soap in July, giving fans a possible hint as to how Paevey might return.

In addition to General Hospital, Paevey is best known for 2016’s Unleashing Mr. Darcy as well as a number of Hallmark originals, including 2022’s Two Tickets to Paradise and 2023’s Fourth Down and Love.

In 2024, Paevey announced he was taking a break from acting, saying via a statement to Heavy at the time, “The industry hasn’t felt like the place for me in quite some time now, and my mental health has suffered from it. It’s taken me to a bit of a dark place, made me into a version of myself I don’t like very much.”

He continued, “I know I am not unique in this; it seems nearly EVERYONE, in Hollywood or not, is going through troubled times to some degree. I’ve had bank accounts hacked, money embezzled, investments stolen….things that, while difficult, can be recovered from. But after all that, my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. I left Los Angeles to be closer to her, and feel the need to devote more of my time, energy, and resources closer to home.”