Why was Aiden Spencer recast on ‘General Hospital’ and what happened to his character?

General Hospital has always prioritized the storylines of both adults and kids, and Aiden Spencer has always been one of the most adorable and likable children on the soap opera. His recent recasting is major news, and fans have enjoyed getting to know him once again.

Since Aiden’s parents are Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Lucky Spencer (Jonathan Jackson), he has always been a significant part of General Hospital, even though he has sometimes hung out in the background. While GH fans would love to see Nicholas Alexander Chavez re-join the cast, there is another casting change that everyone is talking about. Let’s find out why a new actor is playing Aiden and catch up on his fascinating backstory.

Why is Colin Cassidy playing Aiden Spencer now on General Hospital?

While no one knows the reason why Aiden was recast, this is commonplace on soap operas. This switch-up happened pretty quickly, though, considering that Tristan Riggs began playing Aiden in May 2024. The actor only played Aiden for a brief time before Colin Cassidy was cast and began portraying this beloved character on Sept. 30th, 2024. Usually actors stay on a soap for much longer than that. Perhaps Riggs wanted to leave or he was only meant to appear for a few episodes. Although fans know Kelly Monaco was let go from GH, it’s not clear why Riggs exited.

Now it looks like Aiden will play a much larger role on General Hospital. Cassidy told Soap Opera Digest that he was “grateful for this opportunity” and he praised his talented costars. He said, “It’s really not something to scoff at! It’s a big deal and I’m very grateful.”

What happened to Aiden Spencer on General Hospital?

Whether Enzo De Angelis, Titus Jackson, or Jason David played Aiden Spencer, he was always a memorable part of General Hospital. He survived an autoimmune disease called Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, which happens when someone’s blood doesn’t clot properly as they don’t have enough platelets. When Riggs began playing Aiden, the character was dealing with a classmate who was bullying him.

Aiden’s life started in a wild way. A serial killer named Franco Baldwin (James Franco and Roger Howarth) abducted him from the hospital when he was a baby, and while his plotlines have been more realistic since then, that horrifying moment has always informed his character arc.

Aiden is a well-developed character who enjoys baking, and in one episode, he made some dessert with his mom Liz and came out to her. As Pride.com mentioned, fans loved this scene as it proved that Liz is a great mom to Aiden, and that he feels safe and comfortable with her. People might picture melodrama when they think about General Hospital based on that dark Franco storyline and all the affairs that the characters have. But there are some heartwarming moments, too, and Aiden has been at the center of many of them. While soaps have a long way to go in terms of representation, General Hospital did a fairly good job with Aiden’s coming out storyline.

Since GH has been on the air for so many decades, it’s nice to watch the child characters grow up. And since Aiden has grown up before everyone’s eyes, it’s not such a big deal to see different actors portraying him. Viewers look forward to seeing what Cassidy’s portrayal of Aiden is like.