General Hospital fans have said goodbye to Rena Sofar, who has exited the show two years after she returned in 2023 according to reports. Rena, who stars as Lois Cerullo, had a tearful goodbye with her on-screen daughter Brook Lynn, in the October 24 episode, which came after months of estrangement since Brook Lynn had discovered Lois had lied about the fate of the baby boy Brook Lynn had birthed when she was a teenager. HELLO! has reached out to ABC for comment.
"Love Rena Sofer and wish her all the best in NY state, but I hope she makes guest appearances on GH in the future," commented one fan on X after the episode aired, as another shared: "Why do they keep getting rid of these amazing characters?" Another fan added: "I adore her! Hope she can pop in again soon!!! She adds so much to the show!"
Rena has been part of the ABC soap for over 30 years after she joined in 1993 as Lois, a young and outspoken girl who quickly found love with "Eddie Maine," the alter ego of Ned Quartermaine (Wally Kurth). They tied the knot in 1995 but Eddie/Ned was leading double lives, as Ned was also married to Katherine Bell, and when Lois found out the ruse fell apart. During this time Rena won both the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress.
In time, Lois and Ned reunited and they fell pregnant, but Lois realized she did not want to raise her children around the Quartermaine family, and left with Brook Lynn. In real life, Rena and Wally were also married, and in 1996, as she was set to welcome their first daughter, she left the soap.
© DisneyShe returned 27 years later, and said at the time: "I’ve played a lot of characters in my career, and Lois is probably one of the top three characters I’ve ever played in 37 years of being an actress. So to be able to go back and do it was unreal." Speaking to Soap Opera Digest, she added: "[If fans] hadn’t spent the last 27 years constantly making little buzzing noises about Lois coming back or me coming back as Lois, I wouldn’t be in this position. It’s inspiring and I am forever grateful. This whole experience can really be summed up in that word."
© DisneyHer return in 2023 was set to be a short stunt, but the success with viewers saw show runners keep the storylines going and she became the central player in an arc that saw Brook Lynn discover that Gio was the son she’d given up as a teenager, and that her mother had known all along about the boy’s whereabouts.
Rena and Wally ended their marriage in 1997 and in 2003 Rena wed television director and producer Sanford Bookstaver. She gave birth to their first child together in 2005, but in 2017 the pair divorced. In 2019, the pair confirmed the news that they had rekindled their romance, and they wed for a second time in 2024.
© GettyRena and her husband recently left LA and moved back to New York City, from where she had been flying back and forth between the two coasts to shoot the ABC soap. "We’ve been in LA for almost 35 years, and now it’s time for me and @sbookstaver to go," Rena told fans in August alongside a video on Instagram.
"Yes, I’m getting emotional. I met and had my children in LA, met the man of my dreams and created an incredible life there. I had amazing success in the Biz and made all my lifelong friends who I will miss desperately. Most of all my BFF @arinacabral and my Brother @davidsofer53 !!! Thank you LA for being you. And now on to quieter and calmer times," she shared.
