Is Ryan Paevey Returning to General Hospital as Nathan West?

The denizens of Port Charles—especially Maxie and Obrecht—were devastated when Nathan was shot and killed by his father, Cesar Faison, while trying to protect Maxie. Ryan Paevey was a fan favorite and the Maxie/Nathan pairing was very popular with General Hospital viewers.

Hard Decisions

At the time of his departure, Paevey sat down with Soap Dirt exclusively to detail the reason behind his exit. The actor went a step further when he announced his leaving the industry all together in 2024, releasing this statement to Heavy.com:

“Hey everyone…so first and foremost, I am a bit apprehensive that I even have to make a statement like this. I am certainly accustomed to a certain degree of gossip, but the past few weeks in particular have gotten out of control with speculation from third parties that have taken my words and expanded upon them to meet their narrative, or flat out misrepresented my words or misconstrued their meaning. I have always been an open book, and one who speaks his mind truthfully and directly, and it is unfortunate that we live in a world where social media makes it very easy to twist one’s words; I am often unaware it is even happening until someone from my team messages me in a panic, and so I feel it best to make a formal statement through HEAVY.

As I’ve stated before, I am taking a step back from acting, something I’ve felt I’ve needed to do for a while now, and a decision proven to be absolutely necessary in the past few weeks. 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. I’ve vented some of my anger and frustration publicly, and for that I apologize. I’ve had many years of smooth sailing, and am very lucky to be able to say that, but the waters have been much rougher the last year or so. 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.

Please don’t think for a second that it’s “all bad news”.  I have so, so much to be grateful for. I am grateful to this industry as a whole, I am grateful to General Hospital for giving a green actor a chance and tolerating his learning curve, to Hallmark for changing my life and taking me to places that have become my favorite on Earth, to my managers for seeing something in a grunt with no resume and helping to architect a whole new trajectory and life for him, and to all of YOU who have helped raise up this handyman and bartender and taking him on a decade long adventure the likes of which he never imagined. I have so much to be thankful for, and not a day goes by that I don’t think that thought.

All this to say, I am simply shifting focus closer; to family. I have found another fulfilling creative endeavor in Fortunate Wanderer, and have plans to expand it, begin adventuring more, and share those adventures in the hopes that we will all remain connected, and I will share more about that once I myself have a clearer picture of how to do it. I know this was a lot, but I wanted you all to hear it directly from me. Thank you, so much, for sharing this journey with me, and here’s hoping there’s more ahead for us all.”

The actor continued to create, albeit in a different medium. Paevey launched the website Fortunate Wanderer, where he sells custom made pieces of jewelry.

Paevey’s Return To Acting?

The actor recently took part in a fan event in Georgia and enjoyed reconnecting with the fans and posted a reel about the experience. What stood out most was the end of the message where he told his fans, “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.”

Could that news be that he will be returning to GH as Nathan? His sister, Britt (Kelly Thiebaud), just returned from the dead and is being held captive by an unnamed character. Could Nathan have also been resurrected and Faison, who is also believed to be dead, be behind all of this? If it’s truly the case, could Peter (Wes Brown) also be alive? It seems a little far fetched that all of Faison’s children have been resurrected, along with himself, but in the world of soaps, characters have returned from the dead all the time.

Whatever the news is, fans would be happy to see Paevey back in front of the cameras. He also carved out a name for himself starring in a number of Hallmark Christmas films, earning him an equally devoted fan base as the one his soap roots provided. Would you like to see Nathan reunite with Maxie (Kirsten Storms)? Could that be what takes Storms off the canvas while she settles into her new home in Nashville?

Would you like to see Paevey back on your screens either in daytime or primetime? Sound off in the comments below!

Ready to voice your opinion on a character’s fate?