Who is Elizabeth Webber's mother on General Hospital? Everything you need to know

On the ABC soap opera General Hospital, Carolyn Webber was introduced as the mother of Elizabeth Webber, also known as Liz, and the mother's character has been portrayed by actress Denise Crosby. Although she was mentioned as an off-screen character and referenced occasionally in the past, Carolyn's recent appearance on the show added new layers to the Webber family dynamics.

Carolyn was first introduced on General Hospital in 1981 as Jeff Webber's wife and Liz's mother. She mostly stayed outside of Port Charles, rarely seen but important to the history of Elizabeth and her siblings. Her limited time on screen in the past made her recent appearance even more significant, revealing new details about her complicated relationship with her family.

---

A recap of Carolyn Webber's story arc on General Hospital

Carolyn Webber was first mentioned in the General Hospital storyline in 1981 as Dr. Jeff Webber's wife, although she wasn't seen on screen for a long time. When Jeff had moved away from Port Charles with his son, Steven Lars, he met Carolyn, and they got married that same year.

The couple then moved to Carson City, Nevada, where they lived with Steven, forming a family away from Port Charles. It wasn't until their daughters, Elizabeth and Sarah, became important characters in the show's storylines that the family was brought back into the drama.

Carolyn's way of parenting, which was more hands-off, later caused tensions between her and her daughter Elizabeth. Further, in 1997, Carolyn and Jeff relocated to Sarajevo to work with Doctors Without Borders, and left their daughters, Sarah and Elizabeth, in Port Charles with their grandmother, Audrey Hardy.

By 1998, Jeff had contacted Sarah, asking her to come to Sarajevo, but Elizabeth stayed with Audrey. Throughout the years, Elizabeth often mentioned her distant relationship with her parents, stating how they were not involved or loving.

In 2016 on General Hospital, things got more complicated when it was revealed that Jeff had been having an affair with Naomi Dreyfus while he was still married to Carolyn. This affair led to the birth of Hayden Barnes, who is Elizabeth’s half-sister. This news made Elizabeth even angrier at her parents.

Then, in 2022, Elizabeth’s son Jake admitted to secretly talking online with his grandparents, Jeff and Carolyn, who he hadn’t seen in a long time. This contact caused more family problems, especially as Elizabeth was going through severe psychological distress, including periods where she couldn’t remember things.

Carolyn first appeared on-screen on October 31, 2022, played by actress Denise Crosby. This marked a pivotal moment when Elizabeth, determined to uncover the truth behind her repressed memories, traveled to Monterey, California, with her friend Terry Randolph.

Pretending to attend a medical conference, Liz used Terry to keep her parents busy while she sneaked into their house to look for clues about her past. Further, when Jeff and Carolyn came home unexpectedly and caught her, Liz confronted them. Carolyn tried to calm things down, but Liz let out all her anger, blaming her parents for not caring and asking for explanations.

The confrontation culminated in Jeff’s admission of his affair with Reiko Finn, revealing that Liz had witnessed their relationship as a child and had blocked the painful memory. Carolyn then admitted that she had made Elizabeth forget the traumatic event, which caused lasting damage.

Carolyn later got involved with Nikolas Cassadine, who hired her to erase Esme Prince's memories. However, after finding out that Esme had dissociative amnesia and was pregnant, Carolyn decided not to continue and warned Elizabeth about the dangerous people in Port Charles.

Carolyn’s storyline on General Hospital concluded in early 2023, leaving a lasting impact on family relationships and difficult moral decisions.

---

Fans of General Hospital can watch new episodes on ABC and Hulu.