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Valerie Spencer, Luke's niece and Lulu's cousin is a cop in PCPD on ABC's General Hospital. The character was originally introduced to the show when actor Brytni Sarpy played her. Paulina Bugembe stepped into the character when Sarpy left. She was seen playing Valerie till 2020.
Since then, the story arc of the character has taken a backseat. Since Valerie has not officially been written off and neither has Paulina left the show, it can be assumed that Paulina will reprise the role in Valerie's next appearance.
Newly indicted viewers of General Hospital may not know that Valerie first arrived in Port Charles in 2015. Her existence was discovered when Luke captured her and asked her at gunpoint about his sister, Pat Spencer. Later, Lulu and Dante rescued the unconscious Valerie while her mother, Pat, died in the old Spencer home.
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General Hospital: Two actors played Valerie Spencer
The character of Valerie Spencer was introduced by Brytni Sarpy in 2015. She played the conscientious cop with a troubled personal life for four years. After Sarpy left in 2019 to pursue other projects, Paulina Bugembe took over and played the character intermittently. Paulina's Valerie was last seen on General Hospital in September 2020.
While the story arc of the PCPD cop has not moved forward in any direction, it is assumed that Valerie continues to be part of Port Charles and is discharging her duties diligently. She was not written off the plot of the soap.
Moreover, neither the production house nor the actor has given any word on Paulina's official exit from the long-running soap. There is no word about any recast either. If Valerie makes an appearance, the audience may see Paulina in the role again.
What are Brytni and Paulina's other projects?
After exiting General Hospital, Brytni Sarpy signed on to work on The Young and the Restless. She has played Elena Dawson on Y&R since 2019 and is in the regular cast. Besides Y&R, Brytni also signed on The Haves and the Have Nots in 2019 and appeared in the series between 2020 and 2021. She has acted in four films and is part of theatre as well.
Paulina Bugembe is also known by the name Paulina Lule Bugembe-Kuwahara and identifies as "they". They have been engaged in recurring roles in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. since 2020. They were recently part of a 2024 series of 7 episodes titled Emperor of Ocean Park. Paulina is also a writer and a director.
What is the possibility of Valerie's return to General Hospital?
Valerie's last appearance on General Hospital found her making routine enquiries about Nelle's disappearance and Neil's death. Actor Paulina, as the cop, was seen asking Carly questions about Nelle and promising to get to the bottom of the case. She was also seen enquiring Alexis about Neil's death and taking the body for an autopsy. Her story arc that hinted at her struggle with her sexual orientation was not exploited enough.
Also Read: What Happened to Neil Byrne on General Hospital? Fate of the character explored
The current happenings in Port Charles include Kristina ready to avenge the loss of Molly's baby that she was carrying; an equally unhappy Molly may reciprocate. Longtime viewers of General Hospital may remember Valerie's friendship and estrangement with Kristina. With her once-best friend in a volatile situation, Valerie may consider being on her side.
On the other hand, Valerie harbored romantic feelings for Dante, her cousin Lulu's husband. Later, both decided to break off the relationship for Lulu. But Lulu was caught in a bomb explosion and has been in a coma since. Dante, who had a more steady relationship with Sam McCall since his separation from Lulu, still visits his comatose former wife.
Recently, doctors informed Laura that Lulu needed a liver transplant and the Spencers have been busy looking for one. With Nikolas ruled out as a match, there is a possibility that some characters from the past may return to the show as donors. It can be Luke or it may be Valerie.
Whether as a donor or a friend and a cop, Valerie's return to the show will take her story arc forward. Look out for Valerie Spencer on the soap on ABC.
