After requesting to be placed on recurring status last fall, “General Hospital” actress Sydney Mikayla has now decided to leave the daytime drama series completely in order to concentrate full-time on her academics. Her last airdate is set for Thursday, March 17 with her role as Trina Robinson being recast with daytime newcomer Tabyana Ali who will make her debut later this month.
“Sydney asked to leave in order to focus on college. We love her and are sad to see her go, but of course support her decision and wish her the best,” said Frank Valentini, the show’s executive producer, in a statement to Soap Opera Digest. As for Ali, Valentini says, “We’re excited to welcome Tabyana Ali and see what she’ll do with the role of Trina.”
“I have loved working on ‘General Hospital,’ but I feel like this is the right time to dive in and enjoy my college experience to the fullest,” said Mikayla to Digest. “The cast has become family and bringing the character of Trina to life has been one of the best experiences of my career thus far. Thank you to Frank and the entire team for believing in me and giving me this wonderful opportunity. I will miss working with everyone every day, but I am excited to see what is to come for the show.”
Last May, Mikayla announced she had decided to attend the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) after receiving offers from the likes of Howard University, LMU, Pace University, and Texas State University, among others. In total, Mikayla received 14 acceptance letters from the colleges and universities she applied to.
Mikayla joined the cast of “General Hospital” in 2019.