Nearly a decade after the character was last seen in Port Charles, “General Hospital” has recast the role of Serena Baldwin, the biological daughter of Scott Baldwin (Kin Shriner) and the late Dominique Stanton (Shell Danielson), with “The Young and the Restless” alum Kelly Kruger.
According to TV Insider, Kruger begins taping at the Prospect Studios-based set of the daytime drama series in Hollywood on Monday, June 8 and will make her on-screen debut with an episode scheduled to air in July.
“I am SO excited to share that I’m not only coming back to daytime but that it’s @generalhospitalabc,” Kruger said in a post on Instagram. “I have wanted to work with [executive producer] Frank Valentini and [casting director] @markteschner for so long!!! This is the absolute perfect fit, and I can’t wait for you all to meet Serena!!!!!”
“I am excited to have Kelly Kruger join the cast of ‘General Hospital.’ She’s a terrific actor and we look forward to working with her,” said Frank Valentini in a statement.
First portrayed by Carly Schroeder from 1997-2003 on “Port Charles,” Serena is a character fans have been clamoring to see on the mothership series for decades, with their closest opportunity occurring over two episodes in 2017 that surrounded the passing of Serena’s grandfather, Lee Baldwin (the late Peter Hansen). Since then, though not appearing on screen, the character has been mentioned in passing, including in 2022, when Scott shared that he needed to handle legal matters relating to his daughter after she was arrested following an altercation with dolphin hunters.
In addition to Scott and Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring), who served as a surrogate for an ailing Dominque who was dying from an inoperable brain tumor, Serena’s connection to Port Charles grew by one in recent years with the addition of Cody Bell (Josh Kelly) to the show’s cast. Cody is the son of Dominique and Mac Scorpio (John J. York), making him Seren’s half-brother.
With more than 249,000 followers on TikTok, Kruger was named TikTok Shop’s Beauty Creator of the Year in 2025. She first made her television acting debut with the MTV series “Undressed” and followed it up with a small role in the NBC primetime drama series, “Titans,” starring Yasmine Bleeth, Casper Van Dien, Victoria Principal, Josie Davis, Ingo Rademacher, Jason George, Jack Wagner and many other soap alums. She played Mackenzie Browning on “The Young and the Restless” from 2002-2003, and made a brief return from 2018-2019. She also played the role of Eva, a forrester publicist on “The Bold and the Beautiful” for at least a dozen episodes from 2014-2021. Her other credits include roles on such shows as “Criminal Minds,” “Bones,” “Entourage,” “Happy Endings,” “The Bold Type,” and “iZombie,” among others. She most recently starred in the holiday-themed TV movies “The Art of Christmas” and “A Very Corgi Christmas.”
In real-life, the actress shares daughters Everleigh Jolie, 6, and Gemma Wynter, 4, with her ex, Darin Brooks (Wyatt Spencer, “The Bold and the Beautiful”), who also starred in the series “Blue Mountain State,” which included a two-episode appearance by Kruger.
