The Bold & The Beautiful has recast one of its key players with a daytime TV powerhouse.

Tuesday’s episode of the CBS soap saw the return of Dr. Taylor Hayes, now played by — drumroll

please — Rebecca Budig! Rocking a head scarf and a questionable agenda, the psychiatrist was

seen spying on Brooke and Ridge in Monte Carlo, before placing a phone call to daughter Steffy back home. “That’s right, Steffy, it’s your mom,” Taylor said. “I’m in Europe. That’s why I’m calling, to tell you I miss you and I’m coming home. That’s right, honey, mama’s coming home. I’ll call you soon with all the details. I love you, my daughter. I love you, Steffy. Mama’s coming home.” Hunter Tylo originated the role of Taylor in 1990, appearing on and off until she vacated the part for good in 2019.

Krista Allen then took over in 2021, even scoring a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for her work, but her time as Taylor was short-lived; CBS reportedly informed her in October 2023 that her contract was not being renewed. “The craziest thing is right before I got dropped, I did the cast photo shoot, and then the next week they called and said, ‘We’re not going to keep your third year and thank you very much, you were wonderful and thank you, goodbye,’” Allen told our sister site Deadline.

“I was like, ‘What?!’” Budig’s previous daytime roles include Michelle Bauer on CBS’ Guiding Light, Greenlee Smythe on ABC’s All My Children and Hayden Barnes on ABC’s General Hospital. B&B fans, are you excited to see what Budig brings to the role of Taylor? Drop a comment with your thoughts on the recast below.