Cameron Mathison Says 'All My Children' Fans Hated Him

Cameron Mathison has been a TV star for nearly 30 years and he told Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos on his April 14 appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark that he has never had as much hatred directed his way as when he starred on All My Children with them.

In 1998, Mathison debuted on the long-running ABC soap opera as Ryan Lavery, a con man who appeared in Pine Valley and started immediately making waves — and none so big (with fans, at least) as the waves he made with Hayley Vaughn and Mateo Santos, who were played by Ripa and Consuelos. That's actually where the married couple first met back in 1995.

But Mathison told Ripa and Consuelos that he got so much hate as Lavery that people would stop him on the street to yell at him.

"You know what, you guys? The only time I have ever played a character that's been disliked this severely on soap operas in my life — and it's been a stretch, almost 30 years — was when my character Ryan tried to break up Hayley and Mateo," said Mathison, adding, "I had a bus pull over on Columbus Avenue and the bus driver got off, yelling at me, saying, 'Stay away from Hayley! I had people hating me! I'm like, 'I'm a good guy!'"

Ripa said she definitely remembers being on All My Children with Mathison, jokingly fanning herself because of how steamy it was as husband Consuelos laughed alongside her.

But now, Mathison is back on TV as Drew Cain (aka Drew Quartermaine) on General Hospital, a role he took over in 2021. When his debut was imminent, he told Entertainment Weekly that Drew, who hadn't been in Port Charles in several years, would reappear on the show reaching out ot Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco) because he was in trouble.

"I actually call [Sam] to say I'm in trouble. He reaches out for a good reason. She's obviously incredibly important to him. They've got a child together, which the audience already knows, and that daughter is everything in the world to him. He reaches out to Sam because he really believes that help will follow," said Mathison at the time.

But as the years have gone on, Drew has gone from a man seeking to help to a man causing trouble.

As he said on Live with Kelly and Mark, "He's not a great guy, right..."

"He has turned!" shouted Ripa. "He has turned like spoiled milk!"

General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC, and Live with Kelly and Mark airs weekdays in syndication; check your local listings for time and channel.