On the day of the announcement, "Keep Drew Garrett" became a trending topic on Twitter. Along with fan outrage, the news sparked a Facebook campaign with constant comments from Garrett's fans. Founder of the campaign, LeAnn Skeen responded to criticism about her efforts with, "It's not silly. Fans get really upset about TV shows. And the executive producers really need to respect what the viewers want." Garrett responded to the firing with the following statement: "Whether I stayed on the show one year or four years or two years, it was a great experience regardless and a great tool for my career." Garrett's mother, Karole Cooney, admitted that she had never watched soaps before, but started watching because of her son, and had actually come to enjoy "General Hospital" apart from her son's portrayal. With the news of his firing, Cooney admitted that she was very conflicted about continuing to watch the series. Fans also reacted by creating a YouTube video montage of Garrett's time on "GH" titled, "Keep Drew Garrett." Garrett's costar, Maurice Benard voice his displeasure about Garrett's firing in an issue of "Soaps In Depth" but acknowledged that he would have no problem continuing with the story, and remarked that, "Sometimes, you have to put personal feelings aside." Duell later revealed in an interview that due to Benard still being upset about Garrett's firing, he put some distance between them. Later, Benard and Duell found some common ground and have since developed a friendship. Garrett later told "Soaps In Depth" that the reaction to his ousting gave him some closure and said it "was a really great run." Though he maintained contact with some costars, he does not watch the show. Duell said he expected to land a soap gig because he had auditioned for others but he was a bit shocked by the decision to recast.