If you’ve been online this week, you’ve probably caught wind of some vintage gold: clips of a teenage Sarah Michelle Gellar tearing it up on All My Children are blowing up. Yep, before she was slaying vampires as Buffy Summers, Gellar was stirring drama in Pine Valley as Kendall Hart—and a whole new crowd is just now catching on. For those who didn’t know SMG kicked off her career in daytime soaps, these resurfaced snippets are a wake-up call. So, what’s the story behind her soap star days? Let’s dive in.
Back in 1993, a 16-year-old Gellar joined All My Children as Kendall Hart, the long-lost daughter of soap icon Erica Kane (Susan Lucci). Kendall wasn’t your average newbie—she was born from Erica’s traumatic teenage rape, arriving with a chip on her shoulder and a talent for trouble. Gellar turned Kendall into a scheming, emotional force, clashing with her mom in epic showdowns. Whether she was plotting revenge or stealing Pine Valley’s men, Kendall was must-see TV. Gellar bowed out in 1995 with a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Younger Actress—at just 18—hinting at the star she’d become.
So why’s this hitting now? Chalk it up to ‘90s nostalgia. Clips making waves this week—think teary Kendall-Erica face-offs or her scheming in true soap style—are perfect bites of retro drama. Dug up from old VHS rips or YouTube, these moments show a raw, young Gellar matching Lucci blow for blow. Her 2011 cameo as a delusional patient with a Buffy nod might be in the mix too. With Gellar shining in Dexter: Original Sin (streaming now) and Buffy reboot buzz growing, the timing’s spot-on.
For longtime fans, it’s a blast from the past. For newer ones—like those just finding her pre-Buffy days—it’s a shocker: SMG was a soap queen first. Those All My Children years shaped the edge she’d bring to Sunnydale, and with the show long off-air (1970-2011), these clips are a time capsule.
