When it was revealed that Cody Bell initially came to town because he knew Britt Westbourne possessed a valuable necklace that originally belonged to the man he believed was his biological father, Leopold Taub (Charles Lucia), she lost any trust in him, and so did viewers. Fans on Twitter lobbied to get rid of Cody, citing that he was boring and other characters should be front and center instead. "How about actually listening to fans when we say this character is a flop, instead of continuing to ignore us," tweeted one angry fan.

Later, Cody discovered that Mac Scorpio (John J. York) was his real father, but he lied about the DNA test to keep his claim to the necklace. No one was pleased that Cody deceived a longtime fan-favorite character. Though Cody has never denied his shady past and feels remorse for his deception, he painted himself into a corner and is now too scared to tell Mac the truth. Mac has always wanted a child of his own, just as Cody has always wanted a dad like him, and the heartbreak on Mac's face when Cody denied their connection was heartbreaking. 

However, Cody's latest heroics with Sasha are giving fans hope that he can turn things around and become a more likable character.