Steve Burton to Return to ‘General Hospital’ After 2021 Firing
Steve Burton will officially return to General Hospital. The return of Burton, who famously played Jason Morgan from 1991–2021, was announced during General Hospital’s 60th Anniversary special on Jan. 4. His return to General Hospital isn’t the only big news the actor dropped this week. The famous soap star revealed he would leave Days of Our Lives just a day earlier.
Steve Burton will reprise his role in ‘General Hospital’
Steve Burton will leave Salem and return to Part Charles this year. Burton, who first appeared on General Hospital in 1991, will return to the soap opera for the first time since 2021. He is set to reprise his role as Jason Morgan, who was written out of the show with a tunnel collapse on Cassadine Island more than two years ago. Writers left the door open for Burton. Now, it looks like the presumed dead Morgan will pop back up.
Burton’s return comes as something of a shock. The actor, who spent decades portraying Jason Morgan, departed from General Hospital in 2021. Burton rebounded with a return to Days of Our Lives, one of several soap operas that did not mandate vaccinations. He previously appeared in Days of Our Lives in 1988 as Harris Michaels.
He reprised the role first in Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem before returning to the original soap opera. He appeared in more than 70 episodes of Days of Our Lives before announcing his latest departure.
Why did ‘General Hospital’ fire Steve Burton?
Filming for General Hospital was paused during the initial coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdowns. Actors returned to the set in July 2021, with social distancing, testing, and other safety protocols put in place. In August 2021, Burton took to social media to allege he was exposed to the virus at work and subsequently tested positive.
In the fall of 2021, the production company required all actors to get vaccinated. Burton refused to do so and was fired from the show in November 2021. He took to Instagram to reveal he had been axed from the series because the network refused to accept a religious or medical exemption for the mandate.
Still, Burton left the show on good terms. In July 2023, Burton spoke to Deadline. He noted that while his departure from the show was not ideal, he was grateful for the series, cast, and fans.
Burton was not the only actor fired from the series at that time. According to Variety, Ingo Rademacher was also dismissed from the show due to vaccine non-compliance. Rademacher sued ABC over his dismissal. He is currently appealing the court’s decision. Rademacher, who played Jax in more than 1,000 episodes of General Hospital, has yet to land a new acting role.
