‘General Hospital’: Steve Burton Confirms Return to Show After ‘Days of Our Lives’ Exit
After announcing his departure from Days of Our Lives earlier this week, Steve Burton has now confirmed he will be making his way back to General Hospital very soon.
The big news was heavily hinted at the end of Thursday’s (January 4) General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars & Storytelling special that aired on ABC. In the closing moments of the special, Burton made a surprise appearance and said, “Happy anniversary, General Hospital. Stay tuned… big things are coming to Port Charles.”
As reported by Soap Opera Digest, General Hospital later confirmed that Burton is heading back to the long-running soap opera to reprise his role of Jason Morgan. The return is said to be “imminent,” with Burton expected back on the show early this year.
Burton, who began his career playing Chris Fuller in the fantasy sitcom Out of This World, joined the cast of General Hospital as Jason Morgan in 1991, a role he played until 2012 and then again from 2017 to 2021.
However, he left the show under controversy in 2021 when he revealed he was fired for refusing to comply with ABC’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. In an Instagram video he released at the time, Burton said he applied for both a religious and medical exemption from the vaccine, which the studio rejected.
“This is also about personal freedom to me,” he stated in the video.
Following his exit from General Hospital, Burton returned to another long-running soap, Days of Our Lives, where he reprised his role as Harris Michales, first on the spinoff Beyond Salem: Chapter 2 in 2022 and then on the main show itself in 2023.
Burton originally played Harris in 1988 before he left the show a year later after his contract expired.
On Wednesday, January 3, Burton shared a video on the YouTube channel for his podcast, The Daily Drama, where he revealed he’d just filmed his final scenes for Days.
“Wow! Well, I just shot my final scenes here on Days of Our Lives, and I just want to say thank you so much to the cast, to the crew, to Days, everybody. It’s been amazing,” he said. “I can’t believe it’s been a year already. So thank you so much to the fans. It’s just… I’m always so full of gratitude. So thank you. Stay tuned.”
It’s safe to say, fans were super excited about Burton’s return to Port Charles.
“The actual scream I let out when [Burton] opened that door, was earth shaking,” wrote one YouTube commenter. “I’m so excited to see him back home where he belongs. Steve burton has been missed and Port Charles NEEDS Jason Morgan.”
“I literally gasped when I saw him coming out that door; welcome back Steve,” said another.
Another added, “I have the flu but I literally screamed with JOY when Steve came out!!!! Made my 2024!!!! Welcome home Jason!!!!!!”
“I literally screamed and about rolled out of my bed. I should not be this excited but I AM. Thank you for bringing my my favorite back!!!!!!” said another.
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