Steve Burton Confirms He Was Fired From 'General Hospital' Over Hearbreaking Reason
Steve Burton, popularly known as Jason Morgan in the famed ABC soap opera "General Hospital," recently revealed that he was fired from the show.
According to Variety, the actor took to Instagram to confirm the ongoing "rumors and speculations," He wants to address his fans adequately.
He said the long-running series has to let him go because of the vaccine mandate. He clarified that he applied for "medical and religious exemptions," but both were denied. (watch his complete statement below)
"Which, you know, hurts. But this is also about personal freedom to me," he went on.
Aside from confirming that he left the show because of the mandate, he expressed gratitude to the show as he spent three decades appearing as his character.
"Maybe one day if these mandates are lifted, I can return and finish my career as Jason Morgan. That would be an honor," he added.
The recent news comes after his co-actor Ingo Rademacher refused to follow the said mandate. His final episode was broadcast on Monday.
The vaccine mandate was placed because of the reported in-fighting COVID protocols at the show. A few months ago, Burton confirmed that he had tested positive for the virus, saying he was "exposed at work."
Per the outlet, "General Hospital" is the only show among the three other daytime series with a vaccine mandate. The three other are: "Days of Our Lives," "The Young and the Restless," and "The Bold and the Beautiful," which heavily rely on testing, social distancing, and other safety precautionary measures.
Last week, Burton's character was believed to have been killed after a tunnel collapsed on him.
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Twitter Users Are Disappointed
After Burton confirmed his departure from the show, many fans took to Twitter to express their disappointment.
"a great person, all around. But unfortunately, this is a business, and the casualties are people. Just kidding. I couldn't care less. I'm just quoting what he said when #GH fired Stuart Damon for no reason except ageism," one wrote.
"I have never liked Steve Burton and was never a big fan of his character Jason on #GH, but I've understood Jason is an important character to the show and Burton had a lot of fans. But if he wants to throw his career away on not getting a COVID vaccine, good riddance!" another one wrote.
"No one got Steve Burton axed except Steve Burton. He chose to put others' lives at risk & violate policy. Miss me with the bs," one tweeted.
