“General Hospital” star Steve Burton is leaving the show, but he promised fans it was just a temporary departure.
Burton, who plays Jason Morgan on the show, shared the news with fans via a recent social media post.
Steve Burton Is Leaving ‘General Hospital’ to Focus on Family
On February 10, Burton shared the news via his Instagram page. In caption, he wrote, “Hey everyone, I wanted to share that I’ll be taking a short break from General Hospital. I’m newly married and looking forward to spending some quality time with my family.”
Burton continued, “I’m grateful for all the support and will be back this summer.” He closed out the note with, “Much luv – sb.”
As Soap Opera Digest noted, Burton wed Michelle Lundstrom in May 2025.
According to Soap Opera Digest, Burton has already taped his last scenes ahead of his hiatus from “General Hospital.” A specific return date to the set to film, or for an episode featuring his return, has not been revealed.
Soap Opera Digest indicated that Burton’s last day on the “General Hospital” set was Friday, February 6. The timing of his departure coincides with the beginning of a two-week production hiatus for the cast and crew of the show.
For fans of Burton and his character, Jason Morgan, that means that “General Hospital” fans will continue to see him in the thick of things for a few weeks yet, due to the show’s pre-taping schedule.
“General Hospital” executive producer Frank Valentini told Soap Opera Digest, “We love Steve and I am glad the show worked it out so he can get some personal time with his family.”
Valentini continued, “We have some great Jason story leading up to spring and look forward to his return in the summer.”
‘General Hospital’ Fans Are Curious to See How Jason’s Absence Is Explained
The character of Jason has been front-and-center on “General Hospital” lately, so Burton’s departure comes at what seems a challenging time. Fans have loved seeing Jason reunited with Kelly Thiebaud’s Dr. Britt Westbourne, and Britt is currently facing danger from Carlo Rota’s Sidwell.
“General Hospital” fans took to Reddit to share their thoughts on Burton’s announcement.
“I’ll miss him. He’s my favorite character by far,” one fan wrote on Reddit.
Several fans commented on how much they love Jason and Britt together. Others speculated about how Burton’s absence will be addressed.
One fan suggested, “Hopefully they will not declare him missing or dead and he’ll just be away searching for something vital, like Britt’s medication.”
Another added, “I really think that is what they will do, it is just a short hiatus. Kinda like what Kirsten [Storms] did, but hopefully not nearly as long.”
“General Hospital” fans suspect Burton’s character will be sent off either to resolve the issues with Britt’s medications, or perhaps to save Anna Devane (Finola Hughes).
For now, it doesn’t seem that the show will bring in a recast.
As Entertainment Weekly noted, Burton started playing Jason on “General Hospital” in 1991. He has left the show before over the years, even heading to “Days of Our Lives” for a bit.
Burton, 55, was previously married to Sheree Gustin for 23 years. They share three children, Makena, Brooklyn, and Jack. Lundstrom, 45, has two daughters from a previous relationship, Lilah and Hannah.
