Ingo Rademacher Opens Up About ‘Mental Health Struggles’ Since ‘General Hospital’ Firing

Dan Clarendon November 18, 2023

Two years after losing his job on General Hospital, actor Ingo Rademacher is opening up about his first-ever struggles with his mental health.

“I apologize for not having posted much in the last year and a half,” the actor, who played Jasper “Jax” Jacks on the ABC soap, wrote in an Instagram post on Friday. “To be completely honest, for the first time in my life, I’ve been faced with some mental health struggles. That’s not something I’ve ever had to face before. I’m a lot better now, but the first year was rough.”

Rademacher was fired from General Hospital in November 2021 because he refused to follow a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on set, according to Deadline. At the time of his departure, he was also under fire for sharing a transphobic post on Twitter.

Nick Argo/ABC

The 52-year-old later filed a civil rights lawsuit against ABC, alleging that the vaccine mandate constituted religious discrimination.

How 'General Hospital' Wrote Out Ingo Rademacher's Jax

This June, however, a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge sided with ABC and decided that Rademacher opposed the vaccine for health reasons and not religious reasons. In his Instagram post on Friday, Rademacher said he was “ousted at the show for [his] political views” and told followers he’s appealing the judgment.

“On top of that, I really identified as my character on General Hospital for decades, and I could’ve been there and would’ve been there for many more decades to come,” he wrote. “This isn’t a boo-hoo me post, it’s just honest. It’s where I’m at. … Anyway, I hope to be more vocal again soon. I’m more motivated now. Stay tuned. More to come.”

Rademacher, who also appeared as Thorne Forrester on the CBS daytime drama The Bold and the Beautiful between 2017 and 2019, hasn’t acted on screen since his General Hospital exit.