‘General Hospital’: Steve Burton Teases Emotional Return as Jason Morgan

Two years after leaving General Hospital, Steve Burton is returning to the ABC soap as mafioso hitman Jason Morgan, the role he first began playing in 1991. “This is a character that I love,” he says.

The Daytime Emmy–winning star made the surprise announcement of his comeback on the primetime special General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars & Storytelling, and reports that he had an emotional trip to the set to film it.

“Everybody was so excited and welcoming,” Burton enthuses. “It just really touched me, and it was a great day. It was fun seeing everybody.”

(Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin)

Burton left the show in 2021 over the network’s COVID vaccine mandate and was quickly snapped up by Days of Our Lives to play Harris Michaels, who was under the sway of troublemaker Megan Hathaway, a role he settled into comfortably.

“I didn’t have any plans for leaving Days,” Burton shares. “Days was awesome; I had a great time. It was awesome to go to a place where I started my daytime career [in 1988]. And then, without getting into details because it’s all good, the door closed there, and the GH door opened. It happened quickly, which was amazing.”

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With Jason presumed dead, the actor is eager to see how he’ll be written back in. “What happened during that time while I was gone, and how has it changed or affected Jason Morgan?” he wonders. “That’s what I’m looking forward to.” One thing he is sure of is Jason’s trademark wardrobe will remain intact. “I guess the big question is, new leather jacket or the same old leather jacket?” he quips.

While he waits to report back to work, Burton reveals that he’s considering whether or not this will be his last performing gig. “I’m not saying that I’m retiring, but I just feel like I have two to three years left of acting, and then I want to do other things,” he explains. “But to be able to go back, I’m super grateful. I’m still here, 53 years old, and a show is calling for me. That’s a huge blessing, so I’ll take it.”

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