‘GH’s Kelly Thiebaud Was ‘Shocked’ By Steve Burton’s Exit: ‘I Feel Let Down’

Maurice Benard, who plays Sonny on General Hospital, sits down with Kelly Thiebaud on his podcast State of Mind on Sunday, February 22, to discuss a variety of topics with the Daytime Emmy-winning actress. TV Insider has an exclusive first look. Watch it above.

Sonny and Britt have one big thing in common on GH, and that’s their love for Jason, played by Steve Burton. The actor recently announced he was taking a break from Port Charles for a few months (he’s going to return to the show this summer).

Viewers fell in love with the pairing of Jason and Britt (fans affectionately have dubbed the duo “Jason Westbourne,” a play on the Matt Damon movie character, “Jason Bourne“). However, Jason and Britt’s relationship will likely see a pin placed in it during Burton’s absence.

“I was shocked when I found out,” Thiebaud tells Benard on State of Mind about Burton taking a leave. “I was very shocked.”

Thiebaud adds that she “confronted” her co-star about his decision, but he gave her his reasons.

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“I know what that feels like,” Thiebaud continues, regarding the subject of an actor needing to take a break from the daytime grind.

The actress has taken a few lengthy hiatuses from GH over the years. She first joined the ABC daytime drama in 2012 and was paired with Jason Thompson (ex-Patrick; now, Billy, The Young and the Restless). Thiebaud took Britt (a.k.a. “The Britch”) to new heights of villainy, evidenced by her dislike of Patrick’s young daughter, Emma (then, Brooklyn Rae Silzer; now, Braedyn Bruner).

Britt accidentally caused Emma’s doll to become incinerated after she threw the piece of plastic on an open grill at a Fourth of July party. (In fairness to Britt, the doll had wet itself on the good doctor!)

Thiebaud first left GH in 2014. She made returns to the show in 2015, 2017, and 2018. She returned for a longer stint in 2020, which ended in early 2023 when Britt was presumed dead after saving Josslyn (Eden McCoy) from “the Hook” (a.k.a. Heather Webber, played by Alley Mills). Britt was resurrected last summer when it turned out she had faked her death to make her getaway from Port Charles.

With these departures and returns in mind, Benard chuckled that Thiebaud knows what it’s like to go on a leave.

“But the other side,” she says, “is I feel let down. I thought we had time together. It’s just been really hard.”

Thiebaud hastened to add that she understands that Burton has more important things in his life right now.

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“He has to do what he has to do,” Benard concurred. He mentioned that Burton has done his show on mental health in the past and the topic of the actor’s personal life, including his divorce, has come up.

“He won’t talk about it, and I don’t think he should,” Benard revealed. “He’s been through s**t …with his ex-wife. No man, and I’m saying, no man, should have to deal with that. We have to let Steve be ‘Steve.’”

“He’s gotta go live his life, and I wish him nothing but the best,” concurs Thiebaud. “I love Steve and I will miss him terribly, and I am sad. But, again, I understand that you’ve got to go when you feel the need to go.”

TV Insider previously reported an exclusive statement from Frank Valentini, executive producer, who said, “We love Steve and I am glad the show worked it out so he can get some personal time with his family. We have some great Jason story leading up to the spring and look forward to his return in the summer.”

Tune in to State of Mind with Benard this Sunday to watch the full conversation with Thiebaud.

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