‘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.
Disney/Christine Bartolucci
“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.
“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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G
They were paired during COVID when he was let go for not complying with getting vaxxed. So her storyline was axed as a consequence since her leading man left. Now she signed on again, being promised a story with him. He has again left. Yes WE see that he says he's returning in the summer. That doesn't mean HER contract runs through when he returns. Her character's storyline is either getting bullied by Sidwell and Friends, or saved in conjunction with Steve. His character is what brought out her softer side. And now she'll have many months of story without him, knowing most other characters on the canvas don't like Britt. It changes the kind of story she can play.
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C
I agree. I wish they would just temporarily replace him so storylines continue on instead of being put on pause for some convoluted reason .
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D
Must be nice I wish I could take a break from my job like that and still come back . 3 months omg I’d love it I’m happy for him he deserves it The show will be ok he’ll be missed but let him do what he needs to do and come back with an awesome storyline .
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J
Maybe they filmed this before Steve announced he will be coming back this summer. The way they are talking makes me think at one point he might have been planning on leaving long term…
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S
I am glad Steve took a break to spend time with his new Bride and his children he is greatly miss from GH but he went through alot hope he start filming soon the Joslyn story line became boring
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S
He’s coming back in June, lol. Just so himself. What is her glitch?
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C
That’s still too long of an absence since their relationship was blossoming
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R
Never liked the character of Brit and never ever liked her pairing with Jason. It’s just wrong.
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B
Since Steve posted he was taking a break, he's had to deal with a lot of negative and hateful comments from the GH fan base. I didn't think he had to also deal with this same negative attitude from Kelly too. How ungrateful is she? Sorry, but he doesn't owe her or the fans an explanation on why he decided to take a break. I'm disappointed in Kelly's entitled attitude about Steve's decision to take a break. If you watch Steve and Bradford's "That's Awesome" podcast, you already know Steve was responsible for bringing Kelly back to GH. So Kelly should be grateful to him she has a job at all. I can't believe she would question Steve's decision to take a break. I wasn't a fan of the Jason and Britt pairing and now I'm even less of a fan.
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L
Calm down!!! Real life trumps a soap opera. But she is more than entitled to her opinion, she still wished him well. Relax!!
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G
Yeah, but the whole point of her COMING back, was that she was promised a storyline WITH him. If he isn't there, there is not much story for her. It isn't about her being 'entitled'. She was expecting one thing, and now something else is happening. Give her a break, geez!
It would be like if your boss promised you a specific position that you had been wanting and working towards for a long time, then you find out after you changed schedules with you spouse, child care, and vacation plans, and they said 'Oops...we actually gave that position to someone else'. You can't say that that wouldn't upset you!
I wonder if maybe Steve's new wife is the jealous type,and doesn't like him having a love story with Britt?
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G
If there’s one character who should have stayed dead, it’s Britt. KT sounds entitled and unprofessional. If Steve decides to not return, will KT purposely tank her next pairing, like she did with JK?
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B
I agree. I never cared for Britt and find her and Jason boring. I know Steve got Kelly her job back and was banking on them being the next supercouple, but they're anything but. Carly and Valentin have more chemistry than they do.
There is a rumor or leaked info that TPTB aren't happy with the Jason and Britt pairing and may bring in a new love interest for Jason when he returns. I hope that's true.
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