Longtime General Hospital character Jason Morgan was crushed in a tunnel collapse and presumed dead last week, a storyline move that was dictated by the exit of portrayer Steve Burton, who was ousted from the ABC soap opera after he chose not to comply with the show's mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy. But is Jason really dead?
While many GH fans feel that there's no way the character has truly kicked the bucket, Variety reports that "there are no plans at this time to recast" the role -- which means Jason is going to stay dead, at least for the time being. The publication did not cite a source -- named or unnamed -- in its report.
As Soap Central previously reported, Burton claimed that he applied for medical and religious exemptions from the vaccine mandate, but both were denied by the network. Nobody knows what the future will bring, but in a video announcement that confirmed his exit from GH, Burton said he remains hopeful that he will one day be able to return to the role he's been playing since 1991.
"I am excited to see what the future brings and maybe one day if these mandates are lifted, I can return and finish my career as Jason Morgan, that would be an honor," he said. "And if not, I'm gonna take this amazing experience move forward and be forever grateful."
Burton wasn't the only actor whose relationship with GH ended due to the show's vaccine policy. Ingo Rademacher (Jasper "Jax" Jacks) also chose not to comply with the vaccine mandate and made his last appearance the week of November 22, when Jax decided to return to Australia.
How do you feel about GH's decision to not recast the role of Jason Morgan at this time? Do you hope Steve Burton will one day be able to return to the role? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
