Steve Burton will step back into Jason Morgan’s bad boy shoes on General Hospital in just one month.
The actor, 53, announced on Monday, February 4, that he will start appearing on the soap opera again on Monday, March 4.
“OK, all right, so here’s what’s crazy, I’m back on the set. We’re getting ready to shoot right now,” Burton said in a social media video posted to the “Daily Drama” podcast’s YouTube page. “So, listen, I got to talk to the head writers. This story is going to be sick. It’s gonna be awesome.”
He hinted that fans will get clues about his comeback in the next few weeks of the series. “So, make sure you keep watching because the pieces of the puzzle are gonna be fit for when I return,” Burton teased. “Stay tuned. Keep watching. And, if you stopped, get back, because it’s gonna be awesome.”
In the clip, Burton walked around the soap set showing glimpses at the bright lights, fake walls and pieces of furniture.
General Hospital also confirmed Burton’s return on Monday, sharing two photos of the actor back in action and in a boxing ring.
“Look who’s back in the ring! 🥊,” the show’s official Instagram teased. “@1SteveBurton has officially returned to Port Charles … and that’s all we can tell you (for now). 🤐 #GH #GeneralHospital.”
Burton initially joined General Hospital as Jason in 1991. He played the character until 2012. Burton reprised the role from 2017 to 2021 until he was fired after a dispute over the COVID-19 vaccine guidelines for filming.
“Well, I know there’s a lot of rumors and speculation about me and General Hospital, and I wanted you to hear it from me personally,” he announced in an Instagram video at the time. “Unfortunately, General Hospital has let me go because of the vaccine mandate.”
Burton explained that he “did apply for my medical and religious exemptions” because he didn’t agree with having to be vaccinated to work. His requests to stay on the show without the vaccine were denied.
“But this is also about personal freedom to me,” he shared. “Maybe one day if these mandates are lifted, I can return and finish my career as Jason Morgan. That would be an honor.”
Less than three years later, Burton teased his return to the soap opera during General Hospital’s 60th anniversary special last month.
“Happy anniversary General Hospital,” Burton said at the end of the episode, which aired on January 4. “Stay tuned, big things are coming to Port Charles.”
His former costars Laura Wright and Kelly Monaco, who play Carly Corinthos and Sam McCall, respectively, celebrated the news. “You know what they say, when one door closes,” Wright, 53, said, playing coy about Burton’s cameo. “Another door opens,” Monaco, 47, added.
Burton has been a fixture in the soap opera landscape since the ‘80s. He made his Days of Our Lives debut in 1988 as Harris Michaels. He left the show that same year, but reprised the role in its spinoff, Beyond Salem, in 2022.
He returned to Days of Our Lives in 2023 but announced his exit last month ahead of his General Hospital tease.
“Well, I just shot my final scenes here on Days of Our Lives and I just want to say, thank you so much to the cast [and] to the crew. It’s been amazing,” Burton said in a video on the “Daily Drama” podcast’s YouTube channel posted on January 3. “I can’t believe it’s been a year already! So, thank you so much to the fans. It’s just … I’m always so full of gratitude.”
