‘General Hospital’ Comings and Goings: Jax Out – Jason Next? Other ‘GH’ Actors at Risk? [UPDATE]
General Hospital comings and goings suspect Jasper Jacks (Jax, Ingo Rademacher) may be on his way out – and many think Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) is too. The new vax mandate at the ABC soap opera may bring some cast changes on GH. Here’s the latest.
General Hospital Comings and Goings: Jason Morgan Exit Unlikely
There is a buzz going around that GH fan-favorite Jason Morgan might be leaving the sudser. Recently, General Hospital put a vaccine mandate into effect. As a result, all actors on the soap must get the vaccine – reportedly with no exceptions for medical or religious waivers.
Reportedly, some actors are pushing back and may leave General Hospital if they don’t comply. Of course, the GH fan base would be in an uproar if Steve Burton’s time as Jason comes to an end. Chatter says Steve Burton isn’t vaxxed and will not play Jason anymore. But is that true?
First, Steve’s never spoken about being anti-vaccine. Second, he already had COVID and said he caught it on the General Hospital set. The Jason Morgan actor seemed annoyed he was exposed on the set. That points to Burton wanting the set as safe as can be. So, that’s a sign Steve sticks around as Jason.
Second, Steve Burton continues to perform his stand-up routine with General Hospital co-star Bradford Anderson (aka Spinelli) on their Stone Cold and The Jackal tour. And several of the venues they’ve scheduled require vaccines for attendance. So, that’s another signal that he’s not at risk from the vax mandate.
Plus, the soap hired the Jason Morgan actor on a three-year contract. And the showrunners reportedly splashed out on a big paycheck to bring Steve back as Jason Morgan. So, while there’s no confirmation one way or another for Steve’s status as Jason, we think he won’t leave General Hospital. However, we’ll update you if something changes.
Edit: Will the New Supreme Court Ruling have Steve Burton Back at General Hospital after their vaccine ruling?
Jasper Jacks at Risk? GH Casting News
General Hospital ins and outs know Jax’s portrayer, Ingo Rademacher, is vocal about his dislike for vaccine passports and promoted a rally related to the cause. The Jax actor caught backlash for saying people should be able to decide whether or not to get the shot. So, as it stands, Rademacher’s fate at GH is uncertain given the new rule.
Jax says she should've consulted a lawyer before coming back to Port Charles-that could've protected her. Nina tells him she's learned that he has to stop trying to be her white knight-she's a lost cause. #NinaReeves #JasperJacks #GH pic.twitter.com/Mfyf3O9Yy8
— Antigonea (@antigonea) October 27, 2021
If General Hospital is firing actors over vaccine status, Ingo might be a casualty of the new rule. However, the actor never said if he’d gotten the jab himself. Currently, the rumor mill says Jax was written off the show. GH could send Jasper Jacks back to Australia. Or given the mob story, Jax might be a casualty of that plot. We’ll keep you informed.
General Hospital Ins & Outs: Will Jax Exit in Tragedy?
GH casting news suspects there may be a tragedy soon if Jasper Jacks (or other characters) exit. If it’s true that Jax is leaving, he might be killed off. Of course, there are a few different ways General Hospital could play Jasper Jacks off. Jax may decide to leave his life in Port Charles and go back to his home Australia.
However, Port Chuck is home to Jax’s daughter Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy). So, Jasper Jacks might not want to leave her. There’s a chance that Jax could die – if he’s exiting and General Hospital doesn’t plan to use the character again. Jasper Jacks may take off to Greece to help his former fling Britt Westbourne (Kelly Thiebaud).
However, there is still plenty of danger on General Hospital that could set Jax up for an exit. The mob is a mess now that Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) is back. Plus, Vincent Novak (Glenn Taranto) and cohort Charles Buscema (Bart Tangredi) are dead.
And remember, Cyrus Renault (Jeff Kober) is still a major threat. So, Jax could easily get caught up in mob violence and meet his doom, suspect General Hospital spoilers. Then again, the actor might surprise everyone and comply with the rule and stay as Jasper Jacks.
Other Actors at Risk on GH?
Chatter leaking from the set says a couple more General Hospital actors might run afoul of the mandate. A rumor says Jacklyn Zeman (aka Bobbie Spencer) might be out because of it. However, there were no details of whether it’s a personal choice or a medical issue. And the rumor may be just that.
Another General Hospital leak said that one actor asked for a religious waiver and was denied. The rumor was first linked to Burton and then later to Marcus Coloma (aka Nikolas Cassadine). However, all of this talk is based on gossip. No actor has confirmed they’re leaving and the soap hasn’t confirmed any exits.
Two other names mentioned in this rumor-fest include Bando Corbin actor Johnny Wactor and Martin Gray actor Michael E. Knight. With this many names bubbling up, it only confirms that nothing is certain and set-leaks can’t be trusted at this point since this is something people likely keep private.
Any reports of General Hospital actor exits are unfounded at the time of this writing. The vax rule went into effect November 1. So, if the soap is culling cast members that don’t want the shot, we won’t see the effect on screen for several weeks.
Soap Dirt will update when there’s something firm from the show or actors — if any are affected. For now, Jason Morgan and Jasper Jacks remain part of the current spoilers for General Hospital and in daily episodes.
UPDATE: Ingo Rademacher confirmed he is done at GH because of the mandates. Other actors on the list above, plus some not there, are showing support. Steve Burton remains silent on his status.