Will Steve Burton Come Back to ‘General Hospital’ After Supreme Court Vaccine Ruling?
Back in November, both Steve Burton and co-star Ingo Rademacher were pushed out of General Hospital over the vaccine mandate.
The Supreme Court overturned a federal mandate on vaccines in the workplace. So, does it mean the Jason Morgan and Jasper Jacks actors will return to the ABC soap? It seems unlikely and here’s why.
What Does the Supreme Court Ruling Mean for Fired GH Actor Steve Burton?
There were several lawsuits against OSHA’s (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) employer mandate. Several state attorneys general and some private corporations sued over the OSHA rule.
The Sixth Circuit Court combined all those cases and upheld the mandates. Then it pushed on to the high court where they were struck down. But in the end, none of that had anything to do with what was going on behind the scenes at General Hospital.
Why? ABC didn’t enact their vax policy to abide by the OSHA rule which wasn’t even in effect back then. Instead, it was the parent company Disney that enacted sweeping rules. In fact, there’s only one facet of the Walt Disney company without a vax mandate.
That’s Disney World in Florida. Why? Because the state threatened to fine them if they implemented it. So, neither Steve Burton nor Ingo Rademacher was fired because of the issue that made it to the Supreme Court. That ruling changes nothing.
Why? It’s still legal for employers to require vaccinations. The ruling only said that the government can’t tell employers to require it. See the difference? The Disney rule is still valid and still applies. So, unless Burton or Rademacher get their vaccines, they’re barred.
Will General Hospital Ever Rehire Burton as Jason Morgan?
There’s a foreseeable future where coronavirus is under control. And vaccines aren’t required anymore. That could be in a year or five years or 20. If the health landscape changes, then maybe General Hospital would rehire Steve Burton.
He seems eager to come back to his role as Jason Morgan. But he seems equally firm on his stance of not getting a vaccine for religious reasons. So far, he’s got no new gigs listed on his IMDB after leaving his Jason role on GH.
Many Young and the Restless fans wondered if Steve might return to his role there. He played good-guy cop Dylan McAvoy at Y&R from 2013 to 2017. But, CBS has a vaccine policy that could bar him from returning there.
The CBS policy differs from the Disney policy, though. It says that while in the “yellow phase”, they require vaccines. But once they move to a “green phase”, they may not. Those phases indicate concern levels over the spread of coronavirus.
With cases on the downturn recently, you never know when CBS/Y&R might change their light from yellow to green. If so, then who knows? Maybe Burton will return to his old stomping grounds there. For now, there’s no chance he’ll be back to General Hospital .
What About Ingo Rademacher Coming back to GH?
The cases of Steve Burton vs Igo Rademacher are vastly different. Backstage chatter indicates the former gave the soap ample notice he wouldn’t comply. And they wrote a storyline exit for Jason. They say that Ingo handled his departure as Jax quite differently.
Burton thanked everyone and said he hoped to return one day. But Rademacher sued Disney over his termination and may have burned a bridge. That’s why he had one last scene – an abrupt walkout as Jax left Port Charles.
It seems like much more of a longshot that he’ll ever be back to GH as Jasper “Jax” Jacks. For actors, suing an employer is usually a sure means to ensure you won’t be asked to reprise a role. Like Burton, Ingo Rademacher has no new projects listed on his IMDB.
The basis for his suit against ABC/GH/Disney is religious discrimination (see above). He claimed discrimination and is seeking monetary damages. That’s sure to put a damper on any discussion of rehiring him. Disney shows no signs of backing off its mandate.
And a recent report from CNN says half of all employers plan to implement a similar policy or keep an existing one in place. The ruling at the high court doesn’t change their ability to make their own corporate mandates.
So for fans hoping the Supreme Court ruling would change Steve Burton’s status, it did not. That means, for now, he won’t be back as Jason Morgan.
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