General Hospital
ABC Asks Judge to Throw Out Ingo Rademacher’s Lawsuit Over Firing for Covid-19 Vaccine Refusal
In an update on the lawsuit between former General Hospital star, Ingo Rademacher and ABC, it appears that the network is asking an L.A. judge to toss out the case citing that Rademacher’s beliefs as related to the vaccine were not ‘religious’ in nature and that he was more than likely going to be written off the daytime drams series, anyway.
As soap fans know, Rademacher was fired from GH back in November of 2021 after his failure to comply with the network’s vaccine mandate. Ingo then sued the network in December of 202, with claims that included: religious and disability discrimination, invasion of privacy, political retaliation, to which ABC argues against.
According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter and court documents they procured from a December 28th, 2022 filing, ABC’s lawyer Steven Marenberg says the vaccine policy was the result of “an extensive deliberative process at Disney,” which included a process for evaluating religious and medical exemptions on a case-by-case basis.
Rademacher had addressed his concerns when he submitted for vaccine exception citing his, “deeply and sincerely held moral belief that my body is endowed by my creator with natural processes to protect me and that its natural integrity cannot ethically be violated by the administration of artificially created copies of genetic material, foreign to nature and experimental.”
However, the network cites that Ingo had stonewalled the employee relations department during the review process and refused to give details about his religious views, claiming the questioning was discriminatory and a violation of his civil rights.
In the filing, ABC lawyer Marenberg, added, “Although Rademacher provided little information to ABC in the interactive process, what limited information he did provide, revealed that his opposition to vaccination was rooted in secular, philosophical/moral beliefs … to summarize succinctly, at no point did Rademacher mention that his beliefs are based on, related to, or even loosely connected to any religious text or teaching.” The network argues that this was more about a lifestyle choice for not adhering to the vaccine mandate than a religious one.
ABC also noted that at the time he was terminated, Rademacher was under a three-year contract. Marenberg argues that Ingo was not “assured” of a full three-years, since ABC had the right to cancel the contract in six-month increments as long as it gave the actor six weeks notice. It also required Ingo to comply with ABC’s policies.
he filing also claims that in July 2021, Chris Van Etten, (co-head writer, GH) was preparing to lay out long-term story plans and that he identified Jax, among several characters who would be or might possibly be written off the show. The attorney cites: “At that time, Jax’s role in the ongoing storyline was negligible and Van Etten did not see a role for Jax going forward.”
What do you think of ABC’s argument in the legal case against Rademacher? Do you think the case will be eventually dismissed? Comment below.
I agree
Ingo’s an arrogant ass. He should have been fired for his trans retweet, and then for his asinine and disgusting comments comparing covid vaccine status with what the Jewish people went through during the Holocaust. What he really needs is a brain.
Well put!!! Especially the arrogant ass description!
Thanks. But I think it was an understatement. 😉
As CVE alludes to, there was little need for Jax on the canvas. As Nina was committed to Sonny at that point, there was a chem-test with Britt but that fizzled. There was enough “talk-to” characters on the show that it was necessary to keep Jax on for Joss.
You’re not critical for story when you easily be written out in one-two episodes.
Don’t go away mad – just go away.
the network is overstepping in the decision about what makes a stance religious or not. Religious beliefs don’t need scripture to back them up. This harkens back to the dubious task of making prisoners who desire kosher meals to quote the scriptures that describe it. It makes science of something mystical.
If you cannot name the religion that objects to the vaccine, then it is not a religious objection. It is, however, a personal morality exemption that you are seeking, which was not included in the list of possible exemptions from the vaccine.
Please; Ingo didn’t want to take it and used religion exemption as an excuse like many tried. The vaccines don’t even contain fetal cells. He chose not to take the vaccine which was his right; the company chose to require it which was their right. Done. I’ll tell you what though; any “religious” person who is as bigoted and ignorant as he is, a German comparing the Holocaust victims to having to take a vaccine,and mocking trans people, shouldn’t be suing on religious “discrimination.” He obviously doesn’t even know the meaning of the word.
The character is needed for his daughter. But, the role could be played by another competent actor. I was hoping for the long ago rumor that Trevor St. John was going to take over the part. He would have added an interesting dimension to Jax.
TSJ would’ve been a good Jax. Regardless of who plays Jax – other than a talk to for Joss – what is there for him to do? They’ve got the corporate stuff covered with the Qs and the Cassadines. Romantically, who do you pair him with? Selina would be interesting but Jax has been so anti-mob through the years it wouldn’t work. Sasha would be like robbing the cradle. Jordan would be a good option but the recent chem test with Finn is a clue of where that’s going.
That leaves Carly. The right actor could make that work and would be better than the snooze fest that os Carly and Drew.
OG Steve
I was thinking Carly or Nina, not too many in his age group.
Lew S
I would have liked him better than the conniving jerk he’s playing on Y&R.
I totally agree! It seems like he’s playing Todd/Victor from OLTL.
Yes! Trevor would have been great!
I don’t agree with the decision to mandate vaccines for this virus. Ingo has the right to refuse the vaccine in my opinion. I will not watch General Hospital anymore because of this.
He does have the right to refuse as does Disney/ABC have the right to protect their employees. He chose not to follow their protocol.
It’s taken you 1.25 years to make that decision? This is nothing new. Though I will absolutely agree with you. Ingo does have the right to refuse the vaccine. It’s not even your opinion. It’s a human’s right to have autonomy over one’s own body. But there are consequences. And the consequence was losing his employment. It’s like when people claim “free speech” over something. Free speech prevents the gov’t from acting. It doesn’t prevent the consequences such as being fired from a job.
Thank you!! Finally someone gets it!
Well then whats the reason the fired Steve Burton ( Jason)? He also got fired for not taking the vax.
Steve didn’t burn his bridges behind him though, didn’t sue them, and didn’t make any bigoted insults towards his cast members on the way out. That’s the difference between him and Ingo. And besides that, Jason is far more essential to GH than Jax ever was. You can bet your soul that Jason will be back one day. And it won’t be a recast… because nobody’s going to believe Susan Moore had triplets!!
Steve is about to show up in Salem again, but Days tapes 6 months in advance, so he might already be done over there. Don’t see his character Harris Michaels being long term, but he’s a big part of the storyline that was left in a “cliffhanger” on the second season of “Beyond Salem”.
Wouldn’t it be ironic if Steve ended up being a big part of “February sweeps” on both Days and GH??
At this point, May Sweeps would be the best you can hope for – GH is filming for February this week and is probably written through March or early April (60th anniversary).
Jason will eventually return, but if it happens look for it much later in 2023 or after. Before then, we’re likely to have either a new Lulu or Lucky, a recast Nikolas, a temporary return by Tracy, Lucy being found and maybe perhaps a Luke Spencer alive reveal as well.
Odds are that Lucy, Luke, and Jason are all being held prisoner in the same location. Unless there’s another Cassadine dungeon that’s located somewhere other than their private island off the coast of Greece. They could tie all that in with a Nikolas recast, because the island is where he’s likely to end up if he has to suddenly leave Port Charles in the next couple of weeks, which seems to be the case.
I don’t miss him (Jax or Ingo) at all. GH doesn’t need the character and he did very little while he was there any time he’s been brought back.
He has a right to his beliefs but so does ABC.
I think Jax is right. This is still supposed to be a free country (for now) and he had the right to choose. Doctors and nurses in real life were not fired over the vaccine. The people that are so worried about it should wear the stupid masks. Plus he was under contract. Whether or not he may have been written out is a moot point. I wish Steve Burton had sued too.
Well, it’s Ingo, not Jax. And it is a free country. He had a right to choose and ABC/Disney had a right to choose. It’s a free country for both sides of an issue, not just the side you agree with. He was under contract, but I’m assuming there was a provision in the contract that covers these types of things. As for your “Doctors and nurses in real life were not fired” first, is not accurate and second your usage of “in real life” and the name “Jax” makes me wonder if you are confused… As for Steve Burton suing, why do you wish that? He obviously read his contract and understood the consequences of his actions. Ingo just wanted to be a troublemaker.
Correct, it is a free country and so ABC/Disney is free to set safety measures in its workplace. Steve and Ingo were free to follow those safety measures or choose to look for work elsewhere. And that’s what happened. By declining the vaccine, they made themselves ineligible to keep working on “GH.” That’s how a free society works. There’s no guarantee of a job at any time, and personal decisions have consequences.
Doctors and nurses were fired in real life if they refused. Craziness since the vaccine didn’t stop the spread or keep people from getting the virus.
I’m not getting into his weird personal beliefs about anything other than the covid vaccine. He is absolutely right that his civil rights were violated by trying to force him to do something he did not agree with. I am surprised Steve Burton hasn’t joined him in this lawsuit. Some would call this poetic justice by stating his racist beliefs, but I would actually like to see him win this.
There were absolutely no civil rights violations. First of all, there were no government agencies involved in his firing. This was a Disney corporate policy. You can argue as to whether or not that policy was justified, but you can’t call it a “rights” violation, because there’s no such thing as “Disney civil rights” (or any other corporation).
No. His civil rights were not violated by trying to force him. If they actually forced him, that’s another story. By the way, I’m a lawyer. I’m assuming you’re not. Keep your legal opinions out of your argument unless you are a lawyer. And if you are one, well based on your comment, you’re not a good one.
Except no one forced him to do anything. He was free to sacrifice his employment to follow his conscience, and that’s what he chose to do. That’s how freedom works, and then choices have consequences. His civil rights were completely unaffected. The sad part is burned so many bridges for no reason. As the new information shows (and was obvious from the lack of story line and screen time once Nixon Falls ended), Jax was on the verge of being written out anyway.
Just leave him alone please stop it! He chose to not take the jab ok ! How does that have anything to do with you??? Nothing stop it ! Now think of something else to drive yourselves crazy
I really hope the judge does throw it out.
My body my choice! There are treatments for covid that this company and government refuse to acknowledge. Anybody fired for this over reaching mandate should get their jobs back.
The legality of the vaccination mandate was simple. Covid 19 was a dangerous world pandemic that claimed lives. ABC had a legal requirement to protect everyone connected to the show. Religious objection is a belief that is constitutionally not sound. Ones belief doesn’t protect the liberty of life which was being protected.
Plus his role was questionable and limited to writing a path forward. His charecter wasn’t relevant or needed
Well it’s kind of like abortions doesn’t protect the murdered babies! The babies right to a life doesn’t matter to some people! Which is a sick society we live in!
Good grief Charlie Brown… these are totally different subjects!
I say Go Ingo!! Government and corporate overreach during the plandemic was horrific and tyrannical. No one has ANY right … Legal or ethical … to force medical procedures onto any person! Bodily autonomy is our right, as is our privacy and nondisclosure of medical conditions. At a time when people are screaming “My Body My Choice” when it comes to murdering children in the womb, it is highly hypocritical that the “My Body My Choice” mantra is not adhered to regarding these untested, unproven “vaccines”.
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

General Hospital’s Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri) opened up about the burgeoning love triangle forming between his Port Charles alter-go, Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst) after recently aired scenes, plus his hopes for the future of a Dante and Liz pairing, during his appearance on the Sunday, April 23 edition of the That’s Awesome podcast with Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli).
On last week’s episodes of GH, Ric has made the decision that he wanted to propose to his ex-wife, only when he showed up at Elizabeth’s front door, he misread the scenario he walked in with Liz tending to Dante’s injured leg from the softball game. From there, the legal eagle’s jealous streak is reemerging which may cause him to act out and do something unforgivable, or will he take the high road? Stay tuned.
Speaking with Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson about where Elizabeth stands in the annals of the long-running soap, Zamprogna said, “She’s up there with Steve and Maurice (Maurice Benard) as one of the most legacy-filled people on the show.”

Courtesy/ABC
HOW DANTE AND ELIZABETH CAME ABOUT
Dominic jokes it’s a far cry for where Dante and Elizabeth previously, recalling, “We had some scenes together years ago and we were both laughing. Becky’s like, ‘Well, I guess we’re not going be paired up anytime soon.’ I remember we laughed immediately after they yelled ‘cut,”‘and said to each other, ‘Well, so much for that!'”
Fast-forward to early 2025 and as Zamprogna remembered it, “Elizabeth Korte (co-head writer, GH) came up to me at the General Hospital Christmas party, and I think it was a year and a half ago and she said, ‘We’re going to have you in scenes with Elizabeth,’ My internal monologue is going, ‘I’m not with Lulu (Alexa Havins) anymore and Sam’s (Kelly Monaco) gone, so maybe they want to see if this works.’ I didn’t want to get scenes with Becky and try to find the chemistry. I just wanted to play whatever honestly was written and came across for both of us and hope it was what people liked, and I don’t know if it is … or not.”
Knowing how beloved Elizabeth is to the GH faithfuls, Zamprogna added, “She got a big fan base with Ric … and a big fan base with with Jason … and you know, you’re going to piss somebody off. But, didn’t Ric drug Elizabeth and put Carly in a panic room?”

Photo: ABC
DANTE AND ELIZABETH PAIRING COULD STIR UP STORY FOR OTHERS IN PORT CHARLES
In closing, Dominic felt that the wide-reaching tentacles of a Dante and Elizabeth relationship is something he is 100% down for. “The triangle thing; I was happy to hear it was with Ric and her, because I felt it’s important to have her the top of it as opposed to Dante, Lulu and Elizabeth.”
Zamprogna added, “When you get into relationships on a soap, things seem to fizzle out a little bit, The buildup is what’s the fun part, and the getting to know each other, and the people who are affected by this coming together. When with this case it’s going to affect: Ric, Sonny, Lulu. There’s so much more story here. To me, it’s going to be a fun story to play.”
You can check out Dominic’s visit to That’s Awesome with Steve and Bradford below.
Now weigh-in: Are you rooting for Dante and Liz, or Dante and Ric at this juncture of the story, or neither guy for Elizabeth? Let us know your thoughts and picks via the comment section.
General Hospital
GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

At the conclusion of today’s August 21 episode of General Hospital, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) sings a lullaby to baby Dez, that went into a montage to close out the episode as her father Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) reports to Pentonville and winds up in his jail cell.
However, in a fun fact, the song entitled, “A Lonely Heart To Give” was actually written by none other than former One Life to Live and General Hospital actor, Patrick J. Gibbons.
Daytime fans first met Gibbons as Sam Manning on One Life to Live. At the time, when he started on the soap, he was just 5-years-old. Gibbons played the part from 2010-2013 on ABC and Prospect Park’s editions of the show. Fast-forward to 2018, Gibbons shows up on General Hospital as Wyatt Hoover, the scout who seemed always be injured, but in the thick of the drama. Patrick had appeared on GH multiple times as Wyatt including: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.

Photo: ABC
FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER’S DEATH CAME THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS SONG
Now in 2026, General Hospital fans are getting to learn about another side of Gibbons’ talent as a songwriter and guitar player after “A Lonely Heart to Give” debuted today! Michael Fairman TV caught up with Patrick, who is now a senior at Penn State entering his final year as a finance major, to get the back-story of how his song wound up on GH!
Gibbons explained he wrote the song in honor of his grandmother who passed away a few years ago with whom he was, very, very close with. “Randomly, my grandmother had a downfall and passed away during the second semester of my sophomore year. I was in my dorm a lot and I was just playing with my guitar. And at the time, I was really into finger-style playing. I wrote the lyric and music to it (with a little help from my guitar teacher Lou), and my mom showed the rough demo to Frank Valentini (EP, General Hospital). He’s like an uncle to me. Frank loved it so much he said, “Finish that up. I want to hear the whole thing, and I want it on the show.”
MAKING MUSIC FOR GENERAL HOSPITAL
Gibbons and his parents took the next steps! “So now, all we needed was a female voice, because I thought that would fit the song well,” Patrick shared. “At the golf club we go to my parents were at a dinner. They liked the singer that was performing and spoke to her about the song, and she says she would like to bring it to her ‘boss’ who ended up being Eric Bazilian of the Hooters fame!” (Bazilian also wrote the smash hit song “One of Us” for Joan Osborne).
Next, “We went in the studio and recorded it and the song came together and it was beautiful. We loved it. They loved it at General Hospital and now they’re putting it the show and they are coming in with a piano, instead of a guitar. Paul Glass, the GH musical director, has been keeping us updated over the last six months of how it was coming along, and when it would air, and how GH put their own arrangement to it. I can’t wait to see and hear what they did with it.”

Photo: JPI
PATRICK’S ONE LIFE TO LIVE FAMILY
Everyone knows that the One Life to Live extended family share a very tight bond, and Patrick said he does stay in touch with a few of his former One Life to Live co-stars, especially those from the Manning family! “I stayed in touch with Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair) and sent her little videos here and there. She was like my second mom for five years. We keep in contact with Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) over X the most, and she can’t believe how big I’ve gotten. Like, none of them can! (laughs). I also loved working with Roger Howarth (ex-Todd) and Trevor St. John (ex-Todd and Victor Jr.), and to me since I was so young, they were just my friends, ‘Roger and Trevor,’ not Todd Manning or Victor Jr.”
It was a trip to California and a visit to Port Charles that ultimately led to Gibbons second soap role of Wyatt Hoover. Patrick explains, “In 2016, Frank Valentini invited us out to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital. I think he heard me say, ‘This is so much fun. I miss being on the set.’ He goes, ‘You should come out. I’ll bring you on the show. We can make you a character.'”
A few years later, Patrick’s dream became a reality! “Then, by the summer of 2018, I was playing Wyatt, the scout, and shared scenes with Wes Ramsey (Peter August), and the best was when I shared a scene with Roger Howarth and Michael Easton (ex-John, OLTL and ex-Silas, Finn et al, GH), it was like chemistry from the old days.”

Photo: PGibbons
IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS
As to his future aspirations, it’s a career in the finance game that has piqued Gibbons’ real-life interest. But never say never to a return to acting. Patrick explained, “I’ve always enjoyed numbers. And on top of that, one of the biggest parts of finance is being personable and outgoing.”
He continued, “That’s one of the greatest skills I developed growing up. I really love the markets. I’m super interested. I’m never going to close the door to acting. I’m always open to that because I just love it so much. It’s such a great art.”
Take note! If there are any investment bankers or private equity folks among the GH faithful looking for a young analyst next year, Patrick’s DMs are open. You can find him on X at @PatrickJGibbons.”
So, what did you think of the song sung by Trina on today’s GH that was written by Patrick J. Gibbons? Did you enjoy Patrick’s performances as One Life’s Sam and GH’s Wyatt? Would you like to see him back on GH at some point? Let us know via the comment section.
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Admits That He Didn’t Expect the Role of Michael Corinthos to be Recast, and Would Consider Working on Another Soap (Exclusive)

Chad Duell, the Daytime Emmy-winning actor, who stepped away from the pivotal role of Michael Corinthos on General Hospital, opened up about: his previous decision to leave the series after nearly 15 years, where’s he’s at now after time away from the demands of a daytime soap opera, and took a stroll down memory lane with some of Michael’s most-acclaimed storyline during his run, during a livestream chat on August 19 on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel.
Viewers last saw Duell on-screen as Michael in January of 2025, and with his successor in the role, Rory Gibson making his debut at the GH Nurses’ Ball in episodes that aired later in May. It was clear that during the conversation, Chad was a bit surprised that the GH brass decided to recast him when he thought he was just taking some much needed time off.
Burn-out of the daily grind of being on a soap was definitely a part of Chad’s decision to take a break. Duell explained “People know when you’re doing something for so long or your character is kind of in the same place for so long or doing the same stuff over and over again, you do get a a little burnt out, you get a little stiff, stale, a little stiff at times. I didn’t want that to be any sort of lasting impression. I have 15 years of a body of work of I’ve done on that show, which is fantastic.”

Photo: ABC
WHILE CHAD WAS AWAY GH RECAST MICHAEL CORINTHOS WITH RORY GIBSON
Chad shared, his mindset when leaving GH was, “I’m taking some time away, we’ll see what happens.” Then he added, “Obviously, they decided to go in a different direction with Michael when I was gone. I didn’t think they were going to bring somebody back in my place. But you know, it’s the business. You never know what can happen.”
Duell also shared he has not watched a single episode of General Hospital since he left the series, but now feels he reenergized following the loss of his father and stepping away from the GH, “I’m in a place now mentally, where I’m ready to sink my teeth into it again.”

Courtesy/ABC
Even though he is no longer Michael on GH, Chad was very happy with his final storyline where Michael was set on fire when a bomb exploded at Sonny’s (Maurice Benard) penthouse. “It was fun to put him in a dangerous situation, because I was wanting Michael to be in something scary instead of trying to be a hero character or just things happening around him, but to be the center point of tragedy happening to him. (I always saw) Michael as the heart of the (Corinthos) family.”
When Michael was badly burned the show chose not burn his face, which normally a soap does when they are recasting role and switching actors. Chad weighed-in, “They didn’t burn my face because I told Frank Valentini (EP, GH) I’m willing to come back. It was just a little bit of a break. So, I assumed that if they would have burned my face, they could have brought somebody back looking different than me… if that’s what their plan was.”

Courtesy/ABC
MEMORABLE MICHAEL STORYLINES
One of Chad’s most memorable performances was the in the storyline of Michael’s rape while he was sentenced to prison in 2010 and the confession of it in 2011. “It was so well-written and I was very nervous,” recalled Chad. “When I get really nervous about something, it ends up being really good when I do it, because it just means I care a lot about it”
“I have to put a lot of effort and work into it, and I really want it to be good. I was working with Dominic Zamprogna (Dante) and Steve Burton (Jason) a lot during those scenes, and Laura Wright (Carly). It was great working with Steve and Dominic, especially, during that storyline.
A NEW SOAP ROLE FOR CHAD?
As to a future soap opera role, Chad is open to the idea and would love to jump back in to a juicy role, “I know people over at The Bold and the Beautiful, and The Young and the Restless. They know that if they’re interested, I would love to come in for a screen test or something, and they can see what I’m doing.”
Meanwhile, Chad has been busy putting out new music under the moniker Duelly and during the interview he explains how he creates his EDM tracks and much more. You can stream his latest single, Static in the Quiet Room on Spotify, Apple Music and You Tube Music.
You can check out the full conversation with Chad Duell below.
Now let us know: what show would you like to see Chad cast on down the line? BTG, DAYS, B&B, Y&R, or a new role on GH? What did you think of his thoughts on the casting switch while he was away in the role of Michael? What was your favorite Michael storyline during Chad’s 15-year run on the ABC soap opera? Let us know via the comment section.
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