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Steve Burton Clarifies Hiatus from ‘General Hospital’: ‘I’m Not Sick, Michelle’s Not Pregnant, and I’m Coming Back This Summer’

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: ABC

Earlier this week, social media was abuzz when General Hospital star, Steve Burton took to his Instagram to announce he is stepping away from his role as Jason Morgan for several months with plans on returning over the summer to the ABC daytime drama.

Burton who married Michelle Lundstrom back on May 17, 2025 is looking forward to being able to spend more time with his wife and his kids with some much needed time off. Now, in the latest episode of Steve and Bradford Anderson’s (Spinelli, GH) podcast, That’s Awesome, Burton opened up further at what led to his decision, citing how James Van Der Beek’s (ex-ATWT and Dawson Leery, Dawson’s Creek) tragic death at 48 from colorectal cancer, and leaving behind 6 children and his wife, Kimberly, is why time is so important with your loved ones.

“Life is more important than anything else,” Steve expressed. “I had a couple executive producers who said once, ‘Hey, family and life is way more important than any show that you’re ever going to do.’ That really hits home after after the passing of James Van Der Beek. You look at James and his family and all this guy wanted was five more minutes with his wife and kids, you know?”

Photo: VanDerBeekIG

Burton continued, “Everything’s perspective. I’m grateful for the show, obviously, it’s been my whole life, and to step away is not always easy. It’s like family there. But, I have a family too. I’m newly married. I want to take a break. I want to live life a little bit and go enjoy. When you get on the hamster wheel of the process of this (working in the soaps), and I’ve been doing it along time, I’m just excited to take a break, spend time with the family, and just go live a little, and be grateful that I have a chance to do that. That’s a gift in itself.”

TIMETABLE FOR RETURN TO GH

“I know, I’ll be back in the summer. I’m sure they’re going to have a great story planned,” confirmed Burton. “My wife Michelle coaches people, and I coach people, and we just see so many people that are going through so many trials and hardships in their life, and we can’t sweat this small stuff. But when you look at guys like James Van Der Beek who just passed you cannot get time back. I’ve been doing this for a long time since I’ve been 15-years-old. That’s 40 years of this.”

Photo: JPI

In addition, Steve took time to address the negative comments he received upon announcing he was taking a break from General Hospital and all the rumors and speculation that came with it. Burton shut down much of it, explaining, “I’m not sick, Michelle’s not pregnant, and I’m coming back in the summer. There you go.”

ADDRESSING THE HATERS

Steve also took a moment to address the haters on social media, explaining, “The craziness that I’ve gotten messages about just taking a break, I can’t even believe these people are allowed to be on social media. It’s so negative and hateful. Like, I just don’t even understand. Let’s get our perspective straight. It’s a blessing to wake up and go, ‘I have no ailments. I feel good. I’m 55. I want to go live a life,” and it’s OK, too.”

You can check out this week’s episode of the That’s Awesome titled appropriately titled, “Gimme a BREAK” below.

Share your thoughts on what Steve explained as to his reason’s for his temporary exit from GH, what story do you think will be awaiting him when he returns and the negative comments he received after announcing his decision to take time off to be with his family, via the comment section below.

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Kudos to Steve for being upfront about this. It’s really none of the audience’s business why he wants a break. Just be greatful he’s looking forward to returning in a few months.

Frank should be commended for making breaks happen for long-time performers. Kirsten just came back, Steve will, and now Finola (off contract as of today) when she’s ready.

He desveres the best! ENJOY ENJOY! You deserve it!! We will see you later! Your priorities are right on!

He’s so cute

He was pretty honest in his previous statement(s), but of course, online culture just twists everything and Facebook groups make up continued lies, which confuses many so easily.

It’s a shame that Steve has to defend himself and his desire to take a break from the show to spend time with his wife and children. I respect and applaud his decision to take this extended break.
I am happy that he is returning to GH and will remain on the show.

I did watch the podcast. I thought Steve would make the announcement that he has renewed his contract with GH for another year or two. I’m assuming he did so since he is returning in the summer. I found it interesting that he and Bradford talked about the benefits of being on GH in a recurring status as opposed to a contract role. I might be reading too much into their conversation, but I got the impressio that Steve is weighing the options on staying with GH in a contract role vs recurring. If he the option to stay on in a recurring status, go for it. He can still be on GH and have more free time to spend with his family and pursue his other business ventures. Life is short, do what makes you happy.

Steve ENJOY YOUR TIME OFF

No need to explain to anyone!

See you back in Summer 2022

I just don’t understand people. Just because you’re anonymous doesn’t mean you should be cruel

Honestly, I’ve grown apathetic about the comings and goings of Steve Burton’s Jason. I’m always happy to see him but also know GH will survive just fine without him for a spell of time. As long as they don’t kill Jason off for the third time resulting in Carly and Britt having a grief contest, I’m good.

I take him at hos word. He’ll return

Steve’s family time is great. Rumor said Britt and Jason’s lovestory has bombed. No, the writers cannot write lovestories !! Their chemistry is off the charts in spite of these hateful writers. They only write hate, WSB, and endless storylines !

If he comes back good. If he doesn’t that’s ok too. Hes come and gone alot over the years. There’s other storylines on GH.

I was happy when you returned to GH. Now I am just as happy to know you will be returning to it. Taking a little ‘me time’ is a good thing and it helps you refresh yourself. God speed.

General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Nina Stabs Brennan with Drew’s Meds During His Brawl with Valentin

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Nina Reeves (Cynthia Watros) was all over the place and frantic on the Friday, May 8 cliffhanger of General Hospital leading to disastrous consequences, plus Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) learns from intel from Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst) that Rocco is the culprit who shot Cullum, and Sonny (Maurice Benard) and Ethan (Nathan Parsons) catch Ric (Rick Hearst) and Ava (Maura West) seemingly scheming over a big payday.

Here’s what went down: in the major turning point, Nina is once again unable to inject Drew (Cameron Mathison) for the second time with the syringe Willow gave her to keep Drew in his locked-in state. She starts rambling in Drew’s room on how she doesn’t want to be doing this, and for him to not stare at her. Suddenly the front door rings, and she puts down the syringe, while Drew looks on.

Once she gets to the door, it’s Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna), who Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) forced her to invite over. Nina hides the syringe and places it under a toy truck on the bookcase. When Jack entered, he questioned her as to why he is here, assuming it’s news about Valentin. Jack reminds Nina she should be concerned about their arrangement, not the one he has with Willow.

Courtesy/ABC

NEEDLE POINT

Now, Nina is becoming more hysterical as she needs an update from him on the evidence she wants to use against Drew. However, Jack does not give her any details or prognosis. He also adds that his boss is on him, and until Cullum lets up, she and Willow need to be patient. With nothing to hold over Drew she could use, Nina wants to get Jack out of the house before Valentin arrived, but it’s too late. Valentin confronts his nemesis with gun drawn.

As Valentin holds both Nina and Jack at gunpoint, he came at her for double-crossing him, and Jack realized Nina lured him into this trap! Valentin demands to  know where Jack sent Josslyn, but Jack says he has no idea what he is talking about!

Next, the two go at it for control of the gun, while Nina is screaming for them to stop. Meanwhile, Drew can hear the whole thing down the hall. Panicked once again, Nina grabs the syringe to seemingly jab Valentin, but the men switched places as they fought, and Jack got the syringe-full of Drew’s meds instead.

Courtesy/ABC

MY SON THE SHOOTER

Elizabeth comes to see Dante and they walk through who could have been on the pier the night Cullum was shot. It is then she admits that when Rocco was brought into GH for what he and Lulu claimed was a knife cut, she knew then, the hand injury looked like a slide bite from shooting a gun. Suddenly, the pieces all come together for Dante and why Jason would take the fall for his son, because he is Sonny’s grandson and Danny’s brother. Dante also figures out that Britt and Lulu have known the truth and kept it from him. He is rocked to the core.

Speaking of Rocco, Lulu (Alexa Havins) is now seeing the other more menacing side of the man she believes is Nathan West. However, his twin, Cassius Faison (Ryan Paevey) is firmly telling Lulu they have to get Rocco out of town to keep him safe now that Cullum is getting out of the hospital, but she takes his demands badly. Lulu tells Cassius he has no right to tell her what to do with her child. Could you see Lulu ending up just like Josslyn? Kidnapped under Wyndemere? Stay tuned.

Courtesy/ABC

BROTHERLY BETRAYAL?

Sonny is spiraling over his distrust for his brother Ric, especially after Ethan reported to him what he saw between Ric and Ava. Now at Ava’s gallery, Ric finishes his business with a mysterious seller. Next, he hands over a hefty commission to Ava at the moment Sonny and Ethan arrive. Sonny aims a gun at his brother,  accusing him of betraying him and Ric looks stunned. We fade to black.

So, what do you think will happen now to Brennan? Will Willow and Nina have to keep drugging him too? If Drew missed his dose, will he come out of his locked-in state and start to have some motion in his arms or legs and make some sort of escape? Do you think Sonny is truly being double-crossed by Ric? And, what did you think of when Dante realized that Rocco shot Cullum and who is the person Jason took the fall for her? Weigh-in via the comment section, but first check out these key moments from today’s GH below.

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General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Josslyn Learns She’s Been Kidnapped by Cassius Faison

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Now it’s sink or swim time for WSB agent Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy)! Can the skills she learned training under Agent Vaughn and being lured into the world of being a spy by Brennan, help her survive being locked up in the same room Anna Devane was? That is the latest wrinkle to her reality that kicked off on the Thursday, May 7 episode of General Hospital.

In story, after having a knockdown drag out fight with “Nathan,” eventually Josslyn is left unconscious and wakes up in the same room that Pascal and company had tormented Anna in for weeks. When she comes to, Josslyn is in a panic and does her best by breaking a hanger, (there are nice clothes left for her on clothing rack, and some snacks) and attempting to unlock the door to her freedom.

Enter, the ominous Cassius (Ryan Paevey). Believing he was still “Nathan” who has developed some sort of psychotic mental break, she pleads with him to let her help him. It’s at that moment, Agent Jacks gets an earful. Cassius reveals he is Nathan’s twin, Cassius Faison.

Courtesy/ABC

THE BIRTH OF CASSIUS

Josslyn tries to figure out how Liesl would not know she gave birth to twins. Cassius tells her Liesl believed he’d died at birth. It was his father, Cesar, who arranged the entire thing when he was born.

Next, Josslyn wondered how Nathan’s body could be gone from his grave, if he wasn’t still alive. Cassius shared he arranged to have Nathan’s body removed, and then hacked the PCPD database to replace Nathan’s fingerprints with his own. He gloats that no one would suspect him, since he is known as the good-guy cop at the PCPD.

Then, in a real kicker to Josslyn, she leans that Britt is the one who told Cassius she was a WSB agent, and then the lightbulb went off that Britt and Cassius are working alongside Sidwell and Cullum. Insisting he and his sister wanted out from under Sidwell and Cullum, and that he doesn’t want to have to kill Josslyn, Cassius warns her that her best shot at surviving is to do as he tells her and not cause trouble.

NO ONE WOULD SUSPECT

Josslyn says people will come looking her for, but in a smug manner, Cassius says nobody will ever suspect that “Nathan” would have anything to do with her disappearing. As she pleads, he walks out and locks her back in the room and regains his composure before he leaves.

Eden McCoy spoke with Soap Opera Digest about Josslyn’s shocking new predicament and shared, “I  think Josslyn’s whole journey here is walking the line between being really vulnerable and really, really scared in this situation, but not being able to show that because it’s her job not to react that way. She’s trapped, she’s been kidnapped by a stranger and now she has to work overtime not to give in to her instinct to be scared. Instead, she’s got to incorporate her new training (as an agent).”

So, who will find Josslyn? What will happen when she comes face to face with Pascal again? Are they leaving just enough room for Cassius to come out of this without being a total “bad guy,” so when this storyline ends, it keeps Ryan Paevey on the canvas? Weigh-in via the comment section. In case you missed it, watch the moments below where Josslyn learns her captor is Cassius Faison!

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General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Ethan Burns Delilah’s Photo with a Promise in Touching Turn from Nathan Dean

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General Hospital fans were reminded on the Wednesday, May 6 episode of the ABC daytime drama, just why Nathan Dean’s Ethan Lovett always had a special place in our hearts. After all, not only was he the son of the iconic Luke Spencer and Holly Sutton, but Ethan was always the guy who was great at running a con, but with a heart of gold. It was on full display in key scenes that locked Ethan back into a major storyline since Dean’s return.

Here’s what went down in the pick-up: Ethan is chatting with Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard) after having met baby Phoebe. The couple explain what happened to the woman they found needing medical attention, Delilah. Brook Lynn goes to explain how they tried to track down Phoebe’s family, but it proved fruitless, and now after becoming Phoebe’s foster parents, they have hopes to adopt her.

When Brook Lynn revealed how they found the unconscious Delilah, a devastated Ethan, who is trying not to let on he has any tie to the woman, asks if she had been attacked. Chase said she had no identification in her purse, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was hiding something.

Courtesy/ABC

WHAT HAPPENED TO DELILAH?

As Ethan subtlety tried to nudge Chase for more intel, he reveals that the PCPD found Delilah’s luggage, and it was full of high-end clothes and a list of art galleries, but her fingerprints did not show up on any database. Chase is convinced that Delilah was covering her tracks.

Poor Ethan is gut-wrenched as he looks at baby Phoebe, after hearing how Delilah’s life ended, and when Brook Lynn and Chase talk about how thrilled that baby Phoebe just dropped into their lives, considering they were considering adoption anyways. Ethan says, while struggling to hold back tears, that it’s very clear how much Brook Lynn and Chase love Phoebe. Later, after Ethan left, Brook Lynn tells Chase she is scared that the state will take Phoebe away from them. Chase assures her that won’t happen.

Courtesy/ABC

TEARS AND A VOW

Then, in the heartbreaking conclusion of the episode, an emotional Ethan heads back to the pier. In tears, he pulls a photo of Delilah out of his pocket. He cries that she should have been there for her and he apologizes, crying that his hope was for her to be safe in Port Charles.

Ethan tells Delilah that he’d seen the baby, and she is beautiful. Next, Ethan takes out his lighter, and sets fire to Delilah’s photograph promising her that he’d keep their secret to himself and no one would ever have to know.

So, what do you think the connection is between Ethan and Delilah? Was she working with him on a con? Were they at one time lovers and she had his child? Are they related? What did you think of the performance of Nathan Dean in the emotional scenes? Let us know in the comment section, but first, you can watch it again below and then weigh-in.

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