General Hospital
Ingo Rademacher Opens About Mental Health Struggles Since Being Fired from General Hospital
Back in November of 2021, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ingo Rademacher was fired by ABC for not complying with their vaccine mandate policy. Until that point, Ingo had played General Hospital leading man, Jasper ‘Jax” Jacks, on and off for over 20 years including runs in: 1996–2013, 2016–17 and 2019–2021.
One month after he was let go, Rademacher filed a lawsuit against ABC/Disney over his dismissal. In June of 2023, a Los Angeles judge ruled in ABC’s favor. However, Ingo is appealing the decision.
Taking to his Instagram, Ingo opened up about his mental health struggles through all the changes and upheaval in his life which included the opportunity to play Jax on a regular basis on the ABC daytime drama series.
Photo: JPI
Ingo expressed, “I apologize for not having posted much in the last year and a half. To be completely honest, for the first time in my life, I’ve been faced with some mental health struggles, that’s not something I’ve ever had to face before. I’m a lot better now but the first year was rough. Being ousted at the show for my political views, my case against ABC/Disney is now in the appeals process. Having to pack up my family from a life that we loved, questioning our move to FL. Having to take the kids out of a great swim team. Taking them away from their incredible jujitsu family and Professor in LA.”
Next, Rademacher shared how he thought he would be at GH for many years to come, stating, “On top of that, I really identified as my character on General Hospital for decades and I could’ve been there and would’ve been there for many more decades to come. This isn’t a boo-hoo me post it’s just honest. It’s where I’m at. Struggling with being not that motivated also comes with the added bonus of extra weight (getting fat)”
Photo: JPI
Although, Ingo says he is not at the body weight he wants to be, he believes things have taken a turn and he has found some motivation to get back into the shape he desires: “I weighed in at 222 pounds a few weeks ago and I should be around 190. Actually 185, let’s not try to soften the blow. Yep. Hard for me to actually say that because it’s embarrassing. Especially for someone who puts a lot of emphasis on fitness. Anyway, I hope to be more vocal again soon. I’m more motivated now. Stay tuned. More to come.”
What do you think about Ingo sharing his mental health struggles since being let go by ABC and GH, and then suing them, plus moving his family completely across the county? Comment below.
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Not to make a joke or anything, because there ARE folks with serious mental health struggles out there. But if you’re a transphobic, antivax MAGAtt, I would say your mental health issues were very present BEFORE you got fired.
I guess being depressed (which is what his description sounds like) because you’ve screwed your life up DOES qualify as a mental health issue (depression), but I can’t get over thinking that it does a disservice to those suffering from mental health issues when we accept someone’s characterization of “I’m unhappy because I made crappy life choices and they caught up with me” as a mental health issue. I’m not a psychologist, and I’m not qualified to diagnose anybody’s anything, but the article sure makes it sound like he’s trying to call what he’s going through “mental health issues” because that sounds so much more sympathetic than “My whole antivax thing blew up in my face, I screwed up my family’s life as well as my own, and my life basically sucks now because of things I did and choices I made, so I’m miserable and have gained weight.” Maybe we need two different terms for two different kinds of “mental health issues,” I don’t know.
And geez, he’s transphobic too? Wow.
Did I understand the article correctly that he moved to Florida? Oh lordy, how absolutely perfect. (Current Florida resident here; cannot get out of this state fast enough. Six more months.)
Oh shut up! I guess you’re perfect!
If by “perfect,” you mean that I know not to (1) whine after my decision to put my costars at risk has adverse consequences for my life, (2) retweet transphobic comments about a costar, and (3) compare Covid restrictions to what Anne Frank (and by extension, other Jews and members of other targeted groups) went through, then yes, I’m “perfect”–guilty as charged. Thanks for calling me out on it!
And now more and more doctors and scientists who no longer fear retaliation have come out and verified the vaccines were dangerous and have caused serious harm to people, especially young men and the elderly. Ingo was right to question the safety of these vaccines. Even Fauci has confirmed that the vaccines were not reliable as millions of people who took the vaccines still got COVID and spread COVID, so maybe you should look into all of the medical community who can explain why the vaccines were indeed dangerous in many ways. Open your mind to learning what so many doctors have reported about the damage the vaccines caused. These are not Anti-Vaxxers!! They were just against the COVID vaccines!
I think it’s interesting that he characterizes his dismissal as having been for his “political views” rather than for his personal choice not to get the Covid vaccine. I’d most likely be sympathetic to what he went through–I find myself almost always rooting for employees over employers, if only because of the enormous power imbalance–but if I were his coworker, I would have expected our employer to take action and would have been glad when they did.
I think his view that he would have been on GH for decades is . . . unrealistic. Jax had gone and come back multiple times already before Ingo was fired, and each time Jax came back, I felt he was more and more peripheral to the story. The fact that Jax’s departure, when Ingo was fired, had practically zero effect on the story at the time suggests that as a character, he had largely run his course. (In contrast, they actually had to write/rewrite a story around Steve Burton’s exit.)
Well said Michael. You covered it all from his misconception about why he was let go to Jax basically becoming a “talk to” character with little reason (other than Joss) to stay on the canvas.
He didn’t get fired for his political beliefs. And continuing to say that will ensure he’ll never work again. The appeal is a loser.
I was brought up to–
Never speak opinions of – politics, religion,..
Excuse yourself from the conversation and say–
I’m sorry I am not informed on the subject, then excuse yourself by
saying I’ll return shortly..
And do not return until the subject has been closed..
Doing that will keep you loveable..
—— Ingo said- he was- ”ousted at the show for my political views”
He should have kept his political opinions to himself-
I have found it works very well 🙂
I’m sorry for anyones struggles,but,many did whatever it took to keep jobs durning the pandemic.Some in the medical field paid with their lives.I will never forget.You stood for your beliefs and took the consequences,others did and have pulled themselves up to a new career.God bless you and yours.
It went further. He was transphobic,which impacted Cassandra.
Good. All for Ingo
It’s almost like the “Drew Barrymore” strike comment…. he making it worse for himself the more he talks about it, spins it, or tries to explain it.
The difference is I don’t believe Drew Barrymore was intending to call off as she did; I genuinely think she was trying to come back as a platform to discuss things… and it backfired on her. This individual, however, continues to put their foot in their mouth.
I’ll say this. While I’m sorry Ingo has been struggling with his mental health, rules are there for a reason, and he chose not to follow them. Choices have consequences,
The “woah is me” attitude is so off-putting. He claimed his decision to not get the vaccine was religious, and now he’s claiming it is political…. so which is it? He is a self-centered, transphobic terrorist, who supporting the terrorist attack on the Capital, and has said some real nasty things about others, who got what he deserved when he fired himself from his job. It’s so off-putting, and not he’s coming off as fat-phobic with his supposed weight gain, as if it’s a genuine negative. That is on HIM not him firing himself. He was terror on that set (as evident on social media by mocking his co-stars) and honestly, the canvas is better without Jax on it. And he won’t be winning his appeal at all, and even if he did (by a small margin), I doubt it would mean he’d be re-hired any way. Roseanne Barr was fired for her racist rants… yet, he was ignored by Disney-ABC and soap media. Should’ve been immediately dismissed.
He had to face the consequences of his choices & actions & is whining abt it now!
EXACTLY! And is unable to handle the consequence. I’m by no means a Steve Burton fan, but he took the decision he made and accepted it. He didn’t publicly whine. He didn’t sue out of spite. He knew the decision he had made would have the consequence it did, hoped for a different outcome, and moved along with his career / life. He did not play the victim card.
Looks like he is having fun to me! Nothing is forever unless you are smart enough to have your own business ! Good luck Ingo move on
He always posts pics of his “good life”, surfing, etc. Meantime, he complains he has no money but had a place in Hawaii (which is VERY expensive) and lives quite the luxurious life. He’s a whiner and relies on his fans to fight for him in the hope he’ll get his job back. I guess his not caring if he gave the virus to others, or how he found a transgender tweet so amusing he had to retweet it, or his moronic, clueless comparison between covid restrictions and the lack of freedom for Anne Frank, a young girl who had to hide in an attic from the nazis but ultimately was found and died in a concentration camp, is something to be supported and applauded by some. Not decent people.
I was a huge fan and as a journalist, I gave him a lot of publicity. I am very disappointed in him for lots of reasons. He trashed his career.
I don’t miss you or the character of Jax one bit since your dismissal. Now you’ve resurfaced because you want money. I would imagine that the cast and crew at GH feel comfortable that your negativity is a distant memory.
I’m sorry for the mental health struggles he’s going through. As someone that battles my own mental health issues on a daily basis, I don’t wish them on anyone. But as others have pointed out, Ingo is a hard person to feel sorry for based on the things he’s said and done. He brought this on himself. He made a big deal about his personal liberties and his personal choices. He made his choices alright.
The thing is, no matter who you are, an actor, an athlete, a musician, a former president, or John Q. walking down the street, there are consequences for the things we say and do, and consequences for the choices and decisions we make in our life.
I honestly don’t miss him on GH. But I do hope for his own sake, for his family’s sake, for his own sanity, that he gets his life back on track.
Time for both sides to make amends cause it’s the best for the show. GH has struggled mightly on Carly’s love life since Jax. Wright only has couple chemistry with Ingo. Drew is Carly’s most boring pairing in 25 years. Cameron Mathison is not working out. Cynthia Watros has been a excellent addition four years in and has lots of couple chemistry with Benard. Nina and Sonny are good together. I cried at their wedding it was so beautiful. Bring back Jax for Carly. Ingo may be ready to see the light and fix his wrongs.
Nah. He burned those bridges. HE did with HIS ignorant words.
No. There is not “making amends” with the things he’s said and done, not to mention he sued ABC and is appealing because he lost. He’s done. Maybe a far right “news” outlet will hire him or some far right show. Who’d want to hire an actor who has sued ABC. Way too many actors to choose from than to risk hiring him. He screwed himself.
What if Ingo had a wakeup call? He tries to win back the trust and respect of everyone as a first step to earning forgiveness. Everyone has a right to learn from their mistakes. You would welcome him back to GH if he saw the error of his ways? I believe in second chances.
He just said he’s going to appeal the lawsuit. He’s STILL trying to blame ABC for his own decision. ABC gave him and others a choice; Steve Burton didn’t take the vaccine but didn’t burn bridges; he didn’t sue them and because of his more professional response, he probably has a door open for him at GH should he choose to go back. Ingo hasn’t changed. He’s in his 50s. He retweeted a cruel transgender insult and he made light of a young girl, Anne Frank’s having to hide from the nazis. She was ulitmately caught and died in a concentration camp. He compared HER hiding from the nazis to covid restrictions, saying covid restrictions were worse. You can’t get much lower than that; he’s despicable.
There’s no return for Ingo to any Disney owned show (and likely most of Hollywood).
Wright also had good chemistry with Roger Howarth as both Todd and Franco.
Agreed with your assessment of Mathison. What started out with good potential while Drew was held captive has segued into an extremely dull partnership.
WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH…Dude let’s ask NLG how she felt while you were bullying her. That alone should have got your fired. Go away..
I was a huge Jax fan back in the day and was always excited when Ingo and the character returned. However, this whole situation and his attitude was a big turn off. He totally uprooted his family from Hawaii to return the last time to GH so it’s not like this should be a big deal. Aside from this, I thought the character Jax had run his course the last time with not much to do. He hasn’t been missed.
He’s obnoxious and way too full of himself. He made a decision. But instead of respecting ABC’s decision to require a vaccine during a worldwide pandemic, he made it about himself. He sued. He went to every media outlet who would have him to complain. He posted crap on IG, Twitter, and FB. He burned bridges which is an understatement, and sued a major entertainment corporation instead of understanding their right to require a vaccine at a time when there was a lot of virus out there, and being in an enclosed work environment posed a risk to all. And, to top it off, at the time it was believed the vaccine would stop transmission. All he had to do was wait out the mandate like Steve Burton did. When/if Steve wants to come back to GH the door is open. Ingo shut the doors on himself by his desire for a big payout… And that’s in addition to his bigoted transgender retweet and his covid restriction Holocaust comparison. He’s not too bright or empathetic.
Don’t miss Ingo/Jax one bit. Good riddance. Good luck to him. That is all.
A trump-humping homo/transphobic anti vaxxer is sad and not taking responsibility for his own actions?
Imagine my surprise!
Cynical Devil that I am, I can’t help but think Ingo’s trying to generate some sympathy for himself among the GH fanbase here.
The recent deaths of Billy Miller & Tyler Christopher and their well documented struggles with mental health issues have had overwhelming response from the fans & GH cast members on this board & others. Maybe Ingo thought he could play that card in some sort of desparate “Hail Mary” play to get back on GH?
Or am I reading too much into this?
Wouldn’t put it past him. But then again he’s big with the anit-vax and/or Trump crowd. But if they couldn’t get enough votes for the Presidency and the midterms, I think he’s barking up the wrong party, lol.
I admire anyone who discloses mental health issues; that includes Ingo. I hope he is able to get the help he needs and lives a more productive, happy, well-adjusted life. And that is where my benevolence towards him ends…
His assumption that he would have been on GH for decades more is asinine.
No it’s not Assinine
Sorry, but timing of this is just sick. Right after the tragedies of Billy Miller and Christpher Tyler. It seems that he is using the fan’s recent, tragic losses as a way to get sympathy for himself.
When I heard him speak in an interview and he gave the reason religious exemption for not taking the covid vaccine when he was at General Hospital to me personally it wasn’t a religious exemption reason it appeared to me to be for health and fitness reasons. When it comes down to it basically if your employed by a company and they require something then if you want to keep your job you do it. If you’re a doctor or a nurse working at the hospital in order to keep your job you have to get the vaccine.
The latest ratings are out for the week of October 26-30, 2026 and the big takeaways include: that CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates was separated by only 23,000 viewers behind third place (of the soaps) General Hospital! For the last several weeks, Beyond the Gates has been closing the gap on this year’s winner for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, and continuing to best GH in the key demos.
According to the latest Nielsen ratings breakdown from Soap Opera Network, the final week of October brought Beyond the Gates 1.790 million on average tuning-in and the show set a season high in total viewers. Meanwhile, General Hospital hit a new season low! The long-running ABC soap had 1.813 million for the week, and once again the series did not go over the 2 million mark.
Meanwhile, in the key Women 18-49 demo, Beyond the Gates was firmly ahead of GH with a rating share of 0.21, while General Hospital had 0.17 rating share.Then, in the key Women 25-54 demo, Beyond the Gates was once again ahead of the ABC soap with a ratings share for that demo at 0.30 while GH came in with 0.26.
Photo: CBS
MORE BY THE NUMBERS
In addition and comparatively, Beyond the Gates +22,000 viewers week-to-week, and had the largest gains in viewership year-to-year in daytime TV with +267,000 from this in 2025.. However, General Hospital seems to be going in reverse. The show was down -56,000 viewers week-over-week and down -22,000 year-over-year .
BEYOND THE GATES
Let’s take a look at some of the storylines that had people tuning-in to Beyond the Gates during the ratings week:
Hayley (Marquita Goings) attempted a massive shocker regarding her pregnancy and tried to use it to extract money from Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett). Although, Bill saw right through her game, he demanded a paternity test, and made it clear he has no intention of raising the child—planning instead to pay her off to take the baby and leave. Meanwhile, Hayley confided her plan to her cousin Randy (Maurice P. Kerry).
Jacob Hawthorne (Jibre Hordges) and Naomi Hamilton (Arielle Prepetit) clashed over Jacob’s ongoing investigation into The Impaler, causing significant strain in their marriage. At the same time, Smitty (Mike Manning) considered taking matters into his own hands—including potentially heading to Mexico for evidence—while Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) worried about what comes next.
Photo: ABC
GENERAL HOSPITAL
Over at General Hospital for the ratings period, the story served up included:
Carly (Laura Wright) and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) teamed up to investigate what really happened to Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna). Later, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) leads them to Jack’s dead body.
Jude (Wil Traval) dropped a bombshell claim to Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn); that he is Phoebe’s father, while Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard) signed their divorce papers.
Then, Danny caught Rocco (Finn Carr) and Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarski) sharing a kiss, plus the shocking return of Heather Webber (Alley Mills) capped the week.
Now the questions become; without having much promotional synergy in the ABC day-part to draw more eyeballs it is not helping but hurting General Hospital. It seems Beyond the Gates is also a benefactor of a one-two-three punch of CBS soaps (Y&R, B&B and BTG) and promotion.
However, that still doesn’t take away the fact that Beyond the Gates is close to besting GH in all ratings category as they go head-to-head in some markets across the country.
So, are you excited to see Beyond the Gates climb in the ratings? Are you concerned for General Hospital? Do you think they can stave off Beyond the Gates in total viewers or will the upstart soap overtake them in the next ratings report? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Antonio Sabáto Jr., the former Jagger Cates of General Hospital and GH: Night Shift, and the former Dante Damiano of The Bold and the Beautiful has issued his first public statement since the incident involving his son, Jack’s arrest in Alaska for a fatal hit-and-run.
Jack is the son of Sabáto Jr. and Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, and according to court documents obtained by KTUU Jack, was allegedly driving a white Chevy Tahoe when he hit and killed Carl Simmonds, 42, near an intersection in Anchorage around 5:35 a.m. on Monday, November 9.
The reports indicated that Jack fled the scene — but later decided to called the cops to say he hit “something” that “suddenly appeared in the road” while he was “doing late-night DoorDashing.”
Photo: NBC
Now, Antonio has taken to his Instagram breaking his silence on the situation, sharing, “At this time, my family and I are navigating an extremely sensitive and deeply personal matter.”
He added, “As a father, my love for my children remains unconditional, and my priority is the well-being of my family. We ask that the public and members of the media honor our privacy during this difficult time and keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.”
The soap alum concluded, “I also wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the gentleman who tragically lost his life. My thoughts and prayers are with them as well. We sincerely appreciate your compassion, understanding, and respect for the privacy of everyone affected.”
Jack Sabáto was arraigned in court on Tuesday, November 10 with bail set at $5,000, and a no-driving order and the potential of $5,000 penalty fees if he fails to attend future court appearances.
Antonio is the father to Jack, 34, daughter, Mina Sabato, 24 and son, Antonio Sabáto III, 15.
This is a developing story. You can check out Antonio’s official statement below.
So, let us know your thoughts on this tragic hit-and-run, which claimed the life of another man, and Antonio’s statement, via the comment section below.
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Sonny (Maurice Benard) and Ava’s (Maura West) daughter Avery looks quite different, starting on today’s November 9 episode of General Hospital. That’s because GH has made Avery into a full-blown teenager and the role is now being played by actress Alya Bullington.
In her debut, the Tennessee native was thrown into the deep soap waters with Daytime Emmy winners, Maurice Benard and Eden McCoy (Josslyn). Bullington weighed-in to TV Insider about her first scene which featured Avery overhearing a fight between Sonny and Josslyn.
She explained “It was something I have never done before, I did not have a lot of experience with the screaming and the crying stuff, but I got my first script, and I was like, ‘OK, this is a huge opportunity to learn so much about how that stuff works and to become this character that I have never even tried playing before.’”
Photo: ABC
THE TEENAGED VERSION OF AVERY WILL HAVE A LOT TO CONTEND WITH
Speaking of working with McCoy, Bullington shared, “She’s incredible. I remember her just laughing and making jokes on set, and then the minute that they started taping, she just locked in and she cried immediately, and my first thought was, ‘I want to be able to do that.’
The soap opera newcomer added, “I think she just inspired me so much because she is so great and she can just lock into whatever character she wants to in the moment.”
The character of Avery was born back in 2014, but as recently as the October 8 episode of General Hospital, the character was suddenly referred to as a teenager. This is the second young female character in recent months to be aged up following the casting of Kayden Brenna Tokarski as Scout Cain.
As for her take on Avery and what’s ahead, Alya said,“She’s emotional, and she’s curious, and she’s a really fun person to play because so much stuff is happening in her life. I think she’s kind of confused about what’s happening and what to believe.”
So, what do you think about General Hospital making Avery a teenager? Are you excited to see the conflict between Sonny, Ava and Avery now that they have aged up the character? Share your thoughts and welcome Alya to GH via the comment section below.
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers
B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
Antonio Sabáto Jr. Breaks Silence on His Son’s Arrest for Fatal Hit-and-Run
DANCING WITH THE STARS: A Shocking Elimination on Grammy Night Leaves Ballroom Silenced
Y&R’s New Head Writers Share Vision for Genoa City: Contemporary Homage to Bill Bell, Mixing Heightened Escapism and Grounded Reality
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: Episodes From New Co-Head Writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, Begin to Air
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