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!
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 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.
General Hospital
Daytime Emmy Lead Actress Nominee Luncheon; The Tradition Continues
On Sunday, it was Mishael Morgan’s (Amanda Sinclair, The Young and the Restless) turn to host the annual Lead Actress nominee luncheon, for this year’s talented woman who are going for gold at the upcoming 50th annual Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday night, December 15th on CBS.
Morgan took home the Daytime Emmy in this category in 2022 becoming the first Black actress in the now 50-year history to ever win it. In a tradition that was started by four-time Daytime Emmy winner Susan Flannery (Ex-Stephanie, The Bold and the Beautiful), the winning actress from the previous year has to pick up the tab, choose a restaurant and host a fun afternoon gathering for this year’s crop of nominees.
Attending the festivities were 2023 Lead Actress nominees: Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea, The Young and the Restless), Michelle Stafford (Phyllis, The Young and the Restless), Sharon Case (Sharon, The Young and the Restless) Finola Hughes (Anna, General Hospital), and Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (Steffy, The Bold and the Beautiful).
Photo: SCaseIG
Taking to her Instagram, Melissa Claire Egan shared: “To be nominated alongside this incredibly talented group of women is a TRUE HONOR!!! Thank you to last years winner, the fabulous Mishael Morgan for hosting an epic Lead Actress Nominee Luncheon today. It’s so nice that they all offered to give me their Emmy if they win!!”
Michelle Stafford took to her Instagram and expressed: “Lead Actress Brunch. This is a real honor. I’m truly honored to be in a group with all of these incredible women. I’ve loved them all for a very long time. We are all so grateful to be working on our shows… to be working in general, as actors. What a spectacular group of women. Mishael (Last years winner) put together a brunch that was BEYOND spectacular with gift bags even!! I mean Mishael, you are an absolute class act. Thank you for the beautiful day 🧡”
Finola Hughes posted her sentiments as well, “Yesterday was the leading ladies lunch for the Emmy’s. It’s a tradition started by the inimitable Susan Flannery. (The previous years winner throws a luncheon for the nominees). Yesterday was a very special lunch. Mishael Morgan raised the bar! The conversation was at once light hearted and deep. This was an amazing group of women, supportive, funny and caring. Thank you all for a brilliant few hours 💕 🌸 ✨”
Posting on their Instagram Stories were Michelle Stafford who gave us a little more behind the scenes of the luncheon, where Mishael also handed out a gift bag to each of the ladies, and Sharon Case who accompanied her photos with the tune “This One’s For the Girls” by Martina McBride.
So, looking forward to seeing which of these talented actresses takes home the Outstanding Lead Actress Emmy on December 15th? What do you think about how the tradition has been handed down for many years that the luncheon carries on? Comment below.
General Hospital
General Hospital’s Jon Lindstrom Shares Heartfelt Message to Mark His 30-Year Anniversary as Dr. Kevin Collins
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 30 years since back on December 3rd, 1993, when General Hospital viewers got the shock of their lives as the ABC soap opera introduced the psychiatrist twin brother of serial killer, Ryan Chamberlain, in the form of Dr. Kevin Collins.
For soap fans that meant we got to see even more of one of the finest actors ever to appear in the genre in Jon Lindstrom. The talented actor started on GH a year and half earlier in June of 1992 as Ryan.
Fast-forward to 2023 and Lindstrom is in the running for this year’s Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series when the 50th annual Daytime Emmy Awards are given out in less than two weeks on Friday night, December 15th on CBS. Could an Emmy on his 30th year playing Kevin and Ryan be in the cards? Stay tuned.
Photo: JPI
It has been well-documented that former GH creatives Wendy Riche (ex-EP), Claire Labine (ex-head writer) and Michelle Val Jean (ex-writer) were all instrumental in keeping Jon in Port Charles with a second role as Kevin, when he could have headed to As the World Turns at the time to play the role of Damian Grimaldi, that eventually went to Paolo Seganti.
Taking to his Instagram on Sunday to acknowledge this special milestone, Jon shared via video message, “I woke up this morning to see that today December 3rd, marks 30 years since I debuted as Dr. Kevin Collins on General Hospital. I knew that it had been a long time, but 30 years since the doppelgänger to Dr. Ryan Chamberlain was introduced. It really is remarkable. It’s been a great ride, a great run. it’s like an entire career right there. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. It’s just been great.”
Photo: JPI
Lindstrom paid tribute to those who helped create Kevin, expressing, “I have a lot of people to thank about that, let alone people like Wendy Riche and the brass at ABC at the time … Claire Labine who was writing the show back, but Michelle Val Jean was really was the one who I had the pleasure of working with to develop and bring to life Kevin Collins. She’s still a great friend today. So, there’s been a lot of blessings around this for me, and don’t think, I don’t know it. I pretty much drop to my knees every day in gratitude. Thank you world for supporting Dr. Kevin Collins and Ryan Chamberlain, for that matter. I’ll do it as long as they’ll have me.”
Accompanying his video, Jon wrote: “So grateful today for my 30 years of ‘Kevin Collins’ (and ‘Ryan Chamberlain’) on General Hospital, and for the wonderful journey my life has been, for my friends, my the family and incredible opportunities I’ve had. Hope you all have much to be grateful for.”
Share your congrats and well-wishes to Jon for 30 years as GH’s Dr. Kevin Collins via the comment section below.
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General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Are You For or Against Kristina Being the Surrogate for TJ & Molly’s Baby Knowing the Storyline Implications Down the Road?
As many GH viewers have predicted, things have swung back around to Kristina (Kate Mansi) seemingly being the most viable option in Molly’s (Kristen Vaganos) mind to carry her and TJ’s (Tajh Bellow) baby as their surrogate.
If you recall, Kristina offered a few months back and was shut down by Molly, and then TJ, as the couple then went looking through agencies to find a surrogate to carry their baby to term. The surrogate they found, Andrea, told TJ she lost the baby in a miscarriage, which was confirmed by a doctor at Mercy Hospital, and she won’t go through trying to have a baby again. Leaving the couple devastated. But, is her story suspicious?
Last week on General Hospital, Molly was overwhelmed when having to look through a file to start the process of finding a surrogate and identifying the right candidate all over again and it brought her to tears. Kristina found her in the park, and that led the two to have a heart-to-heart conversation. While the two sisters have come to an agreement, now it comes to convincing TJ that this is the right move.
Courtesy/ABC
However, fans of the show can see how complex this will be for everyone down the line. If Kristina’s relationship with Blaze (Jacqueline Grace Lopez) moves further down the line, will she be so willing to give her sister the baby? Could there be an ugly court battle for the little one between two moms vs. TJ and Molly? Will Kristina having their child, bring TJ and Kristina actually closer together, and cause rifts in Molly’s relationship with her man and her sister? What does the long-running soap opera have in store in the storyline by making Kristina the ultimate surrogate? Or, could Kristina lose the baby, only to find out that Andrea, the original surrogate has TJ and Molly’s child? So many possibilities.
Photo: ABC
Soap Opera Digest spoke to Kristen Vaganos on where Molly’s head is at with the situation. Vaganos shared, “I think there’s a little bit of desperation there, wanting to take a route that might be more trustworthy. (Surrogacy is) such a hard process to put trust and hope into because anything can happen. And Molly is a control freak! She wants to control as much as she can, so having a relative involved is, I think, comforting in a way.”
In terms of how Molly will re-approach TJ with Kristina being the prospective surrogate, Vaganos added, “Molly knows that it’s going to be an uphill battle, convincing him. Kristina’s track record with TJ is what it is. But it’s another leap of faith that Molly wants to take, and she just wants TJ to be on board with her. Plus, I think that TJ will really trust Molly’s opinion because Molly knows her better than anybody, and Molly would be the first person to doubt Kristina, to make sure to double-check her work. So if Molly says that she really feels strongly about this and thinks it’s the right decision, I think that’ll go a long way. I think TJ will take that to heart. But unless he’s on board with it, too, it’s a nonstarter.”
So, how do you see this playing out and what do you want to see? Are you in favor of Kristina being the surrogate for Molly and TJ’s baby? Are you for or against it, and what it could mean for long-term story implications? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section below.
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