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Roger Howarth Explains His Short Break From General Hospital

By Michael Fairman

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General Hospital fan favorite Roger Howarth (Austin) hasn’t been on screen on recent episodes of the ABC daytime drama seres, and now the actor himself has explained his short disappearance.

While sharing a selfie via his Instagram account, Roger explained he was out of commission, while offering up some inspiration along the way. Howarth, who has been publicly private on social media, recently joined the social media platform, much to the delight of many.

In his post, Roger explained his absence with a photo of him working out at the gym.

“Work,” he noted. “Progressive overload is the theory that whatever you do next, should be more challenging. After a month off for Covid and knee MRI, I am back. And…accountable to you. Another gym post in 30 days. In that time, we can both try something new and difficult! Deal? It’s a way for us all to support and lift one another up. Peace. Seriously… peace.

Photo: RHowarthIG

Since coming to GH, the Daytime Emmy-winning star has played three roles. When One Life to Live came to its conclusion, after being cancelled by ABC, Howarth brought his character of Todd Manning to GH.  However, when legal troubles over rights ensued between ABC and Prospect Park (who launched the online version of the series), he had to be given a new role specific to GH, and thus Howarth took over the role of Franco, previously played by James Franco.  Later, when GH killed off the character in 2021, Roger returned to the series some time later as a new character, Dr. Austin Gatlin-Holt.

Photo: ABC

Roger’s return to taping all-new episodes of GH couldn’t come at a better time, as Austin’s story with Ava (Maura West) and his knowing that Nikolas Cassadine (Adam Huss) is alive and well, while she does not, will provide plenty of drama in the months ahead. Many are also hoping that a love story between Austin and Ava will fully bloom.

So, glad to know Roger is on the mend and coming back to tape all-new episodes of GH? Comment below.

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The role of Austin is so beneath this actor.
Franco, Liz and the boys was a priceless story that GH destroyed. One of their biggest mistakes IMO.

I agree 100%.

Agree 100%
Franco and Liz had magic.
Her boys knew it too.
Still confused why the SL went south…

I agree! I read that RH no longer wanted to play Franco as the character committed too many terrible crimes and felt he couldn’t be redeemed. I really liked his version of Franco. I thought Roger H and Rebecca H. had great chemistry. I loved the relationship he had with her boys. I wish they would have recast RH as Lucky, if only to keep that pair together and reunite Liz and Lucky. Crazy thought I guess….

It wasn’t Roger’s decision to kill off Franco. That was the network edict to remove long term characters associated with sexual assault. That’s why they denied the request to bring back Todd and brought around a quick exit for Harmony.

RH as Lucky??? He’s only 5 years younger than Genie Francis!

He has been a great actor to watch and enjoy since he first appeared on OLTL… and to watch his character grow from the whole Marty / Todd original storyline

GH really dropped the ball here when they killed off Franco, then they dropped the ball again by with just having his new character idle for so long, Is he not a Quatermaine? why give up on the character association with the shows biggest family? doesn’t make sense, somebody got to fix this mess. He’s a Quatermaine so have him play with them..

Gh missed there calling by not making Roger(Austin) Alan Quartmaine’s Son. There would have been plenty of story there. Very sad that the Ex Producer Frank Valentini only plays on. The Corinthos family. The Q family is a legendary family and is definitely more important than Sonny and Carly Corinthos. Love Roger and Maura

Well.. they did make him Alan’s nephew. Eventually. But now they seem to ignore his Quartermaine family connections while trying to build up this ridiculous redneck “mafia” family (apparently his mother’s side of the family tree) which they have now retconned once again to be somehow connected to Cyrus the Virus.

Probably should have made him Jimmy Lee’s kid the first time around. Todd Manning never belonged on GH, and any attempt to resurrect “Franco” as a mild mannered art therapist and family man was beyond ridiculous. The real Franco was a psychotic serial killer who was properly disposed of when Jason emptied a clip into him and then burned down the building his body was in, just in case. No reason to ever undo that ending, let alone write something as weak as a “brain tumor” to excuse all of his crimes & terrorism.

I wish they would bring Kim Zimmer on as his mother

In theory, that works, but not gonna happen due to some comments Kim made that Frank took the wrong way when she returned to OLTL in its final years as Echo.

I didn’t even notice that he was gone. Too bad he didn’t take his cousin with him.

I love Roger as an actor whatever role he plays…one of the primary reasons I tune in to GH. He’s my favorite of the cast

Roger Howarth is the best actor on daytime, and in my opinion one of the best actors on any medium. I would watch him play any character but it’s a shame he can’t continue to play Todd Manning since I watched that character for so many years and enjoyed seeing the character development that happened with the character. Either way I’ll be watching Roger!

The writing for Austin was pretty bad. He was never given a good story line. They paired him up with Maxie not a good fit then they kill him off and no expectation as who did it.

General Hospital

Kelly Sullivan Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’s’ Maura West Recalling When Ava Shot Connie (Exclusive)

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Maura West and Kelly Sullivan

It was just over 13 years ago on General Hospital when Ava Jerome (Maura West) shot and killed Kate Howard/Connie Falconeri (Kelly Sullivan) in an effort to keep her quiet from revealing that Derek Wells was actually Ava’s back-from-the-dead brother, Julian Jerome (William deVry). It’s a crime that somehow Ava never has quite paid for either.

The episode back aired on August 13, 2013 and viewers had to say goodbye to Kelly Sullivan who played Kate and her alter, Connie. In the story, just before she died, Kate/Connie scrawled the letters AJ in her own blood, initially making the PCPD and Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) think that it was AJ Quatermaine (Sean Kanan) who did the deed.

Now, Sullivan recalled sharing scenes with the three-time Daytime Emmy-winning West, during a live conversation on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel. Kelly was the special guest talking about her recent return to the soaps in her new role as The Bold and the Beautiful’s Darcy Dylan.

Photo: JPI

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF MAURA WEST

Speaking of her final GH scenes and working with Maura West, Sullivan gave her then GH co-star major props. “If you’re going to be shot by somebody (on the soaps), you want to be shot by Maura West, c’mon!”

Maura West debuted back in May 2013 as Ava, and Sullivan remembered when the As the World Turns favorite began on GH. “I remember when Maura West first arrived at GH. She walked in with this cute little bob (hairdo) and she’s just delicious,” shared Sullivan.

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

Kelly revealed more about Maura, adding “I think she’s amazing! I remember right before I left the show, someone suggested, and I would still love to do this with her, if she ever want to, but someone suggested that they wanted to direct the stage play A Streetcar Named Desire with Maura and I, where I would play Stella and she would play Blanche! Wouldn’t that be great?”

Speaking of the Ava/Connie showdown scenes, Sullivan expressed, “On television and on General Hospital specifically, Maura West is able to play a character who does the most horrendous things and you still care about her and that’s the mark of a really great actor. In other words, you’re able to be liked in the midst of the most horrendous things, and as a performer not shying away from that, and to just have the courage to do what’s on the page (in the script).”

Photo: JPI

KELLY SULLIVAN PARTING THOUGHTS AS SHE LEFT GENERAL HOSPITAL

Kelly also shared her sentiments when she walked off the set of General Hospital after her run back in August of 2013. “I really was honored. Every day I would go to work and I would say a little prayer, which is I want to do justice for my character, explained Kelly. “It’s between me and my character. I get to walk this path with her and to leave the show on that note, which is, I left every out there. I just gave it my all and again what an honor it was to play Kate/Connie.”

You can catch the full conversation with Kelly where she talks about her time on General Hospital, The Young and the Restless where she played Sage Warner and now The Bold and the Beautiful below.

So, do you remember the Ava and Connie scenes where Ava shot and killed her? What did you think of Kelly Sullivan’s sentiments about Maura West? Share your thoughts via the comment section. But first, watch the reveal where Ava recalls murdering Connie below!

 

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General Hospital

Steve Burton Reportedly Signs Three-Year Contract with ‘General Hospital’

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Steve Burton

The question of will Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) stay awhile at General Hospital after his recent extended hiatus from the show earlier this year, has reportedly been answered.

TMZ via court documents obtained in Burton’s ongoing legal battle with his ex-wife Sheree Gustin, shared that Steve actually inked a new three year deal with the ABC soap opera back in June.

That is significant because it was June when Burton returned back to work as Jason. In addition, the court filing confirmed that Burton had already moved back to California from Tennessee.

Steve Burton

Photo: ABC

STEVE’S HIATUS AND HIS RETURN TO PORT CHARLES

GH fans will recall, it was back in February of 2026, that Burton announced via his Instagram that he was stepping away from his role of Jason Morgan for short break and pointed to wanting to spend quality time with his new wife, Michelle Lundstrom Burton with whom he tied the knot back on May 17, 2025.

Steve expressed at that time, “I’m newly married and looking forward to spending some quality time with my family.” It was back on March 25 that viewers saw Jason carted away by the WSB after taking the fall for Rocco Falconeri (Finn Carr) who shot then WSB Director Ross Cullum (Andrew Hawkes).

Burton returned to work on June 1, and due to General Hospital taping roughly six weeks ahead of air, made his on-screen comeback on the July 13 episode.

GOING FOR GOLD AT THE UPCOMING DAYTIME EMMYS

Then, Steve and his enduring fans got an extra special treat on the same day, when it was revealed on Extra that he was nominated for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Daytime Drama Series category.

Steve previously won in the Supporting Actor category for his work as General Hospital’s Jason in 1998 and as The Young and the Restless’ Dylan McAvoy in 2018.

Now with Jason and Britt’s (Kelly Thiebaud) relationship seemingly hitting the skids, plus Jason’s commitment to staying out of mob life to focus on being present for his son Danny Morgan (Asher Antonyzyn), what does the future hold for the fan favorite character? Stay tuned.

So, happy to hear that Steve Burton signed a new three year deal with General Hospital? Knowing that, what storyline would you like to see Jason get involved and with who? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section.

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General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason and Britt Reach an Impasse; Is This the End of Their Relationship?

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Jason and Britt

On the Friday, September 11 episode of General Hospital, Jason (Steve Burton) and Britt’s (Kelly Thiebaud) relationship becomes strained to potentially the point of no return.

Things take a turn when an unglued Britt having been traumatized by almost being killed by Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) asks Jason to back her up with the PCPD when she reports Anna for attempted murder.

However, Jason told Britt, he can’t. Jason shares that he does not believe Anna would have gone through with shooting her. Therefore, Britt was not in any real imminent danger. Britt is flabbergasted and hurt that Jason is refusing to tell the police what he actually witnessed for himself on Mount Emerson.

Britt

Courtesy/ABC

BRITT WANTS BACK UP FROM JASON

Jason counters that he can’t believe that Britt would want Anna punished. or sent to prison, or a mental facility after the trauma she endured while being locked up and mentally tortured while at Wyndemere.

He asks Britt, “How could you even say that you want her locked up or prosecuted for what she did when you knew she was being held prisoner and you did nothing to save her?” Britt is stunned by Jason’s response.

Coming up, official General Hospital spoilers share that on the upcoming Monday, September 14 episode, Jason confides in Carly (Laura Wright), while Britt is stung. In the video preview that aired at the end of the Friday, September 11 episode for this coming Monday, Britt says to Jason, “You don’t believe me. Do you?”

General Hospital head scribes, Chris Van Etten and Elizabeth Korte previously teased in their fall preview of the soap, “Britt and Jason have come a long way and fought a lot of enemies to be together. But the most stubborn obstacle to their happiness isn’t without, it’s within. Decisions Britt made to stay alive while under Cullum’s thumb will come back to haunt her and may prove too difficult for this unlikely couple to survive.”

So, what do you think will happen? Will Jason and Britt break-up over Britt’s lies and Jason’s unwillingness to report Anna’s crime against her? Do you want Jason and Britt to go their separate ways? If they do, will Britt become romantically involved with Dr. Tristan Roberts (Dean Geyer) ? If so, who do you pair Jason with? Anyone? Weigh-in via the comment section.

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Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

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