General Hospital
Steve Burton Shares “It Was Emotional Going Back” as He Reveals More Details On His Return to General Hospital as Jason Morgan
If you caught the ending of last night’s ABC primetime special, General Hospital 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling, you know that in the final moments of the show, Steve Burton literally walked through a door and revealed he is coming home to the ABC soap opera and his role as Jason Morgan.
The moment had GH fans abuzz. The set-up had Laura Wright (Carly) and Kelly Monaco (Sam) each walking though a door. Wright says, “You know what they say, when one door closes …” Then, Monaco finishes with “another door opens.” Next, out walked Burton.
Steve shared more intel and details on the return via DailyDrama.com, where he chats with podcast, comedy partner, and longtime GH co-star, Bradford Anderson (Spinelli).
Photo: JPI
As for the timing of the announcement that happened on the primetime special, Burton shared, “That was strictly Frank’s (Valentini, GH EP) idea. All props to him, he made it happen and here we go!”
Trying to keep Burton’s return a secret was not easy. Steve recalls, “We tried to keep it super low profile in the building. Here’s the thing. Once you start telling makeup, hair, wardrobe, it’s hard. It’s supposed to be hush-hush but I’m going back in the building…you can’t just drop me in the dressing room and then take me up to stage and shoot something without people noticing.”
In an emotional moment during the conversation, Steve became overcome and moved to tears, expressing, “It was incredible going back. Just the welcome back from everybody on the lot, starting with the people at the gate. It was amazing.”
Burton was let-go from the ABC soap opera back in the fall of 2021, when he would not comply with the Disney/ABC Covid-19 vaccine mandate.
Photo:JPI
Now in 2024, Steve shared his words to live by, “We always know there are going to be ups and down in life, and twists and turns. I truly believe if you can get to a state of gratitude, then gratitude unlocks all, even in the toughest times in your life.”
Steve wrapped his run on Days of our Lives as Harris Michaels shortly before the Christmas holidays, he is expected to be seen on the Peacock streaming soap opera through the end of April. Meanwhile, it has been reported that Steve’s return to GH will be imminent and he will be back on-air early this year. Steve revealed that he has not yet taped his first scenes back. However, GH usually tapes around six weeks in advance of air.
So, excited to see Steve back as Jason very soon on GH? Comment below.
Sorry but that smile on Kelly’s face looks like it was painted on just my observation I will never be able to tolerate this man. No reason to ever watch this show again the fact people actually think he is the second coming is a head scratcher.
Steve/Jason will always be an important, key character on GH. He always was and always will be to his fans. I have been watching GH over 60 years and have seen characters come and go…. Was very upset when Steve left and am extremely happy, excited and looking forward to his return. And if don’t want to watch, there are still plenty of us who will. ‘
agree! Im so happy he is coming back
Agreed
I only know him from Y&R and didn’t like him on there either. No idea what he won the Emmys for, to my mind he’s a tad over-rated but I know I’m in a minority. AND does he ever smile???
Kelly’s grimace speaks volumes. It’s been nice watching her in scenes with Dante where she actually looks happy and actually wearing color.
Yes, I am excited to see what happens. Mostly because Drew and Carly are a couple and this will add a lot of drama to the mix. I usually don’t appreciate love triangles but all three are good actors and it’s rare to see a triangle with two guys! Bring it on.
I think due to Drew’s “change” which I have no idea how this will all happen, probably seeing as Jason will be in such close proximity, all those shared memories between the two men will surface and somehow compete. Sounds crazy but can’t be any worse than some of the other SLs we’ve seen over the years.
I love Steve as a person even more since he stood for all of our rights and rejected Disney’s woke medical tyranny. But I dont have much love for his character. I worse out on both Sonny and Jason nearly 20 yrs ago.
Their storyline is constipated. The “mob boss with a heart of gold” and his dutiful brain damaged enforcer angle has been going on for nearly 30 yrs with no real variances. I sincerely hope that the writers get off their duffs and DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT with “Jason” this time.
I am tired of the cold stoic contract killer routine. It’s time that Jason’s Q memories returned, he leaves the mob life and returns to his family. GH needs to move forward.
So your idea of “moving forward” is to move backward to 1995?
Wouldn’t mind his leaving ” the mob life” but joining the Crazy Qs is not something Jason deserves.
You folks are so silly with your “woke” rhetoric. It might be different if you actually knew what it meant or how to use the term in context but, you don’t. You prefer ignorance and that is an obvious choice by your statement. in
I am so glad to Steve Burton coming back as Jason. And Buffie, you don’t have to watch GH anymore. There are enough people glad he’s back and who love the show.
I ABSOLUTLEY LIVE THE FACT STEVE BURTON IS RETURNING AS JASON MORGAN!!!!! He has been greatly missed! I have been a GH fan for 50 of the 60 years the show has been airing and that’s only due to my age. Congratulations Steve and WELCOME HOME!!!!!
I don’t think Kelly’s smile was painted on at all. I think she and Laura both had genuine smiles. Happy Steve is coming back.
I don’t mind Burton coming back but it was his fault he was fired Covid was serious I lost many friends to it and he was just being selfish
Candy, I understand exactly how you feel. I’m glad he hasn’t made any negative statements about the company’s health standards, especially as the COVID numbers are rising again. This is a contrast to Ingo Rademacher, who posted commentary about ‘medical freedom’ very recently.
I have no respect for Ingo, yes he was fired for his covid violation, he was also fired for his anti trans comments and unprofessional conduct towards trans actors on the show. He really is for freedom as long as it is only his. His nasty whining showed his true colors and that did not work out so well for him
He never said anything bad about GH. He is allowed his feeling as is everyone else.
You liberals are pathetic. Why should anyone be required to put a shot in their bodies? I’ll bet you 10000% you’re pro-abortion, right?
You can’t be pro-abortion and against someone who didnt want to be given a shot and vaccine that was not proven to stop a virus and now, it has been proven that some people have n heart n attacks because of this vaccine.
You’re a hypocrite if you belive the government shouldn’t tell you how to control your body with a child inside of you, but it’s ok to force people to take a jab that doesn’t stop a virus! Some of you are hypocritical ignorant clowns that tell people what to do with their bodies, but ATTACK ANYONE THAT TELLS YOU WHAT YOU SHOULD DO WITH “YOUR” BODY AND BABY!
I guit watching GH when Billy Miller left I will always think he was done dirty but then I never thought he was a fit for the role of Jason /but no I have no desire to watch it again Burton won’t bring me back but I also know he has a big fan base. So all your little comments that’s ok you are entitled to your opinion just as I am mine
1
Glad to see Steve Burton return. Jason is a man of conviction and loyalty. Furthermore, Burton is a convincing actor.
Hopefully it will take screen time away from Cameron Mathison ‘s Drew, which is an embarrassment to the character. The man belongs in a Hallmark movie. Never convince anybody he was a Navy Seal. Shame on the casting department.
Goodbye GH. You showed us the last two years it was possible to break up the stagnant repetition of the main characters by giving us new refreshing layers to Sonny, Carly, and Sam once Jason was out of their lives. I am a big fan of Sonny and Nina. He finally learned how to love a woman the right way. MB and CW are amazing together. Carly and Sam were no longer saying and doing the same old things to show character growth of their own just like Sonny. Jason’s return will ruin all of this just like the last time. He will become the central figures in their life and the stale stories we have seen 100 times will come roaring back. I hope Sonny’s love for Nina will win out cause it’s been horrible this week seeing him flip out without her. Worst of all is the characters and stories that will be shoved to the back for Jason to be on five days a week not doing anything of note.
The real surprise is that anyone is surprised by this.
One of the most boring actors/characters in soap opera history.
I’m not sure how they are going to bring him back and make it fresh, the fact that they had Sam and Carly usher him in with the announcement proves they are still stuck or frozen in time,and as I recall Sam had moved on before Jason “ died “ for the 100 time, as for Carly is she now suppose to be one of his great love? It would of been interesting if Liz was one of the lady love coming out the door but for some reason I feel FV doesn’t appreciate her history with Jason, because in the years he’s run the show they only time they play up anything about there relationship was when they recast Jason with the late Billy miller and then they did all that to prop up Sam and Jason even more and the prove of that was when Burton returned and reclaim his role as Jason and they had the brothers fighting for Sam like she was the last piece of bread left on earth , so I’m already bored by his return. And already feeling pity for Dante and drew who they will turn into second fiddles to Jason .
I never liked Burton
— he is robotic..
Robot Man…
I am beyond excited to see Steve/Jason return!!!! Hope he never exits the show again.
Love the show & watch it everyday. Great actors & they seem to be really happy to be on the show.
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.
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