American actor Steve Burton has been sacked from his role in the U.S. soap General Hospital, where he has played the character Jason Morgan since 1991, because of his refusal to get vaccinated. Filming takes place at ABC studios, which requires all actors to be vaccinated, with Burton following in the footsteps of his former colleague Ingo Rademacher, who was also kicked from the show for not being vaccinated. Sky News has the story.
Burton, who has played the role of Jason Morgan in the long-running U.S. soap since 1991, confirmed the news in an Instagram video on Tuesday evening.
The show, which is made by Disney-owned ABC Studios, requires its Zone A (those actively working on set) actors and staff to be vaccinated against Covid.
He said: “Unfortunately, General Hospital has let me go because of the vaccine mandate. I did apply for my medical and religious exemptions, and both of those were denied. Which, you know, hurts.
“But this is also about personal freedom to me.”
Burton went on to say: “Maybe one day if these mandates are lifted, I can return and finish my career as Jason Morgan. That would be an honour.”
ABC has since confirmed that Burton’s departure is linked to his non-compliance with the show’s vaccine mandate.
He follows colleague Ingo Rademacher out the show’s door, who was also let go for publicly refusing to comply with the show’s vaccine mandate.
Using Instagram, Rademacher frequently rallied against vaccine mandates, telling those who had taken the jab that they were only doing for themselves.
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