‘General Hospital’: Is Jason Morgan Leaving?
As far as fan-favorite characters go, Jason Morgan of General Hospital is one of those characters fans can’t resist. When Steve Burton, who plays Jason, announced in 2012 that he was exiting the show, fans were devastated, although they soon felt relieved when the actor returned to the show two years later.
Burton threw fans in disarray over a 2020 post he made which might have cryptically indicated his departure from General Hospital. So is Jason Morgan leaving Port Charles?
Who is Jason Morgan?
Jason Morgan was born Jason Quartermaine in 1981. He was Alan Quartermaine and Susan Moore’s son. After Susan’s death, he moved into his father’s mansion, where Monica at first didn’t like him but ended up adopting him. In 1995 Jason and his brother A.J got into a car accident after A.J drunkenly ran the car into a tree.
Jason went into a coma and, after waking up, suffered memory loss. He rejected his family except for his grandmother and sister. After turning his back on the Quartermaine family, Jason took the name Morgan, his grandmother’s maiden name.
He began working for Sonny Corinthos as the mob’s enforcer but got shot by the Tin Man. When he survived, Robin Scorpio urged him to abandon the dangerous life, but Jason refused, which led Robin to ask Sonny to fire him.
Over the years, Jason has struggled to balance his life of crime with his better nature. At some point, his family thought he had died only for him to reappear in Russia, changing his facial features through plastic surgery.
Burton isn’t the only actor who’s ever taken on the part to play Jason. Before he took over the role, Quinn Carlson and Bryan Beck walked in the character’s shoes. However, Burton has held the part the longest of the other two.
Fans misinterpreted Burton’s post about the departure
Saying goodbye to a favorite character can be tricky, and General Hospital fans know this more than any other person. When Burton posted a photo with the caption “looking back at what an amazing ride Port Chuck was! Thank YOU and thanks to @bfordanderson @brandonjbarash @scottreevesforreal for some of the best times of my life,” fans went into a frenzy.
They immediately began speculating that Burton had indirectly announced his exit from General Hospital. Burton, however, cleared the air saying that his fans misconstrued his post. The actor explained that he was thanking his band for “some of the best times of my life.”
Burton clarified that Port Chuck and Port Charles were two different things: Port Chuck is Burton’s band while Port Charles is the setting for General Hosptial, Burton stated he plans to stay in the fictional city for a while, thus laying the rumors to rest. He did, however, admit that his band was disbanding but would set a one-night-only show for their fans. Port Chuck comprises Burton and his co-stars Bradford Anderson, Scott Reeves, and Brandon Barash.
Is Jason leaving?
Fans of the show can remember that Burton left the show back in 2012 due to contract issues. The actor’s contract negotiations with the network weren’t going well, and Burton announced that he would be walking away from the soap.
He confirmed in an interview that he had agreed to stay on the show long enough for the showrunners to find a way to give his character a fitting ending. Burton last appeared on the show in 2012. However, in 2014, Jason returned to Port Charles with a new face after Billy Miller took over the role, but fans later learned that he was Jason’s twin.
According to Soaps In-Depth, Burton’s fans can rest easy knowing that Jason Morgan isn’t leaving Port Charles anytime soon. This came after Burton’s clarification statements about his status on the show, meaning that Jason might be sticking around for a while.
