Steve Burton: The real reason he chose in 2013 to leave General Hospital

Disclaimer: This article is not bashing Steve Burton but only examining what really took place when he left General Hospital in 2013. Fans of Burton and Jason have no need to be angry upon reading documented facts.

General Hospital: A behind the scenes issue

When Steve Burton left his role as Jason Quartermaine on General Hospital in 2013 he said he was leaving show business and going to spend time with his family in Tennesee. Fans were stunned when not long after this he showed up on The Young and the Restless as Dillon MaCavoy. Some viewers suspected that Morgan would go back to GH and he did. His return caused problems for Billy Miller who had been recast as Jason and later became his twin Drew Cain and was eventually fired.

Miller was written out and now Cameron Mattheson has been cast as Drew Cain. Burton was recently fired because he refused to follow ABCs guidelines regarding the COVID vaccination. Actors are human so they make mistakes and have the right to change their minds just like anyone else. Something they should remember, however, is that their words can come back to bite them.

According to the above article in Soaps.com Burton's real issue in 2013 was the commute from Tennesse to LA. Consider this statement from Soaps She Knows: "The actor and the studio could not come to an agreement to have Burton flown in for episodes so the actor left........"

It sounds like Burton wanted to have his cake and eat it too. He wanted to remain on the ABC soap while moving several states away and having General Hospital pick up the tab for his commute to work. His official statement, however, indicates that he had been planning on leaving California for 7 years but could not sell his house. In recent comments about his current situation, Burton has said that he loves Jason and would like to return to the role someday.

General Hospital: Just the facts

This article is not intended to come across as nitpicking but the actor contradicts himself several times in what he says which has some viewers wondering what is true? Would Burton have remained on General Hospital in 2013 if the execs had picked up the tab for his traveling from Tennessee to California? If so, that invalidates his saying he was planning to leave all along and wanted to move to spend time with his family. Does the ABC soap have a history of paying for actors to fly in for taping and if not why did Burton believe he was the exception?

Burton is now reportedly living in Indiana which is a closer commute to LA where General Hospital is filmed, but still a long one. No one has ever said who was picking up the tab for his travel between Indiana and California. Fans of The Young and the Restless are hoping that Burton might come back to Genoa City as Dillon but if CBS has COVID requirements like ABC this would not even be possible. Following are direct quotes from the actor that are in the Soaps.com 2013 interview.

Steve Burton: Interview

“I’ve been through 21 years of ups and downs with ‘GH’ — regime changes, cast and crew changes, budget cuts, shakeups of one kind or another, and it’s been nothing but a huge positive in my life and for my family. I have no complaints, no negative feelings at all. But it’s time to go. I’m going to take some time off and do nothing but relax, just enjoy life a little bit with my wife and kids. I’ve bought a home in Tennessee, way out in the country outside Nashville. [Laughs] Probably too far out in the country! I’ve been talking about leaving ‘GH’ and moving there for the last seven years. The timing was never right and then the economy crashed and I couldn’t sell my house in California"

In this interview, the actor makes it clear that he was planning to leave GH and Jason behind for 7 years but now says he loves the character and wants to come back. Diehard Jason fans will not care about these details and will be looking for a way to be made for Steve Burton to return to the ABC soap. Other viewers are already discussing the discrepancies in what he has said on various social media platforms. The bottom line is that when it comes to entertainers just like the rest of us it's best to watch what is done rather than get caught up in what is said because humans change their minds.

Updates related to General Hospital, Steve Burton and Jason Morgan will be coming so stay tuned.