Steve Burton Opens Up About General Hospital Hiatus As Jason Morgan: ‘I Want to Go Live a Life’
The announcement that General Hospital superstar Steve Burton would be taking a hiatus from playing Jason Morgan sent shockwaves through the soap community. In the latest episode of the podcast he co-hosts with castmate Bradford Anderson (Spinelli), That’s Awesome, Burton shed new light on his decision.
A Shift in Perspective
Burton has played Jason on and off since 1991, with his current stint kicking off in 2024. Burton began by noting that he understood what a privilege appearing on GH is, saying, “Everybody knows we’re grateful. The opportunity’s amazing. But in life … life is more important than anything else.”
The actor continued, “I had a couple executive producers who said once, ‘Hey, family and life is way more important than any show that you’re ever gonna do,’ right? And that really hits home after the passing of James Van Der Beek,” the Dawson’s Creek (ex-Dawson Leery) and As the World Turns (ex-Stephen Anderson) who died at the age of 48 after battling pancreatic cancer.
“This is a guy that we grew up watching,” Burton mused. “You look at James and his family and you go, ‘All this guy wanted was five more minutes with his wife and kids.’”
To hear Burton tell it, there was a powerful lesson for him to learn there. “I always say — and I always try to teach my son [Jack] this and any time I’m on coaching calls [I share that] everything is perspective in life … You just don’t know when the [last] day is. And yes, grateful for the show, obviously — like, it’s been my whole life, you know? And to step away, it’s not always easy. It’s like family there. But I have a family, too.”
Quality Time
Burton’s family expanded last year when he tied the knot with chef and content creator Michelle Lundstrom, who has two daughters, creating a blended family with Burton’s three kids (Jack, Makena and Brooklyn). “I’m newly married,” Burton pointed out. “I want to take a break, I want to live life a little bit and go enjoy. And when you get on the hamster wheel of [soaps’ production process], it’s been a long time [since I’ve been able to do that].”
The actor made it clear that he was looking forward to the time off. “I’m just excited to take a break,” he enthused, “and spend time with the family and just go live a little. Be grateful that I have a chance to do that — that’s a gift in itself.”
The break is, after all, finite. “I know I’ll be back in the summer, which is awesome,” Burton stated. “I’m sure that they’re going to have a great story planned.” But, the actor stressed, his gig at GH “is just a job,” and Van Der Beek’s passing had reminded him that “you cannot get time back.”
Rumor Has It
The actor also addressed the various rumors floating around about his hiatus. “I’m not sick, Michelle’s not pregnant, and I’m coming back in the summer,” he declared. “There you go. I’m just excited, man! I have an amazing wife that I get to spend time with. It’s amazing!”
“I’m in the late third quarter, probably, of my life,” he mused. “We just don’t know how much time we have left. Enjoy it. Enjoy life. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Be kind to people.” With that, the actor expressed his disbelief over some of the nasty messages he’d received on social media since announcing his hiatus and urged listeners to approach life with a healthier perspective. “It’s a blessing to wake up and go, ‘I have no ailments, I feel good, I’m 55, I want to go live a life.’”
