General Hospital Comings & Goings: Steve Burton Inks New Contract as Jason
General Hospital star Steve Burton has signed a new, long-term deal to remain in Port Charles in the popular role of Jason Morgan. The news surfaced in court documents filed as part of the actor’s ongoing custody battle with his ex-wife, Sheree Burton, and was reported by TMZ.
Steve Burton Is Staying at General Hospital
According to Burton’s filing, he signed a three-year contract in June — and has also moved back to California permanently.
TMZ reported in August that the actor’s former wife had filed court documents of her own that revealed he had moved to Tennessee in February 2026. That same month, Burton made headlines when he announced that he was taking what he called “a short break” from GH. He broke the news on Instagram, explaining, “I’m newly married [to chef and content creator Michelle Burton] and looking forward to spending some quality time with my family.”
Burton’s last air date before his hiatus was March 25, and to accommodate his sabbatical, Jason was sent overseas to a WSB prison after taking the fall for the shooting of WSB Ross Cullum (Andrew Hawkes). The actor returned to work on the GH set on June 1, and Jason made his on-screen comeback on July 13.
That same day, Burton received a 2026 Daytime Emmy nomination as Outstanding Lead Actor, his 4th recognition in that category and his 11th Daytime Emmy nomination overall. He has won twice over the course of his career, once in 1998 for his work as Jason Morgan and once in 2017 for his portrayal of Dylan McAvoy on The Young and the Restless. Both victories were in the Outstanding Supporting Actor category.
Burton began playing Jason on GH in 1991. He left for the first time in 2012, and from 2013-2017, he played Y&R’s Dylan. Burton returned to GH in 2017, but parted ways with the show in 2021 and soon popped up on Days of Our Lives, reprising the role of Harris Michaels, which he had played briefly in 1988. He completed filming at DAYS in 2023, and in January 2024, GH confirmed to Soap Opera Digest that Burton had signed on for another return as Jason.
The news that Burton has renewed his contract for three more years comes at a transitional time for his character. In August, Jason decided to leave the mob and sever his longstanding ties to the Corinthos organization, where he first began working in 1996, explaining to Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) that he felt the move was necessary to set a good example for his teenage son, Danny Morgan (Asher Antonyzyn).
What is on your storyline wish list for Jason now that his future in Port Charles is secure? Sound off in the comments!
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