Steve Burton to leave ‘Days of Our Lives’

Like sands through the hourglass… Steve Burton’s time on Days of Our Lives has run out.

The actor announced his departure from the soap opera in a video posted to Daily Drama. “I just shot my final scenes here at Days of Our Lives and I just want to say thank you so much to the cast, to the crew, to Days, everybody,” Burton said in the video. “It’s been amazing. I can’t believe it’s been a year already, so thank you so much to the fans. I’m always so full of gratitude, so thank you. Stay tuned.”

Burton first joined Days for a 12-episode stint in 1988, playing Harris Michaels, a character with ties to Charlotte Ross’ Eve Donovan. He returned as Harris for five episodes of the 2022 spinoff Days Of Our Lives: Beyond Salem. He then joined the main series again in March 2023.

The actor was previously dismissed from General Hospital in 2021 for refusing to comply with the show’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate. “I did apply for my medical and religious exemptions and both of those were denied,” he explained in an Instagram post at the time. “Which, you know, hurts, but this is also personal freedom to me. I don’t think anyone should lose their livelihood over this. But with that being said, you know me. I’ll always be grateful for my time at General Hospital. I love it there. I grew up there. I grew up with some of you. I’ll always be grateful. And I believe when one door closes, multiple doors open. That’s always been my perspective, so I am excited to see what the future brings.”

Burton had appeared in over 2,000 episodes of General Hospital before his firing, playing Jason Morgan between 1991 and 2012, and again between 2017 and 2021. He won a Daytime Emmy for his work on the show in 1998, and another for his work on The Young and the Restless in 2017.

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