Steve Burton is done with the show!

TV Guide Magazine: Word is, this is one of the most amicable soap exits ever — no money battles, storyline complaints, testy negotiations. Where's all the drama, dude?

Burton: 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. I went there many years ago when I did the movie The Last Castle and loved it. Tennessee reminded me of growing up in Ohio. The people are nice, it's family oriented and, now that my kids are 6 and almost 9, I want to get them planted. My contract was coming up at GH so we put the house up for sale again and it went in, like, eight weeks. That opened the door for me to leave GH.

FULL INTERVIEW:

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Steve-Burton-Quits-General-Hospital-1052432.aspx

I won't lie, I'm sad about this. We're losing another Quartermaine and I've been enjoying Jason now that the show doesn't revolve around him. I thought Carlivati had just barely tipped the surface in what he could do with Jason. I wanted to see more with Jason and Liz and I just enjoy him being there. I like the relationship with Carly and Michael, Sam and John, even Sonny. It's going to be weird to never have him there.

I'm-a take your word on that, dragonflies. 'Cuz y'all KNOW how I hate it when somebody blocks my blessing.

I think I am and I'm going by comments he's made about AMC. He doesn't seem too gungho about taking on a new soap role. I wouldn't doubt he was offered roles.

I can see the new opening now. Kate, Sonny, Sam and John on one lead slide, Johnny, Carly and Todd on the other lol

Edited August 28, 201213 yr by alexisfan07

I'd take CamMat over someone on twitter who said they'd like to see JPL and FF on GH :barf:

Sad to hear this news and as much as many people on here might thing Jason/SB are useless, the reality is that both the character and the actor have a lot of fans that will miss him. I am curious to know where they will go from here, since this is the first truly central actor who I have seen leave in a long time. If they don't recast, I'm sure that a LOT of story possibilities are being reconsidered.

Sad to hear this news and as much as many people on here might thing Jason/SB are useless, the reality is that both the character and the actor have a lot of fans that will miss him. I am curious to know where they will go from here, since this is the first truly central actor who I have seen leave in a long time. If they don't recast, I'm sure that a LOT of story possibilities are being reconsidered.

Craptini all ready know how they are going to proceed. After all, they planned this from day one. The systematic destruction of JaSam (whom I loathe) was a clear sign. Jason would NEVER suggest his wife give up her kid. He would be there for his raped wife, and she would never know that he had any resentments. Jason would have loved that kid regardless of the father. That is who Jason is! And of course, he had to look worse than PigPen who walks out on the child he should have never fathered in the first place over a ridiculous non vendetta with Sonny? This was in the works, but they could not risk getting rid of Steve, so Hack n Hack needed him to quit. Mission accomplished!

I'll let Meg Ryan speak for me:

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Ten years too late, but better late than never. One of the few times that I can say that I actually saw something coming. I could tell from jump that Burton was not happy about ME's presence on GH. John pushed Jason to the side.

This was in the works, but they could not risk getting rid of Steve, so Hack n Hack needed him to quit. Mission accomplished!

George W. Bush: "Heckuva job, Cartini!"

I will add if I had to choose between Benard and Burton, I would choose Benard who I think will stay to the end. There is no reason for him to leave. He is the king of his little pond and he has not run a ponzi scheme like Burton to get rich.

Edited August 28, 201213 yr by Ann_SS

A little late to the party but YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think this is a big loss for General Hospital, I'm not a huge Steve Burton fan or a Jason hater by far, but yeah, this is a guy who has been front and center for nearly 20 years - it's going to be an adjustment for the show and for diehard fans. I hope they wrap Jason's story up to the best of their ability (sounds like he's going to give them a few more weeks), besides that I definitely wish him the best!

If we were talking about Jason Quartermaine and not Jason Morgan, I would agree.

I will add if I had to choose between Benard and Burton, I would choose Benard who I think will stay to the end. There is no reason for him to leave. He is the king of his little pond and he has not run a ponzi scheme like Burton to get rich.

Was that hypothetical or did Burton actually do that?

Was that hypothetical or did Burton actually do that?

Didn't Burton scam people with some juice or something?

Didn't Burton scam people with some juice or something?

Yes. I'm sad to say that I've been on the receiving end of one of those Monavie pitches at a soap event. It made me want to punch someone in the throat.