Steve Burton Returns to ‘General Hospital' for Show's 16,000th Episode
Steve Burton is once again returning to General Hospital as fan-favorite character Jason Morgan.
"There's nothing like celebrating a milestone with friends, family, and cake to cure a case of the Mondays," the official General Hospital Instagram account captioned a video on Monday, June 1. "63 years and 16,000 episodes later, we're still going strong thanks to all of you! Thank you so much for watching."
The clip featured the soap opera's extended cast as they posed for a photo alongside a giant cake marking the show's milestone 16,000th episode, which started filming on Monday. Eagle-eyed fans were quick to spot Burton, 55, among the stars.
Burton announced in February that he would be taking a brief step back from his role as Jason Morgan to spend time with wife Michelle Lundstrom, whom he wed in May 2025.
"Hey everyone, I wanted to share that I'll be taking a short break from General Hospital," the actor explained on Instagram at the time. "I'm newly married and looking forward to spending some quality time with my family. I'm grateful for all the support and will be back this summer. Much love."
The show's executive producer Frank Valentini further addressed Burton's hiatus at the time.
"We love Steve and I am glad the show worked it out so he can get some personal time with his family," Valentini told Soap Opera Digest. "We have some great Jason story leading up to spring and look forward to his return in the summer."
Burton recently hinted at his highly anticipated return during an episode of the "That's Awesome" podcast, which he cohosts with fellow General Hospital star Bradford Anderson.
"Yes, I am coming back to the show," Burton said. "I start in June, so I'll be back for sure."
Burton made his General Hospital debut in 1991, taking several breaks from the show over the years. He initially exited the series in 2012, returning in 2017. Years later, he made headlines when being let go from the show after refusing to get the COVID vaccine.
"Well, I know there's a lot of rumors and speculation about me and General Hospital, and I wanted you to hear it from me personally," he shared in a November 2021 Instagram statement. "Unfortunately, General Hospital has let me go because of the vaccine mandate."
After a year-long stint on One Life to Live, Burton returned to General Hospital in March 2024.
"OK, all right, so here's what's crazy, I'm back on the set. We're getting ready to shoot right now," the actor said in a video posted to the "Daily Drama" podcast YouTube channel in February 2024. "So, listen, I got to talk to the head writers. This story is going to be sick. It's gonna be awesome."
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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 9:05 AM.