Steve Burton on Kelly Monaco’s ‘Bittersweet’ Exit and Jason’s New GH Storylines (EXCLUSIVE)
The soap opera hunk talks Jason & Anna’s ‘kiss heard round the world’—plus his holiday party tips
Since returning from the dead yet again, Jason “Stone Cold” Morgan has proven to be a more emotional guy than General Hospital fans remember – and today, we’ll even see him lose his cool with Drew! Here, portrayer Steve Burton gets candid with Woman’s World about coming home to Port Charles and saying goodbye to Kelly Monaco’s Sam and the “Jasam” super couple.
The Daytime Emmy-winning soap opera star also dishes on that kiss Jason shared with Anna and what’s to come for this deadbeat dad now that his son Danny’s lost his mother.
Plus, the fit and fabulous weight loss and mindset coach who’s also been on Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless shares his secrets for surviving the holiday party season without packing on the pounds.
‘General Hospital’ star Steve Burton is thankful to be back home for the holidays
With Thanksgiving approaching, Steve Burton has a lot to be grateful for. Having been fired from General Hospital in 2021 over COVID-19 vaccine regulations and struggled through a painful divorce, the actor went on to reunite with former Carly portrayer Tamara Braun for some Days of Our Lives fun, find new love with American Barbecue Showdown season 2 contestant Michelle Lundstrom, and most recently, return to the Port Charles fold as Jason Morgan.
“My return to General Hospital was very emotional,” Burton shares. “I gotta be honest, I was a little hesitant, just because of everything that happened. It’s been a place I’ve been in and out for so long. But my girlfriend was like, ‘It’s going to be amazing. Just go.’ And she was 100% right. It felt amazing to come home and the stories have been awesome. I’m having a great time.”
Since Burton slipped back into that black leather jacket this March, Jason’s worked on putting his life back together. There have been hurdles and adventures, but nothing prepared him for having to say goodbye to one of his greatest loves.
Steve Burton reflects on ‘bittersweet’ Jasam goodbye scenes with Kelly Monaco’s Sam
Burton first signed on to play General Hospital good guy Jason Quartermaine in 1991, but by the time his character crossed with Sam McCall in 2003, an accident had changed him into a new man – namely Sonny’s enforcer, Jason Morgan.
“Jasam” would go on to fuel a fandom – not to mention an epic battle with “Liason” fans who shipped Liz with Jason instead of Sam. That Jasam magic seemed to be a thing of history when Sam died in October, but it all came back to the fore as Jason forced himself to say goodbye.
“Considering Jason and Sam’s relationship on the show now, I wasn’t really sure what was going to happen during those scenes,” Burton admits. “Maurice Barnard (Sonny) took me under his wing when I was first on the show, and we became such great friends. So I went to him and said, ‘Hey, man, I’m not sure how this is going to go.’ And he said, ‘Hey, however it goes, it’s supposed to happen that way.’”
‘GH’ star Steve Burton reflects on creating the Jasam magic with Kelly Monaco
Burton certainly delivered. In his final scene with Kelly Monaco’s lifeless Sam, Jason’s heartbreak was palpable – and then he had the devastating job of sharing Sam’s fate with her children and their friends and imagining a future without her.
“It’s bittersweet,” Burton says. “With such a pivotal character leaving, you’re always going to get these emotional stories and moments in the fallout – and everybody involved has been really delivering! But when someone you’ve had a great run with on the show is leaving, it’s always tough. It’s not easy.”
When asked for a standout memory from Jason and Sam’s history, he goes back to the beginning.
“Sam and Sonny were together, and Jason was basically there to take care of her,” he recounts. “I don’t think they even planned on Jason and Sam being together until they started putting us together. It became this kind of bodyguard story and then we started working together every day, and it turned into something amazing.”
Steve Burton considers ‘deadbeat’ Jason’s future with Danny on ‘GH’
While that love story has come to an end, Sam lives on in Danny – the son she raised while Jason kept dying and returning from the dead.
“Jason’s been what I like to call a deadbeat dad,” Burton says. “And obviously, Danny has some inclinations for danger and pushing the envelope a little bit – which Jason also did and understands.
“It’s a blank canvas right now and there’s a great opportunity to explore this father/son relationship,” he adds. “I think the fans would love to see it, and I would love to work with Asher Antonyzyn. He’s doing an amazing job, this kid. I look forward to seeing what direction we go.”
Steve Burton dishes on Jason and Anna’s ‘kiss heard around the world’
Even as Jason and Danny try to find their new normal, the heroic mob enforcer is also balancing the unexpected partnership he’s forged with Anna Devane.
“Jason and Anna are working on cases together and there’s trust, but she knows his loyalty is to Sonny and always will be,” Burton says. “So there’s a line that we can’t cross – like when Jason had Sonny’s gun in his belt the whole time Anna was at the penthouse, he wasn’t going to tell her. It’s an interesting dynamic.”
That dynamic got even more interesting when they thought they’d die in Sidwell’s compound… and kissed!
“That definitely was the kiss heard around the world, right?” Burton says with a chuckle. “It’s hard to say, from the writer standpoint, where that kiss came from. I felt like we’ve built a great relationship, and we tried to play it very real. We were in a situation that was not great, and then used it as a distraction. But then… wait, are there feelings here? I’m not sure.”
Soap opera hunk Steve Burton shares tips for surviving the holiday season
As a lifelong soap heartthrob and General Hospital mob heavy, Burton has always maintained an incredible body. After surviving a rough few years, he realized there’s more to being healthy than pumping iron and launched the coaching business 3M Fitness – which stands for mind, muscle and macros.
“We want results fast and see ads that say, ‘Lose 30 pounds in 30 days,’ but that’s never going to stick – unless we work on the internal,” he says. “Life is full of trials and tribulations and suffering. If we don’t have the tools to deal with those things, we can turn to food, alcohol, and other devices that we call comfort but aren’t really comfort.
“If you invest in yourself daily with positive habits, you start to like yourself, you start to love yourself,” he continues. “And if you love yourself, anything’s possible.”
With gratitude and prayer part of what keep Burton going, the 3Ms obviously also include working out and eating right. “It’s not about elimination and deprivation or being perfect, but about making better choices,” he says.
‘GH’ star Steve Burton wants you to pregame your holiday parties
If your calendar is packed with holiday dinners and gatherings and you don’t want to gain 20 pounds this season, Burton recommends you pregame – in a good way.
“I never want to go to a holiday party hungry, because I love to eat,” he explains. “I’m making sure I have a protein shake or something before I go, so I’m not going to pick at all the sugar and garbage. We want to be prepared, mentally, as well. ‘Hey, I’m going to enjoy myself, but I’m not going to go crazy.’”
He concedes that one crazy cheat party is fine – as long as you stick to your guns the rest of the week and stay away from toasting the season with hot-buttered rum and Christmas Punch.
“I don’t drink anymore, but if you do, it’s about picking clean, clear alcohols – as opposed to the sugary garbage in brown alcohols and mixers, because those tend to give you a hangover,” he warns.
Burton concludes that at any time of year, the top “tricks” to staying healthy and even shedding pounds are getting enough sleep and staying hydrated.
‘General Hospital’ star Steve Burton is hitting the road this holiday season
This week on General Hospital, Jason is busy balancing the needs of Danny and Anna, while also getting pulled into Michael and Drew’s battle over Willow. Between bringing the drama to General Hospital, coaching his clients, and spending quality time with his kids and his new love, one would think Steve Burton’s got his hands full–but there’s more to his story.
With the holidays upon us, the Daytime Emmy-winner is hitting the road with General Hospital partner in crime Bradford Anderson, who plays Spinelli, for a string of Stone Cold and the Jackal Holiday Shows and he’s feeling festive, indeed.
“You know, the storms will come in life,” Steve Burton tells Woman’s World. “But if you just keep moving forward and put the work in, there’s always hope. I’m a testament to it. I feel blessed with all that’s happened to me, good and bad. My life is amazing.”
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