Ingo Rademacher Lobs Harsh Claims Against General Hospital Amid Steve Burton's Return
The year 2024 is shaping up to be an exciting time for "General Hospital" fans. On the heels of its 60th anniversary primetime special, "General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling," came the exciting news that Steve Burton would return to play Jason Morgan again. Burton had been fired in 2021 for not complying with the show's COVID-19 vaccine policy.
Another beloved actor, Ingo Rademacher — who played Jasper "Jax" Jacks since 1996 — was also fired in 2021 for the same reason. However, he took it one step further by filing a lawsuit against ABC, which was denied by a judge in June 2023. Rademacher has since filed an appeal. In November 2022, ABC got rid of the mandate, and now that Burton's returning, fans wondered if Rademacher would as well.
However, it may not be that easy as the actor claimed his firing wasn't because of the vaccine debacle but rather his outspoken opinions. On January 5, he posted a video on Instagram, captioning it, "I think it's time to set the record straight on a few things about my lawsuit against ABC Disney, which is now in appeals." He congratulated Burton and addressed fan concern that he could also return if he had not filed the lawsuit. Instead, he boldly stated, "What we found out during discovery is that they were trying to figure out a way to fire me (without getting sued) because they didn't like my political and social views."
Rademacher feels he's fighting for free speech
In his Instagram video, "General Hospital" alum Ingo Rademacher explained that former castmate Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis) has always been outspoken politically, with no one on the show posting any opposing views except him. He again cited the discovery process of his lawsuit, in which both sides share with each other all of the witnesses and evidence they'll be producing in court. Upset to learn that ABC was allegedly looking to get rid of him, he brazenly claimed, "If the vaccine mandate, by the way, wouldn't have come along, they would have fired me before my contract was finished. That's what their plan was. And that's just sad."
Singling out "certain cast members" and "certain crew members," he stated, "I hope for your sake this never sees trial because all of your nasty text messages and emails are gonna be seen. And then all that dirty laundry, unfortunately for you guys, is gonna get aired out," adding, "I don't feel sorry for you because what you did was wrong." Rademacher felt he and his family were hurt by what was said, and he's now championing others who have been similarly fired.
Feeling that freedom of speech should be protected by everyone, the actor declared, "If you want to enjoy freedom of speech where you can talk about politics, social views, without getting fired, or having the fear of getting fired, you should be my biggest advocate."