Steve Burton Announces Exit From 'Days Of Our Lives' 1 Year After Reprising Role
Steve Burton has said goodbye to "Days of Our Lives" for the second time.
Burton just announced his exit from "DOOL" a year after he returned to reprise his role as Harris Michaels. The veteran soap star made his TV debut on "Days of Our Lives" in 1998 and left the show in 1990. After three decades, he returned to the franchise with an appearance on "Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem." However, his return wasn't meant to last.
"Wow! Well, I just shot my final scenes here on 'Days of Our Lives,' and I just want to say, thank you so much to the cast [and] to the crew. It's been amazing," Burton, 53, said in a video uploaded to the Daily Drama's YouTube page Wednesday.
"I can't believe it's been a year already! So, thank you so much to the fans. It's just ... I'm always so full of gratitude. So thank you. Stay tuned," he added.
The clip received several responses from fans who were sad upon learning that he was leaving the soap again because they wanted to see more of his character. Many of them also wished him the best.
"Going to miss you on the show," one commented with a crying face emoji. Another added, "We love you, Steve and wish you the best!"
"I wish you all the best. I know you will be great and brilliant in everything you do next," a third fan added.
"Your era with Days was an amazing year ever. It was fun while it lasted. Hopefully, someday, they'll make a better deal with you to get [a] better storyline for Harris and have a long stay there," a fourth supporter wrote. "Wish the best of luck to your future just as long you remain standing to your ground and pride without some network trying to dictate your personal choice again."
When Burton left "Days," he starred in other daytime soaps, including "The Young and the Restless" and "General Hospital," for which he earned several Daytime Emmy awards.
Burton starred in "General Hospital" from 1991 to 2012 and 2017 to 2021. ABC let go of him after he did not comply with the studio's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. He admitted that his departure from the show wasn't easy for him because he tried to keep the job.
"I did apply for my medical and religious exemptions, and both of those were denied, which, you know, hurts," Burton explained in an Instagram video at the time. "But this is also about personal freedom to me. I don't think anybody should lose their livelihood over this."
He recently finalized his divorce from ex-wife Sheree Gustin, more than a year after he filed to officially end their marriage. In the court documents obtained by Fox News, the exes agreed to joint legal and physical custody of their three children, Makena, 20; Jack, 17; and Brooklyn, 9.
Burton announced their split in a post on his Instagram Story at the time.
"I wanted to clear something up. Sheree and I are separated. She recently announced that she's expecting her 4th child. The child is not mine," he wrote.
