he would be willing to take a pay cut because he understands that money is a lot tighter now than it has been in recent years and stated that he is blessed to have a job right now. In 2011, rumors began circulating that Burton could depart from the series due to contract negotiations. However, in May 2011 Burton announced via Twitter that he had re-signed with the series again. On August 23, 2012, Jamey Giddens of the website Daytime Confidential reported that contract negotiations were not going well and Burton was close to walking away from the series. On August 28, 2012, Burton confirmed in an interview with TV Guides Michael Logan that he would exit the series and agreed to stay long enough for the producers to write his character out properly. Following the announcement that Sean Kanan (A. J. Quartermaine) was returning to the series in an undisclosed role, rumors began circulating that Kanan might be a recast of Jason. Kanan's resemblance to Burton fed into the rumors. On September 2, 2014, executive producer Frank Valentini announced on Twitter that former All My Children and The Young and the Restless actor Billy Miller would join the cast as Jason. On September 30, 2014, Miller's air date as Jason was revealed to be on October 1. In June 2017, it was announced that Burton would return to the series in an undisclosed role, later referred to as "Patient 6." In November 2017, it was announced that Burton had reprised the role of Jason, while Miller's casting was retconned to the character of Andrew Cain. On November 23, 2021, Burton announced that he had been released from his contract due to failure to comply with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Burton filmed his last scenes on October 27 and made his final appearance as Jason on November 19. Characterization Steve Burton's early years on the soap as the "rich, wholesome preppy" Jason Quartermaine would come to a shocking, and dramatic end in 1995 after a car accident caused by his brother, A. J. leaves the character as a brain-damaged amnesiac. Following Jason's split from the Quartermaines, except for his sister Emily and grandmother Lila Morgan Quartermaine (Anna Lee), and a change of his surname to Morgan, he would become the right-hand man for mob boss, Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard). At the time, Burton was considering leaving the show and joked