Former “General Hospital” star Ingo Rademacher (ex-Jasper “Jax” Jacks) has lost his legal battle against Disney’s ABC over the company’s then vaccine requirement for employees, which has since been rescinded.
According to Deadline, “A Los Angeles Superior Court Judge agreed with ABC in that the actor’s opposition [to getting vaccinated] was based on health reasons rather than his religious leanings.” While noting a detailed ruling by Judge Stephen Goorvitch is expected in the next several weeks, attorneys for Rademacher had no comment for the outlet when contacted. Further, Deadline states, “…based on precedent, it is very likely the actor will appeal.”
On November 8, 2021, it was announced that Rademacher had been let go from the ABC drama series along with co-star Steve Burton (ex-Jason Morgan; now Harris Michaels on “Days of our Lives”) after the two refused to get vaccinated by the Disney/ABC deadline, which was November 1, 2021. Rademacher’s final air date was November 22, 2021.
During his final scenes, Rademacher’s Jax told his ex-wife Carly (Laura Wright) of his plans to leave Port Charles in order to handle some business in Sydney, Australia. “Look, besides Josslyn [Eden McCoy] and Alexis [Nancy Lee Grahn], I’m kind of on the outs with everyone in Port Charles right now,” declared Jax, eerily aligning with real-life as Rademacher received backlash over his controversial comment about the trans community, wherein he depicted transphobic sentiments in an Instagram post.
The timing of the post and the responses that followed prompted ABC to officially confirm the actor was no longer employed at the company. “The fellow actor, #IngoRademacher, is mercifully no longer a part of the #gh cast,” commented Grahn on Twitter prior to ABC’s confirmation. Rademacher issued a public apology to Cassandra James, a trans actress who continues to play Terry Randolph on the soap opera, saying, “Cassandra, I apologize to you sincerely. I think you’re an absolute talent and you’re very beautiful as well. I don’t think a transphobic man would say that. I think you’re absolutely gorgeous, I really do.”
While claiming not to be against vaccines themselves, Rademacher has long been vocal against vaccine mandates or “passports.” In an August 2021 post, months before Disney/ABC officially implemented its then mandate, Rademacher said, “If you want to get the vaccine because you have a fear of dying from this virus, talk to your doctor and decide. This is about freedom to choose what’s best for you. A huge percentage of our population have already recovered from COVID and have natural immunity, why does that not count? Please let that sink in. Taking the vaccine does not stop you from getting COVID, spreading it, or dying from it. Now would be a good time to be honest and start following the science.”
In a memorandum of points and authorities included in a motion to quash an ABC subpoena filed by Rademacher’s attorneys last year, they pointed out the reason the actor was suing ABC in the first place.
“[Rademacher] filed this action alleging violations of his privacy rights, unlawful religious and medical condition discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination,” the suit starts out, citing ABC’s decision in summer 2021 to order anybody working on a television show it produced to get a Covid-19 vaccination. “That meant, Ingo, as a cast member of the ABC-produced soap opera, ‘General Hospital,’ which he had been a cast member for 25 years, was required to receive a Covid-19 shot to continue working on the show or request a religious exemption,” the suit says, concluding, “Although ABC claimed to grant exemptions for sincerely held religious objections to the shot, it refused to accept Ingo’s request – without explanation. ABC then terminated Ingo’s contract to perform.”
After a two-year break from the series, Rademacher returned to “General Hospital” in May 2019. He first joined the series in 1996 as the rich playboy who fell in love with model Brenda Barett (Vanessa Marcil). The actor also played Thorne Forrester on “The Bold and the Beautiful” and made an appearance in CBS’ “Hawaii Five-0.”