After spending just one year in Salem, Steve Burton is already gearing up for the next adventure in his life. In a YouTube video published on Wednesday, the actor announced that he taped his final scenes on “Days of our Lives” as Harris Michaels, a character he first portrayed on the daytime drama series in 1988, marking his first foray into soaps, and again in 2022 for spinoff series “Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem” (Chapter Two).
In the Daily Drama exclusive video, Burton said, “Well, I just shot my final scenes here at ‘Days of our Lives’ and I just wanna say, thank you so much to the cast, to the crew.” He added, “It’s been amazing. 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.”
A final airdate for Burton was not revealed in the actor’s video. However, with the show taping six to eight months ahead, don’t be surprised to see him on screen through at least the early part of summer.
A representative for the Peacock original series had not responded to a request for comment at press time.
Soap Opera Digest reports that Burton taped his final episode just before the show broke for its Christmas holiday break. In an interview with the outlet, published shortly after it was announced he would be reprising the role of Harris Michaels on “Days of our Lives,” Burton noted, “When you’re in the busi-ness 36 years and people are still calling? I’m super-grateful.”
Burton and former “General Hospital” co-star Bradford Anderson recently launched their “Daily Drama Podcast” featuring interviews with other daytime stars, including Laura Wright, Kate Mansi, Tamara Braun and James Patrick Stuart, among other content features. The podcast replaced the duo’s “It’s Awesome Podcast.”
Prior to returning to “Days of our Lives,” Burton appeared as Jason Morgan on “General Hospital” from 1991-2000, and again from 2002-2012. Soon after, he joined the cast of “The Young and the Restless” as Dylan McAvoy.
After departing the CBS soap in early 2017, Burton returned to “General Hospital” in September of that year, remaining with the show through November 2021, when it was announced the actor had been let go from the ABC series after not complying with the network’s since vacated vaccine mandate. He reprised the role of Harris Michaels on “Days of our Lives” beginning in March 2023, appearing four months after the show first announced his return. His first airdate was March 20, 2023.
Last week, it was announced that Burton and his wife of nearly 25 years, Sheree Gustin Burton, were officially divorced.
Watch Burton’s announcement video below.
Burton also addressed his exit in an Instagram video.
Watch Burton and Anderson’s conversation with Laura Wright below as they discuss the inner workings of daytime television, particularly “Days of our Lives” and “General Hospital.” Plus, Burton talks about his time working on both series and touches a bit on his exit from the latter series.
All-new episodes of “Days of our Lives” are available to stream weekdays starting at 6:00 a.m. ET/3:00 a.m. PT on Peacock. Fans can also catch up with episodes they missed anytime. To find out where and how to watch the show, click here.