After a brief hiatus due to the Memorial Day holiday last week, the cast of “General Hospital” returned to work on Monday, June 1, and with it, the daytime drama series taped its 16,000th episode.
Taking part in all the festivities, which included a cake-cutting celebration and plenty of photos, among other fun activities, were veteran cast members Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) and Finola Hughes (Anna Devane), each of whom had taken time off from the show in recent months, resulting in their characters being written off canvas.
While Burton returned to work with yesterday’s taping, Hughes reportedly had already been back at the show’s Prospect Studios-based set, news of which was first confirmed by co-star Chris L. McKenna (Jack Brennan), who, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) published April 12, said, “Finola is on her way back!” McKenna was responding to a user on the platform who stated how much they missed Hughes’ character, who, in recent months, has been seemingly suffering from mental health issues stemming from her belief that Cesar Faison is alive.
As for Burton, the actor announced in a post on Instagram back in February that he’d be taking a brief hiatus from the show, noting, “I’m newly married and looking forward to spending some quality time with my family. I’m grateful for all the support and will be back this summer. Much love.” In May 2025, the actor married Michelle Lundstrom, a chef and content creator.
Burton last appeared as Jason on the March 25 episode, wherein the mob henchman was arrested by the WSB (World Security Bureau) for allegedly shooting its director, Ross Cullum (Andrew Hawkes), though the actual shooter was Rocco Falconeri (Finn Carr). Upon his capture, Jason went willingly in order to protect the young Lulu (Alexa Havins Bruening) and Dante’s (Dominic Zamprogna) child.
While the 16,000th episode is set to air on Monday, July 13, at press time, it was unknown when either Burton or Hughes would officially return on-screen, as the long-running soap opera generally tapes by scene or set availability rather than exclusively by episode number.
“There’s nothing like celebrating a milestone with friends, family, and cake to cure a case of the Mondays,” noted the show in posts shared across social media. They noted, “63 years and 16,000 episodes later, we’re still going strong thanks to all of you! Thank you so much for watching.”
In addition to the returns of Burton and Hughes, actor Dean Geyer, best known for his portrayal of Brody Weston on “Glee,” Mark Reynolds on “Terra Nova” and Ty Harper on the Australian soap opera, “Neighbours,” has joined the show’s cast in the contract role of Tristan Roberts, a name that sounds remarkably similar to that of one of the show’s most iconic cast members, the late Tristan Rogers, the Australian actor who played Robert Scorpio on the series over several decades, starting in 1980. Rogers sadly passed away on August 15, 2025, after a battle with lung cancer.
Check out footage from the show’s 16,000th episode taping below.
