‘Days of Our Lives’ Star Confirms Exit After Reprising His Role

Salem is losing a recently returned resident. Just a year after reprising his role as Harris Michaels, Steve Burton is once again exiting Days of Our Lives. The actor, who confirmed the news in a video uploaded to the Daily Drama’s YouTube page Wednesday, first made his Days debut in 1988 and exited the series later that year before returning to Salem in 2022.

“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 said. “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.”

Burton reportedly filmed his final scenes for the long-running soap in December 2023 at the conclusion of his one-year contract. It is unclear when his final episode will air. The actor made his Days debut back in 1988 as Harris Michaels, Eve Donovan’s (Charlotte Ross) classmate and love interest. He exited the show later that same year, going on to reprise his role for Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem in July 2022 and later Days once again in March 2023.

“Even if I thought [returning to DAYS] would happen at some point, I sure didn’t think it would happen this way, starting from the streaming standpoint. Then how it all went down and got me to this path here … It’s pretty cool. It’s been a blast being back,” he told Soap Opera Digest at the time, adding that “when you’re in the busi-ness 36 years and people are still calling? I’m super-grateful.” He described Days as “a great environment to work in, and I feel like I’m getting a real run at things.”

In between his Days stints, Burton appeared on several other beloved soap operas. He appeared as Dylan McAvoy on The Young and the Restless from 2013 to 2017 and as Jason Morgan on General Hospital from 1991 through 2012 and again from 2017 through 2021, earning several Daytime Emmy awards. He was ultimately let go from General Hospital in 2021 after he failed to comply with the studio’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, the actor explaining in an Instagram video at the time, “I did apply for my medical and religious exemptions and both of those were denied, which, you know, hurts. But this is also about personal freedom to me. I don’t think anybody should lose their livelihood over this.” He reprised his Days role on Beyond Salem just a few months later.