A rapper, actors and a broadway star. For one reason or another parted ways
from their jobs for refusing to get vaccinated.
In November of 2021, "General Hospital" fans were shocked to discover longtime star Steve Burton,
who portrayed Jason Morgan on the drama for 30 years,
had been fired from the series following his refusal to get the
COVID-19 vaccine. The actor said as much via an Instagram post in which he stated:
Per Deadline, Burton tested positive for COVID-19 in August,
but he explained how his decision not to get the vaccine came down to personal freedom.
"I don't think anybody should lose their livelihood over this."
Burton doesn't rule out a return to "General Hospital," although his character
was presumably killed off in an episode that aired shortly before his Instagram comments.
As it turns out, Steve Burton wasn't the only "General Hospital" star who refused the COVID-19
vaccine. Fellow actor Ingo Rademacher, who had starred as Jasper Jacks on the series since 1996,
likewise attempted to file a religious exemption, and was quickly denied, and fired from the
show. Rolling Stone published the actor's exemption letter on Dec. 13, 2021. It reads,
The sudden turn of events opened the door for even more drama when Rademacher filed a lawsuit against
ABC, as he felt the COVID-19 protocols were a direct violation of his civil rights. He stated,
The case goes to court in February 2023, according to Radar Online.
Following Ingo Rademacher's lead,
"9-1-1" star Rockmond Dunbar likewise filed a lawsuit against Disney and 20th Television
for refusing to honor his request for a religious exemption regarding the vaccine.
"And I said to myself, I can do that too."
After portraying Michael Grant for 69 episodes, the actor had his contract terminated in November
2021. That followed his refusal to comply with studio mandates, an action he felt was
discriminatory. As such, he attempted to navigate the situation via religious exemption to no avail,
leading Dunbar to sue in February 2022. The actor said in a statement to Deadline,
Despite the controversy, Dunbar is scheduled
to appear in upcoming productions "Red Winter" and "The Waterboyz."
Another name that popped up in the wake of the COVID-19 vaccine controversy was Andrea
Bordeaux. She revealed on Instagram that she was fired from the Starz-Lionsgate TV series
"Run the World" after failing to follow on-set guidelines. In the post, she discussed how much
fun she had working on the production, calling the experience a "dream come true" and saying that
she had no desire to exit the series. Bordeaux wrote in response to a report posted by Deadline,
Bordeaux appeared in all eight episodes of Season
1 of "Run the World" as Ella. She also had appeared in TV shows such as "NCIS:
Los Angeles," "Criminal Minds" and "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit." According to
her IMDb profile, the actor is not slated to appear in any upcoming productions.
Ice Cube wasn't fired from the production of the comedy "Oh Hell No," which was set to shoot
in winter 2021, but he exited the film after turning down the COVID-19 vaccine, according
to The Hollywood Reporter. As a result of his exit, Ice Cube lost out on a $9 million payday.
If he had stayed on, the movie would have paired him alongside
the great Jack Black and Netflix's "Bad Trip" director, Kitao Sakurai.
Even still, the popular rapper-actor was a vocal supporter of mask-wearing and even
helped support the cause by selling T-shirts inscribed with the phrase "Check Yo Self
Before You Wreck Yo Self." Ice Cube also ended up departing a Universal Pictures
project called "Flint Strong," which actually filmed for one day before production was put
on hiatus in March 2020 as the spread of COVID began to accelerate. It's not clear
why he left that film, which is said to be looking for a new star and possibly studio.
As of now, no one has been tapped to replace Ice
Cube in "Oh Hell No," though Jack Black is currently still aboard.
Broadway star Laura Osnes made waves when The New York Post reported that she had been fired
from a one-night-only production of "Crazy For You" for not getting the COVID-19 shot. However,
the actor later sued The Post for defamation, according to Forbes,
claiming she did not get fired from the show, but rather quit on her own terms.
Osnes was hesitant to get the vaccine and ultimately decided to withdraw from
the production after learning it would require proof of vaccination. She wrote in a statement,
The actor then added,