General Hospital actor Ingo Rademacher has been dropped from the ABC series after 25 years.
Rademacher, 50, had been a regular for the majority of his time on the show as Jasper “Jax” Jacks.
According toThe Hollywood Reporter, the German-born Australian star was dropped after failing to comply with the production’s Covid vaccine mandate.
The news comes days after he was criticised by his co-stars for sharing an anti-trans meme on social media.
Cassandra James, a transgender woman who is a cast member on the show, wrote in response to the post: “I am aware of a transphobic post shared by a fellow General Hospital actor. Shame on you.
“You have some serious unlearning and education to do. I feel deeply disappointed that such a public display of ignorance could come from our GH family.”
James continued: “Misgendering trans folks is violence and if you come for one of us, you come for all of us. The cis world doesn’t get to decide which of us is valuable. I am so proud of the fans for always holding us to a high standard, for calling out transphobia and violence.”
In reply, Rademacher called James “an absolute talent” and “very beautiful”, adding: “I don’t think a transphobic man would say that.”
He also doubled down on sharing the meme, stating: “I don’t think it’s OK to call a transgender an empowered woman, because where does that leave women?”
In another response, actor Nancy Lee Grahn said that Rademacher was “mercifully no longer a part of the GH cast”, with ABC representatives confirming he was dropped from the show prior to sharing the meme.
Rademacher, who first appeared on the American daytime series in 1996, previously supported calls for health care and government workers to stage a walkout in opposition to vaccine mandates.
