‘ABC intended to get rid of him’: ‘General Hospital’ star, fired after 25 years, accuses ABC of religious discrimination

General Hospital star Ingo Rademacher is not letting ABC get away with what it did to him after being booted from the daytime soap opera. The longtime star, who played fan-favorite Jasper “Jax” Jacks for over 25 years, has reignited his legal battle against the alphabet network, accusing it of religious discrimination and political retaliation.

The 53-year-old television actor has filed a motion to reopen his lawsuit, claiming he has new, damning evidence that could blow ABC’s defense out of the water. In court documents recently obtained by In Touch Weekly, the actor argues that the network’s actions go beyond its COVID-19 vaccine mandate and are rooted in a targeted effort to oust him from the series.

The drama started in November 2021 when Rademacher refused to comply with ABC’s vaccine mandate, citing religious reasons. He was swiftly fired, leading him to file a lawsuit alleging religious discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination, and violation of privacy. ABC vehemently denied all wrongdoing, claiming the decision was purely about health protocols.

But Rademacher isn’t buying it, and now he’s dragging his former costar Steve Burton, 54, into his legal battle with the network. Burton, who was also fired for refusing the vaccine, returned to General Hospital in January 2024, a move that Rademacher claims exposes ABC’s “pretext” for his termination.

In his motion, Rademacher’s lawyer argued, “ABC’s re-hiring of Mr. Burton undermines its argument that Ingo’s political beliefs did not play any role in its decision to fire him — to ‘recast’ his role — in 2021.”

The General Hospital producers allegedly didn’t hold back about their feelings regarding his political beliefs in private, according to Rademacher. He claims newly uncovered emails and texts reveal them mocking his conservative political views. His outspokenness during the 2020 presidential election, where he supported President-elect Donald Trump, reportedly didn’t sit well with the network as well.

Rademacher alleges that his political beliefs, not his refusal to get vaccinated, were the real reason ABC wanted him gone. “The evidence of [Steve’s] rehiring, but not Ingo’s, should change the court’s summary judgment ruling. It confirms that… it was not … Ingo’s vaccination status that mattered. It was him: his political beliefs and his political commentary. That is why, unlike [Steve], ABC will never re-hire him for [General Hospital].”

The actor’s legal team claims ABC had been looking to recast his role long before the pandemic, using his vaccination refusal as a convenient excuse. “This new evidence is compelling,” his lawyer wrote in the court docs. “It confirms Ingo’s argument that ABC intended to get rid of him — to recast his character — which preceded the COVID vaccination policy.”

Adding fuel to the fire, Rademacher detailed the lucrative contract he signed in February 2019 — a three-year deal paying up to $3,300 per episode. However, his storylines started to dry up after his political views became public knowledge.

The judge originally sided with ABC in June 2023, dismissing Rademacher’s claims and pointing to Burton’s firing as evidence that vaccination policies, not politics, were the deciding factor. But Rademacher has not backed down. His new motion calls for a jury trial, insisting that ABC’s actions against him were personal. “As the new year dawns, the Court should take this opportunity to grant a new trial based on the newly discovered evidence regarding ABC’s re-hiring of [Steve] and set the case for a jury trial on the wrongful termination claim.” his legal team said.

Rademacher, who was a staple on General Hospital since 1996, has made it clear he won’t rest until his day in court. On there other hand, ABC has yet to respond to the actor’s motion. However, the drama behind the scenes is proving to be just as intense as anything seen on the soap.