‘General Hospital’ RUMORS: Jason Thompson Unhappy With Patrick Drake Storylines – Real Reason Behind Exit?

There is a lot of speculation surrounding Jason Thompson’s [Patrick Drake] exit and ‘General Hospital’ rumors reveal that a possible contract dispute at renewal negotiations may have led to the exit. Although Jason Thompson’s official statement about his exit, posted on his Instagram page, offered no reason for the departure, speculation is rampant that GH showrunners may not have met demands for either money or for a beefed up storyline. Both make sense.

Thompson wrote on his IG page: “It was not an easy decision, but I feel like it’s time to hang up Dr. Patrick Drake’s white coat and scrubs.” Then he went on to thank the showrunners for their support and understanding. He also added: “Most importantly, I would like to thank the fans. General Hospital changed my life and I have you to thank for that.”

Related: POLL – Which Favorite GH Character Should Be Brought Back To Life?

In recent months, Patrick has been marginalized and has been more of a side player in the long-running ‘Jake is Jason’ plot with the full expectation that Sam Morgan [Kelly Monaco] would shunt Patrick to the side once she knew her hubby Jason Morgan [Billy Miller] was alive and well. He’s had some juicy scenes here and there – like with the engagement of Patrick to Sam – but overall, he feels like a character that was heading for a fate as collateral damage.

Other soap rumors indicate that we may soon see the uber-sexy Thompson as a recast on The Young and the Restless to fill the role of Billy Abbott as Burgess Jenkins (himself a recast) exits Y&R. Thompson moving to The Young and the Restless would certainly be interesting if he took on the role of Billy which was vacated last year by Billy Miller who joined GH as a recast of Jason Morgan who was played by Steve Burton who is also now on Y&R.

We all know that soap casting can be a musical chairs exercise and, fingers crossed, we’ll see Jason Thompson somewhere on daytime TV so we can keep enjoying his good looks and superb acting skills. Thompson is also a talented musician so, who knows, maybe he’s going to explore that some more but it’s far more likely we’ll see him on Y&R soon. Initially, Thompson was scheduled to end GH shooting when his contract expired in October which would translate to a character exit in November sweeps.

Related: Executive Producer Nathan Varni Discusses Jason Morgan Reveal And Patrick Drake’s Exit

But. Thompson signed an extension to keep him on the ABC lot shooting through January which will keep Patrick in Port Charles through February (or even March) depending on how many scenes they shoot. Importantly, this will allow time for showrunners to wrap up some of the loose ends between Patrick and Robin Scorpio [Kimberly McCullough] who is coming back soon to be part of a plot that will herald Patrick’s exit from the city.

McCullough told Soap Opera Digest: “I think it would be good to have some sort of closure to the Patrick/Robin relationship… it would be good for us as characters because they have unfinished business.” Boy do they. Robin was presumed dead then showed up in time to wreck Patrick’s marriage to Sabrina Santiago [Teresa Castillo] then took off again to save Jason and it’s Jason’s return from the dead – facilitated by Robin that will wreck Patrick’s love life once again.

Robin’s mom Anna Devane [Finola Hughes] is in Port Charles now – and a long-term contract with Hughes was just inked so she’ll be around a while. Also, Robin’s dad Robert Scorpio [Tristan Rogers] is taking a break from Y&R to come over and film an arc where, according to ‘General Hospital’ rumors, Robin, Anna and Robert will work together to save a life. We’ll have more on that as info becomes available.

For now, we wish Thompson the best of luck and hope to see him again on our TV screens soon. Be sure to sign up for the Soap Opera Spy newsletter so you don’t miss a moment of ‘General Hospital’ spoilers and other soap news and gossip.

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