General Hospital star Ingo Rademacher exits soap after sharing anti-trans meme
Rademacher refused to comply with General Hospital's vaccine mandate prior to his departure
Longtime General Hospital star Ingo Rademacher has exited the ABC soap opera after refusing to comply with the production’s vaccine mandate and amid backlash over a transphobic meme he shared online.
News of his departure, first reported by The Hollywood Reporter on Monday, came a day after castmates condemned Rademacher for sharing the transphobic meme.
On Sunday, Rademacher shared side-by-side photos of Dr. Rachel Levine, who last month became the first openly trans four-star officer in the U.S. uniformed services, and recently elected Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Sears, who will become the first Black woman to hold her post, via Instagram Stories.
The caption of the photo read, “Hello, and welcome to ClownTown, where the dude on the left is an empowering woman, and the woman on the right is a white supremacist.”
Fellow General Hospital stars Cassandra James, a transgender woman, and Nancy Lee Grahn condemned the post.
“I am aware of a transphobic post shared by a fellow General Hospital actor. Shame on you,” James tweeted. “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.”
She added: “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.”
Grahn also replied to James, tweeting that Rademacher “is mercifully no longer a part of the GH cast.”
“Transphobia & misgendering are disgusting & should be unacceptable in any industry, including soaps/acting,” Gran wrote. “I stand with my costar, @cassandrajames_, & the trans community.”
On Monday, Rademacher doubled down on his decision to share the transphobic meme, saying in an Instagram video that while he wanted to call out “the hypocrisy of the left-wing media,” he thinks it’s “not okay” to call a Black woman a white supremacist.
He apologized for not crossing out the word “dude,” but added, “I don’t think it’s okay to call a transgender an empowered woman, because where does that leave women?”
Rademacher also apologized to James in the post, calling her “an absolute talent” and “very beautiful as well.”
“I don’t think a transphobic man would say that,” Rademacher said.
He then shared an anecdote about his son wanting to wear a Disney princess dress when he was 3 years old, saying, “I don’t think a transphobic dad would buy his son a Disney princess dress.”
Rademacher’s final episode on the show, where he’s played the character Jasper “Jax” Jacks for 25 years, is slated for Nov. 22.
According to multiple sources, reps for ABC said the Australian actor ended his association with General Hospital before Sunday.
Rademacher’s anti-vax stance became widely publicized in August when he tweeted about his unvaccinated status after his co-star tested positive for COVID-19.
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