Ex 'General Hospital' star Steve Burton says he's separated from pregnant wife, child 'not mine'

Steve Burton took to Instagram to "clear" up details about his relationship with his wife, Sheree Burton.

The former "General Hospital" actor announced Wednesday on his Instagram story that he and Sheree were separated and that she's expecting another child, but he is not.

"I wanted to clear something up. Sheree and I are separated. She recently announced that she's expecting her 4th child," Burton wrote. "The child is not mine."

The former couple shares three children together: Makena, Jack, and Brooklyn. They married in 1999.

"We are still co-parenting our three beautiful kids. We would appreciate privacy at this time," Burton continued.

USA TODAY reached out to Steve Burton's reps for further comment. Sheree Burton has not commented on the split.

Burton portrayed Jason Morgan on "General Hospital" from 1991 to 2012 and then returned again in 2017 until last November when he was let go from the production after refusing to comply with a COVID-19 vaccination mandate.

The 51-year-old actor announced his departure on Instagram in November saying he was fired from "General Hospital" because he didn't comply with the production’s COVID-19 vaccination policy. A person familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly about Burton's departure confirmed the news to USA TODAY, adding that his last episode was filmed on Oct. 27.

"I wanted you to hear it from me personally," said Burton, who's portrayed Jason Morgan since the 90s. "Unfortunately, 'General Hospital' has let me go because of the vaccine mandate. I did apply for my medical and religious exemptions, and both of those were denied. Which, you know, hurts. But this is also about personal freedom to me."

Burton continued: "I don’t think anybody should lose their livelihood over this."

"I’ll always be grateful for my time on 'General Hospital.' I love it there, I grew up there," Burton said in his November video, adding he's hopeful to reprise his role. "Maybe one day if these mandates are lifted, I can return and finish my career as Jason Morgan. That would be an honor."

During his hiatus from "Hospital," the actor did a five-year stint on CBS' "The Young and the Restless" from 2013 to 2017.