'General Hospital' star Ingo Rademacher is no longer on the soap amid backlash from castmates for sharing a transphobic tweet

• "General Hospital" actor Ingo Rademacher is no longer a part of the show's cast, a source told Insider.
• Rademacher reshared a tweet that called Dr. Rachel Levine, who is a trans woman, a "dude."

Ingo Rademacher, who has played Jasper "Jax" Jacks on the longtime ABC soap "General Hospital" on and off since 1996, is no longer with the daytime drama, a source told Insider.

News of Rademacher's exit comes days after he appeared to misgender Dr. Rachel Levine, the assistant secretary for health for the Department of Health and Human Services, in a post he shared on Instagram.

Rademacher's last episode of "General Hospital" will air on November 22, the source said. It's unclear whether the decision was linked to his controversial social-media posts, what the timing of his departure was, and whether he was fired or chose to exit.

The actor faced backlash from "General Hospital" castmates over the weekend after sharing to his Instagram story a tweet from conservative podcast host Allie Beth Stuckey that referred to Levine, who was appointed by President Joe Biden earlier this year, a "dude."

In a post to Instagram on Monday addressing the criticism, Rademacher said he didn't have time to comment on his "General Hospital" status but said he would update his followers soon.

Rademacher said in his 3-minute video on Monday addressing the controversy that he should've crossed out the word "dude" in the post and replaced it with "transgender," rejecting claims that he was transphobic.

"While it's not okay to call a Black woman a white supremacist, I don't think either that it's okay to call a transgender an empowered woman, because where does that leave women?" Rademacher said.

"I do apologize again for not writing that correctly and taking that out because I wouldn't refer to a transgender person as a dude if they want to be called a she," he added. "That's totally fine."

Levine is the first openly transgender four-star officer in the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. She is the highest-ranking transgender US official and was the first openly trans person to be confirmed by the US Senate, as Insider previously reported.

'General Hospital' stars called out Rademacher's post over the weekend

Cassandra James, who is a transgender woman and has played the role of Dr. Terry Randolph on "General Hospital" since 2018, appeared to reference Rademacher in a tweet, though she didn't call him out by name.

-Cassandra James (@cassandrajames_) November 8, 2021

"I am aware of a transphobic post shared by a fellow General Hospital actor," she wrote Sunday. "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."

"Misgendering trans folks is violence and if you come for one of us, you come for all of us," she added.

As part of his video response on Monday, Rademacher addressed James directly.

"Cassandra, I apologize to you as well sincerely," he said. "I think you're an absolute talent and you're very beautiful as well. I don't think a transphobic man would say that. I think you're absolutely gorgeous."

At the end of his Instagram video post Monday, he added he once bought his 3-year-old son a "Disney princess dress" and allowed him to wear it with high heels, a tiara, and a wand.

"I don't think a transphobic dad would buy his dad a Disney princess dress," he said. "So, there you have it."

Nancy Lee Grahn, who has played Alexis Davis on the soap since 1996, also criticized Rademacher in a tweet and first shared the news he was no longer a "General Hospital" castmember.

-Nancy Lee Grahn (@NancyLeeGrahn) November 8, 2021

"The fellow actor, #IngoRademacher, is mercifully no longer a part of the #gh cast," she said. "Transphobia & misgendering are disgusting & should be unacceptable in any industry, including soaps/acting. I stand with my costar, @cassandrajames_, & the trans community."

Rademacher made headlines earlier this year for his social-media posts about the COVID-19 vaccine, which had already caused tension between himself and other members of the "General Hospital" cast, Deadline reported. Rademacher has staunchly opposed any effort to require COVID-19 vaccinations.

"If we don't send a strong message to the Biden administration to reverse course immediately where do you think this ends guys?" he wrote in a Sunday Instagram post, according to The Wrap. "With booster no. 25? Nope. Vaccine passports and more segregation is on its way right now. Wakey wakey."