Less than a year after his long overdue return to General Hospital, Daytime Emmy winner Sean Blakemore (Shawn Butler) has confirmed that he has again exited the ABC soap.
In a post on Twitter, Blakemore informed fans that he had opted to leave the show due to "other obligations." The actor did not reveal what those obligations might be, but Blakemore did shoot down rumors that he had been fired.
Lol...I appreciate you and ALL my wonderful supporters! I was absolutely NOT let go. It was my decision to exit the show because of other obligations. The GH family has been great to me! Who knows whts to come in the near future ??
— Sean Blakemore (@SBlakemoreActor) February 25, 2022
On Friday, Blakemore's on-screen alter ego informed Alexis that he would be relocating to San Francisco. By the end of the episode, however, fans had thought that Shawn might reconsider and stick around in Port Charles to rekindle a romance with Alexis. It looks like that will not be the case.
Blakemore joined the General Hospital cast in 2011 in a recurring capacity, but the actor was quickly signed to a contract. He remained with the show through 2015, an exit that caught many fans by surprise. Sean was sent to prison for a crime he did not commit, a crime that he was not cleared of until just last year.
In his previous time away from GH, Blakemore kept busy. He appeared on Devious Maids, landed a role in the BET pilot for The Yard, appeared on the digital comedy series Dangerous Curves, shared scenes with Brad Pitt in Ad Astra, and booked a series regular role in the Freeform pilot Close Up.
The actor's IMDb page lists two projects that are currently in development, a film called A Love to Die For and a series titled Dangerous Curves: The Series.
Blakemore won an Outstanding Supporting Actor trophy at the 2016 Daytime Emmys.
ABC has yet to officially announce Blakemore's exit. The show did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Blakemore's departure.
What do you think about the impending exit of Sean Blakemore's Shawn? Would you like to see the character stay -- even if it meant a recast? We want to hear from you -- and there are many ways you can share your thoughts.