During his daytime career, Michael Easton has earned a loyal fan base through his roles on Days of Our Lives, Port Charles, One Life to Live, and General Hospital. And those fans who have been missing seeing the soap star were delighted when the actor popped back up on Instagram to share some new photos he’d had taken by a professional photographer. “Back from sabbatical and stopped by the studio of my buddy Jackson Davis,” he said of the pics. “This guy is so talented he even got me to smile.”

Missing in Action

Easton had previously teased back in January 2025 that he had a new project in the works, when he took to social media to wish his fans a Happy New Year. “Apologies for being off the grid for the past few months,” he wrote on Instagram at the time, “but I’ve been working on something I hope to share with you all in the near future.”

Outside of that message, though, Easton has been keeping a low profile on social media all year long. His only other Instagram post in 2025 was on March 23, when actor/director Wings Hauser (ex-Greg, Young and Restless) passed away, and Easton paid a heartfelt tribute to the man who gave him his first big break by casting him in his 1989 film Cold Fire. That movie also featured Easton’s future OLTL co-star Kamar de los Reyes (ex-Antonio) as his brother, which led to a decades-long friendship between the two men. Sadly, de los Reyes passed away from cancer in 2023.

Easton made his daytime debut back in 1990 when he was cast as Tanner Scofield on DAYS, a role he played until 1992 before finding success in prime time with roles on series like 413 Hope St. and Ally McBeal. He returned to soaps to play both Michael and Caleb Morley on GH spinoff Port Charles from 2001-03. He then went on to play John McBain on OLTL beginning in 2003 and bringing the character over to GH in 2012 on the heels of OLTL’s cancellation. On GH, he also reprised the role of Caleb in 2013 in addition to playing Dr. Silas Clay from 2013-15 and Dr. Hamilton Finn from 2016-24.

Never the End

Soap fans are notoriously dedicated to their favorite shows and stars, and Easton does not take that for granted. “I feel like I have this really amazing relationship with — I’ll say fans, but I think of them more as friends,” he told Soap Opera Digest back in July 2024 as he was exiting GH. “I realize I’m not the easiest person to get to know because I’m not the most open person and I don’t do lots of interviews and until a few months ago [when he started his Instagram account], I wasn’t on any form of social media. But they’ve stuck by me and they understand me, and I think I understand them.”

After Easton left GH, he spent quality time with his children, daughter Lilah Belle and son Jack, and treated himself to a surfing trip. But he also looked forward to getting back to work again. “I’m not done,” he told Digest at the time. “I think I have more to give as an actor. But I think of it much the same [as the surfing] — I’m just traveling up the coast and I’m looking for that right part. I’m looking for that next great storyline. I don’t know where that will come from, but I’m not done.”

In addition to the fans who were happy to see Easton posting on Instagram again, many of his friends and former co-stars expressed the same sentiment. OLTL love interest Melissa Archer (Natalie) commented on his new photos with a trio of fire emojis, and GH’s Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis) agreed, writing, “You look 🔥.” Mark Lawson, who worked with Easton both as OLTL’s Brody and GH’s Dustin, didn’t use the emoji as he declared, “These are fire, buddy!”

GH players like Marc Anthony Samuel (ex-Felix), Finola Hughes (Anna), and Jacqueline Grace Lopez (ex-Blaze) used the comments of Easton’s Instagram post to say hello again, while Evan Hofer (ex-Dex) declared, “You’re the coolest.” Josh Swickard (Chase) enthused, “Looking fresh as ever!!” while Rebecca Budig (ex-Hayden, now Taylor on Bold and Beautiful) said, “Beautiful smile. Beautiful photos. ❤️”