{"id":238686,"date":"2026-05-06T18:25:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T18:25:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/06\/general-hospitals-steve-burton-accuses-ex-wife-of-manipulation-in-custody-battle-texts-over-daughter\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T18:25:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T18:25:29","slug":"general-hospitals-steve-burton-accuses-ex-wife-of-manipulation-in-custody-battle-texts-over-daughter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/06\/general-hospitals-steve-burton-accuses-ex-wife-of-manipulation-in-custody-battle-texts-over-daughter\/","title":{"rendered":"General Hospital\u2019s Steve Burton Accuses Ex-Wife of \u2018Manipulation\u2019 in Custody Battle Texts Over Daughter"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

General Hospital<\/em><\/a> star Steve Burton<\/strong><\/a> accused ex-wife Sheree Gustin<\/strong> of \u201cmanipulation\u201d in new court documents obtained by Us Weekly<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Burton, 55, submitted alleged texts from Gustin and asked the court to assist in getting her to follow their custody agreement, which was finalized in December 2023 and amended this past January. Burton alleged that Gustin \u201chas systematically refused to honor\u201d their agreement, which allowed him \u201cregular summer custodial time and two separate weeks of annual vacation\u201d with their minor daughter, Brooklyn, 11. (The former couple, who were married from 1999 to 2023<\/a>, also share daughter Makena, 22, and son Jack, 20.)<\/p>\n

TMZ was first<\/a> to report news on their text exchange.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is manipulation. You signed an order. So the response should have been hey brook your dad has you a lot in the summer .. but I know your priority is not having her spend time with us,\u201d Burton wrote in a text to Gustin on March 14, 2026. \u201cActivities do not Trump time with family .. again this is something that you signed and you decided to neglect that and now put it on brook .. and now you get to say dad won\u2019t let you .. when you should have said it\u2019s not gonna work. So now you\u2019ll be able to say you made a mistake and we should schedule my weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

She denied being manipulative in her response hours later, writing back in part, \u201cNo it\u2019s not. I told you she wanted to do jr. guards. You knew this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burton alleged in the court docs that Gustin has engaged in \u201cdeliberate obstruction\u201d of his parenting time with Brooklyn. He claimed she was enrolled in a six-week junior lifeguard program that interferes with Burton\u2019s previously established time with Brooklyn. (Burton is also asking the court to order Gustin to pay nearly $5,000 to his attorney.)<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t
\n Related: <\/span>Messiest Real-Life Soap Opera Splits<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n\t\t\tMany soap opera stars have had messy breakups that resemble the plot of their respective shows. General Hospital star Steve Burton and then-wife Sheree Burton announced their split in May 2022. The pair, who share three children, McKenna, Jack and Brooklyn, called it quits after 23 years of marriage for a reason no one saw [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Burton alleged that Gustin \u201cflatly declared\u201d she will not allow Brooklyn to use their two-week vacation time outside of California. The soap star also included text messages between himself and Gustin to prove his point.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem is if she makes it that\u2019s our week to take her to Tennessee, which you knew,\u201d Burton alleged in a text to Gustin, obtained by Us<\/em>. \u201cSo why would you push to join when it takes up the whole summer when I have weeks in July also.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burton included a list of dates, which seemingly reveal the junior lifeguard program takes place for seven weeks from mid-June through July.<\/p>\n

In her text response, Gustin claimed that Burton knew Brooklyn wanted to join junior lifeguards and noted that he was the one who \u201cdecided to move.\u201d (Burton discussed his plans to relocate to Tennessee in a September 2025 email, citing the \u201chigh cost\u201d of living in California, per the court docs.)<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\"\"
\n\t\"\"<\/p>\n