CONFIRMED: Sam Frost leaves Home and Away for good following COVID vaccine controversy

Two months after making national headlines for announcing she won’t be getting the COVID vaccine, Sam Frost has left her role on Home and Away.

Friday 17th December marked her last day on the Home and Away set at Sydney’s Eveleigh Studios, where she filmed her final scenes as Jasmine Delaney.

In a statement to TV WEEK, Channel Seven said: “We support and respect Sam’s decision to leave Home and Away. Sam leaves with our sincere thanks and very best wishes for the future.”

The network said Sam’s departure is “not related to Seven Productions vaccination policy.”

“Sam’s previous social media post noted that she intends to be vaccinated following a medical procedure in January 2022. This timeline was mutually agreed to and accommodated by Home and Away‘s production schedule,” a spokesperson told TV WEEK.

In October, Sam posted an emotional video to Instagram announcing that she made the decision not to receive the COVID jab – which threw her future on the soap into question.

A month later, Channel Seven made COVID vaccinations mandatory, and Sam revealed her character would be “temporarily” written off for a few weeks.

“I will be written off temporarily, Jazzy is going on an off-screen adventure for a few weeks… but I’ll be back,” she explained at the time.

“My bosses are amazing, we’ve been in open communication for months. Very grateful we were able to make a plan that works for everyone.”

Channel Seven’s CEO James Warburton originally said in mid-October that the network had not mandated vaccinations.

However, in the wake of Sam’s controversial admission, the network has announced all company employees will need to be double jabbed by January 10.

“To provide the safest possible work environment for cast, crew and presenters, Seven Productions have made the decision to only engage those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, taking effect in January next year,” a spokesperson said.

“Seven strongly encourages vaccination to protect our people, their colleagues and their families.”

After Sam shared her video where she said that after speaking to “my doctor and my psychologist”, she had opted against getting the vaccine, the former reality star faced intense backlash and took a two-week hiatus from Instagram as a result.

“I was really hesitant about doing a video or even speaking up about this sort of thing,” she said in the since-deleted five-minute-long video.

“But I feel like it’s getting to a point now in the world where there’s a lot of segregation, a lot of harsh judgment, and it’s taking its toll on my mental health.”

She also suggested it was “none of your damn business” why she or anyone else would choose not to be vaccinated and urged vaccinated people to show the unvaccinated “empathy”.

After Sam shared her video where she said that after speaking to “my doctor and my psychologist”, she had opted against getting the vaccine, the former reality star faced intense backlash and took a two-week hiatus from Instagram as a result.

Her use of the term “segregation” and vocal decision not to get vaccinated caused a wave of backlash across the internet from fans and fellow celebrities.