Home and Away star Jason Smith's surprise career switch

He played young Robbie Hunter on Home and Away for three years, but what has Sydney-born actor Jason Smith been up to since?

After leaving Summer Bay behind in 2006, the 37-year-old has gone on to appear in several TV shows, as well as growing his off-screen career as a producer/writer and radio host.

Jason joined Home and Away in 2003 as high school student Robbie, an intelligent oddball who quickly formed a bond with a fellow free spirit, Tasha Andrews (Isabel Lucas).

Their teen romance hit a rocky patch when Kim Hyde, played by none other than Thor star Chris Hemsworth shared a secret smooch with Tasha.

There were no hard feelings off the set, with Jason telling New Idea in 2019 that the trio considered themselves the 'three musketeers'.

Robbie and Tasha managed to patch things up and, after getting sucked into then escaping a cult, they tied the knot. Shortly after that, the couple welcomed a daughter, Ella who was fathered by one of the cult members.

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Robbie's exit from Summer Bay was not without controversy after he was found guilty of — but later avoided punishment for — turning off his grandfather's life support.

Robbie, Tasha and Ella relocated to the US with their final episodes playing out in October 2006. His time on Home and Away saw Jason earn a nomination for "Most Popular New Male Talent" at the 2005 Logie Awards.

After the Bay

After Home and Away, Jason had a brief stint on Legend of the Seeker before securing a recurring role on the kid's show, Power Rangers Jungle Fury in 2008.

Jason played Casey Rhodes aka the Red Tiger Ranger for 32 episodes, reprising his role for a cameo in Power Rangers Megaforce in 2014.

He began working behind the camera in 2013 when he wrote five episodes of Home and Away, and later four episodes of Megaforce.

Jason made the jump to radio in 2016 when he hosted Nova FM's Late Nights program for a year.

In 2017, Jason was back with a small role in the critically acclaimed ABC drama, The Letdown, before working as a producer behind-the-scenes on The Masked Singer in 2019 and 2021.

He was also an associate producer on the US TV game show, Name That Tune which is hosted by 30 Rock star Jane Krakowski.

Jason appeared on Backyard Science, Dancing with the Stars and Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation and, in 2019, he returned to Summer Bay to host Home and Away: Christmas in Summer Bay.

Also in 2019, Jason hosted the short-lived official Home and Away podcast which saw him interview various members of the cast.

As for whether he'd reprise his role as Robbie, Jason told New Idea that he was 'always open to it'.

"But I am really enjoying the behind-the-scenes work. All of the skills I learnt from Home and Away have come in so handy for everything I’ve been doing since I left the show," he said.

Famous friends

Outside of work, Jason has maintained friendships with his former Home and Away co-stars including homegrown Hollywood heavyweight, Chris Hemsworth.

The pair were also reported rivals for the role of Robbie over 15 years ago. In the end, producers opted to cast Chris as Kim Hyde instead and Jason, of course, landed the role of Robbie.

Jason and Chris appear to be great mates to this day, with Jason telling New Idea, "Chris is very much the legend he was then".

Though he keeps his personal life largely under wraps, Jason did share a snap of him with Chris and some friends about to hop on a helicopter to his Instagram account back in 2015.

He was also one of the guests at a white-themed party hosted by Chris and his wife, actor Elsa Pataky at their luxe Byron Bay mansion in May last year.

Famous faces such as Matt Damon and Chris' younger brother, Liam Hemsworth were also in attendance.

It seems as though Jason and Isabel Lucas are still on good terms, with Isabel leaving a smiley face emoji on his Instagram post about Home and Away's Christmas special back in 2019.

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