Chad Duell Admits He Never Expected GH to Recast Michael Corinthos

Chad Duell

Chad Duell is opening up about his departure from General Hospital—and the unexpected decision to recast Michael Corinthos.

Chad Duell Admits He Never Expected GH to Recast Michael Corinthos

During an August 19 video interview with Michael Fairman, Duell revealed that he initially believed he was simply taking a temporary break from the ABC soap. However, while he was away, the show moved Michael in a different direction.

“Things changed,” Duell admitted. “They kind of changed up the character a little bit. I didn’t know—I was like, ‘I’m taking some time away, we’ll see what happens.’ But then, yeah, obviously they decided to go a different direction with him when I was gone.”

That different direction included hiring former Young and the Restless star Rory Gibson, who debuted as Michael in May 2025, just months after Duell’s final appearance aired in January.

“I didn’t think they were going to bring somebody back in my place,” Duell acknowledged. “But you know, it’s the business. You never know what can happen.”

Why Chad Duell Stepped Away From GH

Duell portrayed Michael Corinthos for nearly 15 years before announcing his departure on Instagram in November 2024.

The actor described his decision as “taking a step back and refueling the tank” following a difficult period in his personal life. Duell was grieving the death of his father, Richard, while also wanting to spend more time with his son, Dawson, who was born in 2023.

Duell informed executive producer Frank Valentini before making his departure public because he wanted the writers to have enough time to create a proper exit storyline for Michael.

“I wanted to give them notice,” Duell explained. “I didn’t want to throw it on him last minute. I wanted to let them have time, like three months or so, to flesh out a storyline to get me to step away for a bit.”

Chad Duell Admits He Never Expected GH to Recast Michael Corinthos

Michael’s Exit Appeared to Leave the Door Open

Duell’s final episode aired on January 21, 2025. Michael suffered severe burns in an explosion at Sonny Corinthos’ penthouse and was sent to a specialized clinic overseas for treatment.

However, Michael’s face was deliberately spared—something Duell believed would make it possible for him to eventually return.

“They didn’t burn my face because I told [Valentini] I’m willing to come back,” Duell shared. “It was just a little bit of a break.”

That storyline choice, combined with Valentini’s public comments, gave Duell reason to believe Michael would remain off-screen until he decided whether he was ready to return.

Following Duell’s exit announcement in November 2024, Valentini wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that there were no immediate plans to recast Michael—although he added, “You never know in daytime.”

Ultimately, General Hospital decided Michael’s story needed to continue. Gibson took over the role and made his debut during the 2025 Nurses’ Ball.

Could Chad Duell Join Another Soap?

Although his former role has been recast, Duell still has fond memories of his time in Port Charles.

“I actually still do miss the people, miss the energy there,” he confessed.

However, Duell isn’t ruling out a return to daytime television—perhaps on an entirely different soap. He revealed that he has connections at both The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless and would be open to testing for a new role.

“I’m ready to sink my teeth back into everything,” Duell declared.

After spending nearly 15 years as Michael Corinthos, seeing Duell portray another daytime character would certainly take some adjustment. Still, a new soap and a completely different role could offer him the fresh creative challenge he was looking for when he left GH.

Would you like to see Chad Duell return to daytime on another soap, or do you still hope he’ll someday reclaim the role of Michael Corinthos? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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