ABC TV Show Character Recast After Almost 15 Years

Port Charles will be seeing a bit of a shake-up.

After almost 15 years, someone new will be playing Michael Corinthos on General Hospital.

Chad Duell exited the long-running ABC soap opera in January, after joining the series in 2010. At the time, it was unknown whether fans could see Michael again, whether played by Duell or another actor, but Duell said the door “was left open to return in the future.” Now, fans will finally have their answer. According to TVLine, Young and the Restless alum Rory Gibson has been tapped to take over as Michael Corinthos.

Gibson will be making his debut as Michael on Friday’s episode. The change in appearance will make sense, as fans last saw the beloved character on the Jan. 21, 2025 episode when he was badly burned following an explosion. He wanted to get treated for his burns at a clinic in Germany and was immediately flown to Europe. How Michael’s return to Port Charles will go is unknown, but as per usual, there will surely be some drama to be expected.

Meanwhile, Gibson is the latest actor to portray Michael Corinthos. The son of A.J. Quartermaine and Carly Corinthos and the adoptive son of mob boss Sonny Corinthos, Michael made his debut in late 1997, played by Blake and Dylan Hopkins. In 2001, they were replaced by Tiarnan Cunningham, who was replaced by Dylan Cash in 2002. He played the role until 2008 and was briefly replaced by Drew Garrett from 2009 to 2010 before Duell took over. Young and the Restless star Robert Adamson briefly played Michael in 2022 and 2024 in a temporary recast when Duell had to step away.

Gibson spoke to TV Insider about landing the role, revealing that Michael is “at a huge crossroads in his life” when he returns to Port Charles. “He has a thirst for vengeance and justice because it’s no secret what Drew [Quartermaine, Cameron Mathison] put him through,” he continued. “I think he’s at a place where he so badly wants to have a calm and peaceful life, especially after everything he’s gone through, but I don’t necessarily see that happening for him.”

Gibson is best known as Noah Newman on The Young and the Restless from 2021 to 2023, and although he “loved playing Noah,” Gibson admitted he does “feel a really strong connection to this character of Michael.” He continued, “I feel like he has a lot more at stake and with the storylines that he’s woven into; there’s so much suspense and so much consequence behind all of them. It’s terribly, terribly exciting to play and challenging to play, so I’m feeling very fulfilled in this new role. It’s been very intense, but I’m loving every second of it.”

Rory Gibson will make his debut as Michael Corinthos on Friday’s episode of General Hospital on ABC.