Young & Restless Vet Cast as General Hospital’s New Michael

It’s no secret that many have been wondering whether or not General Hospital would recast the character of Michael. Given that Chad Duell made the decision to leave back in November 2023, and the character had since been sent to Germany to recover from burns, this would have given the ABC soap ample time to find a new Michael.

From time to time, The Young and the Restless’ Robert Adamson (Noah) had filled in for Duell so one might think he would have made the perfect choice. However, in a since-deleted social-media post, the actor made it clear that he had not been called in to read for the recast role of Michael.

During a podcast, Duell shared with former castmates Steve Burton (Jason) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli) that executive producer Frank Valentini had left the door open for a return. While that proved true for the character, it was a different actor who would wind up walking through that open door when the time came for Michael to return.

Fans received their first tease that Michael would be reappearing on the canvas during the April 21 weekly video preview, in which Willow stated, “There’s still one person I need to face.” But when she arrived at the clinic in Germany, she wasn’t allowed to see Michael — thanks to Drew’s interference. It was during that time when Duell would have celebrated his 15th anniversary of Michael’s debut.

However, then it finally happened… On Tuesday, viewers saw a man in an empty jet watching footage of Drew, Willow and Nina from the Nurses Ball red carpet. As Willow gushed about the new man in her life — and Nina, like viewers, tried not to roll her eyes — it seemed clear that the long-distance viewer was Michael.

So, who’s the face behind the recast? Soaps.com has learned that Rory Gibson has been tapped to succeed Duell. (We’ve reached out to the show for confirmation.) Ironically, this will mark the second time that Gibson has, in a sense, replaced Adamson. The Young and the Restless also brought in Gibson to take over the role of Noah Newman from Adamson.

Meanwhile, Duell continues to live his best life as he sets out on this much-needed new chapter. Spending time working on himself and being with his family is now a top priority. Not only did he shed 20 pounds since leaving daytime, he has kept his followers in the loop on his post-General Hospital adventures via pics posted to his Instagram account.

As we welcome Michael back to the canvas, be sure to stay up to date on all the latest casting news by taking a look through our photo gallery filled with soaps’ comings and goings for 2025.