General Hospital (GH) viewers were shocked the afternoon of Saturday, November 23 when actor Chad Duell announced he was exiting the role of Michael Corinthos.
GH viewers definitely did not have this on their bingo card for 2024, and it caught many off guard.
After all, Chad Duell and the Michael character have been staples on GH since the actor entered the role in 2010.
While he may have been a young “kid” when he first entered the role, both Duell and Michael have become pivotal players in the land of Port Charles and storylines.
Duell hopped on Instagram to share the news in a heartfelt post about his decision to leave the soap.
He thanked executive producer Frank Valentini, the cast, crew, and everyone behind the scenes who have felt like “family” to him throughout his years with the show. Chad ended it by saying this wasn’t “goodbye”, rather, “see you later”.
While GH fans reeled over the news, hours later, Valentini posted a response to Chad’s announcement on X (formerly known as Twitter).
From the looks of it, Duell’s exit from GH is an amicable one, as Valentini notes in his tweet that he is “sad” to confirm the actor’s exit from the soap.
GH’s executive producer states he’s loved working with Duell, and notes he wishes Chad nothing but the best.
Valentini also states within the post that Duell is a “terrific” actor who shall be missed by everyone on GH.
Still, Valentini ended the tweet an interesting tidbit.
He writes, “There are no plans to recast his role at this time, but you never know in daytime. I can promise a great story for Michael and his family when Chad exits in the new year.”
It’s interesting, to say the least, that Michael will not be a recast, as actor Robert Adamson (ex-Young and the Restless’ Noah Newman) has stepped in for Duell a number of times as a temporary recast when needed.
This seems to hint that the Michael Corinthos character could pass away, or at the very least everyone will think the character has passed.
Then again, with everything going on with Micheal’s marriage, could he decide to leave town? Where would that leave Sasha Corbin (Sofia Mattsson) if she finds out she’s expecting?
There are so many pieces to Michael’s storyline right now, so it’ll be interesting to see how the character ends up exiting.
Regardless of how things go down, it wouldn’t be shocking if the soap left the door open for a return after Michael’s exit.
No recast plans seems to indicate this, and Duell did make it clear he would ‘see everyone later’, so this could be a temporary exit.
General Hospital spoilers note that Chad Duell’s exit will likely be explosive, and come in early 2025, so fans will have to tune in to see how Michael Corinthos bids adieu to the land of Port Charles.
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