What happened to Michael on ‘General Hospital’?

If you’re a confused General Hospital fan, you’re not alone. Actor Chad Duell has played long-time fan favorite Michael Corinthos since his first appearance in 2010, totaling an impressive 1,494 episodes, according to Duell’s IMDb page. However, he’s been looking a little differently — and it’s not just a new haircut.

The character has been replaced — apparently without warning — by an entirely new actor, Robert Adamson, best known for his decade-long role in another soap opera, Noah Newman in The Young and The Restless.

Duell is one of the most familiar faces in the modern era of General Hospital, which first hit the airwaves in 1963. The 37-year-old actor has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series — both in the youth and older categories — an impressive six times, winning once in 2015.

With little emphasis on this change in the show and its reporting, it seems that Duell left the series after nearly 15 years with such little fanfare, being replaced by the closest clone they could find at short notice — could the executives at ABC be so callous to one of its brightest stars? Has Duell set his sights on a new acting endeavor? The answer lies somewhere in between.

Michael’s recasting, explained

Sam Duell fans can breathe a sigh of relief, as the actor is only temporarily leaving General Hospital, as the recasting is only temporary, according to industry publication Soap Opera Digest. Robert Adamson, an equally qualified soap opera veteran, is only stepping into Michael’s shoes temporarily.

Dedicated viewers of the long-running series will likely remember that Adamson has actually played Michael for a brief stint previously, filling in for eight episodes in 2022. So, why temporarily change, if Duell is expected to return to the role?

The only reason reported for Duell’s absence from the series is “scheduling conflicts,” as reported by Just Jared. This is likely to do with another film or television project, although Duell’s IMDb page doesn’t list any upcoming productions, as of October 2024.

One possibility is that prior to General Hospital, Duell played Selena Gomez’s character’s love interest, Ronald Longcape, Jr., in the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place — a show that premiered its new revival series on October 29th. Duell could make a surpise re-appearance alongside Gomez in the cult kids’ series.

Neither ABC nor any of the entertainment outlets have given more specific details on Duell’s absence. Moreover, they haven’t given a return date for the actor to taking back his place as the character, leaving viewers with Adamson’s take for the foreseeable future. However, fans of Duell’s performance can rest assured that the recasting has been outright stated to be a temporary one.

Others, however, seem to welcome the change, with several viewers on social media responding to the announcement of Adamson returning to temp the role very positively.

“Can we please keep Robert Adamson as Michael?!!!!” @KJsuperfan25 wrote on Twitter/X.

“CAN WE KEEP HIM!! Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! He’s so much a better Michael! 10000 percent better!” @Ro2781 similarly responded.