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Maurice Benard Recalls How He Treated Chad Duell “Badly” After ‘General Hospital’ Replaced Drew Garrett as Michael Corinthos

By Michael Fairman

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Photos: ABC and Paul Smith Photography

On General Hospital, Drew Garrett played the role of Michael Corinthos from 2009-2010 and earned a Daytime Emmy nomination along the way for his performances. Drew was replaced by Chad Duell back in 2010. Chad stayed with the series till earlier this year in 2025. Now with rumors rebound, just who will be playing the role of Michael when the character returns from a burn clinic in Germany all healed up has been a question with much speculation.

On Sunday, Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos) brought his former TV son, Drew Garrett onto his mental health and interview show State of Mind to discuss many topics including: Garrett’s skin condition which held him back for some time in his career. However, the conversation took a turn later in the episode when Benard once again revealed his initial behavior at learning Garrett was on his way out and Chad Duell was now coming on to GH play to play his son over 15 years ago.

First, Garrett told Benard his thoughts on his time playing his on-screen son in the quick-pace of shooting a daytime drama, “I think I thrived off the pressure and that energy especially because of you. I think in a lot of ways you were supportive and very helpful to my process. I just felt like we saw eye to eye. I felt like you believed in me with that same ‘come-from’ that I did. I always felt like you were kind of street. I always felt like you were kind of no b*s*, and to let the work speak for itself.”

Photo: ABC

Drew recounted a very special scene that connected the actors, “You remember that seven page scene? (The one where Michael and Sonny are sitting in Sonny’s office) which was about Michael wanting to do better and walk in Sonny’s footsteps. I think the throughline of the scene was, ‘You can do better, and you don’t have to be like me.’ Michael wanted to be like Sonny, but he was also dealing with the whole trauma of the head injury and everything that was going on.”

Maurice added, “It was a seven pages and I told you (I think you maybe went up on on the line), we can’t drop the ball on this this scene. Once the ball drops the scene’s done.’ I didn’t tell you then, but it was a hard scene to do. For me it was hard, too. For anybody else, I don’t think they could have done it. We did the scene and you nailed that scene!”

Photo: ABC

Later, Maurice recalled his reaction to learning that Garrett was being replaced by another actor. “It was a Sunday. Paula’s (Maurice’s wife) was on the phone and I hear you’re not going to be working there. I went berserk. First of all, we had just done that scene. It happens all the time and everybody comes and goes like a revolving door, but I came to work the next day and now Chad is there (who’s now a friend of mine). But, let’s just put the cards on the table. I’m not proud of it. I don’t recommend it, but I treated him badly for maybe like 6 months. I didn’t talk to him. It wasn’t cool.”

Benard shared that on Chad’s first day. he watched him having to do monologue on a witness stand and in the scene Sonny is right in front of him. Maurice related, “I’m right in front of him. He’s sweating and having a panic attack.” Understanding his behavior towards Chad was not called for, Benard admitted, “It was awful. Of course, I’ve never done that again. But I was so pissed off. You can say some of that was ego, some of that was I liked you (Drew) so much, and we had just done that scene. It was hard on Chad.”

Responding to a post from Michael Fairman TV on the subject on X, Maurice Benard expressed, “I’m so happy I can consider both actors my friend and we all learn, or should learn from our mistakes.”

You can watch the entire episode of State of Mind featuring Drew and Maurice below.

Now weigh-in: what did you think of the Drew as Michael and Maurice’s story on how he initially treated Chad Duell, before they became friends? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

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So is Drew coming back as Michael? Awfully strange timing.

No; that is wishful thinking of several fans online, though.

No he’s not coming back. Maurice is “live” in the YouTube chat when the State of Mind episodes premier on Sunday morning, and he was asked if Drew was on because he was coming back to GH? Maurice said no. For the record, he didn’t say anything else about the recast… or even if there is one yet. But I suspect it’s going to happen soon. Sasha’s baby is due in July, and I don’t see that happening without Mikey back in Port Charles… in one form or another.

According to social media reports, they’ve been quietly recasting Michael. Robert Adamson posted (since removed) that he was not considered for the role. Ironically, Rory Gibson (who replaced Adamson on Y&R) was supposedly screen tested.

Gibson has posted selfies on set in a dressing room that resembles Steve Burton (Jason), and several people from General Hospital have begun following him on social media, from Frank Valentini himself to some makeup crew.

It’s not the first time Maurice Benard has mentioned treating Chad Duell poorly because of Drew Garrett’s exit; it was intriguing to see Garrett’s reaction to this, though. Not going to lie… I kind of wish they had gotten into why we exited the role, as it was never outright disclosed⏤at least to my recollection it never was.

My recollection is that the reason given at the time was pretty much identical to the reason for the most recent recast of Kristina — they simply wanted to take the character in a different, more mature direction.

Of course, Duell is only two years younger than Garrett in real life. And, ironically, one of my issues with Chad’s adult Michael was that he never really looked/sounded much older than when he first came on the show 15 years ago. I obviously don’t support the abuse Duell got from Bernard (or, at times, fans), but count me as someone that hated the recast at the time and never really changed his mind.

Hopefully, with this next recast, they’ll bring in an actor whose adult Michael can hang with Bernard, Wright and company gravitas-wise.

Last edited 1 year ago by BossTime01

My recollection is that the reason given at the time was pretty much identical to the reason for the most recent recast of Kristina — they simply wanted to take the character in a different, more mature direction.

In searching through this site’s archives (back when it was On Air On Soaps), Duell’s casting came after auditioning with Garrett and then being poised as a potential romantic pairing for Lexi Ainsworth (ex-Kristina), but at the expiration of Garrett’s contract, they chose to bring Duell in instead as Michael, and the character in-development for Kristina was scrapped.

They told Lexi she was reading with Chad as a potential love interest so she wouldn’t give Drew a heads up that they were letting him go. They fired him after shooting his scenes and had Chad lined up to come in the next time Micheal was due to shoot. Thankfully scenes were running long that day and Lexi didn’t end up chemistry reading with Chad, Steve Burton did instead because she would have felt responsible for hiring Drew’s replacement. She did notice Maurice was hard on Chad but she had chalked it up to him wanting to make him a better actor since he and Nancy had taken her under their wing and treated her like one of their own children.

Drew Garrett would make an excellent Will Horton recast, if Chandler Massey, didn’t want to return full-time at DAYS. I’d love to see Will & Sonny back in Salem!

Maurice is a total a hole. Chad was just a kid. Why don’t he go and be mean to the producers…o yeah he can’t cos they pay his bills

This was 15 years ago and Bernard is owning it publicly to make an example out of himself. What else do you want him to do?

Also, Chad was 22 at the time he came on the show. He certainly didn’t deserve Maurice’s abusive behavior, but he was hardly “just a kid” either.

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GENERAL HOSPITAL: Britt and Rocco Say Their Goodbyes, Then She Gets Arrested; Anna Reveals “Nathan West” is an Imposter

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On the Friday, June 26 episode of General Hospital, emotional moments, a new duo on the run, the end of the line for Britt and an eye-opening moment between Anna and Felicia were the order of the day. Let’s take a look at what went down, but first let’s give a round of applause for Kelly Thiebaud (Britt) and Finn Carr (Rocco) on their goodbye scenes.

In the story, Rocco insists to his parents, Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) and Lulu (Alexa Havins) that he wouldn’t leave Tortola without Britt. Dante is getting impatient because Britt brought all the trouble in recent months to his son. They need to protect him and they can’t if he stays with Britt. Lulu tells Britt she is the only one who can do the right thing, right now.

Britt explained it is too dangerous for Rocco to stay with her. She was very selfish and made a lot of terrible decisions along the way and Cullum is tracking her down because she did not finish the project he enlisted her for. She convinces Rocco to go with his parents and gives him a little token of something that reminded her of when he was a baby which is a bottle to blow bubbles with.

Courtesy/ABC

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

Rocco makes Britt promise to take her medication to ward off her Huntington’s disease symptoms and to keep changing locations so she is not caught. The two share a final hug as both are in tears. Dante makes a call. While in the car ready to leave Britt behind, Rocco says he will never forgive himself is something happened to Britt.

Back inside, Britt is ready to inject herself with her medication but is unaware that Cullum has now tainted it with poison! But she is saved from that, when two police officers burst through the door to arrest her for kidnapping charges! Did Dante call the local police? Is he doing this to keep her safe or to pay her back?

In Port Charles, Charlotte (Bluesy Burke) arrives at Crimson, completely unaware that the man in the elevator is following her. Nina (Cynthia Watros) and Charlotte have an argument about Willow (Katelyn MacMullen). Suddenly, Willow calls her mother that she is being questioned by the PCPD, and Nina learns, it is as a suspect for being the other driver that left Jordan and Curtis injured by the side of the road on Route 91.

ARRIVALS AND DESTINATIONS IN QUESTION

Chase (Josh Swickard) comes to Willow’s rescue much to Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Justine’s (Nazneen Contractor) chagrin. Willow learns Lucy  and Drew are the supposed witnesses against her. Chase figures out when Joe (Jonathan Bennett) was alone with Drew, he got him to blink in a way that implicated her. However, in a shocking moment, Justine reveals that the trip log from Willow’s BMW SUV placed her at the scene of the accident just second before it occurred.

Meanwhile, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) comes by Crimson to see Charlotte. He says he broke into the WSB office to get info to expose Cullum as a double agent. Charlotte blows a gasket! She can’t believe that he would do something so stupid that it could have gotten him killed. She firmly tells Danny that best thing he can do to help Jason is to stay out of things. Danny storms out, but notices the stranger in the elevator who now steps into the Crimson lobby.

Courtesy/ABC

The man tells Charlotte he is Agent Mark McKay with the WSB and he has orders to bring her in. When she resisted, he was about to chloroform her, when Danny knocked him out and took off with Charlotte.

ANNA PUTS HER TRUST IN FELICIA

In France, after having some private time with Emma (Braedyn Bruner), Anna (Finola Hughes) wants to talk to Felicia (Kristina Wagner). She tells her best friend she was trying to figure out what memories of her past with Faison, she could trust and not trust. Since Felicia knows her best she is hoping she can believe what she is about to tell her.

It is then that Anna says, “Nathan West (Ryan Paevey) is not who he says he is.” Felicia looks dumb-founded. Will she believe her friend … or think she has drummed this all up in her mind? Stay tuned.

So, what did you think about the goodbye scenes featuring Finn Carr and Kelly Thiebaud? Did you reach for the hankies? Do you believe that soon, Cassius will be caught for his duplicity and the truth about Britt’s “illness” will come to light? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section below. But first check out the scenes featuring Anna on her road to recovery in France

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‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Drops First Single EDM/Dance Track ‘If You Need Me’

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Last weekend, we shared the news that General Hospital alum and Daytime Emmy winner, Chad Duell (ex-Michael Corinthos) was releasing his first single today on June 26th and it has indeed dropped! And for those readers who guessed that Duell’s first track out of the gate was going to be an EDM/Dance/House track … you are correct, sir!

The song entitled, “If You Need Me” is perfect for the late night clubs and can be found on Spotify and other major streaming platforms! Duell is noted as the performing artist, but as the composer/ lyricist and the beatmaker of the track. For his music projects, Chad is going solely by the name of “Duelly” which has been his social media handle for years.

Taking to his Instagram on Friday, Duell explained his deep dive into making music, expressing, “I’ve wanted to make music for a long time… I just never did it. It always felt like this huge, overwhelming thing to learn. All the technical side of it, the programs, everything that goes into actually building a track… it was easy to keep pushing it off.  A couple months ago I finally just decided to go for it.”

Photo: JPI

BIT BY BIT PUTTING IT TOGETHER

Chad added, “Since then I’ve been putting in a lot of time learning, experimenting, figuring things out, and slowly starting to find a sound I’m really proud of. This first release is more of a dance/EDM vibe, but I’ve also been working on a lot of different styles behind the scenes that I’m just as excited about. At some point I realized I could keep holding onto everything trying to make it perfect… or I could just start putting music out and grow as I go.”

Stepping out of his own way, Duell firmly says, “So that’s what I’m doing.  My first track “If You Need Me” is out now. More coming soon… this is just the beginning.”

As GH viewers know, Chad made the decision to step away from General Hospital after a 15-year run with the series where his last episode aired in January of 2025. By May of last year, the role was recast with Rory Gibson debuting in the part.

Give a listen below to Duelly’s “If You Need Me,” and let us know what you thought of it via the comment section below.

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GENERAL HOSPITAL: What Did You Think of the Return of Anna Devane, and What’s In the Letter?

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Finola Hughes made her dramatic return on-screen on the Wednesday, June 24 episode of General Hospital. Viewers will see Finola as Anna Devane again on tomorrow’s June 26th episode.

In the story, while in the French mental health facility, Anna has a session with Dr. Laurent. She tell her she now knows she was never kidnapped and that Cesar Faison is dead.

As she continued with her ruse, she went on to say she understands she was enlisted back into the WSB on a secret mission, and through that she relived all the trauma she endured by Faison, which caused her to have a psychotic break. Anna promises Dr. Laurent that her treatment plan had helped her so much in figuring out what was real, and what was in her imagination.

Courtesy/ABC

ANNA’S GOT HER OWN PLAN TO ESCAPE

In a smart move (hopefully) Anna told Laurent if she could talk to someone else who had known Faison that it might aid in her recover. She was given the phone and she called Felicia (Kristina Wagner), who agreed to fly to France in the morning. Dr. Laurent claims she is pleased with Anna’s progress, but that they still have a very long long way to go.

Now by herself, Anna pulled out a packet of letters from a bedside table. There is one in particular that she is fixated on. What does it contain? Is this all a part of her escape plan? Will she warn Felicia that “Nathan” is really Cassius (Ryan Paevey)? If so, will Felicia even believe her?

In a summer preview with Soap Opera Digest, GH co-head writers Elizabeth Korte and Chris Van Etten shared, “We’ll see echoes of Anna’s earliest incarnation as she returns to Port Charles with deadly intentions.”

So, were you happy to see Anna Devane back on your screens? What do you think is in the particular letter she was staring at? Will Felicia help Anna escape or not believe a word she says? Weigh-in via the comment section.  But first, you can check out some of the scenes from Anna’s on-screen return below.

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Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

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