General Hospital
GH's Chad Duell & Andrea Bogart Interview: Michael & Abby's romance, ELQ, and working together!
Photo Credit; Steven Bergman
On-Air On-Soaps recently caught up with General Hospital’s Chad Duell (Michael) and Andrea Bogart (Abby) to discuss the intriguing romance between two of Port Charles’ most emotionally damaged, but loveable residents. As many know, Michael Corinthos has recovered from a bullet to the head that put him in a coma for over a year, but then was sent away to prison for the murder of Claudia Zacchara, only to wind up being raped during his time in Pentonville! Abby, the stripper with the heart of gold is trying to better herself, and get out of the life she leads, which usually ends up having her on the receiving end of abusive men!
Drawn together through their deep understanding of each other’s complexities and pain, and underlying goodness, Michael and Abby look to have a viable romance! But will it be tested? Of course, this is soap opera! We can tell you to look for some possible game-changing moments the week of August 22nd on GH! Will Michael and Abby’s love endure no matter what forces may try to come between them? We hope so! Here’s what Chad and Andrea had to say about it all!
What can we look forward to in early fall between Abby and Michael? We know conflict might be a-brewing! Isn’t that what makes for an interesting on-screen dynamic?
ANDREA: They are really playing up the age difference between us and it’s a constant struggle because of where we are in our lives. I honestly think it’s always a big surprise with us, and I don’t know what to expect. I know we just continue to find those great moments that we have together and hope the viewers will see that and continue to love it and maybe we will stay together, but I don’t know!
Courtesy/ABC
Do you think there is going to be a spoiler in the relationship? I do! Like another man for Abby? That would crush Michael!
ANDREA: Yeah, at some point I think so too, but it may not be another man for Abby. Maybe it will be another woman… a younger woman for Michael!
Hey Chad, how many women would you like to have fawning over Michael on the show?
CHAD: Give or take…nine or ten! (Laughs)
But Chad, you work with the sexiest girl on the show in Andrea!
CHAD: Yeah, and she works with the sexiest guy on the show! (Laughs)
ANDREA: Let’s remind everyone that every time we have a make-out scene, this one never fails to get in, “You’re Welcome”. And, I have never thanked him for the make-out scenes! (Laugh)
You say to Andrea, “You’re welcome?” This is good to know. (Laughs)
CHAD: I am not serious with it, well, not fully serious. Yes, I often give her a “You’re welcome” after our kissing session. (Laughs)
Do you think Abby and Michael are truly in love? Or, are they just drawn together from the terrible tragedies that they have endured in their lives?
Courtesy/ABC
CHAD: Yeah, they both have a common ground with each other. Michael went through something really awful and she has been through abusive stuff. So it’s obvious that they have a connection from that standpoint. But on top of that, he does above all else love Abby. They do have that special deep connection that not many people have.
ANDREA: And, I think the things that hold Abby back are her guarded ways of being a little bit older and having some more years under her belt than Michael. It is really her insecurities that keep Abby from letting herself go 100% with Michael. But I think that she is definitely there and wants it, but she is trying to keep a realistic perspective on it as well.
We are worried about Michael. Michael has everything in life happen to him that is so horrific, and that is why I think because Chad is so great to watch in these emotional situations, that maybe he will lose the girl and just be so devastated.
CHAD: Maybe Abby will die in a car-crash or something!
So you want your gal killed off the show? (Laughs)
CHAD: To have a “to lose the girl scenario” though would be a dramatic thing for Michael. It is nice to play if it makes sense… to do heavy emotional stuff, and it is fun to do, if it is well-written. I hope there is nothing really bad that comes between Abby and Michael, because I like our relationship. But again, you never know with a new head writer, new stuff can happen.
Speaking of the new GH head writer, Garin Wolf did the two of you immediately notice a different in the scripts once you started taping his episodes?
CHAD: Yes, a lot of dialogue, next question. (Laughs) It is very well-written, but with a lot of dialogue. When we came back from our recent break we had a whole 46 page day which is the most we ever had, times two. It was tough, but it was well-written and flowed really well. And, I am not saying it did not flow well before, but you know what I am saying.
Photo Credit: JPI Studios
ANDREA: It was a tough day, but Chad and I got their early and really wanted to get re-acclimated on our first day back.
CHAD: Yes, and that is what we have to do with the new writing, we have to get to the set early and prepare it and that is a good thing.
Are people more on their toes now at the set of GH?
CHAD: Yeah, I think so because time is a little tight. So we have to make sure we get to the studio on time and if the dialog is long, you got to make sure you have it down pat.
Michael working at ELQ just seems to be something he may be doing to try and stay on the straight and narrow, and help his gal. But something tells me, he is longing for the mob!
CHAD: Right now he is working at ELQ and one main reason he is there is for Abby. So for Michael it is about trying to have a respectable job there and that Abby wants to be a paralegal!
A pole stripping paralegal?
CHAD: Yeah, a pole stripping paralegal!
ANDREA: I am on my way up!
CHAD: Everything Michael is there for is for Abby. Michael is not having a lot of fun. I don’t think he knows what he wants to do. He wanted to join the mob, but he landed at ELQ and he wanted to get Abby a job. And, he actually found it to be positive too. He did some business dealings where he realized, “Oh, I could actually work here.” But it is not really want he wants to be doing. Michael is sort of stuck there for her. But it is not what his heart desires, if you will.
At the end of the day Andrea, what does Abby truly want for her life?
Photo Credit: MFSOAPSinc
ANDREA: I think she is looking at this right now as like an “eager beaver”. She has this opportunity that has fallen into her lap and we are like the packaged deal at ELQ. Abby is the go-getter and she wants to prove that, “I deserve to be here.” So I feel I am pulling out all the stops trying to work as hard as I can… to earn my mark! (Laughs) She just wants her life to be better than what it was and she is on a certain path. She is really committed to making a better life for herself and she really wants Michael to come with her.
The latest ratings are out for the week of October 26-30, 2026 and the big takeaways include: that CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates was separated by only 23,000 viewers behind third place (of the soaps) General Hospital! For the last several weeks, Beyond the Gates has been closing the gap on this year’s winner for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, and continuing to best GH in the key demos.
According to the latest Nielsen ratings breakdown from Soap Opera Network, the final week of October brought Beyond the Gates 1.790 million on average tuning-in and the show set a season high in total viewers. Meanwhile, General Hospital hit a new season low! The long-running ABC soap had 1.813 million for the week, and once again the series did not go over the 2 million mark.
Meanwhile, in the key Women 18-49 demo, Beyond the Gates was firmly ahead of GH with a rating share of 0.21, while General Hospital had 0.17 rating share.Then, in the key Women 25-54 demo, Beyond the Gates was once again ahead of the ABC soap with a ratings share for that demo at 0.30 while GH came in with 0.26.
Photo: CBS
MORE BY THE NUMBERS
In addition and comparatively, Beyond the Gates +22,000 viewers week-to-week, and had the largest gains in viewership year-to-year in daytime TV with +267,000 from this in 2025.. However, General Hospital seems to be going in reverse. The show was down -56,000 viewers week-over-week and down -22,000 year-over-year .
BEYOND THE GATES
Let’s take a look at some of the storylines that had people tuning-in to Beyond the Gates during the ratings week:
Hayley (Marquita Goings) attempted a massive shocker regarding her pregnancy and tried to use it to extract money from Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett). Although, Bill saw right through her game, he demanded a paternity test, and made it clear he has no intention of raising the child—planning instead to pay her off to take the baby and leave. Meanwhile, Hayley confided her plan to her cousin Randy (Maurice P. Kerry).
Jacob Hawthorne (Jibre Hordges) and Naomi Hamilton (Arielle Prepetit) clashed over Jacob’s ongoing investigation into The Impaler, causing significant strain in their marriage. At the same time, Smitty (Mike Manning) considered taking matters into his own hands—including potentially heading to Mexico for evidence—while Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) worried about what comes next.
Photo: ABC
GENERAL HOSPITAL
Over at General Hospital for the ratings period, the story served up included:
Carly (Laura Wright) and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) teamed up to investigate what really happened to Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna). Later, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) leads them to Jack’s dead body.
Jude (Wil Traval) dropped a bombshell claim to Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn); that he is Phoebe’s father, while Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard) signed their divorce papers.
Then, Danny caught Rocco (Finn Carr) and Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarski) sharing a kiss, plus the shocking return of Heather Webber (Alley Mills) capped the week.
Now the questions become; without having much promotional synergy in the ABC day-part to draw more eyeballs it is not helping but hurting General Hospital. It seems Beyond the Gates is also a benefactor of a one-two-three punch of CBS soaps (Y&R, B&B and BTG) and promotion.
However, that still doesn’t take away the fact that Beyond the Gates is close to besting GH in all ratings category as they go head-to-head in some markets across the country.
So, are you excited to see Beyond the Gates climb in the ratings? Are you concerned for General Hospital? Do you think they can stave off Beyond the Gates in total viewers or will the upstart soap overtake them in the next ratings report? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Antonio Sabáto Jr., the former Jagger Cates of General Hospital and GH: Night Shift, and the former Dante Damiano of The Bold and the Beautiful has issued his first public statement since the incident involving his son, Jack’s arrest in Alaska for a fatal hit-and-run.
Jack is the son of Sabáto Jr. and Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, and according to court documents obtained by KTUU Jack, was allegedly driving a white Chevy Tahoe when he hit and killed Carl Simmonds, 42, near an intersection in Anchorage around 5:35 a.m. on Monday, November 9.
The reports indicated that Jack fled the scene — but later decided to called the cops to say he hit “something” that “suddenly appeared in the road” while he was “doing late-night DoorDashing.”
Photo: NBC
Now, Antonio has taken to his Instagram breaking his silence on the situation, sharing, “At this time, my family and I are navigating an extremely sensitive and deeply personal matter.”
He added, “As a father, my love for my children remains unconditional, and my priority is the well-being of my family. We ask that the public and members of the media honor our privacy during this difficult time and keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.”
The soap alum concluded, “I also wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the gentleman who tragically lost his life. My thoughts and prayers are with them as well. We sincerely appreciate your compassion, understanding, and respect for the privacy of everyone affected.”
Jack Sabáto was arraigned in court on Tuesday, November 10 with bail set at $5,000, and a no-driving order and the potential of $5,000 penalty fees if he fails to attend future court appearances.
Antonio is the father to Jack, 34, daughter, Mina Sabato, 24 and son, Antonio Sabáto III, 15.
This is a developing story. You can check out Antonio’s official statement below.
So, let us know your thoughts on this tragic hit-and-run, which claimed the life of another man, and Antonio’s statement, via the comment section below.
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Sonny (Maurice Benard) and Ava’s (Maura West) daughter Avery looks quite different, starting on today’s November 9 episode of General Hospital. That’s because GH has made Avery into a full-blown teenager and the role is now being played by actress Alya Bullington.
In her debut, the Tennessee native was thrown into the deep soap waters with Daytime Emmy winners, Maurice Benard and Eden McCoy (Josslyn). Bullington weighed-in to TV Insider about her first scene which featured Avery overhearing a fight between Sonny and Josslyn.
She explained “It was something I have never done before, I did not have a lot of experience with the screaming and the crying stuff, but I got my first script, and I was like, ‘OK, this is a huge opportunity to learn so much about how that stuff works and to become this character that I have never even tried playing before.’”
Photo: ABC
THE TEENAGED VERSION OF AVERY WILL HAVE A LOT TO CONTEND WITH
Speaking of working with McCoy, Bullington shared, “She’s incredible. I remember her just laughing and making jokes on set, and then the minute that they started taping, she just locked in and she cried immediately, and my first thought was, ‘I want to be able to do that.’
The soap opera newcomer added, “I think she just inspired me so much because she is so great and she can just lock into whatever character she wants to in the moment.”
The character of Avery was born back in 2014, but as recently as the October 8 episode of General Hospital, the character was suddenly referred to as a teenager. This is the second young female character in recent months to be aged up following the casting of Kayden Brenna Tokarski as Scout Cain.
As for her take on Avery and what’s ahead, Alya said,“She’s emotional, and she’s curious, and she’s a really fun person to play because so much stuff is happening in her life. I think she’s kind of confused about what’s happening and what to believe.”
So, what do you think about General Hospital making Avery a teenager? Are you excited to see the conflict between Sonny, Ava and Avery now that they have aged up the character? Share your thoughts and welcome Alya to GH via the comment section below.
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They’re so cute together. I like them.
I am so glad Chad admitted that Michael loves Abby. I am not so glad that Andrea did not say Abby LOVES Michael. Insecurities are different from loving someone. But, in the end, I love Michael and Abby together as played by Chad and Andrea.
I forgot to thank the Interviewer. THANKS A MILLION TIMES. I and a lot of others love Chad/Michael and Andrea/Abby together on screen. My favorite couple on GH right now.
🙂 Good interview all in all.
So adorable! I love michael & abby! they’re my favorite GH couple:) I hope the writers let them stay together.
Thanks for the interview:) Love it!
Thank you SO much for this interview! Michael & Abby are my fav couple. At first I started watching GH less and less but then their growing relationship snuck up behind me and captivated me without me realizing. Sure enough that ‘s when I began watching GH more and more again. I really think Abby loves Michael but maybe is scared she’ll have said it for nothing and end up losing Michael anyway. Just like she probably told her abuser she loved him but he still beat her anyway. Hopefully she can learn to trust Michael and he continues to show he’s trustworthy AND also stays at ELQ. I really want this couple to stay together. They are like a lock and key to each other’s heart.
GMTA! Mabby snuck up on me too. And then, WHAM, like a ton of bricks. It was like, wow, I really love them together. They kept me watching GH and I didn’t realize it in the beginning.
🙂 I think this the first time a couple just snuck up on me and then slowly sidetracked some of my attention away from a couple that I thought I was MORE interested in. AB & CD have an extra special magical chemistry.
I love my Supercouple Michael and Abby. This was a great interview and so fun to read. And Chad and Andrea are simply adorable. Can’t wait to see what GW has in store for my fave GH pair. Thank you MF for the great interview. 🙂 Rock on Mabby!!!
Great interview! Love Michael n Abby on GH!
thanks for this interview!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks a million! I adore Michael and Abby! Their love has been written so beautifully! More so than any romantic movie or any other soap couple in my opinion! Their love is CLASSIC:)
Yuck!!! Her voice is annoying and so is her face.
Perhaps your senses are compromised or impaired because you can’t see what the rest of us do.
Oh My! I must agree with everyone else because my opinion doesn’t matter. Get a life D. Micheal & Fugly Abbey don’t work for me. Michael & Someone his own age does.
Superficial and shallow views like yours aren’t, thankfully, shared by everyone. It’s obvious it’s mostly all about looks for you: you don’t like how they LOOK together and you don’t like Abby’s LOOKS. They’re both adults (I think Michael’s nearly 20) and were more attracted to each other’s heart & soul. At the end of the day it’s the inside of people (adults) and they feel together that that should determine things, not how they look to the outside world.
LOL, you can go skiing on that girls nose.
Thank you for the cute Andrea/Chad interview
I love Michael and Abby There connection was there from the begining Great interview I hope they keep Michael and Abby hot and heavy.
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A hot couple who are an asset for GH–together or individually.
I’ll admit Michael was more mature than now earlier in the year. I know when I was 16 working with a bunch of other teens at summer jobs, we knew you couldn’t play hooky like an idiot. So the “Sooo young” excuse doen’t work for that either. And I have friends & family who have or had older bf/gf yet some acted more mature than the bf/gf. I hope Garin doesn’t keep regressing Michael for the sake of harping on a 7-10 year age difference. It’s not such a huge thing to keep freaking over. Michael was more mature before, he looks like an adult and he speaks like an adult unlike say Kristina Davis.
Michael and Abby are unfortunately a poorly recycled version of Lucky and Liz from back in the 90’s. I don’t think they are even near super couple status it takes good writing, talented acting, and off the charts chemistry to be a super couple and between the first meeting and a year you know. If they don’t break up within the year then I’ll be surprised if the show is still around.
Totally disagree…they had more chemistry than most other couples on the show–right up there with Robin and her husband. this comment to me sounds like someone from the “inside” of GH and not from someone who loves GH…
no they are not they are bettter together they heal eachother and they are realy in love
Those two (in my opinion) lack chemistry, they are very boring to watch, I always fast forward their scenes.
I love them together! Chad duell and Andrea bogart have amazing chemistry. I fell in love with them in their very first scene together.
I really hope the new head writer doesn’t break them up. Mabby are a beautifully written love story and I hope he continues that.
Thank you for the interview! Enjoyed reading it:)
Love ABBYand Michael, because their story is always on the edge. For instance, the evil Anthony Zaccaria plotting against them behind their back. So, you have to figure he will try anything to get Michael and Abby separated. Or, something to shake up Sonny and eliminate him. Bruce Weitz is brilliant in this role of Anthony. It is always fun to see how outrageous he can become. But he wants to harm and manipulate Michael by enticing him into his mob. Therefore, causing a real showdown with Sonny. I don’t think the writers will keep Michael and Abby together for some reason. We shall see…
Not a big fan of Michael & Abby, maybe if the actress playing the role could act I could get pass all the other boring stuff between the two of them.
I love Michael and Abby. Hope this couple stays together for a long while. Love both Andrea and Chad together. They have great chemistry! For those who posted the negative comments….. shame on you!
I love this couple (played by these actors) but I’m worried they might not last much longer. Abby is seldom seen and Michael spends most of his time worrying about his mother’s relationship than his own. I hope Abby doesn’t leave (or get fired from) the show.
Unfortunately and sadly, the character of Abby died on today’s show. I’m really hoping this is a set up by either crazy Anthony Z or Franco and that Andrea comes back to the show. I really like her character and will miss her! She always did an excellent job and I wish Andrea the best in any of her future projects. Keeping my fingers crossed that the new writers at GH will reconsider this ridiculous storyline of killng off Abby and will find a way to bring her back to GH! It has been done before!!!
I think it’s really too bad that they let Andrea Bogart go. I thought she was a beautiful, budding actress, and added a needed dimension to the show. I’ve wondered about the politics with the producers or management of various shows. It seems to me ( I hope you will publish this, because I think it needs to be said) that those who write the scripts and make the decisions, play around with the lives of the actors and actresses–like they are on some kind of power trip. I’ve noticed it with Spinelli’s character over the past few months, and now Robin’s. I actually hope they read this, because maybe they’ll be a little more humane. I know I’m being more than a little bold here, but something needs to be said. I respect the actors and actresses FAR more than the management who seem power hungry over controlling an actor or actresses “fate” on the show. Don’t look back Andrea–your acting future isn’t controlled by any one show!
Definitely a bad move on GH’s part to kill Abby. These two have great chemistry and the main reason I watch the show. Hope they bring her back.
They are so great together it is so sad they killed abby off Michael and her were so perfect.
Here we go again. Killing a great character off to make way for who cares. It never makes sense to me why they let go of the best characters and people. I loved Abby and Michael. Can this character please have some fun in his life instead of murder and loss.