General Hospital
Looks Like Erik Valdez Is OUT At General Hospital!

Photo Credit: Getty Images
There are multiple reports coming fast and furious today that Erik Valdez (Trey) will soon be departing General Hospital and that he had been let-go by the ABC soap!
According to Soap Opera Digest, “Though unconfirmed by the show, GH sources tell us that Erik Valdez is out as Trey. The actor made his debut in June as Kristina’s reality show producer, then boyfriend and was revealed to be Kate’s son (Kelly Sullivan). No word yet on his final air date.”
So what do you think of the move of letting go of Erik Valdez? Will the show recast? Let-go of the character all together? What do you think is the plan? And what would you prefer to see? Erik stay? Erik go? Trey go? Let us know!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Let hin stay. As soon as you develope an attachment to the person, you guys kill him off. Save trey with Michael’s doctor
keep him omg i will never watch again if u get rid of him
Omg I love trey. Please keep him on. Hes so great and him and Kristina are great together. I didnt like him at first but he has became on eof my fav’s on GH. It would be a great loss to see hi, go. So PLEASE keep him on. TREY STAY!!!!!!
If Erik is leaving, I hope they recast the character. I think Trey is an important character to have in the Kate/Connie storyline.
I agree, Holly. Why create a long-lost child for Kate/Connie, only to have him leave town so soon? I wonder this is part of an aborted storyline that showed no long-term promise or payoff?
Holly – I agree as well.
Trey is important… to Kate’s storyline…. as of late… all we’ve watched, is the horrible reveal of Connie… hiding Kate. and how she treated a confused, vulnerable, scared Trey. He finally showed us… his “acting” chops… and it took a long while… but, I’ve been waiting for Kate… and they need to do this pronto… as it get’s a little tiresome… as Connie is a little bit too much to bear… histrionic… we’re waiting for a son to be re-united with this mother… and Kate has the ability and instincts to be loving…. as she is with Sonny… who… IMO… Sonny, sans Brenda… has a compatible mate…. they click together… and it’s like… Sonny may have to think about drawing the line.. when is too much of this… too much… yeah, he’s also on meds… but…. he’s managing… and Connie is a loose cannon…. the writers need to dole out both connie and kate… Kate is much more fun to watch… she has chemistry with Sonny, Olivia, and soon to be Trey… it’s like too much connie… and not enough Kate… she radiates… and beams at Sonny.
geez! they let go joe scully… who was just fine… with Tracy… and it was refreshing to see a father and son… relate… this would have been good for tracy and the quartermaines.
just saying… for me… as long as they don’t mess up my main reason and biggest draw for GH… and that’s the Robin, Patrick, Emma, and mom Anna… and now… we have back, Robert. this story, is why i left Y&R… and that’s big… Oye…
soap fans…. GH and DAYS are both, smokin’ HOT! I have no shows waiting on my DVR…. i’m watching both shows… up to date… and that’s saying something….
I think so too there is just that dramatic element would be entertaining watching kate/connie take out her hate on her son that was the product from a rape very good material.
I liked the Trey/Joe Jr./Connie/Kate storyline. I think they could have taken it some interesting places, but gave up too soon.
Doesn’t say anything about the character leaving, so maybe Trey is here to stay. It’s too bad. Wish him the best.
The character frankly doesn’t work, and now that they’ve killed off his father, it’s time to send him off to LA or wherever. Perhaps now they’ll cast a legacy character to be Kristina’s new love interest, perhaps recast Dylan Quartermaine?
I was just starting to like the actor/character because I think he had good chemistry with Kristen Alderson. if anyone needs to go it’s that Kristina recast (Who can’t act her way out of a paper bag!) .. Sonny needs a new love interest too!
I agree about Kristina. I don’t think she fits well with the rest of the actors. She’s not a great actor and has zero chemistry with anyone she shares the screen with. I think Erik is a good actor and I have really grown to like his character. He’s pretty easy on the eyes too!
I agree. I was just starting to like him. Oh well … with any luck they’ll do away with Kristina and Connie next so Sonny can have a new storyline altogether with a new love interest OR put him with Alexis or bring back Brenda 🙂
So they made him likeable and now they kick him to the curve , how sad.
I don’t see opportunity for his role to really go anywhere while Connie is the dominant personality. And the Connie-in-charge storyline is getting old quickly. Bring Kate back and then there would be a world of opportunity for Trey’s character.
I totally agree with Holly above, this character is in the middle of two pivotal storylines, so it makes no sense (to me), to let him go before the storylines (especially that of he and his mother, which realistically needs lots of time to cultivate) are played out. Maybe it will be a recast, but I personally think the actor playing the part is doing a good job. I have been watching GH for over 40 years, have been a devoted fan, and am happy with all of the returns, but not to the point where they will take over the entire canvas, so I hope the move to get rid of this actor/character is not the first in other newer faces departing. I also enjoy the way the OLTL characters have been woven into the storyline, they are all a welcome addition. I do miss Steve Burton/Jason Morgan, but understand and respect that it was his choice to leave. Long live GH and all of the soaps that remain.
Sorry to hear. He started out as a horribly annoying douche bag but I really am enjoying the character now.
Ryan, that’s it exactly!! 🙂
agreed. :-[ Why? He really grew on me.
Well, it’s looks like we’re all stuck with Connie for a while, so doesn’t look like there’s much for Troy to do but hang out…. so maybe he’ll leave for a while and then come back when Kate claws her way out of Connie!
i always wondered if Connie was there to begin with if Kate wasn’t the alternate personality… it’s just usually you see (on TV, movies) that the nasty alter is the alter, not the original personality. So even tho we were presented with Kate first, they always talked about how she used to be when she was a teen and before she changed her name to Kate…. guess that is the way it it. The nice personality is the alter this time.
but you know, maybe Connie could hook up with AJ – they both like to drink and be nasty to people…. AJ could have another car accident and Connie could wind up being Kate for the rest of ther life! te he he
I think Trey should stay. I wish they would rewrite joe Scully back into the story line. So much potential with Connie and trey and FIREWORKS Conne and Joe!!!!!!!
Me too! I really liked Joe Scully for some crazy reason-he had GREAT chemistry with Tracy. Very disappointed they killed him off. They missed out on a lot of good story potential.
If he does go, I also think the part should be recast. I’d like to see Trey & Kate develop a good mother/son bond.
I was starting to like Trey. I hope Trey is recast.
I didn’t like Trey at first. Thought he was arrogant & self-centered also not very likeable. But I changed my mind & you realized he wasn’t so terrible after all. I hope they re-cast this character !!!!! Was beginning to like him…They need to keep
his character in the storyline…This was unexpected!!!!
I wonder if it will be storyline dictated. I heard a rumor he wasn’t really Kate/Connie & Joe Jr’s kid.
Dumb move….. 🙁
YAY!!!!!!!! Kill this worthless character off. Never liked Trey nor his portrayer!
if they take Trey out there will be no reason for Connie to Stick around. Connie only Came back out after finding out that her son was still alive and that he did not die in that dresser drawer. Connie exsists because Kate cant deal with he past. If they take Tray out of the pic then Kate will never know who her son was and will never get the chance to know him. Trey wants to know about who his mom really is and i myself wanted to see that happen. Trey needs to hear from Kate what the truth is and needs to know that Kate wanted him and that she wants a relationship with him but the fact that this may not happen is just sad. I think after everything that trey and Kate have been through they deserve the mother son relationship and trey needs to hear the truth from Kate. Connie Also exisits to keep Jonnys secret but why else would Connie take over but to keep Kate from having the relationsip she want with her son. I really think this would be a bad move on GH’s part
Well dang, didn’t know Steve B. leaving had so much of an affect on the rest of the cast.
Which begs the question, why was Kristina recasted in the first place?
That’s too bad. I was just reading an article about him and about all the things he did to get an acting job.
To be honest, I did not care for his character at all in the beginning. He reminded me a lot of Steve Stifler in the American Pie movies. However, he has grown on me. “Trey” is a poor misguided young man. He was so naive regarding his father and now he is gone and he has questions. His mother is seriously messed up. He must be a good actor if he grew on me. I feel for the kid.
That being said, I can see why they would drop him because they killed off his father. Although he could have story with Kate/Connie, I see that whole thing wrapping up too. EVERYONE knows that Brenda is Sonny’s endgame. If and when Maurice wants out, he will be with Brenda and not Kate.
I just don’t see how far they can take this Kate/Connie thing either. People have been grumbling about this story as well as so much of the “Sonny show.” I am not one of them, but IF the writers are trying to take the show back to his roots, they need to get rid of characters and storylines. This is one of them.
I like Erik Valdez A LOT and wish they would reconsider and keep him. Trey has chemistry with both Kristina and Star with this actor in the role. Since he is Kate’s son, it would be a shame if the show didn’t keep the character, which unfortunately means a recast, but this would be better than losing the character altogether…
TOTALLY AGREE!!!
strongly agree with you guys..Erik isn’t too bad at all.. we get used to see Trey Mitchell had great character into great relationship with Sonny can take Connie out of the picture to bring Kate Howard into reality real life.
I grew to like Erik as Trey. GH is on fire these days but I find myself fast-forwarding through anything related to Kate/Connie. If anyone should be let go, it’s the actress who plays Kristina. No emotion in any of her scenes and has zero chemistry with hardly anyone…in my humble opinion. A rare casting misfire. GH should write them off together and just concentrate on Molly and a recast Morgan. Maybe just maybe, GH is making room in the budget for a return of Jagger? Somehow I can picture him making nice with Elizabeth!
i agree with you about kristina..she has no umph to her character and she really shows no emotion and when she has to she does a lousy job…really enjoy watching the show, but fast forward through anything with kristina…
Since the writers seem to have zero interest in the relationship between Connie/Kate and her son, Trey it appears Trey is gone and thats a shame as Erik was growing into the role rapidly. I think the writers are.missing a great opportunity to use this talenoted young man more. But GH never listens to the fans, I mean what do we know, we just watch the show!
I, too, did not care for the character of Trey at first, but as Erik got more comfortable playing him, I was liking him more and more. The scenes between him and Connie when she was being cruel about how his birth came to happen, made me much more sympathetic to him. It’s a shame we won’t get to see him forge some kind of relationship with Kate.
This guy has potential. Sorry to see him go. But if he has to leave, can he please take Kristina with him? The girl can’t act-it’s painful watching her try to emote.
they should let erik stay as trey…it would be a great story line between sonny and kate and to see hoe karte would really react to having her son back.
Love this character-he has great chemistry with Kristina & Starr & he IS FINE LOOKING-plus he is Connie/Kate’s baby! I love Connie-she is a breath of fresh air, so funny but I do get that she is sick but anyway. Don’t let Trey go!! So much story still to explore.
He can’t go fast enough–and please take Kristina out the door with him !!!
Keep Erik as Trey. He started like a Ford clone, but he grew on me. Both Joe and Trey had such great potential. Kate needs her son. Trey is perfect for Kristina and starr along with Sonny have great chemistry with him. Please Keep him.
Aww. 🙁 I really liked him. He grew on me really fast as a character and I think Erik is a pretty good actor. He had great chemistry with Kristen Alderson and I really wanted Trey and Starr together. I also think him and Sonny have a great dynamic, not to mention him being Kate/Connie’s son is very crucial (in my opinion) for her character at this point. I know it’s probably too late, but I hope this isn’t true.
Hate to see anyone lose a job but he just never clicked for me….in part because of the way the character was written. He was an annoying, pushy producer yet he was this whiny, insecure child when it came to his father. For a 25 year old man it was annoying to hear him be a “daddy’s boy”. And, frankly, he needs to strengthen his acting chops a bit.
They make us like the character and then get rid of him:( Erik seems like such a sweet guy and he’s been really cool about promoting the show and doing fan events. So sad.
I didn’t care for the character at first, but he grew on me. I could see giving him a rest, if they were focusing on other characters or story, but Trey has tremendous potential due to all his connections in PC. I wouldn’t want them to switch actors unless Erik is the one who wants out.
Awww. That’s too bad. He’s good. There was definitely some story to tell……..
Trey is in a position to be a legacy character. I hope they find a new actor who can make it work. I find that Valdez and Lindsey Morgan are too green as actors to carry come of the material written for Trey and Kristina.
I really wanted them to keep Joe Scully (Richard Stienmetz) Loved him with Tracy, I think they should have kept him on, I think he was great fun to watch. I also hope they keep Trey, I think he and Starr would be great together!
The Hurt in his eyes, when connie told him all of those horrible things was such a good scene…I think they need to come full circle with him and Kate…
I think that would be nice..
GH /OLTL is getting crazy!! LOL! fun to watch…(however silly it is, DUKE MASK??LOL)
come on people!! funny…
I surprised that it was a mask. Didn’t expect that.. It was kind of weird..I like Starr with Michael…I think they make a cute couple…Need to keep Trey’s character to continue!
i like the character of Trey. It’s the Kristina recast that I can’t stand. she can’t act. I miss Lexi so much. i wish they should to let Kristina leave instead of Trey.
Nooooo- this sucks. The actor is really hot. Also- he had great chemistry with the guy who played his dad. Thought it sucked when they killed off the dad character, now this is equally crrappy news. Otherwise- GH is really, really awesome these days. It truly is amazing what a talented writer and producer combo can do for a show. Not long ago, it was a drag trying to keep up with GH. However, since Frank and Ron, I can’t wait to see what they have cooked up each week. I’m still hoping they bring back Jackie Zeman as Bobbie Spencer!!!!!
I would like to see Bobbie Spencer(Jackie Zeman). And have a reunion her brother
Luke!!! That would be a blast! Enjoyed seeing them together on GH years ago…I can’t wait either to see what will happen on Gh each week too!!!!!!! Robert will get
Faison . He knows how he operates !!!!! Reunite Robin w/ Patrick , Emma, & Anna…
More room to bring back Gigi now from one life.
I hate to see the actor loose his job but GH is not doing really good casting lately. Kelly Sullivan the new Kate Howard has been great but she is only 35 years old. The actor Erik Valdez who plays her son Trey is 33 years old. And if you look at him his age shows. I hope the at least recast the role. I believe there would be a great storyline developing of a mother/son relationship between Kate and Trey. They are dragging this Conne/Kate DID storyline on a bit long and truthfully it has not been great storyline. I hope the move past it soooooon. And oh if Trey has to go can he take the new Kristina with him.
I liked trey. I am going to miss him. I was hoping he could spin towards
ellie!
I think he should stay.. His character has a very good story to play out.
I am glad he is leaving. Take that useless Kristina with him!
Wrong.I hope Trey stays
I think erik valdez is a good ackter they shold not let him go he realy loved the girl who played his wife but boyfriend gf and ps he,s hot
I hope Trey’s death (or any other departure) is the breakthrough that finally brings Kate Howard back, because I’m sick and tired of Connie. Trey doesn’t really add anything to the show so I can take him or leave him.
I agree! It would be an excellent opportunity to get Kate back and then with Trey dead, Connie would have no need to be out any longer! This storyline has really gotten old!
keep him
I think trey need to stay on general hospital.
Keep trey and bring coonie back.
It would be sad to see Erik leave as he is a very promising actor.
The story lines could be endless. From getting involved with Sonny . To a good guy story line with Kristina. I think the story line that ended for him and Kristina is the best story line that Kristina has had since forever .
Trey and Eric need to stay I love the both of them.
Keep Erik Valdez!!! He and Christina are such a great couple
And he’s only been on GH for such a short time. Please don’t get rid of him!!!!
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

General Hospital’s Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri) opened up about the burgeoning love triangle forming between his Port Charles alter-go, Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst) after recently aired scenes, plus his hopes for the future of a Dante and Liz pairing, during his appearance on the Sunday, April 23 edition of the That’s Awesome podcast with Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli).
On last week’s episodes of GH, Ric has made the decision that he wanted to propose to his ex-wife, only when he showed up at Elizabeth’s front door, he misread the scenario he walked in with Liz tending to Dante’s injured leg from the softball game. From there, the legal eagle’s jealous streak is reemerging which may cause him to act out and do something unforgivable, or will he take the high road? Stay tuned.
Speaking with Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson about where Elizabeth stands in the annals of the long-running soap, Zamprogna said, “She’s up there with Steve and Maurice (Maurice Benard) as one of the most legacy-filled people on the show.”

Courtesy/ABC
HOW DANTE AND ELIZABETH CAME ABOUT
Dominic jokes it’s a far cry for where Dante and Elizabeth previously, recalling, “We had some scenes together years ago and we were both laughing. Becky’s like, ‘Well, I guess we’re not going be paired up anytime soon.’ I remember we laughed immediately after they yelled ‘cut,”‘and said to each other, ‘Well, so much for that!'”
Fast-forward to early 2025 and as Zamprogna remembered it, “Elizabeth Korte (co-head writer, GH) came up to me at the General Hospital Christmas party, and I think it was a year and a half ago and she said, ‘We’re going to have you in scenes with Elizabeth,’ My internal monologue is going, ‘I’m not with Lulu (Alexa Havins) anymore and Sam’s (Kelly Monaco) gone, so maybe they want to see if this works.’ I didn’t want to get scenes with Becky and try to find the chemistry. I just wanted to play whatever honestly was written and came across for both of us and hope it was what people liked, and I don’t know if it is … or not.”
Knowing how beloved Elizabeth is to the GH faithfuls, Zamprogna added, “She got a big fan base with Ric … and a big fan base with with Jason … and you know, you’re going to piss somebody off. But, didn’t Ric drug Elizabeth and put Carly in a panic room?”

Photo: ABC
DANTE AND ELIZABETH PAIRING COULD STIR UP STORY FOR OTHERS IN PORT CHARLES
In closing, Dominic felt that the wide-reaching tentacles of a Dante and Elizabeth relationship is something he is 100% down for. “The triangle thing; I was happy to hear it was with Ric and her, because I felt it’s important to have her the top of it as opposed to Dante, Lulu and Elizabeth.”
Zamprogna added, “When you get into relationships on a soap, things seem to fizzle out a little bit, The buildup is what’s the fun part, and the getting to know each other, and the people who are affected by this coming together. When with this case it’s going to affect: Ric, Sonny, Lulu. There’s so much more story here. To me, it’s going to be a fun story to play.”
You can check out Dominic’s visit to That’s Awesome with Steve and Bradford below.
Now weigh-in: Are you rooting for Dante and Liz, or Dante and Ric at this juncture of the story, or neither guy for Elizabeth? Let us know your thoughts and picks via the comment section.
General Hospital
GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

At the conclusion of today’s August 21 episode of General Hospital, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) sings a lullaby to baby Dez, that went into a montage to close out the episode as her father Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) reports to Pentonville and winds up in his jail cell.
However, in a fun fact, the song entitled, “A Lonely Heart To Give” was actually written by none other than former One Life to Live and General Hospital actor, Patrick J. Gibbons.
Daytime fans first met Gibbons as Sam Manning on One Life to Live. At the time, when he started on the soap, he was just 5-years-old. Gibbons played the part from 2010-2013 on ABC and Prospect Park’s editions of the show. Fast-forward to 2018, Gibbons shows up on General Hospital as Wyatt Hoover, the scout who seemed always be injured, but in the thick of the drama. Patrick had appeared on GH multiple times as Wyatt including: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.

Photo: ABC
FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER’S DEATH CAME THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS SONG
Now in 2026, General Hospital fans are getting to learn about another side of Gibbons’ talent as a songwriter and guitar player after “A Lonely Heart to Give” debuted today! Michael Fairman TV caught up with Patrick, who is now a senior at Penn State entering his final year as a finance major, to get the back-story of how his song wound up on GH!
Gibbons explained he wrote the song in honor of his grandmother who passed away a few years ago with whom he was, very, very close with. “Randomly, my grandmother had a downfall and passed away during the second semester of my sophomore year. I was in my dorm a lot and I was just playing with my guitar. And at the time, I was really into finger-style playing. I wrote the lyric and music to it (with a little help from my guitar teacher Lou), and my mom showed the rough demo to Frank Valentini (EP, General Hospital). He’s like an uncle to me. Frank loved it so much he said, “Finish that up. I want to hear the whole thing, and I want it on the show.”
MAKING MUSIC FOR GENERAL HOSPITAL
Gibbons and his parents took the next steps! “So now, all we needed was a female voice, because I thought that would fit the song well,” Patrick shared. “At the golf club we go to my parents were at a dinner. They liked the singer that was performing and spoke to her about the song, and she says she would like to bring it to her ‘boss’ who ended up being Eric Bazilian of the Hooters fame!” (Bazilian also wrote the smash hit song “One of Us” for Joan Osborne).
Next, “We went in the studio and recorded it and the song came together and it was beautiful. We loved it. They loved it at General Hospital and now they’re putting it the show and they are coming in with a piano, instead of a guitar. Paul Glass, the GH musical director, has been keeping us updated over the last six months of how it was coming along, and when it would air, and how GH put their own arrangement to it. I can’t wait to see and hear what they did with it.”

Photo: JPI
PATRICK’S ONE LIFE TO LIVE FAMILY
Everyone knows that the One Life to Live extended family share a very tight bond, and Patrick said he does stay in touch with a few of his former One Life to Live co-stars, especially those from the Manning family! “I stayed in touch with Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair) and sent her little videos here and there. She was like my second mom for five years. We keep in contact with Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) over X the most, and she can’t believe how big I’ve gotten. Like, none of them can! (laughs). I also loved working with Roger Howarth (ex-Todd) and Trevor St. John (ex-Todd and Victor Jr.), and to me since I was so young, they were just my friends, ‘Roger and Trevor,’ not Todd Manning or Victor Jr.”
It was a trip to California and a visit to Port Charles that ultimately led to Gibbons second soap role of Wyatt Hoover. Patrick explains, “In 2016, Frank Valentini invited us out to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital. I think he heard me say, ‘This is so much fun. I miss being on the set.’ He goes, ‘You should come out. I’ll bring you on the show. We can make you a character.'”
A few years later, Patrick’s dream became a reality! “Then, by the summer of 2018, I was playing Wyatt, the scout, and shared scenes with Wes Ramsey (Peter August), and the best was when I shared a scene with Roger Howarth and Michael Easton (ex-John, OLTL and ex-Silas, Finn et al, GH), it was like chemistry from the old days.”

Photo: PGibbons
IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS
As to his future aspirations, it’s a career in the finance game that has piqued Gibbons’ real-life interest. But never say never to a return to acting. Patrick explained, “I’ve always enjoyed numbers. And on top of that, one of the biggest parts of finance is being personable and outgoing.”
He continued, “That’s one of the greatest skills I developed growing up. I really love the markets. I’m super interested. I’m never going to close the door to acting. I’m always open to that because I just love it so much. It’s such a great art.”
Take note! If there are any investment bankers or private equity folks among the GH faithful looking for a young analyst next year, Patrick’s DMs are open. You can find him on X at @PatrickJGibbons.”
So, what did you think of the song sung by Trina on today’s GH that was written by Patrick J. Gibbons? Did you enjoy Patrick’s performances as One Life’s Sam and GH’s Wyatt? Would you like to see him back on GH at some point? Let us know via the comment section.
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Admits That He Didn’t Expect the Role of Michael Corinthos to be Recast, and Would Consider Working on Another Soap (Exclusive)

Chad Duell, the Daytime Emmy-winning actor, who stepped away from the pivotal role of Michael Corinthos on General Hospital, opened up about: his previous decision to leave the series after nearly 15 years, where’s he’s at now after time away from the demands of a daytime soap opera, and took a stroll down memory lane with some of Michael’s most-acclaimed storyline during his run, during a livestream chat on August 19 on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel.
Viewers last saw Duell on-screen as Michael in January of 2025, and with his successor in the role, Rory Gibson making his debut at the GH Nurses’ Ball in episodes that aired later in May. It was clear that during the conversation, Chad was a bit surprised that the GH brass decided to recast him when he thought he was just taking some much needed time off.
Burn-out of the daily grind of being on a soap was definitely a part of Chad’s decision to take a break. Duell explained “People know when you’re doing something for so long or your character is kind of in the same place for so long or doing the same stuff over and over again, you do get a a little burnt out, you get a little stiff, stale, a little stiff at times. I didn’t want that to be any sort of lasting impression. I have 15 years of a body of work of I’ve done on that show, which is fantastic.”

Photo: ABC
WHILE CHAD WAS AWAY GH RECAST MICHAEL CORINTHOS WITH RORY GIBSON
Chad shared, his mindset when leaving GH was, “I’m taking some time away, we’ll see what happens.” Then he added, “Obviously, they decided to go in a different direction with Michael when I was gone. I didn’t think they were going to bring somebody back in my place. But you know, it’s the business. You never know what can happen.”
Duell also shared he has not watched a single episode of General Hospital since he left the series, but now feels he reenergized following the loss of his father and stepping away from the GH, “I’m in a place now mentally, where I’m ready to sink my teeth into it again.”

Courtesy/ABC
Even though he is no longer Michael on GH, Chad was very happy with his final storyline where Michael was set on fire when a bomb exploded at Sonny’s (Maurice Benard) penthouse. “It was fun to put him in a dangerous situation, because I was wanting Michael to be in something scary instead of trying to be a hero character or just things happening around him, but to be the center point of tragedy happening to him. (I always saw) Michael as the heart of the (Corinthos) family.”
When Michael was badly burned the show chose not burn his face, which normally a soap does when they are recasting role and switching actors. Chad weighed-in, “They didn’t burn my face because I told Frank Valentini (EP, GH) I’m willing to come back. It was just a little bit of a break. So, I assumed that if they would have burned my face, they could have brought somebody back looking different than me… if that’s what their plan was.”

Courtesy/ABC
MEMORABLE MICHAEL STORYLINES
One of Chad’s most memorable performances was the in the storyline of Michael’s rape while he was sentenced to prison in 2010 and the confession of it in 2011. “It was so well-written and I was very nervous,” recalled Chad. “When I get really nervous about something, it ends up being really good when I do it, because it just means I care a lot about it”
“I have to put a lot of effort and work into it, and I really want it to be good. I was working with Dominic Zamprogna (Dante) and Steve Burton (Jason) a lot during those scenes, and Laura Wright (Carly). It was great working with Steve and Dominic, especially, during that storyline.
A NEW SOAP ROLE FOR CHAD?
As to a future soap opera role, Chad is open to the idea and would love to jump back in to a juicy role, “I know people over at The Bold and the Beautiful, and The Young and the Restless. They know that if they’re interested, I would love to come in for a screen test or something, and they can see what I’m doing.”
Meanwhile, Chad has been busy putting out new music under the moniker Duelly and during the interview he explains how he creates his EDM tracks and much more. You can stream his latest single, Static in the Quiet Room on Spotify, Apple Music and You Tube Music.
You can check out the full conversation with Chad Duell below.
Now let us know: what show would you like to see Chad cast on down the line? BTG, DAYS, B&B, Y&R, or a new role on GH? What did you think of his thoughts on the casting switch while he was away in the role of Michael? What was your favorite Michael storyline during Chad’s 15-year run on the ABC soap opera? Let us know via the comment section.
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