General Hospital sees Friday, May 23rd, that’s the day we officially got to greet the new hunk in Port Charles, recast Michael Corinthos. We’ve got everything you need to know about Rory Gibson and why we think he is an amazing replacement for Chad Duell in the role.
With Michael’s return coming at the end of this week, you may have already seen it. We wanted to have all the information you need to dive into what’s going on with this new actor.
Meet Rory Gibson: The New Michael Corinthos on General Hospital
All right. So, it was confirmed this week what we have been talking about for quite a while, and it is that daytime alum Rory Gibson is officially the new Michael Corinthos. Now, if you also watch CBS soaps like I do, you may recognize Rory. He played Sharon and Nick Newman’s son, Noah Newman, over on Young and the Restless for a few years, but it’s been a few years since he has been on there.
Rory’s had a lot of projects under his belt. He is much more than just a soap opera actor. And before stepping in as Michael, he starred in the big budget sci-fi film Rebel Moon directed by Zack Snyder, who is a hot director who does big stuff like Superman and all that. And he also starred in the movie Fugitive from Astron where Rory Gibson co-starred with GH’s ex Dylan Quartermaine (Robert Palmer Watkins) actor Robert Palmer Watkins. So, this guy has a lot of GH tie-ins, and we’re going to talk about more of them shortly.
For someone who’s only been a working actor for 7 years, Rory Gibson has booked some seriously good roles, including four films that have either wrapped or are underway and are coming out soon. He is a great hire by General Hospital now that Chad Duell has decided to leave, to go off to do new things. He doesn’t want to play Michael right now. And as a matter of fact, he’s starring in a new play right now.
Beyond the Screen: Rory Gibson’s Personal Life and Soap Opera Family Ties
So, first off, hottie Rory Gibson is several years younger than Chad Duell. He’s 29 compared to Chad’s 37. And as far as his personal life goes, well, it is a very sweet story that could not be less like a tangled soap opera couple.
Rory recently got engaged to his high school sweetheart, Alicia Ruelas. I hope I’m saying her last name right. And they actually got engaged in 2022. They’ve been together a whopping 14 years, like since they were 15. It’s kind of amazing. And so far, they don’t have any children. But they do have two pit bulls, which are a passion of theirs.
And Rory also shared recently that he stays in touch and is quite close to his former Y&R TV dad, Josh Morrow, who plays Nick Newman. And Rory said he hangs out with his ex-TV dad and Josh’s real life son Crew Morrow who plays Will Spencer over on B&B. They go to the movies. They’re tight.
And he’s already getting tight apparently with the actors he’s working with on General Hospital. We know it’s a big family over there. And another castmate from Young and the Restless, Cait Fairbanks, who plays Tessa Porter on the CBS soap, remains one of his best friends. So, it seems like Rory’s a big hit backstage as well as on camera for the fans.
From Fan to Star: Rory Gibson’s Deep Connection to General Hospital
Fans loved him on Y&R. They were always asking when they were going to bring Noah back. Well, they’re not going to because now he’s over on General Hospital. And another fun bit of info is that Rory’s mom and grandma are diehard longtime General Hospital watchers. They’ve been watching for years.
Rory said he remembers watching GH on his mom’s TV as a kid and he remembers this was kind of funny when he was a kid seeing Steve Burton on TV as Jason Morgan. So, little GH fan there is very cute.
Rory said it’s been really cool to get to work with GH actors that he’s been watching for years. And Rory said when he finally locked down the role, he called to tell his grandma, who is a super fan, and told her that he landed this role of the recast on General Hospital.
He said she started screaming at his uncle that her grandson was going to play Michael Corinthos. So, it’s too cute. And I’m sure on his debut episode, his whole family is going to be tuning in and screaming at the screen.
Navigating the Set: Rory Gibson’s Early Days Filming General Hospital
But, Rory said he also got a little stressed out when he first started backstage at the soap because he posted just a generic dressing room selfie, white wall, brown door, no identifying items or signs, but eagle-eyed fans recognized it as a GH dressing room and the comments poured in. So, he had to get rid of that. And Rory worried he might be in a little bit of trouble. He was not though, and he’s been way more careful since then.
Michael Corinthos Returns! Shocking Port Charles at the Nurses Ball
So, Rory has been filming as Michael a little more than a month and Rory Gibson makes his official GH debut Friday, May 23rd. And not only does he come home, but Michael crashes the Nurses Ball and stuns friends, family, and an enemy or two as he swoops back into Port Charles after completing his burn therapy in Germany. He didn’t warn anybody he was coming home.
The timing is perfect since Willow Tait (Katelyn MacMullen) and Michael have a court date in early June to determine custody of their children. They are still married. Even though Willow has moved in with awful, awful Drew Cain Quartermaine (Cameron Mathison) with the kids. And in addition to grabbing the attention of his mom, dad, and his wife, we’re going to see Rory Gibson in scenes with Viron Weaver who plays his TV son, Wiley Corinthos (Viron Weaver).
And we got to say, Michael crashes the ball in style. He crossed the Atlantic in a private jet and shows up in a tux looking handsome, perfect, and not crispy one bit. So, to say people in Port Charles will be shocked is an understatement. I would guess that Michael’s return is why Willow and Drew look completely shocked in this week’s promo for General Hospital.
Michael turns up also not long after Giovanni Palmieri‘s (Giovanni Mazza) epic meltdown on the Nurses Ball stage, when he ranted at his biological parents, Brook Lynn Quartermaine (Amanda Setton) and Dante Falconeri (Dominic Zamprogna), for abandoning him as a baby. So, Friday, needless to say, is a can’t-miss episode of GH.
The Road to Port Charles: How Rory Gibson Landed the Role of Michael
What’s also interesting, if you are watching the episodes this week, is that Vaughn (Bryce Durfee) is at the ball, the guy who is Josslyn Jacks’ (Eden McCoy) WSB handler. He had scenes with his protege and got to meet her mom, Carly Corinthos Spencer (Laura Wright).
The reason it’s interesting is because Rory actually came into GH to read for the role of Vaughn, but he didn’t get it. Bryce Durfee did, and that’s because they had something else in mind. They passed on him for that part.
The casting team at General Hospital was already cooking up a different plan. And then they brought him back in to read for the role of recast Michael. I’m assuming that means Chad Duell let them know that he’s not in a place where he wants to come back anytime soon, if ever. So, after a few chemistry reads with other actors, Rory got the official offer, and he has been hard at work at the ABC soap for several weeks.
Vengeance and Justice: What’s Ahead for Michael Corinthos?
Fans are chomping at the bit to see what’s coming for Michael, especially the storyline with Willow and Drew. And of course, there’s Sasha (Sofia Mattsson), who’s secretly carrying Michael’s baby. I know. I can’t wait.
And as far as his character’s mindset right now, Rory said that Michael is out for vengeance and he’s going looking for justice. And that sounds like Drew better watch his back. Rory also said that Michael desperately wants peace in his life after all the turmoil he’s been through, but the actor said he doesn’t see it happening, at least not now.
Given all the icky things that Drew’s been up to for almost a year, I personally cannot wait to see Michael go after Drew, and I hope he takes him all the way down. And I do think Michael may team up with Curtis (Donnell Turner) to do that. Rory said he absolutely loved playing Noah on Young and the Restless and is grateful for his time there, but he’s super excited to be at General Hospital as the new Michael, and we cannot wait to see what’s next.
