Everything You Need To Know About Rory Gibson, GH’s New Michael

After nearly dying in a fiery explosion, General Hospital’s Michael has spent the past several months off screen recovering in a German burn clinic. Now Sonny and Carly’s son has a new face to go along with his second chance at life as soap alum Rory Gibson (ex-Noah, The Young and the Restless) steps into the role last portrayed by Chad Duell. Here’s the 411 on the actor, who will make his GH debut on May 23.

Acting the Part

A native of Long Beach, CA, Gibson’s first foray in daytime was when, from 2021-23, he appeared on Y&R as Sharon and Nick Newman’s son, taking over the role from Robert Adamson (who had himself filled in several times as GH’s Michael during Duell’s tenure.) “I was nervous because I assumed, especially because I was a recast, there would be an exact way they would want me to do this, and it’s been the exact opposite,” Gibson told Soap Opera Digest shortly after he joined the CBS soap.

The actor added that he grateful for the leeway he was given to make the character his own… especially since Y&R was his first television role. A self-proclaimed “goof” in high school, Gibson wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to do once he got to college at UC-Irvine. On a whim, he enrolled in a theater class to pick up a needed credit. “I really dug it,” he shared with Digest. After his teacher suggested he explore acting further, Gibson reported, “I dropped out of school, much to the dismay of both my parents,” including his late father, Gary Gibson, a former NFL-er who played for the San Francisco 49ers. But, he added of his folks, “They were supportive of me pursuing something I felt passionate about.”

Field Day: Gibson with his late father, Gary Gibson (c.) and uncle Keith Gibson

At the time, Gibson’s high school sweetheart, Alicia Ruelas, was living in Los Angeles after spending several years abroad working as a fashion model. So, he moved in with her and began honing his craft. (The couple, who have been together for 14 years, got engaged in 2022.) “I got discovered online by [talent manager] Jon Simmons,” Gibson explained. “He brought me into his acting classes and became my manager.”

The actor had several small credits on his resume when he booked the sci-fi movie Watch Jessica Die in 2017. Unfortunately, the film was never released, and the entertainment industry came to a standstill during the pandemic shutdown in 2020, further stalling Gibson’s efforts to work as an actor. To help support himself, he worked as a fitness instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp, where among his celebrity clients was soap alum Josh Duhamel (ex-Leo, All My Children). Gibson described Duhamel to Digest as “an absolute sweetheart. When he had to leave early, he would always shake my hand and thank me.”

As the world — and Hollywood — began opening up, along came the casting notice for Y&R’s Noah. “I auditioned for Y&R a couple of years [earlier] for a really small part and it didn’t work out,” he noted to Digest. As it turned out, Gibson’s second dance with the Daytime Emmy-winning soap was meant to be. Despite playing Noah a bit too intense on his self-tape (“They contacted me and said they weren’t crazy about it,” he admitted), Gibson got a callback to do an in-person screen test opposite Joshua Morrow (Nick) and Cait Fairbanks (Tessa).

“This was my first TV screen test, and I remember having a bit of nerves and just not wanting to screw this up,” he shared with Digest in a 2023 interview that featured Gibson as one of soaps’ hottest newcomers. “The second Joshua and Cait walked in the room, they had such a cool, calm energy about them that was very welcoming, and all of the nerves immediately went away. I did mess up a little bit and Josh totally saved my butt. I dropped one line in front of all of the producers and staff, and without thinking about it, he turned around to them and was like, ‘That was my fault. Sorry, guys.’ ”

Landing his first television job turned out to be everything Gibson had hoped for. “I’ve been having a great time, and I feel like I have this whole new set of friends that are already starting to feel like family,” he enthused. “And now I can call myself a working actor!”

Gibson made his final Y&R appearance in May 2023 when Noah and girlfriend Allie moved overseas. Since then, he’s appeared in the space opera film Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire and the podcast drama series Breakaway. Earlier this year, he was cast as Arial in the sci-fi film Fugitive From Asteron.

Bonded For Life: Gibson and his bride-to-be, high school sweetheart Alicia Ruelas. “14 years of love with the greatest person on the planet 🤍,” he wrote of her on Instagram earlier this month.

Stay tuned to see what the actor will bring to the table as Michael returns to Port Charles and fights Willow for custody of his children…