‘General Hospital’s Rory Gibson Reveals He Was ‘Essentially Homeless’ After ‘Y&R’ Let Him Go
Rory Gibson is enjoying his time on General Hospital playing Michael Corinthos, which he took over from Chad Duell back in May, but just a couple of years ago, the actor was going through some serious struggles.
Speaking to his on-screen father, Maurice Benard (who plays Sonny Corinthos), on his State of Mind podcast, Gibson revealed how he and his fiancée, Alicia Ruela, ended up homeless amid his departure from The Young and the Restless and the 2023 SAG/AFTRA strikes.
“Things got real, real bumpy for a while because we hit the strikes. I’ve never shared this publicly, but me and my fiancée were essentially homeless,” Gison said.
Gibson explained how he went from a contracted role on The Young and the Restless playing Noah Newman to a recurring part, appearing on the CBS soap opera as and when needed. But those calls eventually dried up at the worst possible time.
“I booked… a small role in like the Zack Snyder movie (Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire). I was pumped on it,” he shared. “Then, I kept testing for these big projects. I kept testing. I’m on the right road, and the strikes hit, and everything shuts down.”
“Simultaneously, I’m not getting called in for Y&R anymore. So, all of a sudden, everything goes dry,” he continued. “I already wasn’t making a ton of money. It got to a point where she (Ruela) was modeling professionally, and that dried up too. Neither of us were making any money, and we couldn’t afford a rent, and we had to bounce out.”
After explaining how he and Ruela “were couch-surfing for almost a year,” Gibson said things started to turn back around in 2024 when he got work as a trainer at Barry’s Bootcamp gym.
“It’s like I was resetting in a strange way,” he noted. “I started working there again, started doing my thing, and the industry was still really slow. Slowly, it started to pick up, and life got kind of comfortable again.”
He also shared how this time made him accept the struggles of his chosen profession, saying, “I’m pursuing the thing that I love (acting) and that I want to do, and that I want to make something out of my my life with, and I want to enjoy what I do while simultaneously having to accept the fact that its going to come with a lot of trials and tribulations.”
Gibson told Benard that while he appreciated his time at Y&R, he wasn’t “feeling terribly fulfilled.” So, ultimately, things worked out for the best, as he is now exactly where he wants to be.
“It wasn’t the most ideal situation for me,” he added. “Whereas now (at General Hospital), it kind of does feel that way. I feel extremely fulfilled.”
General Hospital, Weekdays, ABC
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Rory is Michael Corinthos! He has been such a joy to watch; I wish he was on every day. He has the dark, brooding look when needed and the terrific voice modulation that should go with those moments. When he's happy there's such warmth in his eyes. He's nailed the character perfectly and I can't envision anyone else as Michael. ❤️ Best wishes always, Rory.
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Rory Gibson. I have been a general hospital fan for years and years. I did not think anyone could feel. Michael Carmelo's shoes. But you are an exception. You are very, very good. I love your acting i hope you will be on general hospital for many many years God bless you. You are a good actor.
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Who's Michael Carmelo?
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Michael Carmelo??
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Corinthos
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When he walked into the nurses ball he owned the room . He's perfect as Michael! I love his quiet strength . It makes him more believable that he's Jason's nephew. Hes perfect for what the role needs.
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I personally love him as Michael. But I didn't feel like that he was Noah at all. The part of Michael corinthos is perfect for him. Great actor like i said perfect recast for Michael.
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I absolutely love Rory Gibson as Michael Corinthos.
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He is awesome excellent actor
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He is so great in replacing Chad!
He is so natural perfect for the part!!!!
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We’ve been married 52 years Roy. We went thru the same thing in our younger years. It does get better but just remember those are your memories you won’t ever forget and thankful you had a partner in crime with you 😍
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The role definitely fits Rory Gibson as Michael Corinthos, although I truly missed the other Michael. He is a force to be reckoned with as a serious, true and hard Mafia…I’m glad everything worked out for him and looking forward to see him thrive in this new role on GH…
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Rory Gibson came on to General Hospital with a big splash. When he walked in the Nurses Ball as Michael Corinthos, he made rather character his own. To replace Chad Duel, GH had to come correct with the right actor to assume the role of Michael Corinthos. They hit the jackpot with Rory Gibson. He was amazing on Y&R. Despite the request of many fans asking writers to bring back Rory Gibson's Nick Newman, they dropped the ball by letting this great talent get away. GH execs and writers, you made an EXCELLENT CHOICE with hiring Rory Gibson.
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It's such an unsteady industry. The gentleman who played Brando lost his life because he was tossed away by GH.
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What a nasty thing to say. Characters come and go all the time on soaps, based on popularity. Brando just never really caught on with the audience, so they let him go. Happens all the time. The actor lost his life because some lunatic murdered him while he was working between acting jobs.
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Maybe he wasn't your favorite but he had a good following on GH. Everyone loved Sasha and Brando. He always had a good storyline. All that he and Sasha went through. He wasn't let go bc he wasn't connecting..lol. They fired alot of the longterm actors also, so you think they weren't connecting for 10-20yrs on GH, nonsense 🙄
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There was nothing nasty about it. It is simply the truth. If GH hadn't let him go, he wouldn't have needed to work as a bartender at 3am, and would have been safely home in bed. Sad but true.🥺
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I AGREE!! He WAS popular with the fans and if they didn't let him go he would NOT have been at the place he got murdered!! Yeah, the powers that be on GH didn't pull the trigger nor could see the future. But the fact is he WAS popular and they let him go and if they didn't, he would not have been working at that restaurant.
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Rory is great in GH he has that part down .
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I think Rory is absolutely fantastic as Michael!! I hope he continues to fill these shoes until the show is no more!! Keep up the good work and Congratulations‼️🎉🎈❤️🍾
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To me Rory Gibson does a much better job as Michael Corinthos than Chad has done in many years! Last few years Chad seemed to phone in his performances. Rory was absolutely made for Michael C. He’s hungry humble but won’t back down. Just wish that Frank would let him be the real Michael stop turning everyone’s characters into something we don’t recognize. Like Michael letting willow get away such garbage! Usually he would take her straight to court with this new information. Frank is the one we need to replace!!
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Keep this Michael
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I like Rory Gibson his younger eye candy to watch like him better than Chad Duell for some reason Gibson is more serious and like his acting. Hope he stays for good. I started watching for the first time in 2023 I have never seen or watch GH now I’m in love🩵
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I also didn’t think anyone else could fill Michael Corinthos shoes, but you step into the role and made us proud. Keep up the good work.
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I'll miss seeing your handsome face on Y&R but I'm so glad you found a home at GH. It would be awesome if one day you came back as the next heir in charge of Newman Enterprises and took a major lead story line. Wishing you all good things.
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You would never know what a person has gone thru in their life until they open up about it. Rory Gibson got to get tough and stop giving Willow power, just take care of business and take charge. I enjoy Rory playing Michael Corinthos, but I want Michael to become ruthless like dad Sonny.
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