General Hospital footage from an episode next week shows the gruesome way Chad Duell is leaving the show as Michael Corinthos.
It’s been known for weeks that Chad was exiting the show after he announced it on his own.
Frank Valentini (GH’s executive producer) confirmed Chad’s exit and revealed that the role would not be recast but would remain open should he decide to return.
However, based on what the writers did for his exit, we are unsure how a later return would be possible.
Michael’s fiery exit is set to happen on Tuesday, January 7, and the leaked footage confirmed it is an intense scene that will leave everyone shocked by the gruesome choice.
Here’s how Chad exits General Hospital.
Michael is burned alive in Sonny’s penthouse
General Hospital’s footage leak may have been intentional, causing viewers to talk. However, it’s also possible someone accidentally leaked the shot.
Over on X (formerly Twitter), there are various accounts with the preview.
The footage shows Michael being burned alive as Sonny’s (Maurice Benard) penthouse goes up in flames. He is seen stumbling around with his body fully engulfed in flames as Sonny and Jason (Steve Burton) look on.
How they choose to write the next part remains unclear. Whether Michael is sent to a burn unit to recover and remains in a coma or a body isn’t found, neither option is ideal.
We speculated that Michael would have left town with the kids to ensure Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) wouldn’t get them. Having Michael go up in flames wasn’t on our 2025 General Hospital Bingo card.
Interestingly, the reason the penthouse is on fire has yet to be revealed. Was it an attack from Sonny’s enemies? Did Cyrus (Jeff Kober) make another move?
More General Hospital spoilers
Now that we know Michael is engulfed in flames, General Hospital spoilers reveal that Carly (Laura Wright) and Sonny spend time together, which makes sense. They are mourning the loss of their son.
We know that Michael asks Jason for a favor, which we assume is to help Sasha (Sofia Mattsson) raise her baby. Spoilers hint that Jason and Sasha will spend time together in the coming weeks.
Willow will likely move on with Drew (Cameron Mathison) as she deals with Michael’s death. It is just one more thing that will push her into his arms and give her what she’s wanted from the beginning.
Be sure to tune in all next week so that not a moment of the juicy drama is missed.
General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC.