Days of Our LivesComings & Goings
If you want to know more about which actors are coming and which actors are on their way out, and which have changed their contract status, we've got you covered for all soap operas including Days of our Lives.
Vanessa Estelle Williams has been added to the cast of the Fox hit 9-1-1… but does the news signify an emergency, so to speak, for Days of Our Lives fans?
Our sister site Deadline reports that the actress will be “heavily recurring” as 9-1-1 Call Center vet Claudette Collins, who shows the newer recruits how it’s done (and made her first appearance in the October 11 episode). But heavily recurring or not, she’s still just recurring, as she is as Eli’s mom Valerie on Days of Our Lives. So Williams should be available to reprise her soap role when Valerie’s son and daughter-in-law need her support — as in, when the fit hits the shan over the fact that Lani grew up believing that Tamara was her mother when, in fact, Paulina is.
The grandbabies are gonna need family trees sketched out for them!
In fact, the twist of plot could send Abe, once he’s newly disillusioned by his fiancée, running right back into the arms of his ex, Valerie. Anything could happen!
Williams has been crazy busy of late. Not only has the former Melrose Place star been recurring on Showtime’s L Word spinoff Generation Q, she has no fewer than eight movies in the pipeline and reprised her role from 1992’s Candyman in its recent sequel.
Before you bop along to read another article — and you know you wanna — catch up on all of the latest Days of Our Lives exits with our photo gallery that lines ’em up and runs ’em down.
Tuesday, October 12th, 2021
It’s beginning to seem as if everyone involved with Beyond Salem — the highly-anticipated Days of Our Lives spinoff which hits the Peacock streaming service on Monday, September 6th — has trouble keeping secrets. First, Lisa Rinna let slip that Eileen Davidson would be appearing on the limited series, then Davidson herself confirmed that she’d be playing Kristen (and possibly another role). Now, after some teasing by Adrienne Frantz, we can confirm that she, too, is part of the star-studded sudser!
Along with her real-life husband Scott Bailey, they will play married couple Sophie and Miles Faversham — the hosts of a party Ben and Ciara crash (posing as Princess Greta and her husband Austin) in order to get one of the stolen gems.
The casting reveal started simply enough, with Frantz — best known to soap fans as Bold & Beautiful scheme queen Amber — seeming to excitedly promote Beyond Salem. “So excited to see this!” she said of the project. And why wouldn’t a daytime alum be stoked to see a new drama making waves?
More: Y&R alum shares first pics of adorable twins
But soon after her initial tweet, Frantz sent something that seemed a bit more telling. “Something exciting is coming soon!” she posted, along with a stunning headshot and a hashtag that proved just how well she knows us: #don’tyouwanttoknow
Something exciting is coming soon!!! Stay tuned! #somethingexciting #bignews #dontyouwanttoknow pic.twitter.com/uEyZVku4eH
— Adrienne Frantz (@adriennefrantz) September 4, 2021
Before we could respond, “Hell yes, we want to know,” another piece of the puzzle seemed to fall into place when Ron Carlivati — headwriter of both Days of Our Lives and Beyond Salem — joined the fun. In response to Frantz’ tantalizing tweet, he wrote, “Something exciting… something… beyond?”
Something exciting…something…beyond? #DOOLBeyondSalem #Days #BeyondSalem @peacockTV https://t.co/p6pOssboC4
— Ron Carlivati (@carlivatiron) September 5, 2021
More: How and where to watch Beyond Salem
Those not quite getting why we’re so excited about Frantz appearing on Beyond Salem — and, dare we hope, perhaps then bringing her mystery character over to Days of Our Lives? — are perhaps unfamiliar with her work. So let’s offer you a quick, but by no means comprehensive, introduction.
Originally hired to babysit Rick and Bridget, Amber soon spiced things up for everyone… including CJ.
Frantz first appeared on Bold & Beautiful back in 1997, and her Amber Moore quickly got caught up in the schemes of fellow waitress Sheila Carter. Amber would later go from babysitting Rick Forrester to seducing the babyfaced hunk. Over the next few years, she’d be involved in everything from pawning jewelry to a baby swap. She was not, however, a villainess so much as a young woman who made more than her fair share of mistakes in the pursuit of happiness. This would become clear when, after the character crossed over to The Young and the Restless in 2006, she was befriended by none other than Katherine Chancellor.
Should Frantz’ role on Beyond Salem prove to be a one-off, we’ll simply go back to championing the notion of her returning to either of the CBS sudsers. Heck, she’s already got a spot on our list of Bold & Beautiful characters we’d love to see back on the canvas!
Thursday, September 9th, 2021
Just when it looks as though all of Bonnie’s dreams will be coming true, a face from the past will appear and put a major damper on her life. Tony Award winner, Broadway star Cady Huffman, whose first daytime appearance was playing Dr. Paige Miller on One Life to Live, has landed a role on Days of Our Lives as Bonnie’s sister-in-law Calista Lockhart. Fans can expect her to blow into Salem on Friday, August 27, as first reported by Soap Opera Digest.
Calista’s arrival couldn’t have come at a worse time… Bonnie and Justin are finally happy and planning their wedding. Not only will Calista threaten to expose Bonnie for something she’s either done or hidden from the past, she will push her to revert to old ways, which could involve any number of crimes.
Bonnie is no stranger to committing crimes, having done everything from stashing away the bones of her husband David, in order to hide that her daughter Mimi had accidently killed him, to using her own unborn grandchild to blackmail the Kiriakis family to various cons to get rich quick — need we say more?
However, the past is the past and the future is (was!) looking bright for Justin and Bonnie, but fans have wondered if the Kiriakis will be in store for a major shock — could Bonnie really be Justin’s dead wife Adrienne?
While we wait for the drama to wreak havoc on Bonnie and Justin’s wedding plans, take a look at our photo gallery of Bonnie’s most outrageous moments over the years then, for fun, scroll through our other gallery filled with Days stars and their real-life partners, including Wally Kurth and his wife Deborah Yuhasz, as well as Judi Evans and her husband Michael Luciano.
— Amy Mistretta
Friday, August 20th, 2021
Life in Salem hasn’t been particularly kind to Claire since the Days of Our Lives heroine was released from Bayview Sanitarium. On the plus side, she got the help she needed and ditched that whole (well-earned) firestarter reputation. But she failed to find love and wound up largely playing second-banana to her aunt, Ciara.
Now, however, it looks as if an opportunity is going to come along and change Claire’s life, presumably for the better. Unfortunately, that means that both she and portrayer Isabel Durant will be exiting the canvas. A source close to the show confirms Durant’s exit, adding that while Claire will be leaving Salem, there’s no telling when she might return.
Although born to Shawn and Belle in 2006, the character contracted SORAS (Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome) in 2015 when the soap hired Olivia Rose Keegan to play the girl as a troubled teen. After going a bit off the deep end and being committed, Claire eventually emerged from Bayview with a new outlook on life and a new look when Durant stepped into the part.
More: The truth behind Sami’s kidnapping
Despite having a more balanced outlook, Claire still found herself largely living in the shadow of Ciara. When Victoria Konefal’s fall 2020 exit made a faux widower of Ben, it looked as if the writers were toying with the idea of a pairing Claire with the handsome widow. But of course, rumors of Ciara’s death were greatly exaggerated. Instead, Claire found herself working with Ben to first find his true love and then, when his resurrected bride forgot their love, win her back.
So while Claire hasn’t necessarily had the best of luck lately, things change thanks to the aforementioned offer, which she’ll receive on Thursday, August 19. Apparently, the opportunity which presents itself is the kind upon which one must act quickly, because by Friday, August 20, Claire’s heading out of Salem!
More: Melissa Reeves returning as Jennifer
While we wait to see exactly how Claire and Durant exit, why not take a look at all the other actors who’ve left Days of Our Lives in recent months?
Wednesday, August 11th, 2021
This Christmas season, more than a year after Cady McClain took over as Days of Our Lives’ Jennifer — and so dazzled daytime that she won herself another Emmy — Melissa Reeves is returning to the role that she had played off and on for more than a quarter of a century, our sister site TVLine reports.
Viewers will recall that in September of 2020, a couple of months after Reeves came under fire for “liking” several anti-Black Lives Matter posts, she exited the soap and remained with her family in Tennessee when production resumed following the pandemic-dictated shutdown. There, she and husband Scott Reeves (ex-Ryan, The Young and the Restless) welcomed to the family their first and second grandchildren. (See below.)
View this post on Instagram
On screen, Jennifer left Salem after being dealt one blow (learning that while she was in a coma, husband Jack had hooked up with Kate) after another (Jack has a new surprise daughter with yet another woman) and another (Jack’s demon spawn deliberately wrecked half sister Abigail’s marriage and accidentally killed Jennifer’s mom).
Though McClain has said that “of course,” she’d be glad to play Jennifer again, she also told Soap Opera Digest, “I also understand if they need their Missy back. I have complete understanding for that, too, so whatever is meant to be, I’m OK with it.”
Will the heroine be able to pick up the pieces of her shattered life in Salem? Will she even try? While you ponder, check out our gallery of all of the actors who, like Reeves, have recently or are returning to Days of Our Lives.
Monday, August 9th, 2021
The cast of the upcoming Days of Our Lives spinoff continues to grow by the hour… to the point that we’re beginning to wonder how they’ll all be squeezed into a five-episode series! The latest news has Eileen Davidson appearing… although it remains to be seen as who.
Days fans of course recall that Davidson played Kristen DiMera from 1993 to 2017, at which point Stacy Haiduk assumed the role. But they’ll also recall that during Davidson’s iconic run she played Kristen’s doppelganger Susan Banks, Sister Mary Moira Banks, Thomas Banks and Penelope Kent! Several years after leaving Days, she returned to the role of Ashley Abbott on The Young and the Restless, which she has played on-and-off since creating the part in 1982.
More: All the actors returning for Beyond Salem!
News of Davidson’s Beyond Salem stint leaked when Lisa Rinna (Billie) posted a photo of the actress sitting in the makeup room of the soap, captioning it “Look who I found!”
Later, Davidson posted to her own Instagram feed, confirming that she was “beyond excited” to be joining the show, although not specifying who she might be playing.
Although no release date has yet been announced for Beyond Salem, it will be airing not on NBC but the network’s affiliated streaming service, Peacock. Storyline wise, we know it will follow the adventures of several Salem couples who, as the title implies, have left town for various reasons only to find themselves united in the search for stolen gems which, if not recovered, could have devastating consequences on their beloved home town.
Among those already revealed to be taking part are Robert Scott Wilson (Ben), Victoria Konefal (Ciara), Deidre Hall (Marlena), Drake Hogestyn (John), Sal Stowers (Lani), Lamon Archey (Eli) and Billy Flynn (Chad). It’s also been announced that Chandler Massey will return as Will, although he’ll be playing opposite a new love interest as Freddie Smith’s Sonny will be played by Zachary Atticus Tinker (formerly The Young and the Restless’ Fenmore).
Stay tuned for more news about the limited series as it becomes available. Meanwhile, go behind the scenes with some of your favorite stars in this gallery that shows them like you’ve never seen them before!
Monday, August 2nd, 2021
Only a week after Days of Our Lives alum Freddie Smith admitted that if asked, he wouldn’t return to the soap as Sonny comes news that the character has been recast for the show’s spinoff, Beyond Salem.
When the limited series debuts on Peacock — aka NBC’s streaming service — a whole slew of fan favorites will be featured, including several couples who are not currently residing in Salem. Among them? Will and Sonny, who’ve been living in Arizona since leaving town last fall. In the original press materials released to announce the show, it was mentioned that Billy Flynn’s Chad would be “visiting old friends in Phoenix.”
More: Why Days star won’t be coming back
Enter Will and Sonny… with one slight change. While Chandler Massey will once again be stepping into Will’s shoes, Sonny’s will be occupied by Zachary Atticus Tinker, best known to daytime fans as The Young and the Restless’ Fenmore Baldwin.
Truth be told, Tinker was woefully underused during his time in the Genoa City-based soap, despite playing the son of longtime favorites Michael Baldwin and Lauren Fenmore. When last seen, Fen had dropped the news on his parents that he no longer planned to follow in dad Michael’s footsteps by becoming a lawyer and was instead going to pursue a music career.
More: Which other past favorites will Beyond Salem feature?
As for Smith, he announced in late July that if the show were to ask, he would not return. “Every character, even if that character dies, comes back at some point,” he said, seeming to acknowledge the inevitability of both Sonny’s return and the part being recast.
Having relocated to Florida with wife Alyssa Tabit, the actor admitted that he had been struggling with “having one foot in the future and one foot in the past.”
No word yet on when Beyond Salem will be launched on the streaming platform. What we do know is that the storyline will find several of Days‘ most popular characters — including Ben and Ciara, John and Marlena, and Lani and Eli — involved in the search for stolen gems.
As we wait for more news on Beyond Salem, why not check out this photo gallery of the actors who, like Smith, have recently departed Days of Our Lives.
Monday, August 2nd, 2021
If a picture says a thousand words, the one that Kyle Lowder shared in a July 21 Instagram story said over and over again, “I’m returning to Days of Our Lives.” At least that’s how many a fan interpreted the image, in which Rex’s portrayer is seen in what appears to be the NBC soap’s hair and makeup room.
Further fueling the speculation? His “Back to work” caption.
Viewers will recall that Lowder last appeared on the show in the spring of 2021, when Kristen whipped up a Sarah mask in which she seduced Rex. Why? That was hella complicated. Kristen wanted Xander to catch fiancée Sarah in bed with her ex in order to facilitate a breakup that would allow her to keep the real Sarah from blabbing that the Susan who was traipsing around Salem wasn’t really Susan at all but Kristen.
Got all that? Got any of it? It was Kristen at her most extra.
If Rex is indeed returning to Days of Our Lives, his comeback will no doubt be tied to Sarah’s disappearance. Perhaps he’s discovered her whereabouts and is keeping them to himself in order to keep her to himself — a move that would inevitably blow up in his face just in time for her to discover that, in her absence, Xander has gotten a lot closer to Gwen.
While you’re here, check out a photo gallery of all of the other stars who are returning/have recently returned to Days of Our Lives.
Thursday, July 22nd, 2021
Things in Salem are about to be “movin’ on up!” Legendary actress, Marla Gibbs, most recognized for her role as Florence on the family sitcom The Jeffersons, has been the latest big name to be cast on Days of Our Lives as Paulina’s mother, Olivia Price. Look for her to appear beginning on Tuesday, August 17, as first reported by Soap Opera Digest.
Incidentally, this will be a television reunion for Gibbs and Paulina’s portrayer Jackée Harry. The actresses spent years together on the series 227. The 90-year-old Gibbs, who has over 100 credits to her resume, including playing Aunt Irma on NBC’s Passions, recently received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
More: Kyle Lowder back to Days
So, what brings Mama Price to Salem? Well, if we had to guess, she might not be too happy about the turn of events that has taken place, which include Paulina deceiving Chanel, Abe and Lani with her sneaky plans to destroy the Horton Square, even though she’s tried to make things right, or… it could be for a number of other reasons. Are they estranged with troubles of their own to face? Would her mother have approved of Paulina’s initial plans for Price Town?
More: Backstreet boy cast on Days
Like you, we’ll have to wait and see. In any case, having this iconic actress join the NBC soap opera will be a real treat!
While we wait for Gibbs’ big debut, Soaps.com invites readers to take a look through our gallery featuring an updated list of characters, past and present, who have walked through Salem’s revolving door with their returns.
— Amy Mistretta
Thursday, July 22nd, 2021
You want it that way? Fine, you can have it that way. Backstreet Boys singer AJ McLean recently took to TikTok to reveal that he would be passing through soapdom.
“There was a certain daytime TV show that my grandmother and I used to watch when I was growing up,” he began, “and I’ll drop a couple of hints” about which one it was.
“Bo… ” he continued. “Hope… Patch… Ring a bell?”
More: Days casts legendary actress as Paulina’s mother
Oh, buddy, that rang all the bells. Even if you watch General Hospital or The Young and the Restless, you could guess that the show in question was Days of Ours Lives. “Well, yours truly is making a guest appearance as a driver,” he said. “Boom!”
#Days fans get ready #BSB pic.twitter.com/TkbTX3IyeP
— Candice (@Candypooh) July 21, 2021
Charmingly, McLean appeared to be as excited about his cameo on the iconic sudser as any fan would be. “Oh my God, I’m freaking out,” he exclaimed. And he knew that the pressure was on, given the relative who got him hooked on the show. “I hope I made you proud, Grandma.”
More: Kyle Lowder back to Days
No word yet on when the singer will be popping up — or whether he’ll get to hum a few bars of “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)” when he does — but if we had to guess, we’d imagine his appearance will be tied to Ciara and Theo’s wedding and that ill-advised abduction that Ben is planning.
While you’re here, indulge the song in your heart by poring over the photos of soap stars who fell for famous recording artists.
Thursday, July 22nd, 2021
