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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.
Fans were excited to learn that Casey Moss would be returning to Days of Our Lives as JJ Deveraux. However, we can confirm that the actor’s brief reappearance on the NBC soap opera has come to an end — once again — after the holidays. On Thursday, November 5, Gwen surprised Abigail by bringing JJ back to Salem for Jennifer’s coming out of her coma party, which turned out to be a total disaster and revealed that Jack had slept with Kate during Jenn’s downtime.
Though the character is heading back to South Africa, we hope to see JJ return again in the future. Fans can still watch the actor in the upcoming film The Last Champion as Scott Baker. Moss took to Instagram to invite everyone to pre-order his latest project. Watch a video promo of the flick below where he shared the release date, “Pre-order! Avail Dec 8th!”
Are there other characters you wish would return? View the photo gallery of our picks for Days of Our Lives characters we want back in Salem. Plus, view all of the characters who will have a ‘presence’ over the holidays.
– Amy Mistretta
Wednesday, November 25th, 2020
Everybody’s talking about the Days of Our Lives casting extravaganza that was revealed in the NBC soap opera’s winter promo. When there’s a visit by Tony DiMera, most of the time, Anna comes home to Salem with him and fans can expect to see Leann Hunley accompanying Thaao Penghlis once again this coming winter. In the exciting, drama-filled seasonal preview below, we get a glimpse of the characters celebrating, while others in their family are tangled up in one mess or another.
On November 15, Penghlis shared a photo of him and Hunley and asked, “Anna and Tony, will they live happily ever after?” What do you think?
Hunley’s character’s last return to Salem was back in April, and just like Penghlis, she’s played the role since the early 1980s. On November 8, the soap opera celebrated a huge milestone, 55 years on air, and to commemorate the event, we invite readers to take a walk down memory lane in our Days of Our Lives’ 55th-anniversary photo album, which features the two of a kind characters, Anna and Tony.
– Amy Mistretta
Monday, November 23rd, 2020
Veteran actor Thaao Penghlis will make another return to Days of Our Lives as Tony DiMera. In the Days of Our Lives winter promo, the character is shown making a toast with Anna upon their arrival back in Salem. Not too long ago we heard Tony mentioned when Chad told Steve that he and Tony destroyed the Stefano chip. Could it be the chip wasn’t destroyed at all and Tony still has it, or will this simply be a visit home for the holidays? Time will tell!
Penghlis’ character was last seen on Tuesday, April 21 when Tony and Anna left Salem. On Thursday, October 22, the actor posted a photo on his Instagram with Billy Flynn captioned, “The DiMera brothers. Stirring. Long May they live.”
He followed up with a post of him and Leann Hunley and teased, “Anna and Tony will they live happily ever after? Of course it’s always magic time. Let’s dance.”
Penghlis’ most recent nod to his Days of Our Lives family was in a photo with fellow, longtime castmates Deidre Hall and Lauren Koslow, to which he remarked, “Two of our best. Happy Days are here again.” We can’t wait to see what happens in Salem this holiday season!
Penghlis has played the role of Tony, as well as Andre DiMera, since 1981 and his recent return is likely brief. In the meantime, join us for a walk down memory lane by viewing our gallery of DiMera Family photos — from the first generation through the last.
– Amy Mistretta
Monday, November 23rd, 2020
“Merry Christmas, Will,” says Allie in Days of Our Lives’ action-packed winter promo (which you can watch in full below). But it’s more like, “Merry Christmas, everybody” since she’s welcoming beloved vet Chandler Massey back to Salem as Lucas and Sami’s son. He’s the present for which we dared not even hope!
When the three-time Daytime Emmy winner spoke with Soaps.com this summer ahead of his then-imminent exit with longtime leading man Freddie Smith (Sonny), he admitted that he was bummed to be leaving the sudser, “because I’m gonna miss the people there. And it’ll always be my family.
More: Days’ Ben gets a Christmas miracle
“But I started in 2009,” he hastened to add, “so it’s been 10 years, so I don’t mind the opportunity to try something new.”
And obviously, goodbye doesn’t necessarily mean forever, especially not on a soap opera. “The door is never closed entirely,” Massey said. And, of all people, he should know, right, considering that his legacy character was recast with Guy Wilson, and Will was subsequently killed off in 2015, only to be resurrected with Massey back in the role two years later.
More: The feud that could tear Salem apart
Castmate Smith isn’t seen in the promo, but we can still hold out hope that Sonny will also swing through Salem for the holidays. As he told Soaps.com over the summer, “I like to look at it as they’re resting our characters, and we could potentially come back. I feel fortunate to never have been rested in nine years!”
While you’re here, review all of the Days of Our Lives cast members who are returning to the show via a photo album full of faves.
– Charlie Mason
Sunday, November 22nd, 2020
It looks like Days of Our Lives’ Ben will get his Christmas wish — and so will many fans — when he is reunited with wife Ciara just in time for the holidays. According to a new winter preview video teasing a slew of twist, turns and comebacks, as Ben joins the Horton family for the annual decorating of their tree, Ciara is there to guide him (although, unless we miss our guess, it’s only in spirit).
You’ll recall that after being kidnapped by a vengeance-seeking Vincent, Ciara wound up being murdered… or so her grieving husband has been told. But this being Salem, where death is more a detour than a final destination on one’s life journey, we’re more than a bit skeptical about Vincent’s story.
While most viewers associate Konefal with the role, she’s actually the fifth actress to walk in Ciara’s heels, having inherited the part from Vivian Jovanni in 2017. But it was after the character was paired with Robert Scott Wilson’s Ben that the actress realized she’d suddenly become part of a supercouple. “It was kind of wild,” she recently told Soaps.com during an exclusive chat. “Supercouple status is not easily obtainable on a soap opera, so to be deemed that is the greatest honor.”
More: Look who else is returning to Salem!
It was at the height of the couple’s popularity that news broke of Konefal’s impending departure early this summer. But even in confirming her exit to our sister site Deadline, she left the door open for returns down the line. “I would love the opportunity to continue working with my castmates in the future,” she admitted, “but at this time, I will not be returning as a full-time cast member.”
Even then, it was the words “full-time cast member” which gave fans hope that in one form or another, both Konefal and Ciara would return. True to her word, the actress visited the set long enough to tape scenes in which a grieving Ben was comforted by a vision of his wife during episodes that aired in October.
So what leads us to believe that Ciara’s Christmas appearance is more about Ben’s imagination than her actually walking through the door? First, there’s Konefal’s rather definitive statements about not wanting to do more than appearances at this time. There’s also the fact that the preview-packed promo focuses fairly heavily on other returnees — including Will, Chloe and Joey — celebrating with their loved ones while the sad look on Ben’s face makes it pretty clear he is not feeling the holiday cheer, even as Ciara’s hand touches his.
In any case, we’ll happily take Konefal and her much-loved alter ego in any form we can get them for as long as we can have them. Meanwhile, as we count down to their visit, why not join us in reliving Ciara’s tumultuous life in Salem?
– Richard Simms
Sunday, November 22nd, 2020
No four words can ever have sounded sweeter in the slightest to Days of Our Lives’ Joey Johnson than the ones that he hears in the NBC soap’s winter promo: “You’re free to go.”
In other words, James Lastovic is returning to the role that he left behind in 2017. (You can watch the spoiler-filled video in its entirety below.)
Fans of the daytime drama will recall that the son of Steve and Kayla has been cooling his jets behind bars since being sent up the river for the murder of Dad’s whackadoo ex, Ava Vitali. But since she isn’t nearly as dead as was believed — Emmy-winning portrayer Tamara Braun is back in action — she doesn’t have a killer, meaning that obviously, Joey no longer has to do the jailhouse rock.
Back in 2015, Lastovic inherited the pivotal part of the iconic supercouple’s offspring from Jadon Wells, the son of Dan Wells, who’d previously appeared on the show as Sami’s male alter ego, Stan. When Joey was sentenced to serve hard time, Lastovic was let go.
Since making his exit from Salem, the up-and-comer has appeared in nearly a dozen episodes of Netflix’s Insatiable and, per IMDb, shot a black comedy titled This Game’s Called Murder, with Vanessa Marano (ex-Eden, The Young and the Restless).
While you’re here and clearly stoked about Days of Our Lives’ future, why not take a trip through its past by reviewing an epic photo album of the sudser’s 55-year history? Get popcorn; the pictures will wait.
– Charlie Mason
Sunday, November 22nd, 2020
Camila Banus is set to make her way back to Day of Our Lives as Gabi Hernandez DiMera during the week of November 23, as confirmed by Soap Opera Digest. Gabi’s return will be explosive, as she discovers some things have changed with the current inhabitants of the DiMera mansion, some that might be scandalous and downright shocking. Banus shared a tease from behind-the-scenes with Brandon Barash (Jake) on October 15 and captioned it, “Just a little love from Gabi and Jake or Camila and Brandon.”
The NBC soap actress left after a decade in the role, however it turned out to be temporary. Banus’ exit from Days of Our Lives was announced the week of July 27 with her last airdate Friday, August 28. For now, browse our photo gallery of Gabi’s most memorable moments.
– Candace Young
Friday, November 20th, 2020
The wait is finally over fans, and Galen Gering will be back on Days of Our Lives as Rafe Hernandez beginning the week of November 23, as reported by Soap Opera Digest. On October 7, the actor took to Instagram to post a video walking through the NBC studios and confirmed that he was back taping scenes as Rafe. The star expressed, “Feels great to be back at work, seeing old friends and creating new stories. Excited about the stuff to come and incredibly impressed how these people continue to take our health and well being seriously. Thank you @nbcdays @hairandmakeupfordays.”
Gering was last seen when Rafe left Salem with Eddie and Gabi on August 28. Though he was set to leave Days for good, the actor confirmed via his Instagram that he would be staying on the NBC soap opera and stated, “I’m back,” after news came August 18 that Gering would remain at Days of Our Lives in a role he created in 2008. While we wait for him to reappear in Salem, take a look at our photo gallery featuring Rafe as a father figure, protector and failed romancer.
– Amy Mistretta
Friday, November 20th, 2020
Heather Lindell has wrapped up her return to Days of Our Lives as Jan Spears, as reported by Soap Opera Digest. Salem’s bad girl first appeared in 2004 and blew back into town on September 2 when Sami called her as a witness against Nicole during the custody case for Allie’s baby. Since then she befriended Claire, which Belle and Shawn had a real issue with considering Jan is her sworn enemy, not to mention the fact that she drugged then locked Shawn in a cage years ago. However, there’s still a lot of drama ahead, just waiting to explode around the corner…
Stay tuned for Lindell’s last airdate on Tuesday November 24. Though it’s highly unlikely her character will ever be redeemed, take a look at others who have been in our photo gallery of Days of Our Lives baddies gone good.
– Amy Mistretta
Friday, November 20th, 2020
Tamara Braun will make her big return to Days of Our Lives as Ava Vitali on Friday November 13, as reported by Soap Opera Digest. Back on September 2, we reported that the actress was returning to Days of Our Lives as Ava Vitali this fall. The character was last seen in March 2016 when Joey Johnson smothered Ava with a pillow. Stay tuned for her first air date. Prior to Days, the actress played Carly Corinthos on General Hospital from 2001 to 2005 then returned to the ABC soap opera as Dr. Kim Nero from 2017 to 2019. She also appeared on All My Children as Reese Williams in 2008 until 2009.
Could Ava change her ways upon this return to Salem? Take a look at our gallery of Days of Our Lives baddies turned good to see if you agree if it’s a possibility.
– Amy Mistretta
Friday, November 6th, 2020
