DAYS OF OUR LIVES Comings and Goings: The Biggest Casting Shockers Ever!

In the early '90s, DAYS headwriter at the time, the late James E. Reilly, was so taken with the talents of Eileen Davidson as Kristen that he scripted a wild second role for her, the wacky Susan Banks, a Kristen look-alike who eventually schemed to take over Kristen’s life! In addition, he added three other roles for the actress: Sister Mary Moira, Thomas, and Penelope. Playing all those different characters earned Davidson a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in 1998.

Chandler Massey’s portrayal of Will Horton as a young man coming to terms with his sexuality was an acclaimed storyline that turned Will and boyfriend Sonny into a supercouple fans nicknamed “WilSon.” Some viewers were upset when Massey left the soap and Guy Wilson took over the role in 2014 just in time to see Will and Sonny tie the knot. But even more upsetting to fans was when Will was shockingly killed off in 2015 just before the soap’s 50th anniversary!

As part of DAYS supercouple Bo and Hope, Peter Reckell became a fan favorite opposite Kristian Alfonso. In 1992, the soap replaced him with Robert Kelker-Kelly, but Reckell returned again in 1995, continuing to air until 2012. The popular actor returned to DAYS in 2015 for the soap’s 50th anniversary, but unfortunately, it was revealed that he had an inoperable brain tumor, and the hero ultimately died in Hope’s arms, leaving legions of fans devastated.

Alison Sweeney took over the role of Sami Brady from child actors in 1993 and nothing was ever the same in Salem again! Sami developed into a schemer and a character fans loved to hate. But after two decades on the soap, Sweeney decided to step down and explore other opportunities. Although Sweeney exited in October of 2014, she returned for a brief stint to be part of DAYS’ 50th anniversary celebration, although as Sami was mourning the tragic murder of her son, Will, there wasn’t much celebrating…

In 2004, DAYS left fans absolutely shocked when the Salem Stalker began cutting a swath of destruction through the town, murdering Abe, Jack, Maggie, Caroline, Cassie, Roman, Tony, Doug, and even the beloved Alice! Even more startling was the revelation that the serial killer was Marlena! Thankfully for viewers, DAYS backpedalled and eventually revealed that all the victims were actually alive and being held prisoner on an island, and Marlena wasn't a murderer after all!

Jack and Jennifer became one of DAYS’ most popular supercouples, in no small part due to the talents of their charming portrayers, Matthew Ashford and Melissa Reeves. Unfortunately, Ashford, who had joined the soap back in 1987 and come and gone periodically throughout the years, was written out for good in 2012 when Jack was killed when he sacrificed his own life to save Abigail as explosions rocked a town celebration. Fans were left heartbroken, and Jack’s handful of recent appearances as a ghost or in the dreams of his loved ones hasn’t been enough to ease their pain.

Jensen Ackles played Eric Brady as a young man from 1997-2000, but in 2012, daytime vet Greg Vaughan (ex-Lucky, GH; ex-Diego, Y&R) stepped into the role as Eric returned to Salem as a priest. Unable to resist his feelings for Nicole, Eric ultimately gave up the priesthood. But the drama came to an end when Vaughan left the soap in 2015 to join the cast of the primetime series QUEEN SUGAR. Thankfully for his fans, Vaughan eventually announced his return to DAYS so that the drama could continue in 2017!

Deidre Hall was immediately popular when she joined DAYS as Dr. Marlena Evans in 1976. However, the soap didn’t realize this until 1979 when it appeared that Marlena was going to be killed off and there was a massive fan protest! So when the Salem Strangler murdered Marlena, it was revealed that he’d actually killed her twin sister Samantha, played by Evans’ real-life twin, Andrea Hall!

Jack and Jennifer’s daughter, Abigail, became a breakout character when Kate Mansi took over the role in 2011. The Romeo and Juliet-style pairing of Abigail and Chad proved very popular with fans, who were upset when Mansi chose to leave the soap in 2016. Five months after Mansi’s exit, Marci Miller debuted in the role of Abigail, earning her own group of fans.

When new DAYS headwriters Dena Higley and Ryan Quan came on board in 2016, they shook things up by announcing that Brandon Beemer’s Shawn, Martha Madison’s Belle, Sal Stowers’ Lani and Marie Wilson’s Summer would all be written off the show. The loss of Shawn and Belle was most devastating to longterm fans as Beemer and Madison had recently returned for DAYS’ 50th anniversary. Although in daytime, exits aren’t always permanent, with Madison revealing in early 2017 that she would soon be back in Salem!

DAYS fans who had grown fond of Jen Lilley’s portrayer of Shane and Kimberly’s daughter, Theresa, were saddened when the actress revealed her decision to leave the soap in 2016 after just three years. Thankfully for Lilley’s supporters, as the actress’ final episodes were airing in November, she admitted she would “always be open” to reprising the role in the future.

DAYS scored a casting coup when it snagged the talented OLTL vet Kassie DePaiva (Blair) to play troublemaker Eve Donovan in 2014. The role was originated by Charlotte Ross in 1987, but hadn’t been seen on air since 1991. Although DePaiva was let go after a just a year, she briefly reprised her role in the fall of 2016, and finally returned in December of that year, hopefully for a good long stay!

Click here to see some of Kate Mansi's most stunning hairstyles over the years!