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What Happened to Daniel Jonas on DAYS OF OUR LIVES

Just as in real life, characters who die on soap operas may be gone but they’re never forgotten. (Also in soaps, sometimes they come back to life!) So whenever Dr. Daniel Jonas is mentioned on DAYS OF OUR LIVES, some viewers might find themselves wondering who this guy is they’re talking about. Or maybe you just need to refresh your memory. Either way, we’re here to help! The character first appeared in March of 2016, played by actor Shawn Christian. Although Daniel was killed off in 2016, he’s made a couple of additional appearances as a ghost (see what we mean?). 

A world-traveling physician, Daniel was brought to Salem by his godfather, Victor Kiriakis, to save Bo Brady’s life when he required a pancreas transplant. His skills landed him a job at Salem University Hospital, and he also started a romance with Bo’s daughter, Chelsea. Unfortunately, he had a brief fling with Kate Roberts, and when Chelsea found out she dumped him. Daniel continued seeing Kate, and even saved her life when she was diagnosed with lung cancer.

Days of Our Lives Chelsea Daniel
“Hey Chelsea, wanna play doctor?”Paul Skipper/jpistudios.com

Daniel next developed serious feelings for Chloe Lane, who was engaged to Lucas Roberts. When Kate dumped him, Daniel turned to Chloe and they continued seeing each other even after she married Lucas! A jealous Kate poisoned Chloe and set Daniel up to take the fall. Although he was arrested, while out on bail, the doc saved Chloe’s life and the charges were dropped. Chloe divorced Lucas and became engaged to Daniel.

When Carly Manning returned to Salem in 2009, it was revealed that after a one night stand, Daniel was the father of her daughter, Melanie Layton. As Daniel tried to get to know his child, Chloe mistakenly thought he was having an affair with Carly, and cheated on him with Phillip Kiriakis. When Chloe got pregnant, she was relieved when a paternity test indicated Daniel to be the father. The couple were married in the park in October of 2010 and a few weeks later, Chloe gave birth to her son, Parker. But at the baptism, Caroline Brady admitted she’d switched the results and Phillip was the real babydaddy.

Days of Our Lives Daniel Chloe Wedding
Hey, at least Chloe didn’t give birth during the wedding!Paul Skipper/jpistudios.com

Devastated, Daniel divorced Chloe and found happiness dating Jennifer Horton. But he was confused when she suddenly dumped him. She claimed she was doing it because Carly had feelings for him, and she didn’t want to interfere, but he declared he and Carly would never be more than friends. However, later, he also learned that Carly had a dangerous addiction to pills, and was angry that Jennifer left that part out. After Carly went to rehab, Daniel and Jennifer got back together. Well, until her ex-husband, Jack Deveraux, returned!

Daniel also learned that his parents had used an egg donor to conceive him, and the eggs had been stolen from Maggie Horton, making her his biological mom. But the doctor began experiencing hand tremors that kept him from performing surgery. He left town to get his head together and when he returned, he got wrapped up in Nicole Walker’s scheme to keep her baby from EJ DiMera. But their charade soon became real and he began having genuine feelings for her. Unfortunately, he also loved Jennifer, which made Nicole super jealous.

After Nicole miscarried, she had a fight with Jennifer and when she fell down the stairs and the doctors declared her baby dead, she blamed Jen. But Daniel discovered the truth and confronted Nicole. He tried to move on with Jennifer, but Chloe came back with Parker and revealed he was really Daniel’s son after all. Chloe also wanted him back, and tried to force Jennifer to give Daniel up. She failed, but then J.J. Deveraux came back to Salem and didn’t approve of his mother’s new boyfriend. But when he partied with Theresa Donovan and she almost died from an overdose, Daniel saved her life and protected J.J. 

DAYS Nicole Daniel
Nicole had to say a tearful goodbye to her love.Howard Wise/jpistudios.com

Theresa tried and failed to seduce Daniel, so when someone tried to ruin Jennifer’s reputation, he quickly blamed her. But the real guilty party, Liam Frazer, drugged Daniel with opiates and nearly cost him his job. Liam was dangerously obsessed with Jennifer, and Daniel came to her rescue. But they soon split up and Daniel went back to Nicole. The couple were preparing to marry on Valentine’s Day but Daniel was tragically killed in a car crash. Brady Black, who was driving, needed a heart transplant, and Maggie tearfully agreed to donate Daniel’s heart to him.

Since his untimely death, Daniel has appeared in flashbacks and as a ghostly visitor. His legacy also continues in Holly, his and Nicole’s daughter that Chloe carried as a surrogate. And as long as there are people in Salem to remember him, Daniel will never truly be gone.

For more DAYS news, keep reading Soaps In Depth magazine!

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