Days Of Our Lives
DAYS Decimates Will Horton! Should Ben Have Brutally Murdered This Once Legacy Character?
Courtesy/NBC
It came as no surprise after months of speculation, and of course confirmation in this week’s Soap Opera Digest (on newsstands now), that Days of our Lives Killer Ben (Rob Scott Wilson) would take the life of Will Horton (Guy Wilson) as his next victim.
And on Friday’s episode of the NBC soap opera, the scenes finally played themselves that when all was said in done, snuffed out the life of this once important character to the Salem canvas, and of the LGBT community. The character also helped the soap earn GLAAD Awards, Daytime Emmys, and gave them a press angle they had not been able to utilize before. More importantly. it showcased that a core family in town could have a gay child among them, and how the themes of love and acceptance were played out.
If you have not seen today’s (Friday) episode please do not read any further.
In story, Will is at Ben’s apartment waiting for the cable repair man to help his cousin Abby (Kate Mansi), who went to support her fiance’, who is dealing with the news that his father Clyde (James Read) has been arrested as a drug Lord at the Salem PD. However, while Will is alone, he is shooting paper balls into a trashcan near Ben’s bed from the couch, and then later picking them up. It is then he finds a red necktie in the trashcan. Ben happens to come home and sees that Will has the tie, and he becomes increasingly frightening! Ben is feeling like he has been caught! When Will tries to leave after getting the creeps from Ben, he is thrown into the refrigrator and knocked out! Next, in a harrowing moment, Ben takes the necktie and strangles the life out of Will. He then stuffs Will’s body in what looks to be body/laundry bag. The scene transistions, and we see that Ben has brought Will back to his apartment, making it look like Will was a victim of a struggle or a break-in. Finally, Ben drapes the red necktie around Will’s neck and leaves to go back home to Abby. In the end, it is Gabi (Camila Banus) who walks in and finds Will’s lifeless body, as she lets out a blood curdling scream.
Mixed-emotions are running high today on social media. Many, who did not like the character turn under the writing regime of former DAYS scribes Gary Tomlin and Chris Whitesell, now felt bad that the new regime of Josh Griffith and Dena Higley, killed Will off. Still others have wanted the character gone for quite some time, since they never took to Guy Wilson’s portrayal of him, which got even more intense once the series made the character pretty dispiscable. It was a far cry from the Will Horton who came out, and was written with such emotional heart and intensity, and played at that time in touching performances by eventual three-time Daytime Emmy winner, Chandler Massey. Will’s murder also marked the end of the line for the couple known and beloved as WilSon. First, came Freddie Smith’s (Sonny) decision to exit the series, and now the storyline-dictated move of Guy Wilson’s departure.
Courtesy./NBC
Alison Sweeney (Sami) who returns next week to DAYS, shared her thoughts with SOD on killing her on-screen son Will: “He’s a legacy character. Marlena’s grandson. Another child Sami lost, and he was on the canvas the whole time.” Sweeney went on to to say: “I feel like that makes a difference: the audience grew up with him. And yes, he was written into a corner there at the end, and it was heartbreaking.”
The story picks-up next week where in the latest DAYS promo from NBC (you can view below). It features grieving parents, Sami and Lucas (Bryan Dattilo) seeing Will in the morgue, and Ben going beserk and almost killing Chad (Billy Flynn)!
So, what did you think of the decision to kill off Will Horton, and letting go of Guy Wilson? Was the character boxed into a corner and therefore needed to die? If you witnessed the episode, what did you think of the murder scenes? With DAYS renewed focus on popular couples of the past, and big returns generating story and heat for their golden anniversary run, were they right to axe the character? Was the Will viewers knew and loved ruined in the writing? How do you feel about the loss of two of major gay characters from the canvas, leaving only Paul Narita (Christopher Sean)? Share your thoughts and theories in the comment section below!
The murder was disgustingly brutal. It shows to me that it’s the end of the line for “Days.” If you plan on keeping a series around for 10, 20 years, you don’t kill off a key legacy character that unites families, a character the audience saw grow up on screen, a groundbreaking character, and an interesting character with many layers (albeit not written very well as of late). You only do shock deaths like that if you are just trying to get as many eyeballs as possible to wring out every last advertising dollar before the show bites the dust. I still cannot believe someone thought it was a good idea to show the actual strangulation and moment of death. It wasn’t entertaining, it was horrifying. This incredibly shortsighted decision caused me to lose faith in the new writers and interest in watching. As for the character being written into a corner, um, the story of redemption is a story that never grows tired, and this was a character in need of redemption. There were plenty of ways to go with it. When the history of “Days” is written, there will be a huge section on the contribution the character of Will Horton made to society and its treatment and acceptance of gay men, especially people’s gay children. Ben will be a minor footnote — probably mentioned only as the forgettable character who killed Will Horton. The whole thing is a crying shame.
I so agree with you why would they kill Will please they have to bring him back.
Ted Corday has repeatedly said that all those killed by the necktie killer will be permanently dead. They will not be brought back to life. Corday has also said more than one legacy character will die.
They may not be coming back, but guess what, neither will a huge portion of DAYS’ fan base.
this is F%$#@ED up!!!!!!!! the writes on days of our lives should be fired if they don’t bring back Will. make the mother or father hit his chest so he can come back to life !! Now!!, perhaps his father should be strangled because he abused both of his kids. if you don’t bring back Will i will boycott the days of our lives show and stop watching it ( i have been a faithful watcher for 30 years , i said 30 years) i will make sure all my friends and pure and simple strangers will stop watching the show. this is exactly why the show doesn’t win too many awards because of incompetent writers . they should bring will back and maybe reconnect him with his child’s mother or send him away but bring him back NOWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!. the writes are out of there mind by the way you kinda ruin an actors career. fyi to the writers you know you done messed up don’t you !? you just lost at least a quarter of you fan base. stop the killing and make characters be more promiscuous with each other rather then killing will. i want will back on Tuesdays episode now please . and i can be a better writer and more creative. you hurt my mother and her friend just today. stop hurting peoples feelings for a pay check earn it honestly and make Ur faithful watchers happy or poof 30 years down the drain . i want will back now! thank you and take me seriously please
I’m some glad he’s back on Days again now !
Obviously, these writers live in a bubble and are unaware of fans horrified reaction and their outrage to the brutal and violent murder of Frankie Frame on Another World.
True, they sure didn’t show Serena nor Paige being killed.
For those of us who were too young to be aware of Another World who was Frankie Frame.
Frankie Frame was a main character on Another World. She too was strangled to death and the scenes were vivid and violent. (They are on Youtube if you need to see them). Her death – and the brutality of it – outraged fans.
I do remember when Frankie Frame was killed, I was so young and annoyed that i allowed myself to watch that, very traumatizing and just stupid writing. I did not want to watch Wil die, and did not. I am only reading about it. I understand why from a writer’s POV they killed him off because of the mileage they will get with bringing back core characters. I don’t like seeing Bo tortured and won’t watch if we just took a stand maybe the tortuous scenes would be toned down. I get it all i just think there could be another storyline that would have the same impact!
Nineteen years later, I am STILLtraumatized by how they killed off Frankie Frame. I’m glad someone else mentioned it. I knew I couldn’t be the only one disgusted that another show would make the same mistake.
Another World was off the air less than three years after that debacle. Just sayin’. 🙁
Sonniorsolita I agree with everything you said. I didn’t even bother to watch the past few days since I knew it was coming. Its clear this new writing regime is not interested in anything remotely gay. Dena Higley pretty much said Paul is not a character they are really interested in. Will was truly a legacy character. I think of all those good scenes he had with Sonny..Kate..Sami..EJ..and Marlena. Days did NOT have to do this.
I was happy Will is off, but even I have to say that murder scene was pretty brutal of an exit. No long time character should got that treatment, especially in this time of real life violence.
the serial murder mystery is;
what slayed me… is the brutal… did it have to happen… with such viciousness and unnerving pummel ??? i dont’ even know how to verbalize… (OK)
unnerving pummel of Chad ??? so now.. he’s coma… so ??? this let’s the audience think that Ben’s character has an all out let to further get reaction from the oncoming onslaught of victim? that his character can decimate and massacre more victim?
“I cried” for Sami… yeah, it cuts close to home.. that a parent… any parent… would go through this
the character of Will was forefront… and it had nothing to do with Guy Wilson characterization any more… it was my dear Will… laying waste
this core familial bond let
this core character that brought life to an otherwise unrecognized unfeatured unearthed LGBT Marquee…. yeah… I cried
I cried with heartache
I cried that his character will be missed
I cried that missing in action… Will and Sonny… who carried DAYS has been dismissed…. that will be adamantly disclosed if Paul is backburnered
I’m thankful…and that’s not a relinquish of judgment… I’m adamant that NBC / Sony / and DAYS address this… vehemently…
I can’t even think past this… as each character demise reel
it’s going to be pain and anguish to watch Sami and Lucas (Sonny, plus)… REAL their character… and they will… what a huge loss
I really should put out their… what’s the difference of beating to near death… Chad…and murdering Will ? along the lines of keeping in story… ?
viciously beating to death without intent to murder ?
seems inhumane to me… moreso than intent to murder…
it just impacted me the difference
I totally agree with all that has been said… How much longer do we have to endure Ben not being caught? I mean… come on writers! This story line has become as brutally violent as some of the Prime Time shows. Enough already!!! Depriving Chad of his child, and watching 2 criminals (Clyde and Ben) come to town and watch their mental disorders rear rheir ugly heads! Paranoia,low self esteem, and brutality does not make a good story line. Get these 2 out of Salem for good!
@sonniorsolita
I agree with your entire post. However, if Corday is to be believed Will is not the only legacy character to be killed off. There are rumors that Bo Brady will also be killed off. Peter Reckell didn’t like the way Bo was written off Days when he left. Apparently, Peter agreed to return for only a few weeks to give closure. So if Peter is really done with Bo then Corday has only two options: recast Bo or kill him. I hate both options.
Yeah it’s looking like Bo will be killed off since the actor doesn’t want to be on there long term. I think that sucks because I don’t think Hope works well with anyone besides Bo. I’d rather have him recast than killed off.
While the actors certainly stepped up to this difficult moment in Days history, I TOTALLY AGREE with all sonniorsolita wrote. I’ve watched Days for over 35 years and have never felt horrified (and not in an entertaining way–as in a horror film) by what was on screen until the episode of 10/9/2015.
This was a sad reminder of the finale of “Reid Oliver” on ATWT, shortly before that show ended. In addition to killing the character in an awful way, it made the gay s/l the only one with a sad ending when the show concluded.
I disagree on the point of matter regarding how brutal this was.
The scene had an almost dream like quality – suddenly the apt is next to sign that spills red then green light through the window. Wasn’t there before and was only there now for effect.
The filming and edits were a series of cutaway. Ben has a necktie he wraps around his hands. Cut to Will on floor with the necktie.
NOT brutal. Implied. Your mind is allowed to connect moments. Old trick.
The affection for the character is real and the loss feels great. Almost brutal. But the scene as filmed wasn’t marked by excessive violence. Nighttime tv – say the torture scenes on Scandal – are much much much worse.
That light has been there many many times. Lol. Have you been watching?
I agree with you, Torqumada. I have been saying all along that it seems Ben is in a dream-like state. I am no psychiatrist, but he is in a daze-sort-of-unreality. Also, he does derive gratification from killing….specifically strangling. This tells me he gets off watching his victims slowly expire, as they draw their last breath. He loves the power he has over them. He definitely gets turned on by taking a life because he goes straight to wanting sex….as soon as Abby walks in he is already sexually aroused. Am I the only one to have noticed this? I remember reading an article about something called LUST MURDER, if I remember correctly.
Anyway, my nine year old niece has it all figured out. She said that Ben will go to Chad’s hospital room and try to finish him off. Suddenly Abby bursts in and declares, “You’re the killer?” She’s 9…. Out of the mouth of babes.
Goes to show the fans that DOOL is definitely. Going to sheyit &downhill & to hell quickly. One less fan is fading away fast.
Me to Ginger, I will never watch this soap again. I hope nbc cancel Days of our Lives next year. It won’t get renewed.
Great comment and I agree with you.The new regime sound as narrow minded and homophobic as that disgusting “religious” group that protested Matthew Sheppard’s funeral.I think Guy Wilson did the best job he could with the material he was given.To have Will murdered so brutally is the slap in the face for those who watched this young man bravely step out the closet and find love.I will gladly toast the Soap Diva when they cancel this show.
I disagree. The murder of Will for me was along the lines of an Alfred Hitchcock movie and like film noir. I thought it was appropriate. It was good drama and it is exactly what Days Of Our Lives needed. I don’t want to see the gay storyline end, but let’s see what the new writers have in mind. Yes, the murder was shocking, but it looked heavily edited too. If this murder would have been on a primetime special, it would have lasted longer and could have been more graphic.
“… The murder of Will for me was along the lines of an Alfred Hitchcock movie and like film noir. ”
I tip my hat to
Ben’ Character… has been nuancing his acting skill
when he finished his deed
and with his left hand… was pounding on the table leg… and “vocaling” ???? crying… pain, anguish, … ???
it was well done
this is not one dimensional… complacent…
a riveting well done “film Noir”
and Robert Scott Wilson… is beyond measure… meeting expectation
But, the key word here ,James, is DAYTIME. This is a soap; not ‘ une pellicule noire’. With all due respect, there are children in some households who watch soaps. That scene was obnoxious, …..thank God we monitor what parts of the show the kids are allowed to watch.
Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Frenzy’ gave me nightmares, James! I’m so happy DAYS’ necktie victims weren’t discovered with their tongues sticking out!
4ever DAYS, I’ve have seen Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy (1972) many times. Thank goodness Ben didn’t get on top of him and say “lovely”.
That would have been the cable version.
I haven’t watched the episode yet; but, yesterday’s episode where Chad and Ben fight in Ben’s apartment was extremely brutal too-I thought. I couldn’t continue to watch it. It just doesn’t make sense to me that Ben is the serial killer. When he was first introduced to the audience, he was shy and seemed to oppose violence against women. (although, he was played by a different actor at the time). I guess obsessive “love” and infatuation changes a person-into a psychotic serial killer. (albeit, not the brightest one-he did leave a red neck tie in the garbage can, and his trash bag of evidence is floating above water in the Salem river somewhere)…I’m not upset that Guy Wilson has departed the show. I think it was the right move to have the actor depart; not sure if it was the right move to have a legacy character murdered. Oh well…
Excuse me that this reply is months later, I agree 100%. If this show is not really over, now I’m quitting watching. The scene today when Ben strangled Chad, was the limit. This scene, like Will’s killing, was completely uncalled for, brutal, viciously cruel, and added nothing to the plot since he ‘let him live’ – in order to set them on fire. It’s my hunch that the executive writer(s) are vividly living out some sick personal fantasy as this theme of graphic onscreen snuff scenes continues. – If these scenes were posted to FB they’d be banned for graphic violence. These scenes and plots couldn’t happen without perverted sick minded writers who desire to manipulate viewers’ affections.
I felt today’s show was excellent. Yes, it was sad that a character that has been on the show for a long time was killed, but in real life, don’t we all die? Hopefully not murdered, but we do die. As for being brutal, to me, not really. I thought Marlena’s attack was much worse. I have faith in the new writers and with what I have seen so far, the show is 100% better then it was with the other writers. I have read so many people in the past complain about the character of Will and how he’s changed or complained about the actor himself. Now that he’s gone, everyone is having a fit. You can’t have it both ways. I think we should all just see how this all plays out. This is what makes a soap opera so great, DRAMA!
I really have to prop; the actor’ Ben (Robert Scott Wilson)
he has this outlying veneer of mask… that’s disarming…
it’s not one dimensional… what is triggering this outrage ? this maniacal feast as it were? this storm of lust… his burgeoning release ?
dang
Wow!
Absolutely, Patrick. Robert is doing such a sensational job. WOW!…. he even looks the part. But, all things must come to an end. I am sure he has a great career ahead of him.
Have you noticed how he gets the urge to taste more blood whenever he holds Abby and/or has flashes of his kill? Classic sign of a serial killer. As I said, he gets a high from it. (Quasi-Dahmer?).
Now, we wait and see how long it will take him to go to hospital and kill Chad. Who will catch him in the act? Abby, as my niece suggests? But, my little niece will not be allowed to watch that scene.
Well, Mr. Fairman, your question has been discussed already! Many times. So, again, this legacy character should not have been killed. I wish I understood the stupid move. It just makes no sense to me.
Ben was really creepy. I felt his power over poor, docile Will. I felt so sorry for him….like a scared little bird. Until today, I thought Ben committed these murders not from rage, but from a need…..I sensed a disconnect. But, today, his actions….distinct, methodical, diabolical, calculated tell me otherwise. He’s jus b-b-b-bad to the core of his essence. He does do it out of a momentary rage…he pounces instantly…..
Afterwards, he knows he’s ‘done’ wrong…..but he covers his tracks with keen precision, unthinkingly, by rote. It’s as routine as putting his coat on and off……Which tells me, he has been doing this for a long time….since he killed his mother…LOL…Yeah, I still believe that. He also gets a high from it and then when he comes to earth he is sexually aroused. I think that’s typical for crazy, diabolical killers. Psychology class…LOL.
I held on to the hope that Will’s death would just be a rumor; but, man, was I shocked, albeit I should have been prepared. No fair, writers!!!! shame on you.
I wish I could interview the writers …..WHY DID YOU KILL WILL OFF.?!?!?!?!.
hey CeeCee..
I read the writers do not kill characters, not usually if at all.
The director, producer and network suites decide who lives and dies by how much the actors are used or by high salaries. They let whomever go and tell the writers to write him/her out,.. crazy stuff..
It may not be a fact, just mentioning it..
and– soap characters never die, even when they die they do not die .. 🙂
That’s so true, su. But, whoever decides to kill off a legacy character, especially the only young character who carries the Horton name, needs to wise-up. Lol.
I want Ben and Abigail still have their wedding day…As they open their wedding gifts, Abigail is confused and Ben is shocked and nervous…all their gifts are neckties! Then, as they cut their cake, blood squirts out and drenches both bride and groom…a horrified Ben turns to his bride and guests…they are all dead and have neckties tied around their necks! Ben awakens in bed, startled by his dream and sweating profusely, hears an eerie voice asking, “Why did you do it?”, he slowly turns to discovery a dead Will in bed with him! Then Ben wakes up from this second nightmare to find a cheerful Abigail has prepared breakfast in bed and announcing ,”its their wedding day.” She notices Ben is shaky and sweaty, remarks, “Pre-wedding jitters, huh!”…lol
Wow! Jimh; are you sure you weren’t Lon Chaney in a past life? Just kidding. But, I must say, I love it….your imagination deserves an Academy Award for best visual. Strangely enough, that is a feasible scenarios, Jim.
Thanks CeeCee, i actually take that Lon Chaney comparison as a compliment…i grew up watching many of his movies and all those other classic horror movies!
I meant it as a compliment, dear friend…you’re the best. And, your keen observations and comedic comments are right on cue.
5@Marius.
Hi, Marius.
I just had to reply to your comment. I sooooo agree with you. If TPTB want to bring him back, they could. It may easily be written in that, on the way to the morgue, or the hospital, Will was revived, but, is in a coma…….the investigating team decided to keep it hush hush as to not alert the killer.
This is so pathetic…..of all people. I guess Will was not considered an integral part of the show. Why? Because ‘they’ decided to make Abby so important. Well, because of her, people are getting killed. This character makes me want to grit my teeth.
As you said; send Will away for a time, or something. But, don’t kill him off. Everyone I know who watches Days is up in arms about his ‘death’.
I have watched Days on and off for a while and what drew me back was the wonderful way they wrote the Will coming out storyline and the WilSon love story. I love soaps and know that drama happens and when Will cheated on Sonny, it added layers to them both…but I believe the writers wrote Will into a corner! He became so one dimensional and so manulative, not wanting to take responsibility for his wrongdoing. There was so much room for redemption….I believe if they wanted to get rid of Will…they should have gotten him back to that place where he was when he first came out and let him and Sonny work things out or not…and he could have moved away to be with Sonny or moved away to heal after losing Sonny…..maybe been attacked like Marlena, but survive. I believe killing Will was and is a very big mistake. I agree with Ali Sweeney as she mentioned in SOD….it’s heartbreaking! I look forward to how Sami, Lucas and Sonny handle the news, but I believe after Will’s funeral…I may be done with Days…..
He did take responsibility. He’s blamed himself over and over.
Make a list of DOOL characters and what they have done and then compare Will’s actions. It is just crazy to see his actions as worse than the majority. Most have cheated and lied and schemed.
Chad betrayed and lied to Abigail numerous times, yet will was “written into a corner?” What? How about writing him to grow up and continue to be a great parent?
Days was near dead in the water from lame boring stories/whatever..
Now– Days is murder, lots of murders, serial killings, and up up and up goes the ratings/numbers.
It would seem people of the 21st century media (what they are use to on cable) tuned in because of murders lol. The sappy campy looooong conversations love stuff kissing couples just don’t up the numbers.
I’d imagine from the numbers most want action, suspense, thrills and chills murders LOL 🙂
perhaps this is a laud and prop to American Horror STory….
I was thinking of American Horror Story also. This new AHS season, Hotel is pretty gruesome but it looks like it’s going to have around 10 million viewers.
Will was a great addition to Days and he
Always made viewers smile each time they
saw him. He will be missed and Days will not
be the same without him.
In total agreement. So sad – Cowardice and lack of imagination.
I haven’t watched Days since Serena was killed off, but killing off Will and the manner in which it was done sound just awful. Angering fans in this age of diminished viewer numbers just rings to me of the death knell of the show.
Days has portrayed countless straight romances over the years, but only one gay one – with Paul as the interloper. There have been multiple examples of happy endings for straight couples, but only tragedy for the gay one. Multiple straight characters have cheated, schemed and worse, but Days thinks fans won’t forgive Will. Many super couples have been separated by death, but none where the dying character died alone not knowing they were loved.
Will & Sonny didn’t get a kiss goodbye. Will only got a phone message. There has been no gay affection or romance since the new writers took over.
Would Will’s death matter as much if there was equal representation? No, but it would still hurt. It’s always hard to be promised a happy ending – as we were at their wedding – and have it ripped away.
Speaking of which, Gabi – who murdered Nick, left Melanie in the clutches of Andrew and whose schemes led to the death of Jack & Madison, is deemed worthy of raising Arianna and Days’s social media is filled with pictures of her with Arianna. Why is she forgiven but not Will? He had a ONS that he regretted and engaged in some dumb-ass, self-destructive scheming that hurt only himself. Yet, Days claims viewers would never forgive him.
Days is saying that gay men who misbehave will be punished with violent death. For that, I’m not going to forgive Days. They had an opportunity to give Will & Sonny a happy ending – something so rare in mainstream gay representation. They actively chose to comfort conservative viewers with the old-fashioned sacrificial gay trope.
The only saving grace is that Guy Wilson was heartbreaking in the last few weeks. But Paige & Serena got more exit scenes than a legacy character like Will.
I’m disgusted by the brutality of Will’s death and how anyone at Days thought it was a good idea.
I second this. Every word.
+1. And it looks JJ is going to be paired with Gabi, whose actions led to his father’s death. And again, how sad is it that Jack is not on the canvas. His adoptive father was a serial killer. Abby could have used her father’s guidance and wisdom when she recovers from this horror. Such a missed opportunity.
Well said Kaylie.I will never forget this disgusting ending.Reminds me of when As The World Turns was in its final weeks.They killed off Lucas Snyder’s boyfriend in a stupid train track accident.We were to believe that this trained (no pun intended) doctor couldn’t unfasten his seatbelt and leave his coat in time to be smashed by a train.Reid was itself in that his heart was transplanted into a dying straight married man.In the soaps finale,Luke was the only character standing alone and tearful while the straight couples practically dancing thru the tv screen.
I totally agree with this post. It was a senseless, brutal death that should not have happened. They could have sent Will out of town on assignment and the plane crashed “with no known survivors” – and in a year or so brought Will back to Salem with amnesia…I would rather see the character “missing” for awhile then murdered by a cold, calculating maniac. I am a fan of Guy WilSon and Will miss him but have every confidence that his career will continue to rise while DOOL ratings plummet and all the remaining cast lose their jobs due to cancellation. This show was only a stepping stone for Guy and Freddie and other actors/actresses who left the show, either by their choice or the show’ s.
Wow! Did you really just openly wish unemployment on about 150 hard working men and women? Yeah, you did. What a mean spirited post. While this may be a fictional piece of entertainment, the people who put the show on are real. They have lives and needs and families to support. They work at a breakneck accelerated pace, possibly harder than anyone in all of show business. And because they kill off ONE character who had run his course, you are hoping for an end to all of them. In this day and age and this economy, we should be praying for others who find and keep gainful employment, not wishing the opposite of that.
I agree with you. Every gay movie or television storyline I have seen ends with separation and/or tragedy. Even Brokeback Mountain had a horrible ending. Yes, the story of Will and Sonny should have had a wonderful ending with the door open for the couple to return. But Hollywood is still not accepting grown adult men even in a close friendship or a romance and they just want to kill them off. Will they ever have a wonderful movie about gay men with a happy ending that could win an Academy Award? Not even in 2015. On Days Of Our Lives, the only male friendship we are going to see now is Bo and Patch and they will only be able to look at each other for 10 seconds before the censors say, quick bring in the ex-wives Hope and Kayla into the scene. You might be right about Days Of Our Lives going back to being homophobic. I wonder if some of the actors on the set were uncomfortable with the bedroom scenes and kissing of men that they wrote a note saying “end this storyline”?
I don’t see why or how a movie about adultery, divorce, and broken homes could or should have a happy ending.
Yes, there have been plenty of straight characters who died, but unless they were straight up villains, they were usually allowed some sort of redemption or heroic death or a last moment with their loves. Will wasn’t investigating, he didn’t save anyone, he wasn’t even given the agency to fight that hard for his own life. Unlike EJ, he did not get forgiveness from Sonny, spend a last few loving days with Sonny or even have a loving moment with Arianna after Gabi arrived – to do any of that would have required positive gay images on the screen. So, Will got a quick, ugly death believing himself to be unloved by Sonny that no popular character has ever been treated to. This all boils down to the new writers not wanting to show gay love, sexuality or even parenting in a positive way.
As for the bedroom scenes, I have heard the opposite – that the actors, especially Guy Wilson who has acted in R-rated movies, were too explicit and had to tone it down. I don’t think any of the actors objected to being in gay love scenes. There was talk of Chandler Massey being uncomfortable in all love scenes, gay or straight, but I always thought he did fine.
Stop with the double standard and trying to conjure up discrimination where none exists. ANY CHARACTER can die on a soap opera. Baby Grace, Lexie, the magnificent EJ DiMera to cite a few recent examples.
Of course some people will miss the character and he has a long history and many close ties and family. That’s what makes his murder good drama, the reaction to it, the huge impact across the total canvas. Yes, WilSon is iconic but, it’s over…like EJ and Sammie and a boatload of Super Couples from every single soap opera ever written. Iconic relationships end, too. Is there some kind of ridiculous expectation that because they were a gay couple, the same misfortune and tragedy that befalls other characters and couples could never touch them? Really?
WilSon’s story was a beautiful love story but, then Will turned out to be quite a jerk. So this never happens in a soap? In the movies? In books? In real life?
I’m happy the character and the actor are over. I wish Sonny would come back permanently and the talented and gorgeous Paul could help mend his broken heart.
Exactly, SoapLuv! Lexie was the only African-American woman on the show and she was killed off, where was the outrage? I’m unhappy that Will, who is both Brady & Horton, Sami & Lucas’s son, who we watched grow up on the show, was killed off, especially in such a savage way! It has nothing to do with him being gay. He’s only been gay for a few years. I loved him LONG before he was a gay icon! I’m hoping he’ll be back one day, resurrected by Stefano or somesuch nonsense.
Killing Will came as no surprise with Dena as a co-head writer. She has killed off many good characters on other soaps. Unfortunately, the last actor who played Will was not well received by the fans for a long time; he got better at the end of his run. I don’t think the writers wrote him into a corner where he could not redeem himself. I think a tactical decision was made by TPTB to kill off a legacy character so it could possibly open up new storylines. There were so many other legacy characters who could been killed or died for example Caroline; Stefano; Steve; Julie; and/or Bo.
I was disappointed how quickly the characters were killed. There was very little plot development. One day they were talking and walking around, the next day they were dead, especially Will.
I will probably stop watching Days. Usually, I find many of their storylines as well as the characters predictable. With the Wislon storlyline, the writers were forced to think outside their boxes. And their romance opened several other storylines which emphasized familial love and support., not to mention acceptance.
I’m furious that Will was killed! Combined with Paul having no story, this shows clearly the anti-gay agenda of the new writers. Days used gay characters and gay viewers to win awards and is now tossing us aside. Well, we aren’t going quietly.
Long-time viewers, not just viewers attracted to the show in recent years by WilSon, are also affected by the offing of a core character either. Alison Sweeney in her SOD interview is a lot more pissed and opposed to what happened than you make her out to be. She said she felt betrayed and hurt and said clearly that killing Will is a mistake.
If Days is cancelled, this will be the final moment people point to to say it’s when they blew it. Days’s “killing Frankie Frame” moment.
There are way more people angry with this murder than happy about it.
BTW some of us liked TomSell — don’t make it seem like everyone was mad at the previous writers because that’s not true.
I meant to write “too,” not “either,” at the end of this sentence. — “Long-time viewers, not just viewers attracted to the show in recent years by WilSon, are also affected by the offing of a core character either.”
I”m with you all the way
DAYS / Sony / and NBC are circumventing this travesty by also featuring… that EJ is “alive”
and furthing distracting from … GAY Lives LIVE with
I always thought TomSell were hamstrung by budget and production restrictions, and I always thought they were probably given notes like “more catfights” and “Will is the new Sami” that weren’t their doing. If they had been allowed to work under the new production guidelines, they might have done well.
I won’t hate TomSell because I loved Wilson’s wedding, my favorite moment in 20 years of watching Days, and I thought the screwball stuff with Wilson, Ejami & Gabi during the Nick river stuff was fun.
I’m also disgusted that EJ – a character that raped and murdered people but remained a fan favorite – is being brought back but Will, whose schemes were mild and self-destructive, is deemed unworthy of life.
I love the analogy of Will’s death being the “Frankie Frame” moment. In fact, I expect the cancelation announcement immediately or right around the big anniversary episode.
Make no mistake, there is a scrubbing of gay images from Days. It’s no accident that Wilson were written without a final love scene or kiss or even being in the same room. Will had no flashbacks of his wedding or life with Sonny. We won’t see it, either, because there will be no gay affection or sexuality on Days anymore.
guy wilson said in an article on welovesoaps.net dated 10/8/15 that the writers elected to move away from the storyline he was in and refocus on the storylines that were really popular for the show in years past – so to me that they are definitely getting rid of the gay storyline…………………..
Great message to our youth, like many of the early movies, if your gay and fall in love in the end one of you die in tragedy
How about…if you’re a liar…if you’re Sammie’s kid…if you’re a marginal actor…if you cheat on your partner with two other people within the first year of your marriage, if you’re manipulative, if you’re nosing around in other people’s garbage…if the writers want to bump up the drama…
My point is- objectively, Will’s murder had absolutely NOTHING to do with his being gay – amply demonstrated by the fact that his murderer had asked Will to be best man in his wedding. Will was not just gay and nothing else. No one is.
Sometimes there’s no cryptic message. Look at Paige’s murder.
Seriously?! First of all…youth should not be watching soaps. Soaps are very adult in content. Second…soaps are not life lessons that should be sending “messages”. Third…every person on Earth who falls in love loses someone they love in tragedy. That is in no way exclusive to gay people.
I agree – the scene, dark and ominously portrayed by the actors, was beautifully executed, I really felt sorry for Will, it was the best acting he’s done even with what evidently sounded like a sinus infection.
However, I resent a gay character being exterminated in this manner. With Sonny out of the picture (they could have done a re-cast but didn’t) and Sami gone, I guess there wasn’t much to write for him to do. I don’t know if the negative reaction to the re-casting of Will assisted in the character’s demise – but, with Sonny, Will, Paul and Derrick off the canvas, I guess there won’t be any gay characters for homophobes to worry about.
I think, unfortunately, that these “permanent deaths” I think the show will probably close the curtain after it’s 50th Anniversary. I certainly hope I’m wrong, but it just feels like things are coming to an end.
Bone chillingly brutal. Although I’d read rumors Will would be the next victim, I am still heartbroken and devastated having watched this character grow up before my very eyes. Words fail me.
I will say that Guy Wilson and Robert Scott Wilson gave Emmy worthy performances in today’s episode. That is praise I don’t throw about lightly.
Just so sad I’m speechless…. but riveting performances. I will watch this episode again when I’m ready. I hope this loss to Salem is worth it in the long run.
nice post… even knowing this was going to happen… did not lessen the loss
I still had thursdays ep to watch .. but knowing what was going to happen… I FF Friday ep… to follow with
instantaneous dam break…
from Serena to Paige to Will… the levels of core characters featured… are booming … and if played out right… and thus far… it’s kudos
I have to put out their….
this is the first time…. and I think plenty will agree
this is the first time… that the cast of ole… sans Kassie DePaiva… led
and I will adamantly storm and soapbox… what a huge dissapointment letting go of Kassie DePaiva IS
when this production team… retools and sings the days of ole (ie: supercoupledom) and doesn’t realize new audience… that new blood and new characters , that Kassie DePaiva … is solely… instrumental in leading and paving the way for a lead actress to take over… is easily dismissed is so catastrophic… that it’s a tear in all that they project
throw in the exit of Daniel Cosgrove… and you have a huge gap of talent to make up… and the core audience… with respect to long time viewers… the current day audience will not be so easy to cull…. and tune in regularly… Eve and Aiden are huge barometers of talent
After Chandler Massey was fired from the show, I could’t watch Guy Wilson playing Will. At that time I stopped watching Days of Our Lives. Regarding the character of Will: better dead than re-recast!
And again #hatewins.
This is the type of person who Days catered too? Unworthy.
I think the haters lose. They see that their hate may have caused Will’s death and now they will be part of the mourning process.
We lost Will, but everyone will see what hate does which will change haters for the better.
Will’s death won’t be swept under the rug. Will was loved and his life mattered. Will is survived by many who Will miss him and who will fight for his honor.
I hate that Will was murdered, but love how his death can contribute to less hate.
Ben closed Will’s eyes and our eyes are wide open. Our minds are open. Our hearts are open.
Haters may have won the battle, but not the war. Will’s story continues…4ever.
I also couldn’t watch after Chandler left. I never could stand Guys lack of acting skills and then the writing and story line of the character was just awful. I was really hoping for a better recast. It was once a great character and could of been again with a better actor. Too bad they decided to kill of this legacy character.
Yeah I noticed Guy’s acting sure was better in his last episode, even his voice was much deeper.
Regarding “Will’s voice” in the last two episodes he appeared in, I really think that Guy was battling a cold or sinus infection of some kind, he sounded very raspy but he was a trouper, he did his scenes, and by the way he was really excellent in conveying fear and uncertainty in those scenes – I was really hoping he could escape. Alas, he did not…
I agree with you Kalle. Not a fan of recasts especially when they are poor recasts (uh hum like Kassie DePaiva who I ffwd through ever scene because she is and will never be Eve Donovan) Chandler Massey was Will and I could not watch Guy Wilson in the role.
So, Bye Will!
I’m very disappointed I was disgusted by Will death it was tasteless horrible plain cruel creepy.To show him struggle to beg please please no mercy Ben shove Will in a body in bag.To have Ben look at WilSon wedding pic was heart wrenching to see.Guy did really good with his acting and his expression wasn’t overboard for the first time Guy gave his all in his material in his final scenes.I didn’t like how Will was killed we didn’t need to see the strangulation the struggle the begging and of course Will eyes open but to top it off.Then to lay Will body near Ari toys made me feel like Days had no respect for Will Horton.Even if I didn’t really like Guy I lost such respect for Will the show ruined Will character and his marriage I didn’t want Will to die such horrible death.
thank you
I thought to myself… as the pic of Will and Sonny was ??? filmed and/or panned
is this all that’s going to be of Will and Sonny… of any further LGBT presence?
what a dismissive and inarguably how dare they … ie: DAYS production
Very disappointed in the direction Days has taken in launching a serial killer to celebrate the 50th anniversary. Great way to honor the legacy by killing a Brady/Horton. Days has missed the mark the past few years; I hope it gets back on track. I’d hate to see one of the last remaining soaps cancelled. Days should have taken a page from GH, hell Ron Carlivati should have written the 50th!
Days is on the renewal bubble. The show has been renewed until sometime in 2016 but there is no guarantee after that. Corday was probably told by the network top management to slash salaries and create storylines that bring in the viewers. Number of viewers are up now! Also, with less money for salaries some characters are possibly been taken off the canvas to make way for Thaao Penglis, AJ Martinez etc.
They ARE taking a page from GH.Bringing back long-gone characters and foisting crazy plot driven drivel on them and on the audience.Bringing back Steve and Bo and getting rid of Eve and others is not the way to go.Bringing back old characters and giving them silly material does not bring back the credibility that the better written storylines of the past gave a show.The days of headwriters being allowed to write are long gone.There are no Bill Bells,Harding Lemays,Doug Marlands,Clair Labines,Agnes Nixons or Henry Slesars being permitted to enthrall audiences with great storytelling.
I hear you and partly agree. However, the episodes we are now seeing were filmed six months ago. So, I’m willing to wait and see how the writers handle the killing of Will, the return of Bo, the interaction between Adrienne and Justin/Lucas, the interaction between Kayla and Steve. Most of all I want to see how the writers handle the very real problem of Peter leaving Days again. He only agreed to return for a few weeks to bring permanent closure. And I want to see more interaction between Chad and Andre.
In my opinion, Days focused way too much on the new characters Eve, Paige, Serena etc to the detriment of the legacy characters Marlena, John, Roman, Hope, Kayla, Stefano and so forth. Although I knew Will was going to die I was more than shocked at the way it was done. As for the great writers you’ve mentioned it would be wonderful if they were still around. The great writers that were on Days would not have allowed Clyde to push around Stefano and Victor. Instead it would have been Stefano and Victor scaring the daylights out of Clyde. Also, it would have been Andre who sent the threatening text to Clyde not young JJ out of his depth.
I’m not as upset about how “brutal” the murder was…….. However the choice of victim is extremely questionable. I understand for the sake of drama that someone important had to go, BUT Will was by far way too young and way to filled with potential as a character. While I wasn’t a fan of Guy Wilson, I do know the value of the character. That’s literally 20 years of history wiped out. The 20th anniversary of Will’s birth coincides with the 50th anniversary and having him died for the 50th is just odd. Now, if they can spin great story from this and keep the momentum going, then fine. But once again, I am not sure Will is the person I would have chosen to kill off.
HUGE mistake. Although the writers seemed determined to decimate the character before this with his recent behavior this was a travesty. Will Horton had ties to so many other characters and had so much story potential to be mined. Yes, he was Sami’s son and comparisons ti their behavior was inevitable. But, people always understood Sami acted as she did because of her insecurities. They just made Will seem immature and somewhat promiscuous. It almost appears that they are going out of their way to take down the show.
Serena was a poorly developed character and her death in the scheme of things was not a terrible loss. Paige, who frankly annoyed me until she was allowed to really show emotion, turns out to have ties to Rafe and Gabi and could have been turned into an interesting character but instead is killed off. And, the fallout from that is that they have ended the run of Eve and gotten rid of her as well.
With the death of Will and Sonny having left the canvas for all intents & purposes, the only gay character left is Paul. Unless we are going to see him leave with Sonny to “comfort” him. Was this all part of the plan….to rid DOOL of its gay characters?
It is almost like Sami (really Ali Sweeney) is being punished for leaving. Yes, Sami has other ties to Salem and could return with her other children but I doubt they will do so in the foreseeable future. Not only because AS will not come back full time but they seem to think that rapid aging of other characters is going to be the saving grace of the show.
Instead of Day’s 50th being remembered as a celebration of the show it seems it will be remembered as the destruction of families and core characters for the sake of shock value. So, thanks Higley & Griffith for taking an axe to one of the main family trees.
Promiscuous? He’s had the least sex of almost every adult on the show. His mother in law has had multiple affairs and his father in law has also and had a child with his mistress. Sami has had many many many men. Sonny has had many lovers before Will.
Promiscuous? Really?
Well, he is gay, so I guess that’s a double standard.
Abigail has cheated. More than once. Slept with EJ, Chad’s brother –while he was engaged. Lied and told people Austin slept with her….
But the word promiscuous is used for Will.
Interesting.
Perhaps promiscuous was a poor choice of words….I was referring to Will’s cheating in California and again with Paul. It was also why I said “somewhat”.
I assume they wanted to find a reason to break up Will and Sonny because of Freddy Smith’s leaving the show and thought having Will sleep with others was the way to go. From the get go I thought it was a poor choice as it diminished Will as a character AND as a gay man.
As for a double standard…yea…there is. Straight characters cheat and get reunited with the love of their life. The gay character gets murdered. That’s a double standard my eyes.
I think they tacked on the cheating in LA stuff because they knew they were killing Will, and they wanted viewers to find him sexually distasteful and deserving of death, if only subconsciously. They also wanted to make the Will/Paul encounter less special, when it had appeared that Will and Paul made a strong connection with one another and were deeply attracted.
I thought Will and Paul had hotter sexual chemistry than Will and Sonny, and Will and Sonny are my OTP. It messed with the planned story because Paul and Will were both supposed to be in love with Sonny but whenever Paul and Will fought, there was a lot of sexual tension.
They had a golden opportunity to explore than when Freddie left, and they chose hate over love.
You just brought up another good point. Rapid-aging the young children this Thanksgiving is ridiculous. And they are aging them too much. We are suppose to believe that Ciara – Hope’s child, will see her father, Bo Brady again after 3 years and all of a sudden she turns into a wild sexual teenager by Thanksgiving along with Theo and Aiden’s son. I will probably stop watching DAYS after this. Only A. Martinez and Thaao Penghlis will hold my attention anymore.
How do you define promiscuous? Will had two one-night-stands (one in LA in Nov; one in Jan in Salem) – that is hardly promiscuous! He was n’ t having sex every night of the week with multiple mystery guys, or having an ongoing affair (like Adrienne/Lucas). After his ONS with Paul, he regretted cheating on Sonny and vowed too never let it happen again. And it never did. His only “crime” was to try to get Paul to leave Sonny alone (Paul had been trying for months to get Sonny to leave Will and be with him, and also tried to get Sonny to sleep with him while knowing Sonny was still trying to work on his marriage. Marriage and commitment means nothing to Paul, but yet Will is the bad guy here? Will is irredeemable? Will is not worthy to be forgiven for such minor grievances? The only way this show can end this relationship is to MURDER IN COLD BLOOD the “cheating spouse” – no other way to handle this? That is total B.S. if they wanted to end WilSon they could have had Sonny file for divorce and send Will the paperwork and we never see Sonny again. They could have had Will divorce Sonny and move to another city or country, and take his daughter with him. They did NOT have to kill Will! They just did not want to be bothered with writing for a gay character. They will probably never write anything meaningful for Paul. His only purpose Will be to talk to his “New found father John” about sports. Boring. Arianna will grow up never knowing her father since she was only 2 when he was so savagely taken from her life. Such a sad ending to Will Horton’ s short life. To be murdered at 22 and for what reason? Because he was defending his friend Chad against the accusations Ben was hurling at him – that Chad was the real killer – when WE know that BEN is the maniac responsible for the recent murders. So Ben decides to get rid of Will instead. He does not care that Will is a father and husband and has family who depend on him. No Ben has no feelings for anyone but himself. So he murders Will and makes it look like a burglary gone wrong. Poor Will. He pleaded for his life but to no avail. And Ben Will get away with this heinous crime . But Will is the one who can “never be forgiven.” What a bunch of SOB’s these writers are.
Adultery is promiscuous regardless. Especially twice in a matter of months.
A cheater is a cheater is a cheater. Please, Kay, I apologize for being so blunt, but, there is never a good excuse to cheat. Regardless of how many times one cheats, once or one hundred; it is still cheating. Sonny needed time out. But, Will proceeded to do a lot more than cheat. He was sneaky, cunning and untrustworthy. However, he did not deserve to be killed. He was a core character. I strongly feel that it was a stupid move. In the end, my heart went out to him. I really wanted him to stay, albeit I did not like him so much. This was not right.
Nonetheless, it’s not real. And, for you to wish the rest of the cast to lose its job does not make sense. What you’re saying is: because TPTB decided to kill Will, then the other actors need to be sacrificial lambs? Paganism went out with the Mayans.
There was so much they could do with Will. Aside from the “gay storyline”, he was involved with AbiSlut’s story, had Ari, relationships with Gabi & Occasional Popup Dad Lucas and of course, those mischosen stories that he kept choosing to write. Plus there were all the ties to both “royal families” of Salem.
As for redemption – we’ve had murderers & rapists redeemed on the show, who have gone on to become beloved characters. Will cheated – certainly not commendable but also not a “crime” that he couldn’t have recovered from.
Will has driven me nuts for the past several months, with his cheating & his refusal to take responsibility for it & instead blaming everyone else. But I certainly didn’t want him killed off! They could have sent him to Paris to visit Sonny or sent him to LA to visit Sami if they wanted to recast. How could they not know what to do with a character who had that many ties? It makes no sense. To me, it seems as though Will died just to prop the boring Chabby storyline & because Ben’s insecure. BIG MISTAKE, writers! You made me wish we still had TomSell, even if it meant suffering through that elephant storyline.
The strangulation scene was very brutal and difficult to watch, I am very sorry to see Will go. His actions during his martial problems have definitely been out of control and very childish. Still, I would have like to have seen him reform. I have no problem with Guy Wilson and wish him well in his future career.
I thought the part about Ben putting Will’s body inside the bag and managing to take the bag across town and into another apartment building was a stretch. But, my hat is definitely off for Rob Scott Wilson. He is playing a great, creepy, crazy murderer. I loved it as he slowly escalated while talking to Will. And his collapse beside Will’s body after the murder was terrific.
So, is this the end of the serial strangler story? According to the preview, Ben and Chad get into a big fight. Does this mean everyone will know Ben’s the murderer? I hope not. I’d like to see the story play out a bit longer. Not necessarily more killings. I’d like to see Abigail wake up and slowly put two and two together as she realizes that Ben is the killer.
No! – Ben beats Chad to a bloody pulp and ends up in a coma!
So Ben gets away with it (for now).
There will be more victims (including another core legacy character)!
Yup. Both Ben and Chad get a reprieve. But as my nine-year old niece foresees, Ben will try to kill Chad while in ICU. This will be another suspenseful scene……Smart little girl.
You really think Ben is not done? Why not? Hmmmmm. That’s interesting, Steven. One would think that his killing spree would end with his main target. But, I will not either dispute or refute your theory. You may be right.
I was thinking about that, Steven. If Ben kills again while Chad is in hospital, all blame will be shifted from him, pointing towards someone else. So, perhaps this will be Ben’s big mistake. His downfall! The urge to kill is so overpowering, it has overtaken his mind . Thus, he throws caution to the wind because he has lost focus. Will it really be this simple? Unless the next probable kill will be Chad himself.
I agree, Rob Wilson is doing a fantastic job as a serial killer. He is playing it out very well, I’m impressed.
I would imagine this will play out at least until November for sweeps and that it would be over before the anniversary because that will be celebration time with more returns.
I don’t think it was right to kill guy Wilson’s character he was a main character who should of been engaged into another story line it’s all in a bad move on the writers part mabey they can bring him back from the dead now that would be great
I’m so disgusted that Days killed off Will it really sucks i really hate this Murder Storyline I’m going to miss seeing Guy Wilson on Days he was awesome as Will and I’m very disappointed at the Days writers for killing off someone connected to a major family on Days i just can’t believe they would kill off another main character on Days especially Will Horton it’s just awful.
I don’t like any of it and I”m damned sure not hanging around to watch Alison Sweeney try for another Emmy nod by going hysterical. What they are doing to this soap by killing off and ending so many characters is just foul. What a shame. It was so easy to like for so many reasons. It’s dead to me. No, I won’t let the door hit me in the ass on the way out.
True. I like Sami but Alison will have her flipping out and flapping her arms like a bird and screaming. And let’s see if she can squeeze out any tears, she and Hope are the worst at trying to cry.
This is a mistake on several levels. Firstly, everything sonniorsolita said is 100% true. The character of Will is one of the only characters to have grown up on the show of the current generation. In addition, his coming out story was amazingly well-handled. If a re-casting has proved unpopular, there are better ways to fix it than permanently killing a very important legacy character in his prime.
Another main issue is how poorly the series is treating its loyal viewers. I’ve been a dedicated viewer since 1984, and I’ve been through many ups and downs with the show. So, yes, I’ve been a fan through the Bo/Hope years, the Steve/Kayla stuff, John/Marlena, Sami/EJ — I get the importance of these characters, but NOT at the expense of the next generation. For the last couple years when the show struggled in ratings, it wasn’t because there were gay storylines or bad performances, it simply was not balanced and there were too many new and boring characters (hello, Jordan, Ben, Serena). Now that we have fallen in love with characters like Paige and particularly Will (as you wanted us to), we’ve been told that we don’t matter as much as the people who WEREN’T watching? The show has sacrificed it’s loyal viewers (and that’s US, not the people who stopped watching) on the alter of desperately trying to lure back the fair-weather fans.
I get it, viewership is what keeps the show on the air, but our viewership should come FIRST. We are the ones that stuck with you.
And this decision to kill off Will makes a very important statement —- that Ken Corday feels that the gay storylines were a big part of what was killing his show. It also means that the new writers don’t want to write the gay characters. So with the Sonny character already leaving, that left them with an unpopular recast of Will and the very charismatic Christopher Sean as Paul. No, they shouldn’t be the only thing happening, but wiping them off the canvas is crazy. Why not at least give Sonny and Will a happy ending? It was done for Bo and Hope years ago, and Sean and Belle (when the Sean recast didn’t prove popular). Why kill an important (and Emmy-winning) legacy character like Will? Shock value, and lack of interest in having gay characters on the show anymore. Shameful.
And Christopher Sean has been reduced to a day-player. Actors like Jen Lilley, Christopher Sean, Casey Moss and Billy Flynn are riveting and represent the future. Even as a 30 year viewer, I don’t want to sit around only watching veteran characters growing old and playing storylines that they are embarrassingly too old to play (hello Bo’s torture). The show needed balance, not a gut job and gay-cleansing.
After 30 years, today is my last day watching the soaps. It’s finally time to say goodbye before Sami returns to chew the scenery and salivate over the possible return of EJ (who is clearly more important).
Goodbye, Day of Our Lives. You’ve finally driven me away. Thanks for a grand ride, and bite me, Ken Corday.
I agree with your post and can understand that you feel betrayed after years of loyalty. My grandmother is less polite on the subject than you are. Having said that, I think you should take into consideration a huge reality. There is a rumor that Days just might be shelved after the 50th Anniversary celebration. Corday and the writers could very well be fighting to prevent that from happening. One way is to set up focus groups made up of long time viewers, new viewers and NBC insiders. These people may have decided that Will’s storyline was no longer necessary. A focus group decision had a very popular character killed off on The Guiding Light.
Will’s storyline was “no longer necessary?” – That’s like saying Chad’ s storylin is no longer necessary so just kill him off and move on to the next. Or Hope or JJ or whoever. If they wanted to end the WilSon story then have them divorce – Sonny already left Salem – they did not need to KILL WILL! Will Horton could have gone on to have more stories – he was a writer so they could have had him start his own newspaper or online magazine. He was a father with a young child – they could have focused on him raising Arianna. They did not have to have him DIE.
Your post is perfect. I feel much the same way. After years of soap watching – Y&R, GH, ATWT, Days – I’ve never felt so upset by a characters demise as I am Will’s. Just thinking about what they have done and they way they have done it makes my stomach ache.
Ken Corday made clear Days wasn’t Days to him anymore, and his wording made it clear that the gay storyline was part of that. And the writers intentions from the very first episode have been clear – Will/Sonny/Paul were done. They weren’t going to recast Sonny, and Will and Paul – as you say – were reduced to day players. Will’s death has clearly been in the works for a while, but he couldn’t have been on more than 10 episodes in the last two months. And Paul, even fewer.
Corday and his writers wanted to send a message and it has been received loud and clear. They courted gay viewers for a few years – won awards over their sensitive portrayal – got fans, gay and straight alike, because of Will’s journey. And while there was also a vocal segment of the viewership who quite clearly wanted nothing ‘gay’ on their screen, I was proud of the show for their commitment to the story.
So what I still don’t get is how Corday’s desire to boost the ratings turned into a fight between the old Days generation and the new, where only one side could win? Somehow, they couldn’t find a way to bring back veteran actors and viewers, while trying to keep the new characters and audience they had for about four or five years. Why did the mandate become to eradicate the gay storyline from the show? And to do it so cruelly. Will and Sonny were a driving story and the most interesting one often over the last few years, when so many things weren’t quite working. So why was their story sacrificed, why was Will deemed unimportant to the show? A legacy character with many ties, with much story potential?
So, it’s been a happy 50th Days’ viewers! For those who loved Will Horton as a character, the Days PTB aren’t interested in that character any more and they aren’t interested in that audience. Those of you who came to show during Will and Sonny’s romance, they don’t need us anymore.
For those of you who tuned in a decade or more ago, the show wants you! Come back.
For those of you who disliked Will and anything gay on the show – you will be rewarded. So much so that the show will reward your patience by brutally killing the main gay character on the show.
Days could have redeemed Will, they could have given the happy ending to Will and Sonny that the audience that loved them deserved. Instead, they literally treated Will like garbage, putting his boy in a sack, and then horrifingly putting his body near his daughter’s toys. Their message from the moment of the new writers’ material has been clear and the way they disposed Will was insulting and cruel. For a show that finally gave daytime a full fleshed out gay character and gay story, the ending has been a throwback to yesteryear where gay characters had little to no screen time, and were treated to violence.
I’ve never been more disappointed and disgusted with a daytime show than I am with Days. There were multiple ways to write Will off the show if they weren’t interested in him anymore – they took the cheapest, lowest road available and spit on the character and the fans that deserved better than this cheap short sighted ratings ploy.
Thank you for saying that, and so much more eloquently. The sad part that Corday and his focus group missed is the fact that most of the show’s viewership over the last few years wasn’t new — we were the most loyal. As I said repeatedly, I’m a 30+ year viewer. They act like its the current viewers vs the previous fans. Most of us fall into both camps, and it’s foolish to think we are expendable. I was excited for better writing and a return to the families we love, but that includes Will, not just Bo, Patch, Sean and Belle. Even Ali Sweeney is disgusted at the decision to kill Will, and you’re right in that it was a clear message. Instead of integrating the gay characters better and setting them up for a happy ending along with the show’s other super couples, they are actually making a point of degrading and annihilating those characters to pander to a certain demographic. I’m both saddened and disgusted by the deliberate way this was handled, and any loyalty I’ve ever felt to this show is certainly gone. Truthfully, it’s over for me.
I haven’t seen Christopher Sean as “Paul” in quite a while on the show. It is like he has disappeared from the show and they have stopped writing for the character. If they have a funeral for “Will”, maybe “Paul” will show up along with “Sonny”.
Great post! I wholeheartedly agree with your comments.
Well said Mike.I wanted to watch till Sonny and Sami left,but have decided I won’t.I’m an out and proud 27 year old lesbian who came to watch the show during Will’s coming out story.Now that Mr Corday and company no longer need me as part of their targeted audience,I will gladly take it off my dvr.
There were many many ways they could have “written out” Will temporarily, especially with him being a magazine writer.
It seems like, to my viewing eyes, the Summer episodes were all about the “bromance” between Paul and Sonny and Will with a side of Derrick thrown in to mix it up. I thought, wow, this is really innovative for daytime TV, although at times, it was a little dragged out.
Now, it just seems that they are concentrating on older, more established characters and while I have no problems with that, the gay characters have vanished from the screen, and Will has been murdered.
It’s to me, a “throwback” to the days of early depictions of gay characters in the movies, they either get killed off, commit suicide but somehow or other meet an untimely demise. Surely, we’ve come further than that over the past forty years, haven’t we?
It also raises suspicions that somehow or other, Days of Our Lives is preparing for the sand to run out.
First of like to address two descriptions of Will: despicable and written into a corner. Those are inaccurate descriptions. Will’s actions do not even come close to the level of “despicable” that most of the straight characters have taken on this show. Justin has had how many affairs, yet shamed Will for such and then he manipulated to bring Paul to town to break up his sons marriage. Sami has lied and schemed. Gabi, the straight mother, is let out of prison and is redeemable as a murderer and no one calls her despicable. Two thirds of the characters have done worse than Will and are not called despicable. They are also not said to be written into a corner. Those who have done worse continue to be written for and often get redemption stories. But Will was backed into a corner? That is saying the writers don’t have enough intelligence or creativity to write a redemption. Will could have been written to leave town. Why is Will held to a different standard than the other characters? BECAUSE HE IS GAY.
HAS DOOL Planned all along to teach the young gay youth who related to Will’s story that if they try to come out and have a family they will be punished by a horrendous death? A message was sent out to those young people. It is horrific and unexcusable.
Too bad many of the soap reporters who focus on LGBT, were so disappointed that Chandler wasn’t Will anymore that they allow this to be done and even reinforce the notion that Will was bad and unredeemable. If Will’s actions meant he needed to be strangled to end his story, then what horrific way should the majority of all the other characters be murdered? Victor? Not written into a corner. Stephano? Not written into a corner.
It’s purely the fact of #HateWins at Days.
Will is despicable and unredeemable and will never be forgive, but EJ, who raped, murdered, manipulated, drug-dealt, slut shamed, stole…the list of his crimes is legion…and Days is resurrecting him. But he’s straight.
Will cheated, lied and schemed a little bit. He hurt Sonny and he hurt himself, but his crimes are minor compared to most everyone on the canvas.
Will has slept with four people. Gabi, Sonny, Paul and that invented LA person that we were told about so we would be happy Will dies, I guess.
Kate brought Clyde to town to torment Jordan, knew Clyde abused/raped her and didn’t care. Also slept with Rafe to break up him up with Jordan. Stole her son’s job.
Victor, upset his drug trafficking business was being muscled in on, tried to have Clyde killed, failed. Knew Sonny had been stabbed by Clyde, kept silent. Threatened Will for cheating, when he fathered two children with married women.
Abigail, after sleeping with EJ when he was engaged, cheated on her fiancé with Chad and then repeated lied and sough out Chad’s company.
I don’t have time to list all the things both EJ and Sami got up to.
Theresa blackmailed JJ into drug dealing, tried to murder John Black.
Justin engaged in an ongoing affair, was a total hypocrite about it and despite his son pleading with him to back, pushed Paul into Sonny’s life
Yet, these characters live and have the possibility of redemption. They are not labeled despicable and deserving of death.
Gabi killed Nick in cold blood, left Melanie with her kidnapper, her scheme lead to Jack and Madison’s deaths.
Will cheated on Sonny with Paul – a ONS. Then, they added a random incident in LA. Will will expressed both remorse and some moments of trying to blame others. Fairly, Paul was chasing his husband the whole time. Then, Will engaged in some low-level, not ever successful scheming and said some mean things. Yet, he is the despicable one? He is the one that is not worthy of forgiveness.
What ever could the double standard be?
I totally agree with this post.
I don’t think Will should have been killed off. I don’t understand the reasons behind it other than drama. If he died for drama, we certainly got it. As brutal and disturbing as it was, it was very well done, because it left me sad and bohered.
I have mixed feelings about this. I was never a fan of Guy Wilson, I would rather have the role recast than killed off. I felt bad for Guy today, he seemed really sad (who wouldn’t be?) just like the girl who played Paige. I knew Will was going to be killed but I thought “yell to the neighbors man!”
I was shocked that they showed his murder because they didn’t with Paige and Serena. It reminded me of back in the day on Guiding Light Nadine Cooper found out that Brent Lawrence was the killer and just like Will she was also in the killer’s apartment when it all went down.
Guy did his best acting in his final scenes, I wish he was that good before. Hell, he even crossed his eyes when Will died. That was convincing and creepy! I was sad when they showed the pic of Will and Sonny from their wedding.
blake you are right they did not show serena & page at the time they were actually being killed but they did show flash backs of ben killing them……………
Oh they did? I had no idea, I missed that!
I quit watching GL around the time of the Brent Lawrence storyline. By far the most sadistic story and I think it forever changed GL’s temperament.
Hell no, i couldnt even watch, but saw the pics. That was enough, think it was the biggest mistake to kill off such an important caracter as will horton and the way was just too brutal for words and heartbreaking, making him leave his little girl, and sonny abroad… Still dont get why kill him off, why not just either not just show him , like fade out for a bit, or make him leave town…. This is too finall for such a huge legacy character as will horton, first born off sami brady… And the whole story line dosent make sense at all.. Shame on Days, they should have let the door open for a return, but then again it is soap, and in salem anything can happen, so hopefullysome better writers and producers will come along and bring him back . But untill then, IM OUT.
A good writer cannot bring back character who was murdered onscreen.This nonsense of revivifying dead characters destroys the credibility of these shows.
Well this death was by strangulation not by stabbing (loss of blood) or by shooting (loss of blood) or by car crash/plane crash (multiple injuries). Ben never checked Will’s pulse or checked to see If he was still breathing – he bagged him up and dragged him across town to his apartment (hard to believe no one saw this miraculous feat) and left him there. What is the possibility that maybe someone was watching, and after Ben left the apartment, went in and gave Will an injection similar to what Kristen gave EJ after he was “killed” – that would put Will into a deep comatose state – and when he is in the morgue alone someone takes his body and transports him to a hidden facility to “recover” and in a few months reappears in Salem to shocked family members (similar to when Nick came back after Gabi, Sami, and Kate threw him in the river to die) and reveal Ben as the real killer. Just because it “looked like” Will died does not mean he actually did. This is a soap after all.
Guy has done a great job in the criminally sparse scenes that they have given him in the past few weeks. It was lovely to see the character be adjusted to being “Good Will” again, and I have been celebrating that, and looking forward to and really enjoying all the Will scenes, and it comes as a shock that they really went through with killing Will off, and also gave him so little airtime before doing so. That’s not the way to do it! I cannot believe it! I cannot believe that the 50th anniversary will be without Will! I cannot believe that my future days will be without Will! Horton! I cannot believe Days killed this brilliant character! What are they thinking? When the dust is settled and the aftermath played out, I expect I will be dumping Days like they’ve dumped their actors.
Will’s scene on Thursday, his penultimate day, was very touching, and Guy knocked it out of the park. It was great to see Will finally coming clean and putting things right with Sonny, ringing him in the middle of the night and leaving a message because it just needed to be said asap in whatever manner possible, and then, with his heart being eased, it was sweet and sad and heart-wrenching and poignant to see him relaxing and enjoying the very simple human pleasure of playing “getting the paper-balls in the basket”. Ah, playful Will, nice to see you again! How sweet and sad to see that at the end! I am glad to see that, that was great and well done, but to end … no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no …
Will is, and always will be a great character, that has been a positive influence on many people, notwithstanding the demolition of that character in the past year of so. Oh my god, the writing and performance for Will in the Chandler era was fantastic. It was not just great daytime soap, it was all time GREAT television. Simply the best! Absolutely awesome stuff, with fantastic interactions with all the characters around him. And the vivacity that Chandler gave the character was of great personal importance to me, because it helped me through a time of illness and depression. I have only seen clips of earlier Wills, but Christopher Gerse was also adorable and funny and brilliant, and Dylan Patton was rightly emmy-nominated. It was a hard gear shift for me when Chandler left, but I came to appreciate and love Guy Wilson in the role as well, and I feel very short-changed that I will not get to see any more of his sweet Will. Thank you Guy for the work you have given us, it has been great fun getting to know you in interviews (especially the ones with Michael!), and I look forward to seeing you in plenty of new stuff in the future.
Murder happens, and it is brutal, and it is certainly a thing that needs to be represented in drama, and feel brutal there too. Boy does this feels brutal! That said, it is all rather undermined by Ben being able to take Will’s body out of his apartment block (with it’s silly flashing red/green light!), across town in broad daylight, and then into Will’s apartment block! It just leaves me feeling I can’t take any of this seriously! Which is probably a good thing for me. It makes me able to celebrate all the good that was and is WILL HORTON, and able to laugh about it at the end.
But was it a good decision for Days? Hell, no! Looking over the history of days Will has been a fantastic, brilliant, awesome, funny, clever, sweet, uplifting even when downtrodden, empathetic, kind, outspoken, spunky, sometimes reckless, wild, crazy, lovable, wonderful character – simply the best, and not one to carelessly throw away.
Thank you to everyone who has given us the brilliant and one-and-only Will Reed Roberts Horton – including all those who contributed to the writing of Will when he was done well – and thank you to every single actor who has played him and given us so much enjoyment. At the end of the day it is fiction, it’s not real. But your contributions and creativity are real and have added positively to the world and greatly to my life, and I, as a very appreciative fan, salute, and thank you all! THANK YOU!!
Great post!
Thank you! 🙂
Amazing post! I think it’s worth pointing out that even EJ died knowing Sami had forgiven him and got several days of happiness with her before being killed. I think Will was denied this with Sonny because of the blatant homophobia of the new writers. Will’s sexuality is barely mentioned, he and Paul have one scene together when they agree not to see each other, there are no flashbacks to the Will & Sonny romance or wedding – while we are treated to more flashbacks of straights than we know what to do with. Days decided to scrub out the gayness from Days and offer Will up as a blood sacrifice to bigoted viewers.
Will could have died saving Marlena. He could have died saving Abigail. He could have been investigating Ben and nearly catch him. He could have fought for his life. Sixty-something Bo gets tortured but can kick ass, while Will barely fights.
Sonny could have arrived and they could have reconciled before his death.
All of this could have made his death dramatic and tragic. As it was, it was thoughtless appeasement of homophobic viewers.
Some people are theorizing that Will’s death was handled so poorly because he’s not really dead, but that’s naive. He didn’t get exit scenes the way non-legacy characters like Paige did because the show didn’t want all their returning viewers to have to see any gayness. That’s why the death was so thoughtless and cruel and Will was denied redemption or love or heroism.
EJ raped, murdered and committed countless other crimes. James Scott made him compelling, and I respect his popularity. But he had periods where EJ truly was despicable, but he’s deemed worthy of resurrection. Yet, Will must die and stay dead?
Thank you Kaylie.
When everyone on the internet was saying that Will’s going to be killed, I hoped that he would be given an heroic death. At least he was a good person at the end, and was even trying to do good with the one that killed him. That’s not nothing! I would have preferred an heroic death though. And my number one preference would not be killing him at all, and restoring his character, and giving him loads more stories and scenes!!!
A Will Horton quote is needed here :
“I don’t know how to comprehend this!”
One good thing for me can come from this act: I hear of horrible murders and wars on the news everyday, and I do become desensitized. The people who die – I don’t know them, and there’s always someone dying somewhere. But soaps allow us to feel for characters in a deep way that other story-telling mediums cannot do. It is their uniqueness! So this imaginary death of Will Horton helps me feel those real deaths more, and makes me more charged to fight the good fight and defend humanity.
I didn’t go looking for it, but that’s the card we’ve been dealt!
And Ken Corday’s family was touched by a tragic death. He may well feel a responsibility to represent that in his drama. And its inclusion in the drama kind of expresses solidarity with all those whose lives are ended tragically. And that I feel passionately is a good thing.
Time for another quote. Marlena, Kate, Sami – practically everyone has said this to Will:
“I will love you always, no matter what”
Ditto that!
Will Horton forever!!!
Just a wonderful post Stephen.
Thank you for saying so!
I find it necessary for myself in this situation to think in “glass half full” or “more than half full” terms.
The good stuff that this character gave me has been of profound importance to me in a period of my life when my dreams were ripped away from me. I find that Chandler’s smile and general good-humour is very infectious, and that his attitude lift’s my attitude, and I value that very highly. And I am enlivened by Guy’s attitude of enthusiasm for the team work of making a show. It’s daft, you’ve got to laugh, but there it is! It is a *good thing* in the world that TV and internet can communicate good humour and upbeat attitude in this way!
So that good humour and upbeat attitude is what I shall keep uppermost in my mind. It is what I am determined that I will take away from all of this!
Will Reed Roberts Horton
Will’s surname changed a lot! Here’s the sequence:
1. Will Reed
2. Will Roberts
3. Will Roberts-Horton
4. Will Horton
And to add to the confusion, Will’s second name is Robert!
Sami named her baby “William Robert Reed” and Austin Reed thought Will was his, and that was the name that went on Will’s birth certificate. Then it came out that Will was actually Lucas Robert’s child, and Will’s name was corrected to Will Roberts. And then Lucas discovered he is the son of Bill Horton (third son of Alice and Tom), and Will and Lucas are welcomed into the Horton family!
So Will’s full name became “William Robert Horton”, and this is the name (yay!) given on Ari’s birth certificate, and when he is married.
Here’s a sweet clip of the moment when Will is first named, which happens when family and friends come to see Sami and the baby at the hospital for the first time :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SXdMOjI5mg
“But was it a good decision for Days? Hell, no! Looking over the history of days Will has been a fantastic, brilliant, awesome, funny, clever, sweet, uplifting even when downtrodden, empathetic, kind, outspoken, spunky, sometimes reckless, wild, crazy, lovable, wonderful character – simply the best, and not one to carelessly throw away. ”
i’m not backtracking… add in the Character drive of Chandler Massey and Guy Wilson… and you marquee an enigmatic draw… of a legacy character of both Horton and Brady….
dang this slayed me… I had forgotten… that Lucas.. is a Horton by blood… ala … Bill Horton
so…this doubly adds to the let and miss
Beautiful post , Stephen
Thank you Patrick!
The Wilson wedding was one of the highlights of 50 years – and Days openly courted gay fans and Glaad awards. Now, there is only Paul and he’s only a token.
I thought Will’s death was deliberately designed to provoke pleasure in the homophobic and the self-hating. Will’s transgressions paled in comparison to Kate, Sami, Justin, EJ, Victor…and yet all of them are deemed worthy of forgiveness and EJ deemed worthy of resurrection.
Whenever I saw the nastiness toward Guy Wilson, I always just assumed it was bitter Chandler stans. They started on Guy before he aired, though all he did was take a job. I loved both Guy and Chandler, and I think Guy’s many fans often felt bullied into silence and mocking Will became fashionable. But that mockery seems to have been the excuse the show used to scrub gay representation from the show and court the Kim Davis crowd. It’s appalling.
Wilson has been denied a happy ending. Will, who was an inspiration to #lgbtq youth, has been denied his life and the chance to raise his daughter. There was no reason why Will couldn’t have joined Sonny in Paris if they wanted to axe the gay story, and it could be said they were sharing custody with Gabi. But hate won the day, and it’s heartbreaking.
I think this is the dell knell for a show I have watched my whole life. I turned it off after Will died and deleted it from my DVR.
Its amazing how much power a fictional character can have over someone. I learned how much I loved and cared about Will Horton, and that the show had no respect for my feelings.
Great post
A celebration of Day’s 50th anniversary should have included the characters involved in the groundbreaking story of Will and Sonny. The anniversary is literally weeks away and could have involved Sonny returning, and the two of them leaving together for what we all would hope would be a happy life.
But Days didn’t want a happy ending for these characters because Days is going out of it’s way to appease the fans who didn’t want anything ‘gay’ on their screen – and the show felt the best way to do that was to violently eradicate the character. I would have been disappointed with the character leaving – but it would have been 100% more appreciated as opposed to what we got, which was cruel and mean, and feels as vindictive towards the gay audience (and fans of Will) on Corday’s and NBC’s part, as the firing of Chandler and the rushed recast, denying the audience the wedding between Chandler’s Will and Sonny. Guy could have been brought on right after, and Chandler seemed willing to be around at the time – it was just pettiness on Corday’s part. THIS – THIS murder of Will – feels much the same way – an action that kills two birds with one stone – gives the middle finger to the fans of Will while opening his arms up to welcome back the outspoken homophobes that he’s clearly angling for and defining as ‘classic’ Day’s viewers.
I kinda hope he finds out how wrong he is (and finds a way to undo this stupid move).
As a non stop fan for 31 yrs I feel so betrayed by Days and the writers. First time in 31 yrs I want to stop watching. There was no reason to kill Will off other than just homophobic jerks who can’t live in the 21st century. They wanted rid of the only reason they won any awards in the last few years. They were the first to have a gay wedding and now that it is legal in US they are walking away and acting like it did not matter. Will Horton is a iconic character just like Bo and Steve (Patch) whom I love dearly. Will is a Horton and a Brady and one of the few that were born on the show and grew up. I love the vets and I am glad they are back but someone tell me why these writers could not write for both. Even Alison Sweeney thinks this is wrong. If they really wanted rid of the gay story then why not just have Sonny come back and get Will and they go off together. It seems to me that they are brining the vets back to end the show. Like they do not want to get renewed. But are doing this as way to end the entire show. As I said before I feel so betrayed as a long time fan.
I agree this show is going to be taken off I thought this was gonna happen when they first started talking about the 50th wedding anniversary. I feel that’s why they are bringing these older characters back .Have a great gathering then announce this is the end of days
I totally agree
the scenes were very brutal and so well executed – i could not take my eyes off of my tv and i was on the edge of my couch……………..
i read an interview that guy wilson did on welovesoaps.net dated 9/8/15 & he said the writers elected to move away from the storyline that he was in and refocus on the storylines that were popular for the show in years past – my thought is did they have to kill the character to move on to other storylines – could they not have muliple storylines going on at the same time – are tptb getting rid the entire gay storyline??????
Yeah the scenes had me on the seat of my couch also, I made sure to watch live yesterday since I knew it would happen and I thought it was very well done.
It does look like they are getting rid of the gay storyline. Unless they give Paul a new love interest. Of course one of the new young actors could be gay. Joey would be perfect for it.
sorry the date of the interview was posted 10/8/15……………….
Disgusting and frankly worthless storyline which will make it so Days will no longer be viewed in my home. There is enough violence, killings, cruelty in real life so bye bye Days hope you survive this garbage.
I am disgusted by this. I think Guy Wilson could have still matured into the role with good writing. They painted Will into a corner, but he was young and had a chance to mature. And if needed be they could have replaced him. Killing the major link between the main families was disgusting. Today I removed DAYs from my DVR.
Bland cray cray Benny tosses Will like a rag doll barely touches his neck and Will is gone. Serena and Paige fought more for there lives. At the very least i would have like to have seen Will fight for his life. Tomsell had turned Will into a shady two timing drama queen plus Guy Wilson was never a great Will but a legacy character that was both a Horton and Brady deserved for better then this.
Not “liking” this because I thought it was horrific! If they HAD to cross the line with a legacy character, the least they could have done was leave the details to our imagination! To say that I’m seriously “disappointed” in the writers (and the “powers-that-be,” would be a gross understatement.
Will was a character that generated story from the moment Sami conceived him 20 years ago. Whether or not we’ve enjoyed the actors who’ve portrayed him or his stories, he was certainly a most important character that should have been valued for the future.
I have followed Will’s story for the past four years and have loved him dearly. Chandler was fine in the role but Guy’s Will is the one I fell in love with. Just want to make a few points about what has transpired with the character the past year.
1. First, I thought Guy’s acting was good. If you disagree with me – that’s okay – just don’t do it in a mean-spirited way. Most of the negative comments about Guy had to do with his facial expressions which is why I fell in love with him (He could purse his lips and pout better than anyone). In fact if someone wants to critique the acting on the show, I sure wouldn’t start with Guy.
2. It has been rumored that Ken Corday and the Gary Tomlinson wanted different directions for Will. Corday is the one who wanted Will to “become the new Sami” and become “bad”. But, in the end he wanted Will to be the “bad boy” that wins back the “good boy” Sonny after committing indiscretions. Tomlinson did not want to make Will a schemer, so the conflict began. When Freddie announced he was leaving and after the way Will was poorly written, it was obvious that TPTB had put themselves in a corner with the character. Of course, Will could have been redeemed as others who have done a lot worse have been or Sonny could have been recast.
3. IMO, the writers took the story in the wrong direction. I think it would have been much more interesting if Will and Paul had developed romantic feelings for each other. Or just Paul fall for Will. The chemistry between Guy and Christopher was much better than it was between Freddie and Christopher. Or if they had made Paul Stefano’s son (instead of John’s) and (instead of the cheating) just had him as Sonny’s former boyfriend who comes to town and sabotages Will and Sonny’s marriage to get Sonny back. Then I would have loved to have seen Will become Sami 2.0!
4. A lot gay soap bloggers are as much to blame as the homophobes. They actively and even sadistically ramped up hate against, not only Guy but the character of Will also. Some even told their readers/followers to harass Guy and even his family on social media. No one deserves that!
No I didn’t watch Will die – I couldn’t. I will watch Sami and Sonny’s return next week, but then I am done with Days.
It is very true that Will and Paul had an enormous amount of chemistry. Whether loving or fighting they were sensational together. The actors brought out the best Of each other. With Sonny leaving town,It is such a shame they didn’t explore this option. It had so much potential. It’s true that Wilson fans would have a hard time with it at first. At least some of them. But that is the norm for relationships on soaps. Guy and Christopher had the chemistry of Alison Sweeny and James. Will and Paul could have had the same results as Sami and EJ. If only they’d been a straight couple, I guess!
It’s also true that some of the soap bloggers who focus on and promote gay storylines, added to the problems by allowing and participating in the double standard bashing of Will. Others characters so much worse. Will would keep a secret and he’d be crucified. Sonny would keep a secret and he’d be excused. Everyone around Will lied at times and it was excused, but when Will lied he was called every name possible. Will was called a slut on the show, yet many adulterers never were called any names. A lot of people understood Will and his motivations as well as his past experiences which created his poor decision making ability. We wanted him to continue his journey in life and grow and learn.
One thing is sure, Will was an inspiration. He was shown as a great dad. The one parent who would only leave His daughter in death. The one who always was there for her.
I agree with you on all points.
Some soap characters have raped and murdered. Some have bed hopped so bad that some characters married cousins or closer. But they all got a redemption shot. Not Will though. If you thought the last two weeks were strange. That’s what writers and producers who have not an ounce of talent do. Throw together shit and think they are doing something. FS left and they said lets bag this storyline. Guy was told the week after he was being let go cuz they were done with the SL. Because they wanted to go back to being backward. They had already won the awards and the chance to stay on longer since NBC wanted to drop them years ago. The writers and producers live in a bubble. There were a hundred ways the story could have ended. Death in a brutal graphic way that doesn’t even move the story forward. Why Will couldn’t have been allowed to move off camera along with Sonny. Recast and bring them back later or never. It was a cave to not be modern and in sync with the more of the audiance. Just make a few happy. Did the writers write him into a corner yes,but they could have written him out just as easy. Instead they took a lot to throw out the fans who came WilSon, who had been there since Wills birth. For fans of what Guy Wilson had done. What Freddie Smith had done, CM work. The bagged us up and put us in the trash. Hope DOOL is proud.
I am appalled by this. Here is a young man whose coming out story was trumpeted by the show, and by Deidre Hall, its leading lady, who played his very supportive grandmother so very well, as a teachable moment for its parent and grandparent viewers, and as a positive role model for young people struggling as Will was. And what kind of teachable moment is this? That once you come out you’d better not dare to make the same kinds of mistakes your peers do (at least on soaps), but that you will be held to a much higher standard. And if you don’t meet that standard, you deserve to be brutally killed.
All this bizarre arguing over which actor was a better Will has always bewildered me. I took up the Will & Sonny love story when Sonny first proposed to Will and Will graciously turned it down because he feared he wasn’t ready. So, Guy Wilson has always been my Will thought I’ve watched Chandler Massey scenes and enjoyed them.
In any case, I was totally horrified and demoralized first by the cold way the show ended the Wilson marriage when Freddie Smith left then the sad, unloved way Will died. He could have been given a heroic death, but it seemed exploitative and designed to give Sami and Chad and Abigail stories – not to capstone an important story arc and a legacy character. Additionally, it seems most straight characters have committed worse infractions than Will – like murder, rape, drug crime, treason and kidnapping – but Days thought they were worthy of redemption. Why is Will labeled despicable?
Bo was able to fight off terrorists after being tortured for years, but young and strong Will barely fought Ben and died in terror and loneliness. It was cruel and mean-spirited.
Paige had people grieving for a month, but it seems everyone will move on from Will in about a week. Sonny will never see his “daughter” again.
Days has alienated so many viewers with this atrocious story. I hope they find a good, old-fashioned soap opera undo. Will deserves it before the show is canceled.
So true!
Will Horton’s demise was terrible. It was lazy, unnecessary and lacked creativity. It was a gruesome revenge.
Now, I am not prone to conspiracy theories but I think Corday and company wanted to get rid of Will Horton along with it the gay storyline as a way to court back old audience. In order to do that, they had to make Will so unlikable to the point where the audience clamors for his demise. Everyone keeps saying he was written into a corner. But I believe that was deliberate. How else can you explain the out of character writing, the poor and repetitive scenes and stripping Will of all his support system & likability? Grandmother Marlena who vowed to always love him, and not judge him, hasn’t shown him love in a long time. The message was clear, they might as well erected warning billboards all over rural America. Another clear message from Will’s demise is that if you’re gay and you commit adultery you have to do real penance and die a coward’s death in a violent and undignified way. Now they have what they wanted all along—to get rid of the gay storyline, and regain the audience they think they lost as a result of the gay storyline. I will watch the upcoming scenes for Sami and Sonny but that will be it for me. I watched Days as long as I remember & it’s sad I won’t celebrate its 50th anniversary. Unfortunately, the show didn’t give me anything to celebrate. They let hate win!
I agree. After what they did to WilSon (destroying that love story) & now the death of Will, I do not like the direction this show is going. These writers have no original ideas for stories. They only know how to recycle old plots. How boring.
The powers that be at Days of our lives doomed the character of Will Horton the moment the decision was made to make him gay. That never should have happened. Will Horton should have been a straight man and the love of Gabi’s life. Gabi should have been the love of his life. Then this character would have remained a part of Salem and Will and Gabi could have become the Tom and Alice of their generation.
The character of Will was written to be gay to satisfy the gay community. But just because the gay community loved it doesn’t mean the majority of viewers did too. What is good to the gay community is not necessarily good to the majority of the viewers. They demonstrated this by NOT watching the gay storyline, as reflected in the ratings.
You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink! The gay community can force the powers that be at NBC/Days to include a gay storyline, but they couldn’t make the viewers like, accept, or watch it.
So now that Days has given the gay community what it wanted, the show has right to move on from it without any remorse. Those who refuse to accept the failure of this storyline never will. So be it.
I am glad for the end of the gay storyline and hope Days never goes there again. As for mourning the loss of the character of Will Horton, I did that long ago when I first heard that the writers were going to make him gay. So this is hooray for Hollywood time for me!
It looks like Days may be putting Gabi with JJ. If so, I am all for it! Maybe they can be a Tom and Alice type of couple for that generation.
Anyone who reads my comments here on the Will Horton/Tom and Alice couple and thinks that I am behind the times, etc, you are entitled to your opinion. But your comments will be wasted on me. Just saying…
Yeah I’m liking JJ and Gabi, they look like they will be a great couple. He finally has a co-star that can act.
Gabi is just a dull and boring as her half sister Paige was Gabi will never be the next Mrs H.
Victoria, you are entitled to your opinion and I am entitled to mine!
YES!
I saw it too…. especially…when they were in the Horton Square…and you could see the heat emanating…. drawing near
I adore these two
so…to see Gabs back… and JJ “moving” on … is a two-fold… REEL
LOL
i’m giddy for this potential
Wow. Yuck!
Yuck? Gabi is gorgeous…..JJ , not so much……
Well said. I posted a very lengthy post down below that echoes some of what you have said.
If soaps are ever going to have a chance at surviving they need to realize that the world is made up of all kinds of people: straight, gay, white, black, Asian, Latino. The success of EMPIRE is proof that viewers want to see a representation of the world they live in…which like it or not includes gay people.
Soaps have already proven that they realize the world is diverse by the storylines they have included on their shows. The problem is maintaining those storylines requires good ratings.
I don’t watch Empire, but I do know that they have very good ratings. I don’t know what all is in the Empire storyline, but whatever is in it the people are watching it (relative to the ratings). With Days, the people did not watch it (relative to the ratings).
An argument could be made regarding the differences between Daytime and Primetime audiences. Based on my observations, it is much easier to have gay friendly shows on Primetime than on Daytime. However based on my observations, with one exception, Primetime shows have not been as explicit in showing homosexual activity as Daytime. If the two mediums had the same level of explicit homosexual activity then you could make a more accurate comparison.
What we do know for sure is that gay storylines have not done well with Daytime audiences. That includes more than Days. Days may just be the first soap opera to SURVIVE having had a gay storyline. The other soaps that had gay storylines before Days have ALL been cancelled! That is why I am so elated that Days got rid of the gay storyline, even if it meant killing off Will Horton. In the end, it will be good for the show.
Having said all that, my main point is that diverse though the story may be to maintain that same level of diversity, the show MUST maintain good ratings. That was NOT the case with Days of our lives and the gay storyline.
By the way, the exception I mentioned regarding explicit homosexual activity on Primetime was on The Good Wife. I enjoyed that show from the very first episode. Later down the line I tuned in late for the weekly episode, missing the start of the program. What I saw when I did tune in was two women making out. I changed the channel and have NEVER watched another episode since, I felt like I had been ambushed. I also felt very sad because I really did like the show. It was the ONLY Primetime drama that I would watch. But I knew, never again. And I haven’t.
I don’t think DAYS ratings problems were a direct result of the gay storyline but the overall writing in general. This show has been meandering for the last few years and hiring Higley and Griffith has done nothing to change that.
Regarding the “explicit” homosexual activity shown on daytime versus primetime, I have to respectfully disagree — daytime doesn’t come anywhere near the depictions of both gay and straight relationships shown in primetime.
As for The Good Wife, all I can say is you are missing out on a great show.
Gmbenet said :
“The powers that be at Days of our lives doomed the character of Will Horton the moment the decision was made to make him gay.”
“As for mourning the loss of the character of Will Horton, I did that long ago when I first heard that the writers were going to make him gay. ”
Gay people are dead to you?
We all know that in real life there are people who really do treat gay people as if they are dead. We know that there are parents who disown their teenage gay children and chuck them out of their houses and lives and beat them for good measure. We know that there are people who kill people “because they are gay”.
Do you support these people, are you one of these people?
Well I am going to stand on the side of humanity who says that this is appalling, inhumane, and very very not good.
I hope that you are a better person than your words suggest. And if that is so, please have a think about your words and attitude.
Please think of having solidarity with all your fellow humans. “There but for the chances of life go I” are words to live by.
I don’t think Will should have been killed. Guy should have been released. Sonny and Will could have left together. Then Will, played by a different actor, could have returned later.
I was enjoying Will’s character being adjusted back to being one of the good guys, which has happened in the few scenes he has had over the last few weeks. I would have liked to have seen that continue, because I was enjoying Guy Wilson’s performance of that, and I would have liked him to have seen him having the opportunity to continue with that.
while I was definitely no fan of Guy Wilson, this serial killer story is horrible! They could have written Will out for any number of reasons! They did not have to kill him! We are all vividly aware of the fact that DAYS ratings are down. This kind of writing is not helping!!!!
No one ever wants to see main characters biscouysly killed like that. As a fifty year fan of DAYS, I am really worried about what the future will be! I have live this story for my entire life. Hiwever, with more murders of key characters on the Horrison, it’s clear that these writers just don’t get it!!!!!i will share this; I am a life long huge fan of Hope and Bo. I was initially thrilled that he was
Returning. However, with all the leaks it appears that they are only bringing him back just to kill him off.!!!!!! I willNOT watch that happen!!!!!
If that is where this nightmare is going, then I AM DONE WITH
DAYS! I pray that this is not the case! I am Not a Fan Of These Writers!!!!!
God help DAYS!
I am 53 and have watched soaps since the age of five when Audrey was battling Phil Brewer and Barnabas was stalking Magge, when Nicole and Adam reunited in the Whitney foyer on 12/31. I’ve seen writers ruin Sommerset, and networks push horrible soaps like For Richer For Poorer. I’ve lived through lame, dumb, political, creatively vacuous decisions (killing Maureen, Franky, several of James Reilley’s plots). Even when Irna Phillips was senile and writing for ATWT in the end, and had a character fall “up” a staircase and die…..and this Will killing is in the top two of all time worst, darkest, cynical, homophobic decisions ever! I have a hard time believing this was Josh Griffith’s doing. I think he understands social media, backlash, contemporary stories and soap structure (even when he’s boring and losing steam i.e. YR). This is a Corday/Higley decision. Anyone who follows Higely on social media knows that she and her family are Christians who quote scripture on FB and Twitter. We all know Corday was a hold out over the years for a contemporary gay plot and that Days was seen as the most Christian soap. And anyone who follows social media and Days knows that there have been a vocal group of homophobes who hated the Wilson story from day one. Everything about this story turn is so wrong and disgusting. There’s no creativity or fun in this plot. Yes, the directing, lighting, music and production have greatly improved but that doesn’t justify killing off a historic soap and gay character by a testosterone laden, muscle straight guy. It’s just downright vindictive to a huge swath of the audience and the public who cares about the role of gay characters in soaps. The fact that Guy Wilson was a terrible actor (yes, he was) and I didn’t tune in to see most of the last year when he and Wilson were featured heavily (and I”m gay!) is no excuse for writing his exit this way. I hope the ratings plummet because this creative team does not deserve to continue in their jobs. The show is corrupt and broken and Corday/Higley are primarily responsible.
I am sad see Will go. I loved the character’s story in the person of Chandler Massey. After that actor’s departure, the direction taken with Will seemed so wrong. I hoped he would go away, and one day return in person of a new actor. A redeemed refocused Will would be wonderful. Sad it will not happen. Gay characters need be so tragic!
Killing off legacy characters is risky but can pay off IF the loss fuels new stories and relationships. DAYS is exciting of late. Dark, sad, but watchable.
agree with you.
I’m seriously wondering if the writers are homophobic or succumbing to the homophobes of the world afraid to upset these haters of anyone that is different and doesn’t adhere to the “normal”. Never before have I heard, “oh we are killing him/her off because the fans don’t like this actors portrayal of the character” especially referring to a legacy character. Ok, maybe they felt they needed to shake the show up, thin the cast out, maybe it wasn’t realistic that the killer was only killing newbys, it just seems like they used this as a “good” excuse to get rid of the gay character so no one will be upset or offended at having to see two men kissing. And if that is the case than no, they couldn’t just send him off or recast him, because he would still come back gay, unless they decided to invent a serum that can turn people straight, which although extremely wrong & unrealistic would still be preferable to them killing Will off. Hopefully they reconsider this ending and make it so that Will really only lapsed into a coma and they didn’t want the killer to come after him so they said he was dead. I guess we shall see, apparently Sonny is only returning to finish up his storyline, that’s one more gay character gone. I wonder if Paul will be the next to exit the show, he already has not been seen for a while, I guess they just want to keep him in the closet so as not to offend. I truly hope that hate or fear over someone sexual orientation has nothing to do with the decisions being made on who to ax, time will tell.
Notice that once the new writers took over, there was no gay romance at all – even in flashback. Will’s sexuality was barely mentioned. He rarely appeared and only was seen with his daughter when he passed her to her straight mother, the convicted murderer who is not “despicable”.
Paul will be around in scenes with John as a token, but he will not get a new love interest and there will be no Sonny recast for Paulson.
The show has been de-gayed.
Mr. Fairman, I’m sure that TPTB at Days expected some fan fury about the decision to kill off will. I would love to find out if the fury is more than they expected. Would you be able to post that info if you found out?
I agree with the first poster, Sonnorsolita, that a death this shocking seems like the act of a show closing down shop rather than building for a renewal. If fact most of what I’ve seen so far of the 50th story lines seem more like a loving farewell than a launch pad for the future.
I am another one of the viewers who will no longer be watching. If I remember correctly, Days is pulling in around 1.8, 1.9 million viewers. Can Corday afford to lose even 100 thousand?
Wills death scene were very brutal. they reminded me of when Maggie was repeatedly bashed in the head with a wine bottle by the Salem Stalker.
With all due respect to Ms. Sweeny, I completely disagree with her statement that Will was written into a corner. Her response is one that I would expect for a self admitted ‘company girl’. Of course she’s going to be as politically correct as possible, NBC does still sign her paychecks.
I think there were so many ways for Will to be redeemed and if the writers were insisting they get rid of him – done so only to appease those who still haven’t come into the 21st. century in regards to gay people imo – then why not at least give him his happy ending?
Either by having Will move away from Salem to be with Sonny or to go on the promotion trail with Paul.
I came to the show when Freddie joined the cast and I’m insulted that my viewership as a new viewer is not considered valuable or important. It seems to me that the viewers Dena Highley, Josh Griffith and Ken Corday want to court are the ones who quit watching when faded mobsters Victor Kiriakis and Stefano DiMera were in their prime.
Well then, those who want to watch the characters from the last century are welcome to because I’m done with days. There was no reason to kill Will or to let Guy Wilson go. I became a fan of Guy’s when I saw him on the show.
Will is murdered, Sonny abandoned his daughter and Paul is sent out of town promoting his men’s line. There you go, gay line scrubbed clean, one fatherless daughter to be raised by her murdering mother who got out of jail on a technicality, heterosexual agenda back on track. It is amazing to me that both Freddie Smith and Dee Hall called Will’s death good story telling; well for their characters I suppose.
But for the fans of Will and the fans of Will and Guy the murder of a legacy character, the first gay legacy character of a legacy family it was a slap in the face and a knife to my faithful Wilson shipping heart. I was sure they would have their happy ending.
And now that Will is gone, so am I. And I won’t be back not even if Will Horton is recast and Freddie and Christopher both return. #days doesn’t not deserve my viewership. Shame on days for allowing hate to win.
True, Sweeney should not say anything about it. She left the show and was only coming back for a visit. If she thinks her TV son was written into a corner then she helped do that by leaving. And so many other characters have been through what Will has, and worse! Kate, EJ, Sami, Stefano, Kristen, Theresa, etc. but they keep going.
@ Deborah, great comment! I see that Mr Corday had no problems when the LGBT community gave him applauds and awards for the beautifully Will coming out storyline. He and the writers should hang their heads in shame.What a bunch of homophobic hypocrites.I’ve seen the straight characters on this show cheat, backstab, and kill, yet the gay haracter must be punished and considered not worthy for redemption. I plan to take DOOL off my list of shows to record after Sonny & Sami leave.Sad that what the late Vito Russo wrote about there being a Celluloid Closet in films (and sadly daytime soaps) holds as true as when he wrote it close to 30 years ago.Just sad!
I agree with this post (Deborah).
I think it was outrageous for them to kill off Will/Guy what did it accomplish. So the homophobic conservative viewers get what they want and I’m glad Guy got out in time I’m so mad at NBC right now that I won’t be watching any of their shows. They could have let Will redeem himself and he and Paul would get together. We were rooting for Horita.
The new writers were crap and show will get cancelled because the old people they want to come back will not be enough to keep it on air. I’m rooting for it to be cancelled.
Guy Wilson did a great job as Will Horton. Gladd should take back the award they gave them.
Days Of Our Lives
Kristian Alfonso Returns to Days of our Lives for Tribute to The Late Bill Hayes
After a few weeks of Days of our Lives fans being upset that Kristian Alfonso (Hope Williams) was not on the first list of initial returns for Doug Williams’ funeral and episodes honoring his portrayer, the late Bill Hayes, comes word that the popular star is back and taping scenes.
Kristian reported to work on the Peacock streaming soap opera on Monday, April 22nd. She shared how important it is for her to be back for this particular return to the show that made her a household name.
“My return is very bittersweet,” Alfonso told TV Insider, “because it is the end of an era with Bill gone. So to return to Days is very sad. I am appreciative that they came to me to include me in their series of shows honoring Doug and I’m very happy to see everyone, but I’m entering the studio with a heavy heart.”
Photo: JPI
It was back in 1983 that Kristian first debuted as Doug’s daughter, and now 41 years later looking back at it, and her time with Bill Hayes is very emotional for her.
“I remember my first scenes with him/ He was very loving, very welcoming. That he was very talented and an incredible actor and an icon, that all goes without saying, but my personal relationship and my working relationship with Bill, it was home,” expressed Alfonso. “Doing the scenes with Bill, I felt like I was with my dad because there was so much warmth and reality.”
Photo: JPI
Alfonso did express some deep regret, in that she had wanted to work with Bill Hayes during her last appearance on the soap back in 2023, but according to the iconic actress, there was something in the works but it never materialized. “I’m sad that I did not get the opportunity to do the storyline that Ron (Carlivati, head writer) had planned/ It was great; we returned to Salem to reunite with our families and I would have had father/daughter scenes with Billy. What Ron had written was beautiful and emotional and it was a fantastic story. I was 100 percent for it and the fans would have loved it.”
Photo: JPI
As for if Bo (Peter Reckell) and Hope will be back on-screen together anytime soon, Kristian would only say, “What I will say is don’t give up hope.” Doug’s passing and memorial episodes will stream later this year come late November into December.
So, are you happy to learn that Kristian Alfonso is back taping episodes surrounding Doug’s memorial episodes? Comment below.
Breaking News
Steve Kent Reportedly OUT as Sony Pictures Television VP in Charge of DAYS and Y&R
On Friday, reports surfaced that Steve Kent, Senior Executive Vice President of Programming at Sony Pictures Television, is no longer with the company and overseeing the Sony soap operas, Days of our Lives and The Young and the Restless.
According to Soap Opera Digest, a set side source reported that Kent’s last day was last Friday, April 12th, which was one day after what would have been his final appearance in his Sony VP role at the Days of our Lives 15,000th episode on set celebration.
During that ceremony, Kent gave a brief speech giving kudos to DAYS for its incredible milestone. Days is a co-production of Sony Pictures Television and Corday Productions, while Y&R is produced by Bell Dramatic Serial Company in association with Sony Pictures Television.
Photo: JPI
Kent started his soap opera career as a producer for CBS’ defunct Capitol and then as the supervising producer of NBC’s Santa Barbara from1984 to 1993.
Photo: JPI
At Sony, before his role overseeing the soaps, Kent was Senior Executive Vice President of International Productions for Sony Pictures Television International department.
If reports are true, the question becomes who has taken over his position, and would oversee DAYS and Y&R from the Sony side? Share your thoughts on this developing story via the comment section below.
Breaking News
(WATCH) 2024 Daytime Emmy Nominations Special Live!
After exciting morning for your favorite daytime stars when they were revealed to be nominees for the 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards comes tonight 10th annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Special.
Beginning at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT, several of the nominees will talk with Michael Fairman on their reactions to the news they have been nominated for a Daytime Emmy, share what scenes they submitted that landed in the top five or six in their respective performer acting categories and much more.
Scheduled to appear are: Days of our Lives nominees, Tamara Braun (Ava), Eric Martsolf (Brady) and Linsey Godfrey (Sarah), The Young and the Restless nominees: Allison Lanier (Summer), Michelle Stafford (Phyllis), Courtney Hope (Sally), Bryton James (Devon), The Bold and the Beautiful’s John McCook (Eric), General Hospital nominees, Finola Hughes (Anna) and Alley Mills (Heather), and The Bay’s Mike Manning (Caleb).
Photo: JPI
The 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be broadcast live on CBS and streamed on Paramount+ on Friday night, June 7th and emanating, once again this year from the Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
Photo: JPI
For a full list of this year’s nominations click here.
Now, watch below as the stars chat it up as we celebrate their Daytime Emmy Nominations. If you have a potential question you might want posed to any of our guests, drop it in the comment section below and we just might ask it on air.
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Nina Confronts Ava for Sabotaging Her Relationship With Sonny and Signs the Divorce Papers
Kim Kardashian, Emma Roberts and Marlene King Land ‘Calabasas’, a Soap in the Vein of the ‘O.C’ and ‘Beverly Hills 90210’, at Netflix
Ellen Travolta Makes Another Return to General Hospital
Kristian Alfonso Returns to Days of our Lives for Tribute to The Late Bill Hayes
Y&R’s Eric Braeden Pays Tribute to Former On-Screen Wife, Meg Bennett: “She Was Such a Bright and Gentle Lady”
‘Knots Landing’s’ Donna Mills and Joan Van Ark Reunite for Los Angeles Ballet Season 18 Gala
The Young and the Restless Preview: Ashley’s New Alter Emerges
Stephen Schnetzer Talks On His Return to Days of our Lives and Working with Susan Seaforth Hayes In Emotional Episodes
(WATCH) 2024 Daytime Emmy Nominations Special Live!
51st Daytime Emmys: Outstanding Daytime Drama Series Nominations
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Nina Confronts Ava for Sabotaging Her Relationship With Sonny and Signs the Divorce Papers
AEW Dynasty: Swerve Strickland Becomes AEW World Heavyweight Champion, Jack Perry Returns, Will Ospreay Retires Move After Scary Finish
GH’s Finola Hughes Chats on Her Lead Actress Daytime Emmy Nomination, New Directions for Characters in Port Charles, and Anna’s Love Life
The Young and the Restless Preview: Ashley’s New Alter Emerges
(WATCH) 2024 Daytime Emmy Nominations Special Live!
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General HospitalApril 21, 2024‘Knots Landing’s’ Donna Mills and Joan Van Ark Reunite for Los Angeles Ballet Season 18 Gala
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General HospitalApril 15, 2024General Hospital’s Steve Burton Reveals the Emotional Scene He Almost Could Not Get Through
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Days Of Our LivesApril 13, 2024Ron Carlivati Talks on Decision to Make Days of our Lives 15000th Episode About Doug’s Funeral, and Previews Chances for WGA Award
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NewsApril 20, 2024The Young and the Restless Preview: Ashley’s New Alter Emerges
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RecapsApril 14, 2024Y&R’s Eileen Davidson Delivers the ‘Power Performance of the Week’
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Days Of Our LivesApril 19, 2024Stephen Schnetzer Talks On His Return to Days of our Lives and Working with Susan Seaforth Hayes In Emotional Episodes