Days Of Our Lives
Chandler Massey Talks Freddie Smith, How He Would Have Handled His DAYS Exit Differently & What He Learned From Playing Will Horton!
Courtesy/After Buzz
On Sunday, three-time Daytime Emmy winner and former Days of our Lives star Chandler Massey (Ex-Will Horton) was featured on an all-new episode of After Buzz TV Spotlight On with Dishin DAYS co-hosts: Tony Moore, Mark. J. Freeman and James Lott Jr.
During the entertaining interview, Chandler was asked a myriad of questions including: working with some of his former DAYS co-stars. When asked how he felt about working with Freddie Smith (Sonny), Chandler replied: “Freddie’s got this thing where I have never seen him push ever, which is go great and is so rare, because he kind of just lives it. Freddie kind of just lives the role and so it was so great to work with him.” When the hosts revealed to Chandler that this week is Freddie’s last on-screen episode, Chandler in a bittersweet moment remarked, “That’s sad.”
Later, when asked what he learned the most from playing the role of Will Horton, Chandler related: “I grew to care about marriage equality, because before I was largely ignorant. I didn’t really know, so I didn’t really care. Then, I got to learn so much playing this character, and I thought, “You know what? There’s something going on that needs to be addressed and that needs to be fixed.” So it changed me that way. It made me a better person, honestly.
When asked to clarify the events that went down when the powers-that-be realized that Chandler was not signing a new contract, and then replaced him with Guy Wilson as Will, Chandler explained what he learned from the whole experience: “Tell your employer what you are planning to do about your contract, before you tell everybody else. So after the Emmys in 2012, I got asked the question what was I planning to do when my contract was up. I said I was going back to school which was my plan. I originally should have approached them (DAYS) first and tell them what I was going to do, but I was just short-sighted. I should have really told them (DAYS) what I was planning to do. Of course, they want to carry the character on, because it’s a really important character and the stories around him are very important. I feel like I blind-sided them accidentally by doing that, and so I really didn’t leave them with any choice except to bring in somebody else, and that was kind of the nature of it. It was very sudden and I didn’t know until that day. That’s how they like to do things and they run a tight-ship, and keep information close to the vest, because it creates less distractions. It allowed me to work up until my last day without somebody over my shoulder waiting in the wings.”
Watch Chandler after the jump on After Buzz! Then let us know what you thought about Chandler’s comments on how he would have handled letting the DAYS brass know he was not planning on staying with the show, thoughts on working with Freddie Smith, and what he learned from his time as Will Horton and more!
In the interview, Chandler says that he never thought to ask his people how he should handle the press, especially if the question came up.
It seems to me that wasn’t his responsibility. It was the responsibility of his agent or PR person whoever they may be to prep him and all their clients. Had they done their job maybe he would have worked all the way to the end.
I might be off on the timing, but the way i add it up, Chandler could have been the Will to marry Sonny. Then they could have gone off on a honeymoon, and when they got back then Guy Wilson would be the new Will.
No one will ever forget Chandler!! Great interview .. and miss him so much.. come back to the show Chandler , Days has never been the same without you!
hey Eddie, I think it was best for DAYS to have Guy Wilson as Will marry Sonny, especially for the use of flashbacks, and it made more sense to incorporate and utilize Guy Wilson into the role of Will, as it seems that Guy is going to remain in story going forward. 🙂 Rumors of Guy’s departure don’t seem to be true according to Guy’s recent tweet.
It’s great seeing Chandler Massey again. I really hope he can return as Will soon. I know he’s been in college but I’m still hoping.
If the show didn’t fire him right away out of spite we probably would have gotten a better recast since they had to do it so quick.
definitely… here, here to your 2nd paragraph
it would have made all the difference in the realm of carrying this epic tour de force
They didn’t fire him out of spite. It’s dollars and cents….it always is.
They put out a casting call for a recast Will.
They found Guy.
They liked Guy.
They hired Guy.
They didn’t want to pay two people when only one was going to play the part.
Simple.
I like CM too and didn’t want him to go at all, but fans need to see the bigger picture here. It’s not some vendetta against the actor.
Thank you for being a voice of reason.
Wow- what a fun interview- thanks for posting. I really miss Chandler- I wish he’d return to a Days.
It was a wonderful interview. He was humble and classy like always.
This is the first we’re hearing from CM in 2 years.
I’m so happy to hear him taking responsibility for his part in what went down with his exit. Fans were in such an uproar that DAYS did what they did, but I’m glad at least he sees that he tied their hands into it. They couldn’t just let the character go after CM would leave, and when they found a replacement as quickly as they did, they couldn’t pay 2 actors.
He was a great Will. A sensitive, caring and mature Will. He had some amazing stories in his years at DAYS from catching EJami in the act, his coming out, Arianna, and the entire Nick blackmail plot. That all mattered and counted for something. I wish him well as he follows his new path. I’m sure GH will snatch him up once he becomes a free agent again.
Sounds to me like he was conflicted with leaving the role of Will, but that in the end, it was something he needed to do in order to pursue his education. Honestly, while I did like Chandler as Will, he felt too comfortable in the role and when you’re watching a character, I never want you to appear comfortable in the role. And I feel as if he made the right decision in leaving at the end of his contract, and I wish him well on his future endeavors in whatever he does.
I miss him so much. Guy has been a major fail.
Chandler could not have pulled off this Bitchy, grasping, ambitious, scheming version ofWill. Guy Wilson plays the hell out of it though. This is Sami 2.0!
I think Chandler Massey will be playing Will when Freddie Smith returns for a couple episodes.
That would be wonderful.
When I think back to the episodes in the months before they unceremoniously ejected Chandler Massey, I keep thinking “missed opportunity.” There were so many interesting and meaningful stories related to aspects of Sonny/Will’s relationship which easily could have been explored. Yet, the writers filled Massey’s last few months with pure drivel.
If the writers were stumped as to how to write such stories, all they had to do was consult with the very same people who gave them realistic information from which they melded Will’s coming out story. Even if the writers might be forced by the show’s target demographic to water-down and vanilla-ify such stories (as they did with Will’s coming out story), almost anything would have been more meaningful than the material on which they needlessly wasted Massey’s talent.
Frankly, the best-written material in Will’s coming out story seemed to be the scenes showing how it affected his grandmothers and mother — in an obvious sop to the show’s target audience (e.g. “I can’t believe my grandmother is my best friend.”) The writers easily could have continued along the same lines to show how grandmothers and mothers would/should react the events certain to arise from a grandchild or child growing into a more fully realized gay person.
The best dialogue lines in Will’s coming out story seemed to be a veritable guide-book instructing the grandmothers/mothers of the audience exactly what to say (or not to say) when confronted with this same situation in their own lines. The show easily could have continued presenting Will’s story along such lines, if that’s what it took to get good material out there. Instead, they gave Chandler very little significant to do in those last six months or so.
Missed opportunity.
Whilst I fully u der stand the greater-good of continuing with Guy as NuWill; they could’ve at least chosen someone semi attractive to play Will to jeep realism up… There were always dorks physically between Freddie and Chandker playing on-screen livers. However, there us ZERO natural chemistry between Guy and Freddue, it seems so forced every scene. “WilSon” would’ve been better possibly using a different character to play Will opposite Sonny, because his look and portrayal of a supposed fresh-faced Will just doesn’t cut it, when he wears the same screwed up facial expression in every single scene! Sorry… Not a Guy fan for the role of Will.
I really miss Chandler Massey as Will. Guy Wilson has destroyed the role. Guy Wilson has zero charisma and his acting is stilted and phony.
Chandler is doing the right thing by sticking to a script, including scripted answers, for this interview, but scripted is what it is. A friend of mine met him, Casey, Blake, Camilla, and Brendon shortly after Chandler was fired – and he was fired. If you look at the timeline an interview appeared in one of the soap mags the end of one week in which Chandler sort of laughed off the idea of going, to the point where you could bet money he wasn’t going anywhere. His answer to that question at the time was that he had mentioned he wanted to go back to school but that nothing had been decided about his status with the show. The following Friday – Aug.23 – he was canned. Oddly enough, Chandler was the kindest one of the five and even Camilla came out and actually said the words, that what Days did to him was wrong. As we have all seen since, letting Chandler go was a VERY BIG mistake.
Can someone explain to me what chandler meant when he was talking about Freddie. What he mean when he said he had to pour some out for the homies and also when he said he had never seen Freddie push. SOMEONE PLEASE ANSWER!
Thanks X
Chandler was a great actor in days of our live. And he was super hot at the same time. We miss u chandler. Mwah
Beyond the Gates
53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Announced: ‘The Young and the Restless’ Tops With 18, ‘Beyond the Gates’ With 16
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) today announced the full list of nominees for the upcoming 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, and it was CBS daytime’s The Young and the Restless and broadcast television newest soap opera, Beyond the Gates that racked up the most nominations with 18 and 16, respectively.
The full reveal on Tuesday follows the announcement of several major categories including Lead Actor and Actress on Monday via Extra and Entertainment Tonight and The View today revealing Daytime Drama Series and more.
The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmys ceremony is set to take place on Friday, October 30 at the historic Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California.
Photo: CBS
In a statement, Adam Sharp, President and CEO of NATAS expressed, “We’re proud to honor the extraordinary talent and creative teams whose work continues to define and elevate daytime television, As the Daytime landscape evolves and new forms of storytelling emerge, we remain committed to recognizing the innovation happening across the industry.”
“Each year, the Daytime Emmy Awards celebrate the creativity, passion, and dedication that drive this vibrant community of storytellers,” said Rachel Schwartz, Head of the Daytime Emmy Awards. “Congratulations to this year’s nominees, whose work continues to entertain, inspire and connect with audiences every day. We look forward to celebrating their remarkable achievements in Hollywood this October.”
The Daytime Emmy Awards have recognized outstanding achievement in television programming and crafts since 1974, honoring work in a variety of genres, including daytime dramas, talk series, entertainment news, culinary, adventure, instructional and legal/courtroom programming.
This year’s Lifetime Achievement Honoree, Gold & Silver Circle Inductees, and ceremony host will be announced at a later date.
Now below, check out the nominees in the daytime drama, talk show, entertainment news series and creative arts categories and congratulations to all!
Photo: JPI
Outstanding Daytime Drama Series
Beyond the Gates
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
Stacy Haiduk (as Kristen DiMera), Days of Our Lives
Karla Mosley (as Dani Dupree), Beyond the Gates
Michelle Stafford (as Phyllis Summers), The Young and the Restless
Heather Tom (as Katie Logan), The Bold and the Beautiful
Tamara Tunie (as Anita Williams Dupree), Beyond the Gates
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
Eric Braeden (as Victor Newman), The Young and the Restless
Steve Burton (as Jason Morgan), General Hospital
Scott Clifton (as Liam Spencer), The Bold and the Beautiful
Thorsten Kaye (as Ridge Forrester), The Bold and the Beautiful
Christian Jules Le Blanc (as Michael Baldwin), The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
Linsey Godfrey (as Sarah Horton), Days of Our Lives
Camryn Grimes (as Mariah Copeland), The Young and the Restless
Beth Maitland (as Traci Abbott), The Young and the Restless
Trisha Mann-Grant (as Leslie Thomas), Beyond the Gates
Amanda Setton (as Brook Lynn Quartermaine), General Hospital
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
Sean Dominic (as Nate Hastings), The Young and the Restless
Timon Kyle Durrett (as Bill Hamilton), Beyond the Gates
Michael Graziadei (as Daniel Romalotti), The Young and the Restless
Roger Howarth (as Matt Clark), The Young and the Restless
Mike Manning (as Bradley “Smitty” Smith), Beyond the Gates
Lawrence Saint-Victor (as Carter Walton), The Bold and the Beautiful
Outstanding Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series
Braedyn Bruner (as Emma Scorpio-Drake), General Hospital
Al Calderon (as Javier Hernandez), Days of Our Lives
Alice Halsey (as Rachel Black), Days of Our Lives
Giovanni Mazza (as Gio Palmieri), General Hospital
Ambyr Michelle (as Eva Thomas), Beyond the Gates
Arielle Prepetit (as Naomi Hamilton Hawthorne), Beyond the Gates
Outstanding Guest Performance in a Daytime Drama Series
Jasmine Burke (as June Hughes), Beyond the Gates
Jeff Kober (as Cyrus Renault), General Hospital
Eva LaRue (as Natalia Rogers-Ramirez), General Hospital
Christopher Sean (as Paul Narita), Days of Our Lives
Ray Wise (as Ian Ward), The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Writing Team for a Daytime Drama Series
Beyond the Gates
The Bold and the Beautiful
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
Outstanding Directing Team for a Daytime Drama Series
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Casting for a Daytime Program
Beyond the Gates
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless”
Outstanding Daytime Talk Series
3rd Hour of TODAY
The Drew Barrymore Show
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Live With Kelly and Mark
TODAY With Jenna & Friends
The View
Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host
Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin & Ana Navarro, The View
Kelly Clarkson, The Kelly Clarkson Show
Tamron Hall, Tamron Hall
Jennifer Hudson, The Jennifer Hudson Show
Sherri Shepherd, Sherri
Outstanding Entertainment News Series
Access Hollywood
Entertainment Tonight
Extra
Outstanding Daytime Personality (Daily)
Mona Kosar Abdi, Derek Hough & Terri Seymour, Extra
Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo, Kevin Frazier, Rachel Smith & Nischelle Turner, Entertainment Tonight
Scott Evans, Zuri Hall, Kit Hoover & Mario Lopez, Access Hollywood
Star Jones & Corey Jovan, Divorce Court
Outstanding Arts and Popular Culture Program
Beyond the Gates: Welcome to the Neighborhood — An Entertainment Tonight Special
Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter
Variety & CNN Actors on Actors
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Working In the Theatre
Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Daytime
Beyond the Gates,” Episode 103
Have Guitar Will Travel World
The Kelly Clarkson Show Episode 5033
Let Frankie Cook,” Getting the Band Back Together
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Outstanding Technical Direction and Video for a Daytime Program
Beyond the Gates,” Episode 104
The Bold and the Beautiful,” Episode 9511
Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade”
The Jennifer Hudson Show, ” Episode 4041
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade”
Outstanding Hairstyling and Makeup for a Daytime Program
Beyond the Gates,” Episode 103
General Hospital,” Episode 15719
The Kelly Clarkson Show,” Episode 5033
The Young and the Restless,” Episode 13273
So, what do you think of the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy nominations? Who are you happy to see receive a nomination and who do you think was snubbed? Weigh-in via the comment section.
Monday on Entertainment Tonight, the second set of nominations for the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards were announced which included the highly-coveted Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series – Actress and Outstanding Daytime Talk Series.
ET followed suit after Extra announced the nominees, as previously reported, in the Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series – Actor and Outstanding Daytime Talk Host.
Now, five leading ladies of the soaps are vying for the gold for Lead Actress and the category marked the first-ever nominations for CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates when two actresses made the final cut. Only General Hospital is not represented among the actresses this year after Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis) took home the trophy last year.
Photo: NATAS
THE FIVE LEADING LADIES OF THE SOAPS ARE …
The 2026 Lead Actress nominees are: Stacy Haiduk (Kristen DiMera), Days of Our Lives, Karla Mosley (Dani Dupree), Beyond the Gates, Michelle Stafford (Phyllis Summers), The Young and the Restless, Heather Tom (Katie Logan), The Bold and the Beautiful, and Tamara Tunie (Anita Dupree), Beyond the Gates.
This marks the first Daytime Emmy nominations for Karla Mosley and Tamara Tunie. In addition, this marks the first-time in her career that Stacy Haiduk had received a Lead Actress nod after two Supporting Actress nominations.
Meanwhile, Michelle Stafford had previously won 3 Emmys – 2 for Lead Actress and 1 for Supporting, but this recognition makes it her 11th overall nomination.
Heather Tom currently is tied for the most all-time Daytime Emmy wins with One Life to Live alum and General Hospital guest star, Erika Slezak. The B&B star has 19 nominations throughout her career.
Photo: ABC
DAYTIME TALK SERIES
In the Outstanding Daytime Talk Series category, the nominees are: 3rd Hour of Today, The Drew Barrymore Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Live with Kelly and Mark, Today with Jenna and Friends and The View.
“We’re proud to honor the extraordinary talent and creative teams whose work continues to define and elevate daytime television,” NATAS president and CEO Adam Sharp said in a statement on the nominations. “As the Daytime landscape evolves and new forms of storytelling emerge, we remain committed to recognizing the innovation happening across the industry.”
The rest of the nominations will be revealed tomorrow on Tuesday July 14 starting on The View and then the full list of nominees in both the main and creative arts will be released by NATAS. The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards are slated for October 30th in Hollywood, California.
So, what do you think about the women who are vying for the Lead Actress Daytime Emmy? Happy with who got in? Who do you feel got snubbed? What do you think of the nominees for Daytime Talk Series? Weigh-in via the comment section.
It’s Daytime Emmy nomination week, and as previously reported things kick-off on Monday, July 13 when Entertainment Tonight (7pm ET) will announce the nominees for Lead Actress category and Daytime Talk Series for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards. In addition on Monday, Extra (7pm ET) will reveal the nominees for Lead Actor and Daytime Talk Host.
On Tuesday, The View (11am ET) starts things off with their announcement of Daytime Drama, Entertainment News program and Outstanding Daytime Personality-Daily. That is followed by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) full reveal of all the categories beginning at 12noon ET/9am PT on their website and their official social handles on X and Instagram.
Then, Tuesday night at 8pm ET/5pm PT join Michael Fairman as he hosts his 12th annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026 live on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel where he will chat with some of the just announced nominees as we celebrate the hard work of the men and women in front of the camera who will be going for gold.
WHEN ARE THE DAYTIME EMMYS?
This year, the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be handed out on October 30 in ceremonies in Hollywood, California (Venue yet to be revealed). At that time, as like last year, both the major categories and creative arts will be presented. There is no word yet on a broadcast partner for the annual celebration of daytime programming, or if it will soley be streamed on NATAS’ watch.theemmys.tv and various apps and platforms.
WHO WILL BE APPEARING ON THE DAYTIME EMMY NOMINATIONS SPECIAL 2026?
Throughout Tuesday, keep an eye on Michael Fairman TV’s social media handles on X, Facebook and Instagram, for updates of who will be expected to appear on our live show.
If you have a question or comment for one of the nominees, or on the nominations, we can encourage you to join us in the live chat on Tuesday night.
So, who are you hoping lands a nomination from Beyond the Gates, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, The Bay, The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless? Let us know via the comment section. More Tuesday!
53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Announced: ‘The Young and the Restless’ Tops With 18, ‘Beyond the Gates’ With 16
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GENERAL HOSPITAL Spoilers Promo: Jason’s Back, Drew Begins to Make His Move, Portia Goes Into a Labor
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