Major casting news announced at yesterday’s NBC Day of Days fan event, and on the new DOOL app.

Days of our Lives is bringing back Bad boy Xander, who will be seen again in Salem in the new year, which means Paul Telfer will be back on the canvas.

Xander was last seen when the warehouse exploded that changed the course of many lives back in October.

According to the official press release, look for Paul to share screen time with Eric Martsolf, Linsey Godfrey, John Aniston, Freddie Smith and more in provocative and exciting scenes in 2019

Additionally, during the Q&A portion of Day of Days fans were introduced to Thia Megia who will take on the role of Haley Chen, a mysterious newcomer to Salem who gains the attention of JJ Deveraux (Casey Moss)

If Thia looks familiar she was on American Idol in its season 10, making it all the way to the top eleven contestants during her run.

So, intrigued to find out more about the character of Haley?  Looking forward to more Xander on your way? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

It’s been a big week for Days of our Lives, culminating in Saturday’s annual Day of Days event with the fans and the cast in celebration of the long-running daytime dramas 53 years on the air!

Late last week, a fun and never-before-seen Facebook Live event kicked-off the last several days of fun, and was hosted on the NBC official Facebook for Days of our Lives.

It was during the live event that fans were treated to some behind the scenes access, and several previews of the new DOOL app that was also released on all mobile devices the day of the series anniversary on Thursday

During the event, Soap Opera Digest’s Stephanie Sloane, led viewers through a hilarious opening segment, which featured a walk through the sets with various cast members doing some very familiar soap tropes from: shirtless hunks, to bitch-slaps, a twist on a soapy monologue, and more.

Later, following John and Marlena’s nuptials on-air, Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn along with Mary Beth Evans, James Reynolds, and host for the segment, Martha Madison, chatted about the long-awaited wedding for Jarlena fans.

Bill and Susan Hayes were on-hand to tell the audience all about the “Video Vault” section of the new DOOL app, where fans can find classic clips from DAYS history.

Courtesy/CordayProds

Then, DAYS executive producer, Ken Corday presided over the annual cake-cutting ceremony, honoring the cast and the crew for their accomplishments of keeping the show strong and continuing its legacy for 53 years and counting.

Several cast members took part in a special tribute honoring the late Peggy McCay (Caroline Brady), which was an emotional high point of the event. Eric Martsolf led several key members of the cast who worked with Peggy, as they shared remembrances of this one-of-a-kind actress.   Later, Galen Gering, Lauren Koslow, Nadia Bjorlin and Eric Martsolf did a little “Show and Tell” preview of some of their videos inside the new DOOL app.

Martha Madison returned to the backstage celebration where cast and crew took photos against the step and repeat for the series 53rd anniversary and the launch of the DOOL app.  Madison chatted with several cast and producers who stopped by including returning fan favorite, Matt Ashford (Jack Deveraux).

The facebook live event concluded when Stephanie Sloane walked into the celebration with the cast as they gave a big “Thank you” to the fans for keeping the show on the air, and telling them to check out the new DOOL app for all the exclusive, fun content now and in the days and months ahead.

For more on how you can download the new DOOL app visit www.thedoolapp.com.

In case you missed the event, you can check out all the segments below. Then let us know what was your favorite part of the celebration? Comment below.

At Saturday’s Day of Days 2018 event celebrating the 53rd anniversary of Days of our Lives, fans in attendance were treated to a preview of what’s to come in Salem before the clock strikes midnight and we usher in 2019 on the Jumbo-tron at Universal Citywalk in Universal City, California.

Courtesy/NBC

From romance, including a long-awaited moment for #Cin fans between Ciara (Victoria Konefal) and Ben (Rob Scott Wilson), to stunning secrets including an emotional moment between Paul (Christopher Sean) and Will (Chandler Massey), to Sonny (Freddie Smith) finding out just what Kate (Lauren Koslow) did to him, to more “who framed who” moments, to Abigail, now played by the returning Kate Mansi going on the offense to find evidence against Gabi (Camila Banus), who has been gas-lighting her, to Julie (Susan Seaforth Hayes) stepping into help her in a big way.

Then, we find Rafe (Galen Gering) walking into a situation where he finds his wife, Hope (Kristian Alfonso) with Ted Laurent (Gilles Marini), and battles lines being drawn for the custody of Nicole’s daughter, Holly.

Courtesy/NBC

Next, ‘before the years ends the promo’ touts a surprise return that will spell trouble for WilSon, a new girl in town that becomes involved in JJ’s (Casey Moss) orbit, and as the voice-over announce says, “Hold on to your party hats!”  It’s the highly-anticipated return of Matt Ashford as Jack Deveraux.

Check out the sneak preview of “All the Drama to Come Before the end of the Year On DAYS” below.  Then, let us know us which storyline, return, or moment are you looking forward to watching most in the comment section below!