Days Of Our Lives
DAYS Chandler Massey & Alison Sweeney Chat on Will Coming Out to Lucas & Sami!
Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins
Today is a red-letter day for fans who have been following Will Horton’s coming out storyline played by Daytime Emmy nominee, Chandler Massey (Will). After months of not knowing when the other shoe would drop, Will finally blurts out that he is gay to his parents, Lucas and Sami in key scenes on today’s episode of Days of our Lives!
On-Air On-Soaps caught up with Chandler and his on-screen mom, Alison Sweeney (Sami) at last week’s An Evening with Days of our Lives Paley Center for Media event honoring the success of the soap in telling this coming of age story, and its record fifteen Daytime Emmy nominations. Here is what the duo had to say about the upcoming interactions, playing these key scenes, and more! Then, read below NBC executive Bruce Evans comments to the crowd in attendance on the future of Will’s story!
Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins
Chandler on this week in Will’s life when he drops the bombshell on his parents: “Yes, that finally plays out! The thing I like about this week’s scenes is there is some nice Will and Lucas stuff. Because of Sami’s reaction, Lucas kind of has to step up and be in the one to tell Will that they still love him, even though Sami has walked out. I think that is great because Will and Lucas really have not had a lot of moments since Lucas came back to Salem. And the scenes that they have had, there was not a real sense of a father/son bond. I think that is appropriate and it was intentional on Bryan Dattilo (Lucas) and my part. You know, Lucas has been gone for years in Hong Kong, during the years that Will has changed the most. So it’s not that just that it is awkward or uncomfortable. It’s just that there is a distance that they have to bridge. They can’t exactly pick up where they left off, because Lucas has also changed and so has Will. There will be some big Sami and Will scenes too. There are a couple of them coming out and they are pretty amazing!”
Alison on the episode where Sami learns the truth about her son being gay. “I am so excited for everyone to see the show. Sami does not have a great reaction which is something you may have seen so far. But I think, at the same time, it’s a classic or perfect way Sami would react. Bottom line is she is like, “What did I do?” And then, I had this great woman say to me at the Outfest Days of our Lives Coming Out Celebration panel that mother’s do feel this way. I thought that was a great. She put her blessing on it and that is the thing that I think the writer’s did. They acknowledged that everyone came at it from a different perspective. I feel that as actors, our job at the heart of it is to portray someone’s real feelings and their emotional heart.
Chandler on if he is concerned that the new DAYS writing regime headed up by Gary Tomlin, Chris Whitesell and Lorraine Broderick, will make a wrong turn in Will’s story: “Gary Tomlin was the executive producer at DAYS when I first came on the show. I cannot express how much I loved Marlene and Darrell’s writing and how they told Will’s coming out story. But also, I first found out that Will is going to come out when I was approached by Gary. He was the first one to tell me the plan. I know that the new writing team will tell a story that is just as touching, hopefully.”
Alison on being part of this important storyline, and working at DAYS now with the new head writing team, after all the trials and tribulations Sami has encountered, endured, or brought upon herself over the years. “I never thought I would be in this position with the show. When I first started on DAYS, I thought I was going to be playing the kid where you are trotted out during the summer. I really had no idea how this was going to unfold and I am super excited. I know that right now I am super excited to read the next script. ”
Chandler on the fact that actor, Brent Daugherty has shot some scenes that involve Will’s storyline: “ Yes. More gay characters which is good! We are keeping it alive! (Laughs) That is always nice to have a new character come in and do a couple of episodes. Maybe Will might have a date? Or, maybe Sonny might have one? We shall see.”
Bruce Evans, the executive at NBC who oversees Days of our Lives addressed concerns from those in attendance at the Paley Center, as to the future of Will’s coming out story, “Let me assure we are not backing down from telling this story. We wouldn’t have gone there if we didn’t think it had real value, and boy, has Chandler Massey just batted it out of the park. Certainly, we care about fan reaction and things that are written. But we also have to stay the course. Fans have various favorites, and they want you to pull to them. If we tried to satisfy everyone, we wouldn’t have a show.”
So soapers, after our preview, make sure to watch the scenes where Will coming out to his parents on DAYS! What do you think of Bruce Evans comments assuring that Will’s story will continue? Let us know your thoughts!
Just finished watching it. I really liked the way both Chandler and Ali played the scenes. It seemed very genuine and exactly the way it would go down in many families. I know we’re going to see Sami run out tomorrow – running is what she does when she’s uncertain about things, and I do think it’s perfectly understandable for Sami. I also think it’s understandable that she would question if her parenting somehow ‘contributed’ to Will’s gayness, no matter how illogical that idea is. I am looking forward to seeing this story work it’s way out. So far it’s been quite good and honest, so I’m counting on the remainder to be the same. If it isn’t, I’ll be upset. And I do hope that when this is all over, Sami and Will will have found their way back to each other.
Regarding Bruce Evans comments, it would be a major blunder Days not to continue to tell the story the way Marlene McPherson and Darrell Thomas began it. Will’s story has been one of the freshest and most honest stories that Days has ever done, and this is from someone who’s watched for 47 years. Besides this coming out and coming of age story is something that so many have experienced or will experience. Not give it its proper place would do Days viewers a gross disservice.
well well well i hope these scenes will be great but i am really disapointed about Sami being the one freaked out but the outing of her son..it is so predictable and at the same time not so much in character except for the ‘blame myself, self-centered, guillty’ card..but it is so so so predictable..Lucas being the one with a problem would have been so much interesting, it could have developped his character who otherwise is an afterthough tied to Sami’s shoes..It could have explored Will and Lucas relationship and would have suited well with Lucas rooted insecurity and years of absence in his son’s life..;what a waste..and Sami being the one who support would have explored Will and Sami tortured relationship in a different way with a Sami would understand Will insecurity, underdog status like she experienced herself as a teen, a young adult with other issues like Teen pregnancy, eating disorder..underdog status too !!
Such a waste and weak writing..quite lame..but still i hope these actors will still be able to make some great acting scenes..Sweeney is brave to endure all this one-note writing and Massey is a great young actor for soaps..i wish them well.
It’s great to see that the new writers and Gary will continue to write for Will. And they are right, Massey knocks it out of the ballpark, I can’t wait to see the Will and Sami scenes!
After the horrendous ending of Luke and Reid, and the lame ending of Luke and Noah on ATWT (even though the show has gone off the air nearly 20 months ago); I am afraid to invest in the Will SL on DOOL or any other gay couple SL on soaps or shows. So far every soap or show that I have faithfully watched has ended in disaster for the gay characters/couples. The EPs, writers, and TPTB somehow manage to screw up SLs involving gay characters/couples time after time in TV history. If the intent is to ultimately shatter these SLs, then why begin them in the first place.
Chandler Massey is one of the best younger actors on daytime. I see a bright future for this young man.
Fingers are crossed that the new regime doesn’t mess with, or drop the storyline, since it’s the best storyline on DOOL these days.
Finally! I have been waiting for this part of the story arc to play out! Massey is pretty amazing! (Sammi’s upcoming reaction, while not commendable, is definitely realistic- I can hardly wait to watch it play out during the week.)
Glad this storyline will keep going. Chandler is such a great actor. He is really doing well for this storyline. When everything else on Days is kinda bleh, this is what keeps bringing in the viewers, including me.
i pray that the new writing team will continue to embrass this storyline and continue to let chandler massey hit it out of the park. as done yesterday, the words used by the best loved characters carry lots of weight with middle america and how they will treat their kids who need to come out to them. do this thing right, please. don’t drop the ball, or for god’s sake, don’t put it back in the closet
More casting news from Days of Our Lives, and for now, the soap opera seems to be breaking their new additions to Salem via their Instagram account. Now comes word and picture on August 24, that General Hospital and The Young and the Restless alum Brytni Sarpy has joined DAYS!
The Peacock soap opera’s Instagram account, showed a photo of Sarpy standing in front of her dressing room in the hallways of Days of Our Lives’ studios. The caption read, “Someone new is checking into Salem… Welcome Brytni Sarpy to the Days of our Lives family! Stay tuned.”
The casting of Sarpy comes on the heels of the announcement of Sydney Malakeh coming to the show in September, and earlier this year General Hospital favorite, Sofia Mattsson (ex-Sasha Gilmore, GH) joining the show in a mystery role when she began taping back around the end of March of this year. Now Sarpy is the “mystery role” category too!
In addition, the Days of Our Lives social team dropped a video ditty of the cast spoofing Love Island, where Sarpy appears as the new “bombshell” of the villa. Other cast members such as Rob Scott Wilson (Alex), Abigail Klein (Abigail), Casey Moss (JJ), Sal Stowers (Lani), Paul Telfer (Xander) and Linsey Godfrey (Sarah) pop-up in it too, among others.
Photo: JPI
SOAP HOPPING
Soap fans first met Sarpy when she played Valerie Spencer, the niece of Luke (Anthony Geary) and Bobbie Spencer (Jackie Zeman) on General Hospital back in 2015. She made her final appearance on the series back in 2019 to join the cast of The Young and the Restless in the role of Elena Dawson.
Elena was introduced as a love interest for Devon Winters (Bryton James). She later cheated on him with his cousin Nate Hastings (Sean Dominic). Elena began to be back-burned by 2023 with Sarpy’s last on-screen appearance in Genoa City in November of 2024.
Due to Days of Our Lives nearly year in advance tape schedule, viewers will have to wait till sometime in the early summer of 2027 to see Brytni’s arrival in Salem.
So, happy to see Brytni Sarpy has landed another soap role? Now that she is at DAYS, who you think she might be playing and paired with? Put on your casting director hats and let us know via the comment section.
View this post on Instagram
Days Of Our Lives
Sydney Malakeh Joins the Cast of ‘Days of Our Lives’ in Mystery Role: Who Do You Think She’s Playing?
There’s a new gal coming to Salem, or is she new and a recast? That’s what inquiring minds from Days of Our Lives fans have been trying to figure out since the Peacock soap opera dropped an Instagram video heralding actress‘ Sydney Malakeh‘s arrival in Salem.
The soap did confirm that viewers will first see Malakeh on the September 9 episode. In the video, Malakeh is seen going set to set from her dressing room and in to the halls of Days of Our Lives studios.
What we do know id that Sydney has been acting professionally for 6 years and had appeared on Grey’s Anatomy, Apple TV’s Shrinking and the HBO Max’s The Sex Lives of College Girls.
Plenty of Malakeh’s DAYS castmates jumped into the comment thread with positive emojis symbols or written excitement including: Paul Telfer (Xander), Linsey Godfrey (Sarah), Sal Stowers (Lani), Conner Floyd (Chad), Eric Martsolf (Brady) and Christie Clark (Carrie) and more now that fans will finally see her on-air. Since Days of Our Lives tapes 10-11 months in advance, Sydney would have started taping the show sometime back in 2025.
DAYS fans think perhaps because the actress’ name is Sydney that she might be playing the grown-up daughter of Sami and EJ. That character hasn’t bee on the canvas since 2021.
So, who do you think Sydney Malakeh might be playing on Days of Our Lives? Drop your casting director thoughts via the comment section below.
View this post on Instagram
Days Of Our Lives
Peacock Hikes Subscription Rates for Fourth Time in Four Years; ‘Days of Our Lives’ Fans Sound Off
While recently the streaming service Peacock reported turning a profit for its first time since its infancy, now comes word that the company is raising their prices for all customers, and in some cases it stared today on August 18.
The news of the subscription rate increases marks the fourth time the NBCUniversal streaming platform has done so in four years. So, on August 18, Peacock is increasing the prices for new or returning subscribers and customers, while current subscribers will see the rate increase on or after September 17 depending on their billing cycle when they initially signed up.
Here is the new pricing to follow along: Peacock Premium (which includes ads) will be $12.99/month, up two dollars from $10.99; Peacock Premium Plus will be $19.99/month, up three dollars increase from $16.99; and the Peacock Select tier (which includes current and past seasons of NBC and Bravo shows but excludes movies, live sports and Peacock originals) will increase a dollar from $7.99 to $8.99/month.
Photo: JPI
SUBSCRIBERS CONTINUE TO PAY MORE ACROSS THE STREAMER LANDSCAPE
It was back in June that the streamer reported that aid subscribers were up to 48 million adding a 2 million net gain during Q2 in of 2026. The subscription price hikes are rampant now in the entertainment streaming industry where over the last two years for example, Netflix, HBO Max, Apple TV, Paramount+ have all raised their fees to consumers.
Peacock’s tier-levels feature not only Days of Our Lives, but reality hits such as The Traitors and Love Island USA, Bravo series, and a vault of Saturday Night Live, Law & Order, The Real Housewives franchise, and Below Deck episodes as well. Pecock Premium and Premium Plus subscribers have access to sports and live events, as well.
DAYS OF OUR LIVES SUBSCRIBERS HAD A FEW CHOICE WORDS FOR PEACOCK
As Days of Our Lives fans know, the soap opera moved from NBC to the streamer back in September of 2022 after 57 years on broadcast television. When the news hit X on the price increase, DAYS fans had a lot to say about it. Here are just a few of the comments below:
“I can’t believe Peacock and can’t come to a deal with Cordya to air old episodes of #Days. That alone would bring a ton of subscribers,” to If Peacock actually cared about #Days of Our Lives, gave the show the budget it needs for better sets, cameras, background actors and enough time to tell proper stories, I wouldn’t mind paying more. If the money actually showed on screen, the higher price would be worth it,” to “I will continue to pay for a Peacock subscription as long as #Days is on it, but did we know there was another price increase coming?” and more.
So, what do you think of the new price hike increase to watch Days of Our Lives and your other favorite shows and events on Peacock? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
‘One Life to Live’ Alum Tuc Watkins Joins Cast of Brett Goldstein’s Prime Video Series ‘Escorted’
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Who is Hudson in Cahoots With After Revealing Phone Call?
Y&R’s Victoria and Kyle’s Love Affair to Kick-Off; Amelia Heinle Says EP Sally McDonald Shared Why; ‘You’ve Got Chemistry’ with Michael Mealor
Dolly Parton Remembered: Y&R Alum Alyvia Alyn Lind Shares Heartfelt Tribute to the Legendary Singer and Songwriter
‘General Hospital’s’ Josh Swickard Recalls Emotional Moment After His Final Scenes with Michael Easton, and Favorite ‘Chase’ Storyline
‘Veronica & Julian’ Feature Starring ‘Days of Our Lives’ Alums Nadia Bjorlin and Kyler Pettis Releases Key Art and More (Exclusive)
‘General Hospital’ Alum Bryan Craig Cast in ‘The Weapon’
John Oliver Recaps His ‘Days of Our Lives’ and ‘General Hospital’ Soap Opera Experience on ‘Last Week Tonight’
Hayden Panettiere, ‘Guiding Light’ and ‘Nashville’ Alum, Dead at 36
GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)
Dolly Parton Remembered: Y&R Alum Alyvia Alyn Lind Shares Heartfelt Tribute to the Legendary Singer and Songwriter
‘General Hospital’s’ Josh Swickard Recalls Emotional Moment After His Final Scenes with Michael Easton, and Favorite ‘Chase’ Storyline
GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Is This the End for Brennan?
‘Guiding Light’s’ Grant Aleksander Shares Heartfelt Remembrance of TV Daughter, Hayden Panettiere On What Would Have Been Her 37th Birthday
‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Admits That He Didn’t Expect the Role of Michael Corinthos to be Recast, and Would Consider Working on Another Soap (Exclusive)
-
Days Of Our Lives1 week ago‘Veronica & Julian’ Feature Starring ‘Days of Our Lives’ Alums Nadia Bjorlin and Kyler Pettis Releases Key Art and More (Exclusive)
-
General Hospital1 week ago‘General Hospital’ Alum Bryan Craig Cast in ‘The Weapon’
-
Breaking News1 week agoJohn Oliver Recaps His ‘Days of Our Lives’ and ‘General Hospital’ Soap Opera Experience on ‘Last Week Tonight’
-
Breaking News1 week agoHayden Panettiere, ‘Guiding Light’ and ‘Nashville’ Alum, Dead at 36
-
General Hospital5 days agoGH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)
-
Breaking News1 day agoDolly Parton Remembered: Y&R Alum Alyvia Alyn Lind Shares Heartfelt Tribute to the Legendary Singer and Songwriter
-
General Hospital7 days ago‘General Hospital’ Alum Jonathan Jackson Shares Emotional Tribute to His ‘Nashville’ Leading Lady Hayden Panettiere
-
Days Of Our Lives2 days agoBrytni Sarpy Joins the Cast of ‘Days of Our Lives’
