Days Of Our Lives
DAYS Freddie Smith Video Interview: Sonny's Return, PaulSon, Will's Death, Uncle Vic & Titan!
Photo: MF Soaps Inc
This week on NBC’s Days of our Lives, Freddie Smith made his on-screen return as Sonny Kiriakis.
Now, fans of the long-running soap want to know what’s in store for the beloved Sonny, now that he has returned to Salem after many months away in Paris following the murder of his husband, Will Horton. When viewers last saw Sonny it was at Will’s funeral. Now Sonny has come back to Salem to help his Uncle Vic (John Aniston) with his company, Titan. But will he rekindle a romance with his former flame Paul (Christopher Sean)?
Earlier this week, On-Air On-Soaps Michael Fairman sat down for this brand new video interview with the popular actor at the set of NBC soap. There was plenty to discuss in our first in-depth video interview in almost a year. From Will’s murder and his funeral, to what Sonny’s return means for others on the canvas and more, Freddie and Michael took the time to address several burning questions and more. Here are a few excerpts from the full interview which you can view below!
Photo: MF Soaps Inc.
When asked if he was surprised to find out he was coming back to DAYS, Freddie responded, “I was just glad they didn’t kill me off … they just sent me away. So, I was like ‘cool’. We left on really good terms, so I was just happy when I got the call.”
If he knew what his storyline would be this time out before he started taping, Smith revealed, “I knew the story, and I really liked it. I remember thinking if I am going to go back, I would really love if this is the story, and then four or five days later, I talked to the producers and the writers, and … that was the story. That was the story that I wanted.”
As to what viewers will see or the focus of Sonny’s return, Freddie said, “I know everyone wants to see Sonny in love and that’s also important, but it’s also important to see Sonny outside of his relationship, because a relationship is only part of who you are, as well. Yeah, Sonny ran the club, but not really. (Laughs) It was more of a backdrop. So now I really like where they are going with it. I think people are going to enjoy Sonny’s return.”
Fans had commented as to why Sonny was seated in the second row at Will’s funeral, when he was his husband, Smith expressed, “I just sit down and shut up and go where I am told to go. I was so emotional that day that I didn’t even think about it. We all on the set were super-sad all week. Everyone was crying even off set, so I wasn’t being technical about it. I was just sitting there thinking about what was happening.”
Courtesy/FSmithInstagram
On what he thought when he heard that DAYS was killing-off his on-screen other half, Will Horton, Freddie related, “It was definitely a shock, but I also like that they go there, too. I know that might upset some people, but you got to mix things up. They didn’t treat us differently, which was ultimately what we were going for this whole time. I was definitely shocked (that were killing Will), but I actually heard about it before I knew I was coming back for it. But, I remember I was just in shock, just like I am now re-thinking it. You don’t expect it to happen.”
As to where Paul and Sonny’s relationship is heading, Smith added, “We have been working together a lot. I think the fans are going to be surprised that there is something else going on between Sonny and Paul aside from their past, and their romance, and their friendship. There is another element to Paul and Sonny that you are going to see.”
If DAYS were to write a storyline involving Sonny about an an issue facing the LGBT community, how would he feel about it, Freddie said, “I think so. Yet again, if it’s organic and they want to shed some light on an issue I think that’s very important to do so, but I also think a lot has been done since five years ago where you could flip through the TV channels and there were not a lot of gay storylines, now it’s more common.”
As to what his fans are sharing on social media and their hope’s for Sonny’s return, Smith added: “People are rooting for Paulson, Paulson, Paulson. But at the same time they are wondering if Will is coming back. That would be an interesting twist to see, but I don’t know if that’s going to happen.”
Watch Freddie’s full video interview below. Then let us know your thoughts on what Freddie shared, what you hope happens romantically and business-wise for Sonny, and how glad you are to see him back on DAYS in the comment below!
Will ‘IS’ ALIVE!..ALIVE!…ALIVE!…lol
i was so glad that sonny is back im happy as can be hope they bring the old Will back and i hope sonny stays on for god with days love watching him so much he is so cute and handsome man very good actor .
Welcome back Freddy smith, I am so happy he is back on Days. Freddie is a wonderful actor. I am hearing rumors that Louise Sorel Vivian Alamain is coming back to Days. What I am hearing is that she has Brady and Theresa baby. I hope this is true. I miss my Madame lol.
On Freddie’S Q&A he mentioned Sonny moves into the mansion. But in today’s show Deimos said he was keeping the mansion. So how does that work if Sonny is living there when none of the other family members are there (besides Deimos)?
I hope the writers haven’t forgotten that he is Ari’s father. It’s bad enough that they bungled it by having him leave town, which never rang true to me. He loves that little girl & was a better father to her than Will. No way would he have just left.
How exactly is he Ari’s father? Ex-stepfather at best.
A better father than Will ? That’s complete bull! Sonny abandoned Ari right after Will died, disgusting!!
Yes, because the way Will had Ari’s best interests at heart when he didn’t care that he could destroy his family by cheating on his husband twice, wasn’t disgusting at all.
Will was Ari’s primary caretaker and always shown as a loving father. Sonny? Walked out on her when he was mad at Will and then when Will died.
Will loved her, yes. And he tried. But he was not even remotely her only primary caretaker, especially not at first, and he wasn’t always a good one, either. He admitted himself that he broke the trust between two of Ari’s parents (affecting her home life), he threatened people in front of her, manipulated people in front of her, made the decision to take her away from her imprisoned mother and second father in a matter of 24 hours to chase a Hollywood dream he’d never mentioned having before, then neglected to get Ari BACK to her mother (chasing fame yet again) when he returned to Salem, and used her like a tool in order to lay guilt trips on Sonny. Like Sonny, Will was not perfect either, and he was not Ari’s only caretaker. He had help. Lots of it. Mostly notably in the form of Sonny, who treated her like his own daughter and put a roof over her head, one that gave Ari the chance to live with both her biological parents, and keeping his relationship in tact in the meantime. Sonny was written off the show, and yes, that means he left Ari. And that’s awful. But to try and reverse-justify the opinion that Sonny was a bad father when he was actually there, or that he didn’t shoulder just as much responsibility as Will did, doesn’t ring true to me at all.
Mad at Will??? Mad at Will, like he forgot to buy the milk. His husband cheated on him TWICE!!!!! But, of course it’s Will, so he’s allowed to do whatever he wants and all is forgiven, no matter who he hurts.
I hope they don’t ruin him. I’m very nervous about that.
He’s already ruined in my opinion. Asking his ex boyfriend to wait for him on his husband’s grave ruined him.. And i won’t mention him being a deadbeat father.
Yes, that scene with Paul at the gravesite was disgusting. I lost all respect for Sonny after that.
I agree with you John and also Kay. I couldn’t believe what the writes did with Paul & Sonny on top of Will’s grave. And then to have that photo of Will & Sonny blow away was despicable.
i am so glad to see sonny back i was praying that he would come back to days i wanted him to stay this tiem for real love having him back and he is a very good actor and love atching on days wish they would bring the old
This is a great interview Michael. I’m so happy Freddy discussed Sonny being seen as another member of the Salem community and not only as a gay character. I’m looking forward to seeing Sonny in the business world and his interactions with a wide variety of people.
LETS BRING BACK CHANDLER NOW !!!!!! LOve you Freddie so much <3
Great interview, Mr. Fairman!
Sunny/Sonny DAYS are here again!!
Great to have Freddie back as Sonny! Now make the people really, really happy and bring back Chandler Massey!!!!
Some of you live in La La land!! Freddie Smith obviously doesn’t want Will back, he wants to grab a little bit of the spotlight and that’s impossible with Will around ( he was always the driven force) ! He’s clearly rooting for (stupid) PaulSon.
I agree. I think Freddie really wanted it to be Sonny cheating on Will with Paul so the spotlight would be on him, but the writers made the focus on Will. Now with Will gone, the focus is on Sonny again, and that makes Freddie happy. He does not want Will on the show.
Could Freddie be any more tone deaf & clueless? He was okay with Sonny sitting in the second row of his own husband’s funeral and doesn’t even care that LGBT people were insulted & hurt by that? Sonny is a deadbeat father who is now working for his mobster uncle! That’s not the Sonny viewers fell in love with.
Look, Sonny got the short end of the story stick the last time around, but Freddie not caring about the hurt Will’s death caused and how ugly and shoddy the story was is very disappointing.
I fully expect Sonny to be wearing Nerium t-shirts when he’s not helping Victor arrange drug shipments. I fully expect Will will be back – likely to invite more hatred by trolls whatever the actor. The only think I feel when watching this interview is sadness the show chose to burn down its lgbt legacy in a fury of hate-pandering and now wants to make everyone forget that. The thing about Freddie is he doesn’t seem to notice or care.
Agree totally with every word, kiki.
If Smith is really so clueless as to the story he’s playing and doesn’t even consider his placement on the stage, that says SO much about the actor and his craftsmanship. Very disappointed. Time to let this character and story die its miserably written death. It just can’t be resurrected (much to the bigoted joy of many).
Oh my, reading way too much into a seating arrangement. Maybe the director intended it to be a way of showing Sonny having too hard a time sitting that close to the casket? Real life people handle things uniquely and a character on a show is no exception. And maybe Freddie was too engulfed in the sadness of the storyline to think much of it himself, he nearly said as much in this interview. Geez.
Thanks, Nate. You just proved my point as well as a lot of other folks’ points about the handling of the story, both in writing and direction.
How many times does Freddie insult viewers intelligence? He is glad the show made a blatant pander to anti-gay hatred in Will’s death? Of course that’s going to anger people.
He comes off as clueless and tone deaf. And Fairman’s sucking up doesn’t help.
I”m not stupid. I know they will bring Will back, but since Freddie clearly doesn’t care for the character of Will, there’ll be little chance of Wilson ever being what it once was.
Will was clearly the only true father to Arianna, and that’s a shame because it’s in insult to gay fathers, adoptive fathers and stepparents all rolled into one.
I don’t want to see a Sonny who couldn’t forgive Will for cheating – cheating the writers wrote so the character would be hated to set up for their anti-gay pander – but he’s willing to go work for his mobster uncle. Because if Sonny was able to manage Victor’s clubs and not realize that Victor is in the drug business, he’s an idiot. Sonny’s not an idiot. He’s now just a criminal and a deadbeat father.
Since Days is now a show where murderers are the heroes, I actually hope Will doesn’t come back. I just think he will and we’ll all have to suffer through Freddie looking miserable in Wilson reunion scenes.
You make some very valid points.
It’s not the first time Freddie has sounded totally clueless and tone deaf. It’s happened more than once. He just told Soap Opera Digest that he had a “great exit”.
Please consider what happened in this “great exit”. First a good bit of dialog (the problem is with what follows it). After coming home after being told of Will’s death, Sonny tells him mom this:
‘You know I was planning on coming back here before this happened. Will left me this message, and I listened to it over and over again, and I started thinking “what the hell am I doing?”. I realized I still loved him and I NEED TO BE HERE WITH HIM AND ARIANNA. And now I got to tell MY TWO YEAR OLD DAUGHTER she’s never going to see her Dad again.‘
A week later, Sonny had abandoned the little girl he, in his own words, called his daughter – and anyone who’s watched the show over the past few years know also that Arianna herself will consider Sonny her Daddy. Abandoned her after her biological father that Sonny claimed to love had been murdered – and why? Because *Sonny* couldn’t cope with *his* feelings! Also Sonny showed no interest in how his husband Will died, and doesn’t even hang around for Chad (his friend and railroaded suspect) to wake up. Awful, awful writing that Higley and Griffith and Corday are responsible for ….
… and which Freddie has now called a “GREAT EXIT”. That “great exit” was of course also *entirely* built on the murdering-off of legacy character Will, which the show has invested almost twenty-years in creating, with an associated investment from the audience. And Freddie says he’s glad the show “goes there”!!!
“Great exit” – hell no! It was awful, and insulting, and utterly character-destroying, and insulting to the audience too. It ripped the heart out of the character of Sonny – or more like ripped the character apart like a dog would rip apart a rag doll. If that were my character, that I played, I’d *not* be happy, and I’d not be telling the press that it was “great”.
If I were running Days I’d keep Freddie as far far away from interviews as I could! Days has quite the knack for shooting itself in the foot.
Also I’d ban actors from MLM selling – what on earth is the show thinking allowing so many of its actors to get to do that – and Freddie targets fans as marks as well!
Someone needs to educate you about deaths on soaps, Art.
The term “Bury Your Gays” doesn’t apply to DAYS! DAYS and soaps in general have buried many characters who turn up alive. Did DAYS bury Sonny? Did DAYS bury Paul? No on both counts plus a no for Will being buried if he didn’t really die!
DAYS couldn’t tell the story they’re now telling if Will hadn’t been “buried” and it had nothing to do with being gay. The actor was weak. His costar chose to leave with the door left open to him. Knowing Sonny could come back to a clean slate is better than viewers questioning where Will is if Will and Sonny had left together.
I think DAYS knew they could get Freddie Smith back, but wasn’t sure they could get Chandler Massey back, so the new storyline may start out with Sonny and Paul, but if Chandler were to agree to a return, Will will return.
Some would say why not recast Sonny when Freddie chose to leave. The answer is the same for why they didn’t recast Will. They believed recasting Will was a mistake and another recast Will would’ve been worse and if a recast Sonny had happened the situation would’ve been more problematic.
It would not be fair for Will and Sonny to ride off in the sunset knowing that Freddie was open to returning and then be stuck with a flimsy off camera excuse to Will’s absence.
It’s not “Bury Your Gays.” It’s bury a soap character in order to have more options for future storylines. Viewers are now seeing an option which may change to other options if and when the buried rises from the dead, a complication that couldn’t be in the making had there been no “death.”
Shame on DAYS for writing a soap storyline (sarcasm)!
4ever DAYS you obviously are ignorant on what the term Bury Your Gays means because it does apply to Will Horton and no amount shilling for the show or attacks on Guy Wilson because you don’t like him is going change fact of what they did which was wrong on every level. Will Horton has many more fans on his own than either Sonny or Paul combined. The show lost many viewers because of them killing off Will Horton and because of them having the worst writers in soaps who caused other viewers to also leave the show because of their destructive agenda which has ruined many now former viewers favorites. I will say that at least Guy cared deeply about fans of Will and WilSon even through the bad writing he was receiving from the show while Freddie has effectively turned his back on WilSon fans even though they had been supporting him for years and helping him financially fund his side projects.
You are ignorant, Art, for expecting characters to be treated differently because of their sexual orientation. It’s also ignorant to expect Freddie Smith to lay down and die because “Wilson” doesn’t presently exist. I suspect you’ll need therapy when Sonny and Paul get together. Good luck!
You are terrible for trying to use the character of Will against Freddie, the actor! Give me 25 push-ups and 50 sit-ups and SHUT UP!
I see 4ever DAYS is continued to be allowed to make personal attacks on other posters (whilst misrepresenting what they’ve actually said in their posts, and barking orders at them!). Same old, same old, it’s been going on 4ever!
Hah! Hah! It’s funny though.
4ever and Maxie1215 are both entitled to their view on this interview – and 4ever trying to shout other people down speaks for itself.
I can’t begrudge Freddie for appreciating opportunity to develop his character outside of Will’s story, because that’s not really happened before. *BUT* Freddie said he was glad they “go there”, regarding the killing of Will, and he even acknowledged that’s going to be unpopular, so, really no one can sensibly complain if he gets backlash from people who are upset about the killing off of Will – a long-beloved character who has grown up on the show, who was murdered-off in an insulting series of events, who’s only logic seemed to be to woo homophobic viewers and slap Will fans and LGBT people and their allies in the face!
I feel Freddie did say insensitive stuff in this interview. The phrase “little tragedies” was unfortunate to say the least. I realize he was trying to make a positive point about people coming together in the aftermath of tragedy, but it was still a *very* ill-considered choice-of-words, which really jolted me. The tragedies that have been happening recently (and they were talking about the Orlando massacre!) have not been little in any sense. Perhaps if he stopped treating people as marks to sell a certain infamous toxin-containing skin lotion to, he’d come across better (and I’ve seen a video of him teaching his sales people how to sell, so I feel entitled to say that – it was shocking to say the least!).
Also, to me, he came across as positively gleeful that Will was out of the picture. I’ll say this – if it does turn out that Days *has* resurrected Will, then that might put a different spin on some of Freddie’s remarks.
We’ll see!
A “blatant pander to anti-gay hatred…”? Really? I realize everyone has their own perception of things, but damn, that is out there, even for me. Holy crap.
Freddie almost seemed delighted that Will was killed and that “great exit” he got caused someone who had called him a friend to lose their job. I think someone needs to educate Freddie on why it was wrong to kill off Will and teach him about Bury Your Gays.
so excited that freddie is back on dool…………………
The writing on Days is so bad it’s funny. Case in point: turning Sonny into a deadbeat dad and criminal. I get that Freddie hates the character of Will but his smug cluelessness in this interview does him no favors.
Sonny’s return is not sufficient. Days writers have done so much wrong and are working overtime to literally destroy the character of Steve our Patch man. As such there will not be a single reason left to bother with this unrecognizable program!
They did succeed in making me so dislike Kayla I wish only that this time Steve left her once and for all and found someone new.
Her hypocritical self righteousness is alarming. MBE is not in any form of awarding winning storyline now!
Well, I can’ t speak for others, but as a Gay male viewer, I’ve been loyal through the last Five months of Days of Our Lives which have been dreadful. Horrendous writing, bland performances and lackluster characters.
I miss the character of Sonny and glad he is back and I hope something happens with Paul, who literally has NOTHING to do on this show except buy hamburgers and look on the computer for clues for Theresa’s baby’s kidnapping. I suspect that if “Will returns” it may only be as the spirit of Will, telling Sonny it’s all right for him to “get on” with his own life. Of course, I don’t know, maybe they will explain that Will didn’t actually get strangled…..or climbed out of a body bag…..or was sent to a far off Island to recover – it’s a Soap, so who knows. But LATELY the show has just been awful and it seemed to me that when it centered more around Sonny, Will, Paul, the necktie killer, and Paige and JJ (they had chemistry, there’s little between JJ and Gabbi) – we can’t all like every single storyline, and I get that – but I hope that Sonny being back on the canvas helps the show overall.
Sonny’s return won’t help the show.The show has ruined many characters or killed them off and the writing is just awful.
Great interview, Michael!
The show made a mistake by ending the gay storyline last year, I’m really happy that it’s coming back with Freddie’s return. Sonny is one of the best characters Days of our Lives has ever had. I’m excited to see what’s next for him, I hope he gets back together with Paul who is a great guy and I believe genuinely loves Sonny. I would be fine with Will not returning but since it’s a soap he probably will, once Sonny is completely in love with Paul.
I can’t see how anyone would be happy to see any favorite character return to be mauled by Dena’s poison pen. Josh was no better. Days is now a show where the “heroes” can commit any crime without consequence or care and hurt whomever they want. They are only heroes because the writers like them. How many of the show’s legendary heroes – starting with Hope – are now murderers or accessories to murder? They think this is “dark and edgy” but it’s just nasty and mean.
Sonny went bankrupt because he didn’t want to take a handout from his family, and he wanted nothing to do with the criminal elements of Victor’s business. So, now he’s fine with all that? Are we supposed to believe that Victor isn’t dealing drugs out of his clubs or that Sonny didn’t realize it? Sonny was, at his core, a good person. That’s why fans love him. Loved. I don’t need to see him involved in Victor’s crimes.
If Sonny was wrecked by grief and made bad choices, that would be plausible, but it’s clear that both Freddie and sadly Sonny, is glad Will is dead and doesn’t see himself as Arianna’s father anymore. That’s very sad and it’s bad writing.
I think a Will return is probably in the cards, but I really, really don’t want him back to be harmed by Dena’s poison. I also don’t want to see Paul excuse Sonny being a criminal.
I hope Sonny and Paul are a success who succeed in a sex session on Will’s grave!
Too bad that’s not going to happen
I’m so happy that Freddie came back & is finally having the story that he deserved! He’s an amazing actor & Sonny is a beloved character & many Days fans are so excited for his return. Can’t wait to see what’s in the store for him & for PaulSon 🙂
It’s clear he’s happy with being in the spotlight but lets see how long that lasts. This whole interview contradicts his character. Getting involved with Titan for example. And why not say anything positive about Will, the character that got him his popularity instead of being thankful it wasn’t him being killed off. I truly believe Will is coming back alive and not as a ghost. Freddie’s coming off really bad in this interview. I don’t think his return is going to help ratings that much. In fact there’s a lot of people not caring about the return at all because the show’s so bad. I haven’t watched in months but it seems like I’m not missing much. Paulson is a no for me. I like both characters but together, not so much. Paint would be more interesting to watch. This whole interview is horrible. He’s basically isolating the fans that helped his character get where he is now
I am so happy to see Freddie back. I love the character of Sonny, and I know Freddie will do great. Looking forward to the show more than ever now. I hope Freddie will be with us a long time.
Me, too, Nate. So handsome, charming, decent, sexy, and hopefully they’ll let his hair grow a bit. Can’t stand these buzz cuts. Looking forward to seeing what romance is coming for Sonny.
He is Ari’s father and the writers should let him adopt her. This would make Ari a Kiriakis which would not set to well with members of the Brady, Hernandez and Horton families who hate the idea for different reasons. He should move in with Gabi, and thus begin the storyline I’d like to see Gabi attempting to wreck his relationship with Paul. Sonny and Gabi have a connection but Sonny sees Gabi as a little sister and Gabi sees Sonny as the guy she should have married.
Obviously it was only a matter of time until Sonny came back from Paris.
After all, “once they’ve seen Salem, how ya gonna keep ’em down on the farm?”
Besides, Salem’s coffee is far too addicting.
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) revealed on Thursday, the lineup of presenters for 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards taking place on Friday, October 30, 2026, at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California.
The ceremony will stream live on the NATAS YouTube channel at YouTube.com/@theemmys and watch.TheEmmys.tv.
Scheduled to present from the current soaps are: Katelyn MacMullen (Willow, General Hospital), Delon de Metz (Zende, The Bold and the Beautiful), James Preston (Nick, The Bay), Paul Telfer (Xander, Days of our Lives), Tamara Tunie (Anita, Beyond the Gates) and Susan Walters (Diane, The Young and the Restless).
Photo: NATAS
In addition soap alums, Crystal Chappell, Lesli Kay, Joe Lando, Eva LaRue, who is also a nominee this year, A Martinez, Juliet Mills, and Alicia Leigh Willis, will also be on hand to present.
The ceremony which celebrates nominated lifestyle programs and dramas will also include presenters: Eva zu Beck (Superskilled with Eva zu Beck), Danielle Chang (Lucky Chow), Sunny Hostin (The View), Derek Hough (Extra), Pati Jinich (Pati’s Mexican Table), Star Jones (Divorce Court), Michael Jr. (Stand Up and Do Something), Judge Greg Mathis (Mathis Court with Judge Mathis), Keke Palmer (Glam Through the Ages), Nischelle Turner (Entertainment Tonight), and Andrew Zimmern (Andrew Zimmern’s Wild Game Kitchen).
The 2026 Daytime Emmy Awards will bring together an exciting mix of presenters representing the full spectrum of daytime television,” said Adam Sharp, President & CEO of NATAS. “From familiar faces in daytime drama to the personalities and creative voices behind talk shows and lifestyle programming, this year’s lineup reflects the breadth of talent that makes daytime so special. We look forward to celebrating the people who continue to shape the genre.”
Matthew Hoffman (Love Island USA, Cheap A$$ Beach Houses) will serve as the ceremony’s Voice of God, bringing his signature comedic narration to the evening’s celebrations. As previously announced, Lifetime Achievement honoree Genie Francis (Laura, General Hospital) will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by her husband, Jonathan Frakes.
So, what do you think about the list of presenters for the 2026 Daytime Emmy Awards? Let us know who you are looking forward to seeing via the comment section below.
For months now, Days of our Lives has teased the character of Dominic Marino. In recent weeks, viewers learned that Marino is on the down low working with Sami Brady’s (Alison Sweeney) apparent fiancé ‘Dante Vitali (Franco LoPresti), and that he is the never-before-heard-of child of Stefano DiMera (the late Joseph Mascolo) and Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall)!
Up until now, the Peacock streaming soap opera has never revealed his face, but that all seemed to change on the Tuesday, October 2o episode of DAYS. In story, Dante met Sami’s parents for the first time, Roman (Josh Taylor) and Marlena.
He shows them a photo of Dominic, which he happened to have on his own phone and even commented he kind of looked like he could be Marlena’s son. The photo, which has quickly made it around Soap Twitter/X, revealed that British-born actor Kyle Pryor is the man in the photo and eagle-eyed viewers actually located said photo on Pryor’s Instagram.
Photo: Peacock
Deadline revealed Pryor started taping at the end of 2025 and will first be seen in the role, on air Monday, November 2. In addition, Days will celebrate its 61st Anniversary with two special episodes featuring Dominic’s arrival, as well the returns of Tony and Anna DiMera, played respectively by Thaao Penghlis and Leann Hunley, on Friday, November 6 and Monday, November 9.
Those in the know, are are that Pryor previously held series regular roles on Australia’s Home and Away, and the UK’s Hollyoaks and guest starred on Emmerdale. In an ironic twist, Pryor appeared in the series Spartacus: Blood and Sand which is the same action series his apparent TV brother, Dan Feuerriegel (EJ DiMera), once appeared in before coming to DAYS.
So excited to see Kyle Pryor take on the role of Dominic Marino as Days of our Lives sets its anniversary story to kick-off with is arrival in Salem? Share your thoughts in the comment section. And in case you missed our latest conversation with Conner Floyd (Chad DiMera) he weighs-in on how Dominic’s appearance will shake things up in Salem. You can check that out below.
Days Of Our Lives
Days of our Lives’ Conner Floyd Talks Dominic Marino Mystery, Chad and Belle, and Susan Seaforth Hayes (Exclusive)
Fasten your seat belts Days of our Lives fans, as the mystery of Dominic Marino continues to unravel on all-new episodes of the Peacock streaming soap opera. Last week, Chad DiMera (Conner Floyd) learned that he may have a half-brother, who may be the biological child of his father, the late Stefano DiMera (the late Joseph Mascolo) and Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall), giving him great pause, because he knows Stefano had kidnapped Marlena for four years back in the late 80s and early 90s.
Chad has already been hunting down clues with his current girlfriend Belle Black (Martha Madison) in Italy and Salem, which revealed a photo of a young boy with Stefano with the date 1992 on the back of it, hidden inside Stefano’s chess set. So, what’s next?
Conner Floyd chatted on the Michael Fairman Channel in a new virtual interview released on Sunday, October 18, where he spoke on what the new addition to the DiMera family could do to the already dangerous sibling rivalries, the state of Chad’s relationship with Belle and much more.
Photo: JPI
DIMERA RIVALRY
After finding out from EJ (Dan Feuerriegel) that Dominic Marino could be the never-before-heard-of child of Stefano and Marlena, Conner Floyd explained, “I think it blows Chad’s mind a little bit. I think there’s a lot of things working there with old Chad. Obviously, bringing in another DiMera could cause some noise and the whole situation with Marlena’s a little awkward as well because he’s dating Belle, so this could cause a little tiff there. I think his head’s spinning and he does not know what to expect, but I also think he kind of expects that from Stefano, for sure.”
As to how this will change and color Chad’s relationship with EJ, Floyd responded, “Chad knows EJ’s not happy about it and I think he’s going to be real upset if this gets in his way of doing what he wants to do with the DiMera legacy and all that. However, for Chad, I think he’s just going to keep a sharp eye, see what this guy’s about, see if he’s here to cause some trouble or here to be a friend and kinda play it by ear.”
Photo: JPI
BELLE OF MY HEART
With Chad and Belle already being sleuths, Floyd says, you can look for the duo to continue getting to the truth. “I think Chad and Belle are committed to this. They’re going full National Treasure, Nicolas Cage,” says Conner. “They’re going to follow the clues. They’re going to get some answers.”
Since beginning in the role of Chad in June of 2025 and debuting on-screen back in April of 2026, the former Y&R star (where he played Chance Chancellor), says it was Madison who helped him get comfortable in his new surroundings.
“Martha is phenomenal. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to get tagged up with when I started here, just because she knows everybody,” shares Floyd. “She knows where to go, who to talk to. She’ll get the tea if you want, and so it was kind of cool. Martha took me under her wing, showed me the ropes. She’s a sweetheart. I love working with her too. She’s a great actress.”
But, is Chad in love with Belle after such a tortured past with his beloved Abigail Deveraux DiMera? Floyd thinks so! “I think he’s into it. They’re such good friends and they have such a rich history. I think he’s in for the ride. You know, it’s one of those things you probably overlook at first and then they reconnected, and it feels easy and they’re going on these fun adventures.”
MAKING CHAD HIS OWN
Conner had the arduous task of being the successor to Billy Flynn in the role of Chad.. Flynn had played the part for 12 years before deciding to exit and head to Y&R. So, how did Conner approach learning the ins and out of Chad? Floyd shared, “I really dove into Chad when I first got this job. I liked that he kind of walks this tightrope of DiMera and not DiMera, you know. He want to so honor his family roots and really do something for the DiMera family, but he doesn’t want to fall into that trap that all the other DiMera have found themselves in. Chad is a DiMera at heart. He’s got those demons, but he’s just trying to keep them contained.”
Photo: JPI
ICONIC
When Floyd got to DAYS, it was none other than Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie Williams) who most surprised him in the most delightful way, given that he knew Hayes was a Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award winner and the current longest-running cast member on the canvas.
“I love working with Susan Hayes! I love her. She’s a sweetheart. Susan is one of the nicest people there. I just thought she was cool and it’s Susan Hayes, you know? We’ve had a lot of scenes together, which is nice,” explained Conner.
“We’ll go to her dressing room, we’ll run our scenes, and then we’ll spend about an hour just talking about life and she’ll tell me about a book she’s reading. She’s such a history buff, which blows my mind. She’ll start dropping all these historical facts on me. I learn something new by the time I walk out of her dressing room every time!”
Now below, check out the full conversation with Conner Floyd via the Michael Fairman Channel.
Weigh-in: Do you like Chad and Belle as couple? Do you think Chad will get to the bottom of the Dominic Marino mystery? If so, do you think Dominic is truly Stefano and Marlena’s son … and what about Rita (Maggie Carney) in all this? Let us know your theories in the comment section.
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