Days Of Our Lives
DAYS OF OUR LIVES: Stefan is Brain-Dead After Getting In Lani’s Line Of Fire
If you caught last Friday’s Days of our Lives, and as we head into a new and dramatic-filled week ahead in Salem, after jumping in front of a bullet meant for Vivian (Robin Strasser), Stefan (Brandon Barash) has been shot badly – he has a gun shot wound to the neck through the carotid artery.
Lani (Sal Stowers), who fired the shot in an effort to stop and take down Vivian for her crimes against Kate (Lauren Koslow), et al, now finds herself in very, very hot water, and none more so than with Stefan’s wife, Gabi (Camila Banus).
Photo: JPI
In the waiting area, Gabi shows up and confronts Lani. However, Lani and Abe (James Reynolds) try to explain it was an accident. Gabi reminds him of how he felt after Theo was shot. As Gabi runs off to see Stefan, Lani cries, “What if he dies?”
When Gabi arrives in the trauma room, she is told by Kayla (Mary Beth Evans) and team that they worked on Stefan for over 20 minutes but he is brain-dead. Vivian, who alerted Gabi to what happened, and showed up at the hospital incognito in her scrubs to check up on the fate of her son, is trying to make her escape plan from Salem
Meanwhile, Julie (Susan Seaforth Hayes) is MIA from her hospital room as she and Doug (Bill Hayes) go to Doug’s Place. She wants to breathe her last breath there, and wants one last night with her beloved husband. Julie asks Doug, if she has been a good wife to him, knowing the end is near. After reminiscing of their past and flashbacks, and Julie wanting to have one last dance, she passes out
Photo: JPI
Next, Hope (Kristian Alfonso) and Eli (Lamon Archey) arrive at Doug’s Place and find Doug crying. They tells him that they need to get Julie back to the hospital but Doug says it’s too late. Everyone is heartbroken.
So, what have you thoughts of the twist? Stefan brain-dead? Gabi on the warpath? Julie’s plight and its toll on Doug? How do you think this will all play itself out? Could Stefan come back to life as others have via Dr. Rolf? Share your thoughts below.
But first, for a preview of what’s to come check out the latest DAYS promo from NBC.
Stefan’s going to have a hard time coming back from the dead without his heart. Which will be located in Julie’s chest very soon.
Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of Stefan down here. His father will finally get to meet him.
As most people already know, Gabi will do the right thing for once and donate Stefan’s heart to Julie. I for one would have preferred it was the other way around. He had more heart than she ever did.I guess they thought it would be of greater value to keep her around to cause misery to everyone than to keep B.B which a lot of us were getting to like in the role of Stefan.
Oh, mo God…this is shocking!!! I did not want this to end for Stefan this way. I hate Brandon Barash left the show because he really fit the role just like he did when he was at GH. But the way this story is being told, I do have to admit that DAYS is still on fire. It’s going to be interesting to see where all this leads now that these shocking events have unfolded.
Hope this frees him up for the return of Johnny Z to Port Charles!!!
Hey Shay
From your mouth to TPTB at GH.
Hi, Vi!!! Even though I despise mafioso characters on soap operas—think GH’s Sonny!!!—-I’ve always had a soft spot for that reluctant mob prince, Johnny Z. He had such possibilities in the beginning when he was a piano playing, car racing rebel who was wooing TruLu, which made his decline into a vicious killer all the more tragic…Then again, with a father/grandfather/role model like the insanely violent Anthony, could his life have really ended up any other way??? (Not to mention having a SisterMama like the tough as nails Claudia….How I loathed that woman! There was never a better use of an axe handle than when Michael cracked her in the noggin with it!) P.S. Be sure to refer back to our lengthy conversation thread…we done got spanked for going off-topic, Violet!!! Oh. My!
Shay,
Glad to finally hear from you after our reprimand from M.F.I answered your last reply, but guess it went astray, ha.I too love and miss Johnny Z. He was something else and so sexy. I liked him and Olivia together, and his father/grandfather was a piece of work. I don’t know how he could ever return to P.C as Johnny, but we know in Soaps never say never, right? I never saw Claudia, and know only what I’ve heard or read about her. By the time I’d gotten back to GH, after many years, she was gone and Michael had just gotten sent to prison. Laura Wright is also the only Carly I’ve seen. It was like watching a whole new show to me.Gosh, I think the only ones left from the old days was Monica, Scotty, Luke and Laura.
I am enjoying the SLs now, I know a lot of fans are bored, but I am anxious to see how the baby Wylie thing turns out, and though I am not crazy about nuNina, I like the possibility of she and Jax, while hopefully getting rid of Valentin and the return of Nickolas, as long as they don’t pair him up with Ava. I do feel sorry for Sasha, but am still excited for the reveal of Willow being Nina’s real daughter. Well, hope you get this reply, as I didn’t go off topic once!
Hi, Shay. There are strong indications Brandon has already returned to DAYS. Maybe the upcoming “time jump” (November 8th, DAYS’ 54th anniversary) will explain Stefan’s supposed death. Stefan and Gabi are too popular to let go.
@4everDAYS….Thank you for the info, even though I haven’t watched Days in probably two decades!!!! Despite that fact, I still find myself being able to follow many of their current characters because (unlike GH…) this soap actually honors its past by keeping old favorites and consistently adding to their legacy families…there are still plenty of Salemites who are related to at least one Brady, Horton, DiMera, Williams, et al. As far as Brandon goes, I’m glad his Stefan is so popular with the Days crowd, but I’m always up for Johnny Z to resurface in Port Charles…he is missed!
I’m crying. I like Stefan and Gabi together. Don’t want them to end.
I agree with you Momo. Stefan and Gabi are cute together. I think their marriage is good for both of them.
The only thing I can hope for is that somehow Gabi is pregnant.
I am extremely disappointed to see Stefan go. TPTB didn’t think this through. There is so much potential story for Stefan. He carried the genes of two important villains from the show’s history. He came into the show as a dark, isolated, ruthless and destructive force. His marriage to Gabi has turned into a genuine and loving connection. There are so many potential stories for Stefan as he struggles to find a balance between his dark, destructive side and being a loving husband and father. I believe Gabi and Stefan really do love each other. We already know he’s a push over for children. He’d be a very loving stepfather to Gabi’s daughter. And then, they could have their own child or children. I’ve read that Chad and Abigail are coming back. There is another story that could be told as Stefan tried to repair his relationship with them.
From where I sit, killing Stefan is throwing away an important future of the show.
Agree!!!
I am sorry to see Stefan dead.What a shock.I wonder if Vivian will come back.If not she didnt last to long either.One more thing I saw Gabi in a Lifetime movie I think it was called Killer Caregiver of course she was a bad girl and committed murder.She is a great actress I only hope they can do something for Stefan,Days is like a new Dark Shadows people are always returning from the dead.
How is he breathing if he is brain dead???
Technically he isn’t. He’s hooked up to machines which are forcing air in and out of his lungs and circulating his blood. It’s standard practice with brain dead patients, for two reasons: First it gives family members time to say their goodbyes, and more importantly in this case, it keeps organs alive so they are viable for donation. It was a one in 666 million chance that Stefan jumped in front of a gun and was “lucky” enough to take one in the throat, rather than the chest, which obviously would have been a much bigger target.
One very odd thing I observed in how this whole thing was written on screen….
Kristen only learns of Stefan’s death by reading about it online??
Now I realize that Kristen isn’t the most popular mortal in Salem, but I was under the impression that hospitals always make a “good faith effort” to contact all known relatives of the deceased before reporting the death to the media. So all DiMera family members known to be alive – which would be Kristen, Chad, and Tony at the most recent count – should have been contacted before the death was made public.
Hateful or not, nobody should hear about the death of a sibling from the media.
Satan
You are very knowledgeable, so I wonder if you have any thoughts about Dr.Rolfe using stem-cell via Kristen’s baby to resurrect Stefan although they are not blood related.
I also thought that having Kristen find out about Stefan dying that way, was very insensitive of the writers.Actually none of his living relatives were notified. What about E.J who is back with the living and as far as we know with Sammy and not a vegetable.
Stem-cell technology isn’t really capable of reproducing vital organs yet but I guess it’s really not anymore ridiculous than any of Rolfe’s other medical experiments. So if Stefan shows up a few months from now with a brand new heart (and presumably that hole in his throat fixed) I wouldn’t be surprised.
And yeah, good catch on EJ… forgot about him, since he disappeared so soon after he was found in that weird warehouse/hospital.
Satan,
Thanks for the info. I have read rumours of Stephan returning, with Tyler Christopher in the saddle again, with a couple of variations. The stem cell was one of them. Funny thing about that old hoot Rolfe, I kind of like him, crazy as he is.
Hopefully Tyler is on his way back to Port Charles where he really belongs. Because the anvils have been dropping from the sky on an almost daily basis, regarding Nikolas Cassadine not being dead, and the last attempted recast of that character was every bit as horrible as the recasts that ReRon has done on Days (with Brandon Barash being the one exception)
All the rumors I’ve heard of Stefan (or somebody who looks like Stefan, at least) returning to Salem have been about Brandon, rather than TC in the role.
Satan,
I agree. I would rather see T.C in P.C than Salem. I hope what I read was really just rumour and not a spoiler. It said he could also be a Stefan twin. I was really starting to like Stefan when played by B.B, except for his last romantic choice.
@ Michael Fairman
Michael, what can you tell us about the DOOL time jump that is supposed to be happening soon? Is it fact or fiction?
Since Michael hasn’t chimed in here yet, I’ll take the question….
According to Jason 47 at soapcentral.com, the “time jump” period is apparently one year into the future. The pretense for the missing year will be an un-named character waking up from a coma. And over the coming Helliday season there will be several “flashbacks” from the missing previous year.
That’s about all I know at the moment, but hopefully fast-forwarding through the current pregancy storylines on the show will prevent ReRon from dragging out one of his favorite recycled storylines, the tired “baby switch” gimmick.
Satan
Once again thanks again for the info. I thought this sounded so interesting. I’ve never seen it done before on soaps, only other TV fare. Now I am going crazy trying to imagine who the coma person is you mentioned. You said un-named. Does that mean someone we know or someone that doesn’t exist yet? Sorry, I know I’m driving you nuts!
Hi again, just read that Ciara or Rafe is poisened by that crazy Jordan at the B.D party, so maybe one if these will be the coma victim.
Days Of Our Lives
‘General Hospital’ Alum Tajh Bellow Fills In for ‘Days of our Lives’ Tyler Joseph Andrews in the Role of Theo Carver
After an earlier post on Thursday, October 1 about General Hospital alumni Tajh Bellow’s (ex-TJ Ashford) upcoming project from Issa Rae’s HOOPAE Digital, comes word that Bellow is temporarily stepping into the role of Days of our Lives Theo Carver to fill in for Tyler Joseph Andrews on the Peacock streaming soap opera.
According to TV Insider, Bellow will be making a one-day appearance next week on the October 6 episode of DAYS as Andrews was unable to make the tape date that was shot 10 months ago on a day last December. Andrews (pictured below) took over the role of Theo in September of 2025.
In Bellow’s upcoming episode as Theo, he will share scenes with Cherie Jimenez (Gabi Hernandez). A DAYS spokesperson tells the outlet that Bellow “stepped seamlessly into the role, and the cast and crew were grateful for his professionalism and commitment, albeit for only one episode.”
Photo: JPI
TAJH WILL BE SEEN IN MULTIPLE PROJECTS IN OCTOBER
As General Hospital fans know, Tajh played the role of TJ Ashford from 2018 to his last appearance in December of 2024. Along the way, he received two Daytime Emmy nominations for his performances as TJ, the last being in 2025 in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Daytime Drama Series category.
In addition, bellow along with Y&R alum Loren Lott will be seen starting on October 14 in the new Love Island spoof series, The Compatibility Experiment. The show will drop exclusively on TikTok and the PineDrama platform.
The Compatibility Experiment gives a satirical look at reality dating shows, think Love Island! The story centers around Kelvin (Bellow) and Camila (Lott), whose relationship is put to the test when they join a reality show to try to win a the million dollar prize.
So, what do you think of Tajh stepping in for Tyler Joseph Andrews as Theo on DAYS? Perhaps, the soap opera liked his work that he might be considered for another role in the future bringing Bellow back to the soaps? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below.
Four cast members are officially on contract at Days of our Lives, according to the soap opera’s closing credits on Peacock and longtime Days expert and historian Jason 47.
Lauren Koslow (Kate), Sydney Malakeh (Sydney), Sal Stowers (Lani) and Jacob Martinez (Javi) are the names that appear in the closing credits in the contracted cast members section. Days of our Lives fans also note that the series tapes ten months in advance of streaming episodes.
As Days of our Lives fans know, Lauren Koslow has played Kate Roberts since 1996, and recently filled-in for Jess Walton in the role of Jill Abbott on The Young and the Restless when Walton was unable to travel from Oregon to Los Angeles during the specific tape dates. But now, Koslow has been re-upped to contract status as of the September 8 episode.
Photo: JPI
SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED
Sydney Malakeh is the newest member of the contract players when she debuted on contract status on the September 10th episode. Days fans first met Sami (Alison Sweeney) and EJ’s (Dan Feuerriegel) daughter in scenes in Monte Carlo around a gambling table.
As for Sal Stowers, the actress had been on contract from 2015-2022, then on recurring status with the soap, and would make appearances and limited runs since 2023. Soap fans first saw Sal as Cassandra Foster on Prospect Park’s revival of All My Children in 2013. Sal’s first new contracted episode was noted to be September 16.
Jacob Martinez, debuted on June 30 of this year as the successor to Al Calderon in the role of Javi Hernandez, and has now been bumped up to series regular as of the September 10 episode.
Photo: JPI
CREDITS
According to the referenced posting from Days of our Lives expert and historian Jason 47, he shared, “It took me four weeks to realize, but the same week that Sydney Malakeh (Sydney) debuted (9/7-9/11), “Days” also put Lauren Koslow (Kate), Jacob Richard Martinez (Javi) and Sal Stowers (Lani) on contract.”
Jason47 added, “This confirms the “errors” of Lani being listed in the credits the week of 9/7 but not appearing, and Kate and Javi appearing in the credits the week of 9/14 but not appearing. It also now makes sense why Javi and Sydney are being listed before Rafe and Philip in the credits.”
He also shared, “For the record, Lauren Koslow’s first date back on contract was 9/8, Jacob Richard Martinez was upped to contract on 9/10, Sydney Malakeh debuted on contract 9/10 and Sal Stowers’ first date back on contract was 9/16. The records will be fixed on the website in the coming days.”
So, glad to hear Lauren, Sydney, Sal and Jacob appear to be on contract with Days of our Lives (as of these episode airings)? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
Days Of Our Lives
‘Days of our Lives’ Leo Howard Joins Cast for ‘Yellowjackets’ Fourth and Final Season
Yellowjackets announced its full cast and new additions for its upcoming fourth and final season. None other than Days of our Lives favorite Leo Howard (Tate Black) will be featured in an exciting and undisclosed role on the Paramount+ streaming series.
Howard’s casting comes after he was one of four Days of our Lives cast members pink-slipped from the Peacock soap opera back in January of 2026. Due to Days of our Lives advanced tape to streaming episodes, Leo is also still appearing on the soap.
Viewers will need to tune-in to see how Tate, Holly (Ashley Puzemis), Johnny (Carson Boatman) and Chanel’s (Raven Bowens) storylines resolve before they all exit the canvas. No word on when Howard’s last DAYS episode airs as of yet.
Photo: JPI
YELLOWJACKETS CAST ADDITIONS FOR FINAL SEASON
The official Yellowjackets Instagram account welcomed a slew of new cast members for the upcoming fourth and final season which included Howard accompanying the post were, “The wilderness welcomes these new faces to the cast of #yellowjackets season 4.”
Leo joins Molly Ringwald, Eric Stoltz, June Squibb, Dulé Hill, Devon Sawa, Ken Marino, Aaron Staton, Cynthia Stevenson, Patricia De Leon, Noah Harpster, Sam Braun, and John Emmet Tracy for Yellowjackets final season which will premiere on November 22, 2026.
For those who may not be aware, Yellowjackets, was created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, and follows a high school girls soccer team after its plane crashes in the remote northern wilderness. The series moves between the teenagers’ increasingly brutal fight for survival and the lives the survivors have attempted to rebuild nearly 25 years later, proving that what happened in the past is far from buried.
Back on August 20, Paramount+ revealed that Yellowjackets will conclude with season 4 offering up a chilling teaser with former MTV VJ, Kurt Loder seen as a newscaster announcing, “We are live with breaking news: The Wiskayok Yellowjackets have been found.” From there, the season will deal with the aftermath of the soccer team’s eventual rescue.
Michael Fairman TV will keep you posted when Howard’s first episode of Yellowjackets will stream on Paramount+.
Now let us know, glad to see Leo landing a role in Yellowjackets? Will you miss him on Days of our Lives? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
TUNE-IN: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Banneker Homecoming Episodes, EP Sheila Ducksworth Speaks on Impact HBCUs Have in Real Life
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Sonny Tells Dante, “I Don’t Want a Son Like You,” While Michael Tells Brook Lynn to Bide Her Time Till Chase and Willow Have an Affair
‘General Hospital’ Alum Tajh Bellow Fills In for ‘Days of our Lives’ Tyler Joseph Andrews in the Role of Theo Carver
GH Alum Tajh Bellow and Y&R Alum Loren Lott Star in New Tiktok and Microdrama ‘Love Island’ Spoof
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Ava and Drew Revealed to be Behind Framing Sonny for Sidwell’s Prison Beatdown
REPORT: ‘Days of our Lives’ Puts Four Actors On Contract
‘Beyond the Gates’ Honors HBCU Tradition with Banneker University Homecoming Episodes
Alley Mills Returns to ‘General Hospital’ as Heather Webber
Judith Light Joins Cast of ‘Shrinking’ Season 4 in Recurring Role
‘Beyond the Gates’ Marquita Goings Delivers the ‘Power Performance of the Week’
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Sonny Tells Dante, “I Don’t Want a Son Like You,” While Michael Tells Brook Lynn to Bide Her Time Till Chase and Willow Have an Affair
GH Alum Tajh Bellow and Y&R Alum Loren Lott Star in New Tiktok and Microdrama ‘Love Island’ Spoof
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Ava and Drew Revealed to be Behind Framing Sonny for Sidwell’s Prison Beatdown
DANCING WITH THE STARS: Britt Stewart Visibly Upset After Shocking Elimination with Taylor Hanson
‘General Hospital’s’ Tabyana Ali Weighs In on Who She Thinks is Trina’s Stalker (Exclusive)
-
Days Of Our Lives2 days agoREPORT: ‘Days of our Lives’ Puts Four Actors On Contract
-
Beyond the Gates2 days ago‘Beyond the Gates’ Honors HBCU Tradition with Banneker University Homecoming Episodes
-
General Hospital1 week agoAlley Mills Returns to ‘General Hospital’ as Heather Webber
-
News1 week agoJudith Light Joins Cast of ‘Shrinking’ Season 4 in Recurring Role
-
Beyond the Gates6 days ago‘Beyond the Gates’ Marquita Goings Delivers the ‘Power Performance of the Week’
-
News5 days agoY&R Alum Thad Luckinbill Cast in New Thriller ‘Copperhead’
-
News1 week agoMatthew Atkinson Reveals New Project ‘Into the Wilderness’
-
General Hospital1 week agoTHIS FRIDAY: ‘General Hospital’s’ Tabyana Ali to Drop Music Video for Her Single ‘Pray’
