Days Of Our Lives
DAYS Wally Kurth, Chandler Massey & Freddie Smith Deliver Gut-Wrenching ‘Power Performance of the Week”
This past week on Days of our Lives brought the tears and the drama tenfold, in one of the most riveting, don’t-miss-a-moment, weeks in recent history on any daytime drama series.
While unfortunately the show did not air on NBC during its regularly scheduled timeslots on all coasts (due to the President Donald Trump impeachment hearings) the episodes were available on NBC.com, the NBC app and on the Cozi TV network.
Photo: JPI
And this week we cannot sound-the-trumpets enough for three men; who gave us moments of heartache that will be remembered for some time to come, pulling out all the stops, and showing us why they remain three of the most popular and talented actors in our genre. So many people have been commenting on social media on the authenticity and realness of the performances (yes, it’s within soapy circumstances), but throughout made us feel their pain right along with them.
On DAYS, this was the week they went back in time to finally show the viewers how things ended up the way they currently are in the time jump that happened last November on-air. And in five “OMG” episodes, head writer Ron Carlivati and his team laid out for us how one fateful night, “Mother’s Day” changed the course of lives for so many in Salem.
Chief among them, Will (Chandler Massey) landing in prison for Adrienne’s (Judi Evans) death, when in fact, he was not the responsible party at all. But in these flashback episodes, Will’s relationship with his husband, Sonny (Freddie Smith), his father-in-law, Justin (Wally Kurth) is forever changed because he believed he was the one behind the wheel that caused the crash that ultimately took Adrienne’s life, and took Sonny’s mother from him … and Justin’s wife from him.
In the flashback to the horrible night: at the hospital, Kayla (Mary Beth Evans) has told Justin that Adrienne didn’t make it following the injury sustained to her head in the accident, and now Justin has to tell Sonny. He tearfully tells his son, “We lost her. Your mother’s dead!” As the men console each other and break down in each other’s arms, Will, who is there, and who was trying to tell Sonny his part in the accident, is horrified to learn Adrienne died. Kayla asks Justin and Sonny if they want to say goodbye to Adrienne. Sonny breaks down again at just the thought of it. And at this point, we are sure DAYS fans are reaching for the hankies.
Photo: JPI
While Will’s guilt is too much for him to bear, Justin and Sonny go say goodbye to Adrienne, It is here that it was almost too hard to watch, but we soap viewers can’t turn away. That’s because it was just an unbelievable raw performance from Freddie Smith; as a young man who has to say goodbye to the mother he loves and on Mother’s Day to boot. Then, Justin kisses Adrienne’s forehead, remembers the first time he saw her crying in a flashback, and in tears asks his beloved wife, how is he supposed to go on without her. In addition, Justin recalls proposing to Adrienne with Kayla there beside him trying to comfort him.
Courtesy.NBC
In the hospital waiting area, Will tries to talk to Sonny to tell him that he caused the accident. Will blurts out, “I killed your mother.” Sonny, who is so grief-stricken, cannot believe what Will is saying, but then Sonny learns Will was distracted when he was texting his mother Sami on Mother’s Day while in the car because he was so busy. (Yup, Will forgot to do it earlier in the day) Sonny lets Will have it with: “My mom is dead because you were texting?!” As Sonny’s grief and anger escalates, Justin walks in and learns Will caused Adrienne death and then lowers the boom on Will: “The love of my life is dead…because of you!”
Courtesy/NBC
And if all of this wasn’t enough to have you bawling your eyes out by now, it is punctuated by the ultra-sad moment where a defeated Will has to leave his husband and his father-in-law alone because they don’t want him there. Before he exits, Will turns to them and says, that he wishes it had been him who died in the crash, as tears stream down his face.
What powerful and effective performances by Wally Kurth, Chandler Massey, and Freddie Smith. And so, with all of that said, Michael Fairman TV names this trio the “Power Performance of the Week”.
What did you think of the key scenes in Adrienne’s death and the aftermath featuring Wally, Chandler and Freddie? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
And, for more with Chandler and some behind the scenes content of the car crash, and his thoughts on the storyline, check out his new interview feature posted on the DOOL app Friday night.
While it’s true that most people can watch on the app, it’s a shame that because of the advanced shooting schedule, DAYS cannot preempt episodes. These episodes won’t count towards ratings.
Haven’t read any updates on the contract renegotiations, which are a precursor to getting shooting up and running. As they have episodes through August already shot, the hiatus may go on for a bit.
My station is now showing Days at 12:00 p.m. instead of the usual 1:00 p.m., which is nice. Also on Cozi, but when you have the DVR set up to record DOOL, it doesn’t record DOOL when another show is listed. I had to manually set. I was watching via On Demand, which was nice, except I can’t fast forward through commercials.
Old Vic ain’t going to have a single friend or relative left on your side of Earth’s crust when the truth of all this unholy mess comes out.
Sure, you could understand the instinct to protect Maggie, but at Will’s expense, which by extension means at Sonny’s expense. And Justin’s. And then on top of that, to swap Brady’s living baby for Sarah’s dead one.
If they’re planning to kill Victor off (because John Aniston ain’t up to working anymore) they certainly aren’t leaving any shortage of murder suspects.
Will leaving days
No, Will is not leaving Days.
first and foremost hats off to days love the time jump and if you don’t you aren’t a real fan!everyone was aces this week!the flashbacks with wally and judy were amazing!let’s talk about someone who takes a lot of heat from fans i have never felt anything but positive about freddie smith but know haters have had things to say his performance in these episodes was stellar! gut wrenching and raw as he said goodbye to his mother once again days keep up the momentum you are on point
Last week was descent, but what about all the other weeks Ron has been in charge as head writer? Days is down a half million fans from last season and averaging below 1.9 right now. The fans of Ron love Ciara/Ben, Marlena/John, Jen/Jack, Eric/Nicole, Justin/Kayla and ratings are still dropping. Maybe he needs to shake it up and go against the fans that rave about him and listen to his people that are leaving in droves.
All were good performances, but let’s be honest the writing/editing/production during this time jump has been awful. Justin was OTT considering he just remarried Adrienne not long ago, after being divorced for cheating..we’ve already been set up that he started a relationship with one of Adrienne’s best friends/sister in law within 3 months and at 6 they were declaring love moving into together. So, didn’t fly. All the heavy dialogue repeatedly telling us how much Adrienne and Will loved each other, etc was ridiculous..
All of the performances were wonderful last week, but I really have to give a shout out to Freddie Smith. He put it all out there, and I was a sobbing mess right along with him. Kudos, Freddie. You knocked it out of the park!
Yes he sure did
I thought the three actors were phenomenal. Real tear jerking scenes. Bravo Wally Kurtz, Freddie Smith & Chandler Massey
At the end of the day (no pun intended), NBC/Sony needs to work with Ken Corday and fix these issues with Days of our Lives. The genre, on daytime network, is approaching its expiration. Network t.v. as a whole ratings are declining with all the streaming services, etc. You will not pull in enough younger demographic to off-set the loss of your overall numbers. For me (long time fan) it’s easy to take Days off DVR because the quality just isn’t good anymore. The time jump impacted so, much to include quality production, etc. A new writer not so, much into Sci-Fi and rinse/repeat triangles for angst maybe the way to go. All this week back showed, is that they should have stayed in the present and let the stories play out.
I agree..
The time just has messed this up..I still hope some one will waken up from a bad dream and have it back to normal where no one died
I believe Days made a huge mistake in killing off Adrienne. I used to be a huge Days fan, I was even an extra in the Bo and Hope wedding. I’ve just seen too many good characters get lost in the shuffle of the soap opera so I stopped watching it. The classic characters should remain on the show that is your life blood, but Days does not recognize that apparently, which is why I no longer watch the show. I’m sure Wally Kurth, Freddie Smith and Chandler Macy gave an outstanding performance, no doubt. But I feel that you need to keep your classic characters on the show as well. I think killing off Adrian, a.k.a. Judi Evans was totally wrong.
I shed lots of tears. Bravo!!! The guys knocked it out of the ballpark.
Their performance was outstandind better than some of these high paying actors great job
Such good episodes and acting. It’s a shame they have to be interrupted. Freddie really seemed to be distraught. I can’t believe that Maggie is to blame. And then the ripple effects with Victor and Xander switching the babies–Kristen killing Haley, JJ back on drugs, Brady and Kristen breaking up, etc.
I also feel so bad for Judi that Adrienne died especially with her son dying IRL.
I also enjoyed the flashbacks.
Best performance in the death scenes was Judy Evans.
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
‘General Hospital’s’ Steve Burton Shares Reaction to His Lead Actor Daytime Emmy Nomination, ‘It Was to Honor Leslie Charleson’
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason Reconnects with Danny; Tristan Roberts Arrives in Port Charles, Lots of Nods to #16
53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations: Outstanding Lead Actress Drama Series
53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations: Outstanding Lead Actor Drama Series
Scott Bryce, ‘As the World Turns’ Craig Montgomery, Passes Away at 68
‘The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards’ Nominations Announcement Date Revealed: Who Will Be Going For Gold?
Randolph Mantooth, ‘Emergency!’ and ‘Loving’ Actor, Dies at 80
Steve Burton Returns to ‘General Hospital’ on Its 16,000th Episode: How Will Jason Be a Changed Man?
‘Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026’ Live on the Michael Fairman Channel
‘General Hospital’s’ Steve Burton Shares Reaction to His Lead Actor Daytime Emmy Nomination, ‘It Was to Honor Leslie Charleson’
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason Reconnects with Danny; Tristan Roberts Arrives in Port Charles, Lots of Nods to #16
GENERAL HOSPITAL Spoilers Promo: Jason’s Back, Drew Begins to Make His Move, Portia Goes Into a Labor
Scott Bryce, ‘As the World Turns’ Craig Montgomery, Passes Away at 68
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL Preview: Daphne’s Devastated, Steffy Finds Herself at a Crossroads with Finn
-
As The World Turns2 days agoScott Bryce, ‘As the World Turns’ Craig Montgomery, Passes Away at 68
-
Beyond the Gates6 days ago‘The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards’ Nominations Announcement Date Revealed: Who Will Be Going For Gold?
-
Breaking News4 days agoRandolph Mantooth, ‘Emergency!’ and ‘Loving’ Actor, Dies at 80
-
General Hospital4 days agoSteve Burton Returns to ‘General Hospital’ on Its 16,000th Episode: How Will Jason Be a Changed Man?
-
Beyond the Gates2 days ago‘Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026’ Live on the Michael Fairman Channel
-
General Hospital2 days ago‘General Hospital’s’ Rory Gibson Ties the Knot with Alicia Ruelas
-
General Hospital6 days agoKelly Kruger Set to Debut on ‘General Hospital’: Why Serena Baldwin Comes Back to Port Charles Revealed
-
Beyond the Gates1 week agoRATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ and ‘General Hospital’ Score Highest Weekly Viewer Increase
