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.
Days Of Our Lives
DAYS OF OUR LIVES Preview: Kristen Locates an Alive Sophia, How Much Does Rita Know About the Birth of Dominic Marino?
Next week, expected surprises and schemes on Days of our Lives. In official spoilers for episodes streaming on Peacock from October 5-9, it looks like Kristen (Stacy Haiduk) has hunted down a very much alive Sophia Choi (Rachel Boyd), while Marlena (Deidre Hall) admits a deeply concerning confession to her daughter Belle (Martha Madison), and more.
As previously reported, Tajh Bellow (ex-TJ Ashford, General Hospital) is stepping in for one day for Tyler Joseph Andrews in the role of Theo Carver and will share scenes with Gabi (Cherie Jimenez), where Theo finally agrees to go along with Gabi’s plan, after she offered him a job.
Meanwhile, Gabi may have her hands full with Philip (John-Paul Lavoisier) whose big win in Monte Carlo may have sparked his gambling addiction … all over again, but Philip reveals her has a plan.
Photo: Corday Productions
Sydney (Sydney Malekeh) is in for a shock when Dante (Franco LoPresti) arrives in Salem. Why is he in Salem? Is he part of the unraveling of the Dominic Marino mystery, since we know he seemed like he was talking to the man in Monte Carlo?
Will Marlena ever figure out what Rita (Maggie Carney) is hiding about the mystery of Dominic, and if Marlena is truly his birth mother or did something more suspicious go on and how deeply involved is Rita in this whole story?
EJ (Dan Feuerriegel) finally demands answers of his own from Rita after overhearing on today’s Cliffhanger Friday her conversation with Marlena. Will Rita cop to anything?
Then as noted, while everyone thinks Sophia took her own life, after Kristen “murdered” her, Kristen is infuriated to find she is somehow alive working as waitress in a diner in Kentucky. Will Kristen try to kill Sophia yet again?
Take a look at some of the additional spoilers for next week’s action on DAYS below.
Monday, October 5
Joy worries about her future.
Alex surprises Stephanie.
Chanel supports Johnny through a difficult decision.
Tuesday, October 6
Rachel gives Brady cause for concern.
Roman surprises Kate.
Wednesday, October 7
Leo’s good day takes an unexpected turn.
Brady is forced to make a difficult call.
Thursday, October 8
Paulina refuses to give up on Lani.
Chanel asks Johnny for a promise.
Friday, October 9
Stephanie and Alex steal a private moment.
Steve gets troubling news from Johnny.
So, what do you think will happen when Kristen finds that the woman she thought she murdered and framed (making it looking like a suicide) is alive and well and working in a diner far away from Salem? Was Rita more involved with Stefano DiMera than we even know? Who is the birth mother of Dominic? Is it really Marlena or did someone else carrying her child? And what of Dante? Why is he back in Salem? To get at Philip, or something else? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
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.
Mark Consuelos Celebrates Kelly Ripa’s 56th Birthday on ‘Live,’ But Remember When Wendy Williams Outed the Couple as Married Before Anyone at ‘All My Children’ Knew?
DAYS OF OUR LIVES Preview: Kristen Locates an Alive Sophia, How Much Does Rita Know About the Birth of Dominic Marino?
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
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’
Mark Consuelos Celebrates Kelly Ripa’s 56th Birthday on ‘Live,’ But Remember When Wendy Williams Outed the Couple as Married Before Anyone at ‘All My Children’ Knew?
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
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