In a not-then-but-now real-life story, Days of our Lives incoming Gabi Hernandez, actress Cherie Jimenez took to Instagram on Friday after it was revealed by Deadline, that her first airdate as the recast Gabi is next week on June 27th!

Jimenez has replaced longtime DAYS star, Camila Banus in the role. Previously, Banus made the decision to step away from the part after taking on the role in 2010. Camila was with the series on and off through 2023. To facilitate her exit, Gabi was sent to prison for the murder of Li Shin, only she didn’t commit the crime.

Cherie shared her emotions on finally being able to talk about being the new Gabi Hernandez DiMera. She expressed, “WOW ✨🎬 My heart is filled with immense gratitude over the opportunity of a lifetime. I am GABI HERNANDEZ DIMERA on the iconic DAYS OF OUR LIVES ⏳❤️‍🔥 It has been an absolute dream working on DAYS.”

Photo: JPI

As for her time so far at DAYS, Jimenez added,”These past 7 months I have worked harder than I ever have and now I get to share it with the world. Everyday I walk onto set I am in awe that I’ve been given the opportunity to live my dream. I get to work with the most phenomenal & hardworking cast and crew I’ve ever had the honor to work alongside.”

Photo: JPI

Jimenez, thanked among others the series producer, director and writers for trusting in her including: Janet Drucker, Noel Maxam, Ron Carlivati and Ken Corday, and her agents for helping her along the way in her show business journey.

She concluded with the most ironic twist of all, Cherie recalled, “At 22 years old an audition for the role of Gabi on Days of our Lives came into my life. It was not meant for me then. Now 15 years later at 36 years old the universe told me I was now ready to step into this role…Thank you ✨ …I am just beginning ✨”

So, are you looking forward to the debut of Cherie as the new Gabriella Hernandez DiMera? Comment below.

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It’s been eight years, but somehow seems like ages ago, that Arianne Zucker was thrust into the mainstream public limelight, unfortunately not for her work as Nicole on Days of our Lives, but for the Access Hollywood taped that surfaced when former president Donald Trump  and current Republican nominee, visited the set of the (then) NBC soap opera, and met Zucker.

The tape captured a hot mic moment between Trump and then ‘Access’ host Billy Bush inside of their bus which featured lewd remarks about Zucker between the two men.

Speaking on the moment, Zucker opened about it on Rachel Uchitel’s Miss Understood podcast, where the video version of the interview is now on Uchitel’s You Tube Channel. Back in 2005, Arianne was the scene partner with Trump in his Apprentice/Days of our Lives crossover appearance, because her character of Nicole was at the time a gold-digger.

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Zucker shared of her on set experience with Trump from 2005, “I had a great experience. He was lovely, and I had no idea anything behind the scenes was happening. So, it never affected me.” Next in October 2016, Arianne says she it got a call from her manager at the time when the Access Hollywood tapes came to light and that is when she first heard about the situation.

The actress and life coach reflected back, “Everybody has spoken poorly about somebody in their lifetime. I don’t care who you are, everybody has, it’s just people get caught on camera doing it. Unfortunately, that happens all the time. And if you’ve ever gone to a fraternity party, these things happen. So (when she later read the taped comments) I’m going, ‘sounds like something my fraternity guys I know would say.’ But I just didn’t see it in the way that people were seeing it.’”

Expressing why she never made an official comment when the press were asking for one, Arianne revealed, “I didn’t make a comment though, because I was in fear of losing my job. So I didn’t say anything.”  She added, “I felt attacked by the media because I knew all they wanted. I mean, the biggest thing was to get Trump off the ballot. I was like, that is not my job.”

Later, Arianne explained she felt she received no protection from the situation. “I got no apology from my place of employment. I really got no apology from NBC. I felt I had no protection. ”

Photo: JPI

DAYS fans are counting down and not happily that about six weeks from now, on July 29th, when Zucker makes her on-screen exit from Days of our Lives. After being fired for standing up to Corday Productions for on set sexual harassment and discrimination charges, the actress formally filed a lawsuit she has brought against her former employer which includes charges of wrongful termination.

Zucker said on her upcoming departure from DAYS, “I will not say how I leave the show. I do respect that we don’t want to share that. We want the fans to be excited and enticed.” However, Arianne confirmed that the character of Nicole is not ‘killed-off”.

So, what do you think of Arianne’s comments reflecting back on the Access Hollywood tapes media frenzy with Donald Trump, and her upcoming exit from DAYS? Weigh-in. But first, check out Ari on Rachel’s podcast below.

On Days of our Lives, Nicole (Arianne Zucker) has been reunited with her biological son, baby Jude. Her husband, EJ (Dan Feuerriegel), is now keeping a major secret, and in order to keep it from coming out he had to get Sloan (Jessica Serfaty) out of Salem, and keep both Melinda Trask (Tina Huang) and Leo Stark (Greg Rikaart) quiet and at bay.

However, as in any good soap opera, time is running out for EJ. What will happen when Nicole and Eric (Greg Vaughan) find out that EJ is not the little one’s biological father, but Eric is? And, what will happen when they realize EJ knew the truth and hid it from them?

This is just one item in a laundry list of skullduggery committed by EJ since he has been in Salem. With Arianne Zucker set to exit on-screen on July 29th, it looks like we are heading into the home stretch of the baby switch storyline.

Photo: JPI

Michael Fairman TV caught up with Dan Feuerriegel to get his take on the situation and what it has been like working with Greg and Ari in the story.

Dan shared on EJ’s despicable decision to pretend he is Jude’s bio-dad, “I know I’m a terrible human being, but I love playing a terrible human being.” Feurriegel added, “Oh, he’s in the deep end. Like, there is no coming back for him now.”

The DAYS star also noted if EJ had done anything more nefarious to Sloan, his character might not ever be able to come back from that. “There’s only so much hatred EJ can get from the viewers that it probably would’ve been a bridge too far for me to just make her (Sloan) disappear,” clarified Dan.

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As to his time working with Arianne Zucker as his on-screen wife, Dan had noting but praise for her. Feuerriegel expressed, “I loved working with her. She’s so good. She’s an amazing actress. She’s fantastic. Every scene that I did with her, I didn’t have to do anything because I just rode on the coattails of what she did. It was an absolute pleasure to work with her.”

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Dan also had high marks for his on-screen nemesis, Greg Vaughan, “Greg is fantastic, like everybody in the storyline was amazing. Greg’s amazing … Ari’s amazing … Jessica was fantastic and that’s what made it work. I’m very grateful to have worked with every single one of them.”

Photo: JPI

On soap operas and especially on Days of our Lives, when someone exits, or ‘dies’ on-screen that doesn’t mean goodbye forever, and Dan knows this too. In regards to anyone who leaves Salem, the actor joked, “I’m not going to say the doors closed, because you never say never, especially in Hollywood or on a soap. I mean, I’ve come back and I was like two inches shorter and (with) a completely different face.”

So, how do you think Eric will find out that Jude is really his son, and that EJ has been lying to keep Nicole? Let us know in the comment section, but first Check out our conversation with Dan from the red carpet at the recent 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards below.