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Emily O’ Brien Confirmed as Theresa Donovan Replacement on Days of our Lives

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: IMDB

At the end of the October 2nd episode of Days of our Lives, and during its closing credits, Emily O’ Brien was listed in the cast playing the role of Theresa Donovan, which confirms the rumors that Emily is taking over the role from Jen Lilley.

So, what does this mean for O’Brien? Does this mean she is exiting her role of Gwen Rizczech, a part she has played since 2020? It would seem so, but this is DAYS after all, so anything is possible.

As the backstage story goes, Jen Lilley, who had played the role of Theresa on and off since 2013, wanted to appear for a limited-run to be a part of the memorial service episodes for Victor Kiriakis, and honoring the late, John Aniston. Lilley often shared scenes with Aniston.

Photo: JPI

In speaking with Soaps.com on the situation, Lilley thought she was taping episodes during a 3 to 4 window in which she made herself available. However, DAYS actually wrote more episodes of Theresa’s story, and had decided to recast the part with O’Brien  Later, when Jen was told who the actress is, she was a bit mystified as they also told her that the show would put the actress in a blonde wig, because O’Brien was a brunette.

Photo: JPI

So, are you excited to see Emily as Theresa? Have you enjoyed her as Gwen? Share your thoughts on this DAYS casting switcheroo via the comment section below.

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What the hell???

Days sure do keep things interesting over there. Emily & Jen are equally talented actresses in their own right. For Gwen as nu-Theresa – let’s see if this works. If not, she comes back as Gwen.

Regarding GH and switching Roger Howarth (as a recast Franco… let’s say… interesting? On GH, he started off as OLTL’s Todd Manning, then Franco, and now Austin. And don’t get me started on Michael Easton as OLTL’s John McBain, then he was Silas Clay, now Hamilton Finn.

Back to Jen & Gwen, I wish them both well… Days finally got rid of A.A. Good riddance to him. I believe he instigated the switch, etc. But, for now… it is what it is. Best wishes to both Jen & Gwen.

Why not just write Ms. Donovan out of the script and let Emily O’Brien remain as Gwen?

Because, when Jen Lilley offered to come back, Alarr and co. assumed it’d be for a long-term stay, so they planned out twelve weeks of story to tell, and when approached, she said she could only do three weeks (and claims they wrote out twelve weeks of scripts), and likely had the planned Tate SORAS coming in.

Who is A.A.??

Albert Alarr.

Gwen becoming Theresa? It’s totally insane – what? She’s going to play both parts using wigs? Days has really sunk to a new low

Please we have the guy who played Ben, playing Alex. We pretty much got over it.

I do not like the way this has been handled; I do not blame Jen Lilley or Emily O’Brien, but I blame Albert Alarr and his continued power control. What an unfortunate situation, however, I hate that same actor different role exists within daytime, especially when there are plenty others who could be hired and be given the opportunity to take on the role.

Ron Carlivati is the king of the bizarre! If it’s nonsensical, you can bet Ron has a hand in it.

Head writers have almost nothing to do with casting. And as we’ve learned from the Albert Alarr debacle they can only write what the EP allows (it was revealed by a recently departed writer that Ron wrote a return to Salem for Bo and Hope and a reunion with Doug and Julie and it was scrapped from above, for example) and that Alarr, who had power over actors contracts and budget, regularly dictated, via those decisions, who needed to be written in and out–all while Ron was regularly blamed for it. Given how hands on Frons, Varni, and Valentini were (with casting and budget affecting casting) — and how deferential they were to certain actors with “thoughts” on story — it’s pretty obvious that regularly happened at ABC, too (we know he was forced to write Kyle and Fish out with hardly any notice) and likely happens at all of the soaps, save B&B (where the EP and top exec IS the Head Writer), but there seems to be an unspoken rule the writers (if they want to continue working in this small industry, or maybe due to clauses in their contracts) can’t call out EPs and network execs by name for forcing their hands…and so they just have to take the blame from fans.

Ron Carlivati is head writer… not executive producer/casting. This is purely decision of Albert Alarr.

I don’t understand why people are freaking out over this. Robert Scott Wilson played Ben at the same time as playing Alex. One was on DOOL and the other on Beyond Salem. But, that’s how they kept him around.

But, the head writer does pitch the ideas, that can be accepted or rejected by the executive producer. And yes, they do have some say in casting. Harding Lemay was the head writer for Another World back in the day. He hated Jacuie Courtney and George Reinholt and was instrumental in their firing. They were the top stars of the show.
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This is very strange. I guess I’ll wait and see, but not loving it right now. Jen was so good as Theresa.

I am very happy about this! I love Emily and so this is Wonderful news to me!! Still would love to see her and Alex get together! Loved them as a couple!

This is crazy! She’s British with a definite strong accent. Cannot imagine her as Theresa at all. Days casting crew are nuts.

Then you never saw Emily play her mother with her New Jersey accent.

Emily is a great Gwen, but a terrible Teresa. Jen is the best Teresa.

Worst idea DOOL has ever had. I’m so disappointed. Trying to decide if I can keep watching. It was hard enough seeing the Alex/Ben thing but Teresa/Gwen NO!!!!!

How absurd – why didn’t they just recast with a new actress? If Jen Lilly isn’t available for the long haul that’s understandable, but don’t recast with someone who’s already on the show as a completely different character, it’s astonishingly Distracting. Plus, all of a sudden, Theresa has a British accent (?) – I don’t dislike the actress who played GWEN but I can’t suddenly accept her as the New Theresa –

I preferred Jen Lilley as Theresa Donovan! The switch of characters from actors playing prior parts sucks! Ruins Days for me!

Days Of Our Lives

‘Days of our Lives’ Reveals Kyle Pryor Cast as Dominic Marino

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Kyle Pryor

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.

Dominix

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.

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Days of our Lives’ Conner Floyd Talks Dominic Marino Mystery, Chad and Belle, and Susan Seaforth Hayes (Exclusive)

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Conner Floyd

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.

EJ and Chad

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.”

Belle and Chad

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.”

Susan Seaforth Hayes

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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‘Days of our Lives’ Rachel Boyd on the Return of Sophia Choi as She Makes Her Way To Salem: ‘I Wanted Her to Come Back Stronger Than Ever’

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Sophia Boyd

Next week on all-new episodes of Days of our Lives, the Peacock streaming soap opera will pick right back up from where Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk) has tracked down a very much alive, Sophia Choi (Rachel Boyd) in a diner in Kentucky. But what will happen when Sophia returns to her old stomping grounds of Salem?

In official spoilers for the week of October 12-16, look for Kristen to make a deal with the woman she supposedly killed, and by week’s end for the once-conniving Sophia to make her way back to Salem. Meanwhile, in a new interview with TV Insider heralding her return, Rachel Boyd, who did a tremendous job with Sophia’s original exit story, explains how she thinks this version of Sophia will be different than the last.

The exit story had Sophia setting out to kill Johnny DiMera (Carson Boatman) by a demand made by Kristen DiMera. Sophia failed to end Johny’s life and Kristen lured Sophia to the bridge and clunked her over the head with a rock and pushed her over the rails to the steely waters below.

Rachel and Kristen

Photo: Corday Productions

Sophia’s body was never found, but she was declared dead. At the time, Boyd thought Sophia might be ‘dead-dead’ but in soap opera’s and especially Days of our Lives, nobody really ever truly dies!

WHAT’S DIFFERENT WITH SOPHIA CHOI COME FALL OF 2026?

Reflecting on her first run, which featured many an emotional scene, Rachel recalled: “As crazy as some storylines can be, working on a soap opera is truly a boot camp in acting because you’re given one take and you have to tackle really hard circumstances.”

Those dramatic circumstances included: “Giving birth in my bedroom alone, penning a suicide note, or even attempting to murder someone by blowing him up are all things a younger version of myself would be so intimidated by,” expressed Boyd. “But I learned that preparation is everything and as long as I do the hard work before I show up to set, then I am capable of it.”

Rachel ended her first run back in December of 2025, but due to DAYS tape schedule, the character of Sophia “died” five months ago on episodes on Peacock. Once she returned to the set for her second-go round, it was all systems go. “It was more like being thrown into the deep end, which honestly worked for me. I enjoy working under pressure and with momentum.”

The actress hopes viewers will see the internal change with the character as things move forward. “I knew I wanted her to feel distinctly different,” she explained. “I’ve always tried to keep the character constantly evolving and changing as she experiences new things and responds to trauma. But now that the audience hasn’t seen her for months, I had a great opportunity to fill in those blanks for myself and come back in a whole new way.”

DAYS fans should really began to notice the change on next week’s episodes. “I wanted her to come back stronger than ever,” admits Boyd. “Now that she’s survived a near-death experience and kept herself alive and hidden for six months, this version of Sophia is going to be much more independent and a fighter. I can’t say exactly what is going to happen, but as long as Sophia’s alive, chaos will follow!”

So, are you glad that Rachel Boyd is back as Days of our Lives Sophia Choi? What do you think she will do once she gets back to Salem? Turn a new leaf or be back to her scheming ways? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

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