Days Of Our Lives
Emily O’ Brien Confirmed as Theresa Donovan Replacement on Days of our Lives
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.
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!
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.
In an effort to bring back productions to the United States and offering incentives to keep them from going abroad, a bipartisan group of lawmakers in Congress has introduced proposed legislation to establish a federal film and television tax credit. It is being touted as a landmark moment for Hollywood Workers and small businesses.
The Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act, led by Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Calif.), Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas), Rep. Sanchez (D-Calif.) and Rep. Brian Jack (R-Ga.) in the House of Representatives, would establish a 20 percent base tax credit on labor expenses and a potential rebate of 30% if signed into law. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) are spearheading an identical bill in the Senate.
To be eligible, productions must have a minimum spend of $1 million (per film or per TV season), and at least 75% of production days must be in the U.S. For animation, 75% of the production cost must be in the U.S.
Photo: CBS
SOAP OPERAS AND OTHER FORMS OF PROGRAMMING WILL NOT BE PART OF THE BILL
The federal incentive would be eligible to be stacked on top of individual state tax incentives, much like the current system in Canada and Australia. In the new bill, postproduction and special visual effects labor costs can be counted as eligible expenses.
However, the lawmakers proposed bill does not include the following type of shows: Daytime dramas, porn, commercials, talk shows, interview shows, game shows, award shows, news programming, live sports, corporate/industrial videos, and social media videos,
TV AND FILM PROJECTS THAT ARE ELIGIBLE HOPE TO BRING BUSINESS AND JOBS BACK TO THE U.S.
The federal film and television tax credit will be available for: films, TV shows – scripted and unscripted (4-episode minimum), TV pilots, animation, above-the-line wages (producers, writers, directors, actors, etc.) and below-the-line wages (crew), and standalone post-production and visual effects.
If passed, the legislation could offer much needed help for workers who have been rocked by recent unsteady times in show business. In all, runaway productions, strikes and a contraction in the business have dashed many job opportunities in recent years, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics finding that jobs in the motion picture and video industries have declined by more than 100,000 since 2022.
Click here to review the entire proposed bill from congress.
So, what do you think of the new bill on the table in the U.S. congress? Glad to know that it could, if passed, help some types of projects? What do you think about how the soaps are excluded and deemed not eligible? Does it continue to seem to you, that no matter what, those that work within the continuous tightened budget of daytime dramas can never catch a break? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
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