Days Of Our Lives
Freddie Smith Posts Heartfelt Message As His Final Episode Airs On Days of our Lives!

Photo Credit: Brad Everett Young
Where has the time gone? It’s been four plus years since Freddie Smith made his debut as the first openly gay main character on Days of our Lives, Sonny Kiriakis.
Throughout Smith’s time on the NBC soap opera, the show broke ground with the marriage of Sonny and Will, and Sonny became one of the moral centers of Salem.
As a nice capper to his time at DAYS, Freddie also took home the Daytime Emmy this year in the Outstanding Younger Actor category. Smith, who made the decision earlier this year to exit DAYS, wrapped up his run on-screen during Tuesday’s episode which was broadcast across the country.
This afternoon, Freddie to took his facebook page to share a message about his exit, his journey, what he has learned, and what it has meant to him to play Sonny. Here’s what he shared:
FREDDIE SMITH: “This is CRAZY!!! Today is the last airing episode for Sonny Kiriakis! June 2011, “Sonny” made his debut in Salem as the first openly gay character on “Days of Our Lives.”‘
I remember people being unsure how the audience would accept the character. With amazing writing and an incredible vision, “Days of Our Lives” and the creative team told a raw, uncut, passionate love story between two men who fell in love.
Will and Sonny became the POWER COUPLE known as WILSON! We were treated like every other couple on the show and the audience accepted us with open arms. I feel so blessed to have been a part of the equal rights movement over the past 4 years. I will never forget the journey I had as Jackson “Sonny” Kiriakis.
Thank you to all my friends, family, and fans for your support and love. I know Sonny will be missed, but I hear Salem always has their door open!”
What do you think of the sentiments shared by Freddie in his message? Will you miss seeing him on DAYS? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Bravo. He will be missed.
So long! Don’t get behind the wheel of a vehicle when you’re drunk anymore!
I have enjoyed watch you on Days! I am gonna missed you!! You are well deserved and openly minded. Thank you for your doing. Hope you can come back sooner than u think! 🙂
Kudos to Freddie Smith for his stunning job acting out such a complex role. As a gay man myself I found his portrayal smart and mostly on point. He never portrayed a stereotype and he , for a straight man, showed ease in portraying the tender, sensitive side of Sonny. I wish Freddie huge success in whatever he does in the future and I thank him for sending out a positive picture of what it is like to love as everyone else loves. I respect the team at Days for sending out a positive picture of what a gay couple is really like. I didn’t agree with the rush towards marriage BUT I do respect that they took on such a controversial topic in a genre that is known for avoiding unpleasant or controversial topics. Stellar work by Freddie Smith. He will be sorely missed.
very well said,he’s a great guy and played the part well –Freddie and Chandler did there best and gave all 100 percent will miss him and what ever he decide to do in his Life I want to wish him the very Best —us fans support him and respect him for a great job he’s done he had a great inpack on our lives and a lot of great memorable moments over the years that will always be there.
Freddie ia a great actor and a class act through and through. I wish there were more like him in the profession.
I hope the show will write Sonny as an intermittent character like so many others, so that Freddie can keep playing him in between other projects. Perhaps 3 or 4 scenes every quarter just so the relationship can be kept alive.
Sonny (Freddie Smith) You will be Sadley missed . You and Will (Chandler Massey) were the Best Couple ever. I really wish both of you would come back together. Please keep an open mind about returning to DOOL , No one could play your part like you do. Wilson Forever !!!! I wish you Success in all your future endevors. Donna from Brooklyn
This just shows what a great person Freddie is. He will be greatly missed and I hope he comes back and visits every once in a while. He is an amazing actor! Hopefully Sonny will divorce Will at some point..lol Do not like the character of Will anymore. They changed him too much.
Great job and hope you and chandler Massey return together, the storyline was best when the actor portraying will could act.
Freddie made Sonny one of my favorite characters on the show & I will really miss him. I hope Days’ new writers aren’t going to drop the gay storylines [as I’ve been hearing] & that if Freddie doesn’t want to return after those “months” at Victor’s clubs, that the show will consider a recast. And that PaulSon will become a reality!
I really like Freddie. I hope his drunk driving was a one time thing and is over. It is a hard thing to overcome!
You are truly amazing and will be missed I hope you and your girlfriend will enjoy many more happy moments. God bless “WILSON”
I truly enjoyed Freddie’s performance as Sonny. He played Sonny as a really nice and genuine person. I will miss him so very much. I wish Freddie nothing but the very best in his future and hope he shows up on Days again from time to time.
Only when Sonny (Freddie Smith) came aboard did I watch DOOL religiously. Freddie’s portrayal of Sonny is outstanding and superb. I was able to empathize with the character as well as mesmerized by the plots. Sonny/Freddie, I will sadly miss! I do wish him well in his endeavors…he is a class act and very professional actor!
Yes you are already missed, They need you back on days you are a very big part of days,
My wife and I are going to miss Sonny.Sonny and Wills characters helped me understand different life styes.I think the gayt community owes days of our lives a lot and we will miss freddy a lot.God bless you Freddy and good luck to whatever you decide to do.Canaan NH loves you.
Thank you Joe for taking the time to write that. It’s always heartening to see someone realize that we really are just like everyone else in everyday life. And thanks to both Days & Freddie for helping all the other ‘Joes’ out there to understand. It’s a shame that hasn’t been the case for a few others who post here – you know who you are….
I love Freddie playing as the sonny character I wish he would come back as sonny Arianna needs her other daddy and she will always be sad on the show with out him so please come back as sonny
Well if they recast you can bet you won’t get another job for a while..and that’s too bad..daytime actors as a majority are so overlooked when they should easily transition to primetime or indie films or big budgets..the stories may sometimes be over the top..the director or EP may sometimes insist on over the top..but most actors who spend a good amount of time in a role shouldn’t find it so hard to transition..and yet that’s the idiots in charge who think they know more than what people watching and enjoying these actors do…
He really could have left off with that goofy pose though..not helping for the here after..
JMO
ps: i honestly thought… prior to reading your post… that his pic seemed a little too machismo
relax FS. your looks and acting skills…. whew!
NICE
hey! a keeper, i’d follow your career… and wait for your return
you nailed it.
what a nice post.
I will never understand…. either
when one transitions from “daytime” to prime time or features’
have to gavel
“…yet that’s the idiots in charge who think they know more than what people watching and enjoying these actors do… ”
Freddie Smith is one actor among (nearing 4 decades of watching) what seems like millions
LOL…. and we’ve been witness to a bountiful of TREAT after TREAT
the magnitude of talent in daytime is tantamount…. because, we’ve seen so many pass through those doors and we have had to let go
Freddie Smith: words cannot be fully expressed… how much you’ve affected my livelihood. as a gay man… I couldn’t believe it… another lifestyle…. my life… is being depicted … starring two of the finest actors… Freddie Smith and Chandler Massey…(to STARt) followed by Guy Wilson, and Sean Christopher. as i’ve shared before… the relationship with Will and Gramma Marlena… is when the dam broke… and I witnessed a tour de force magic unfold.
tearfully… i’m happy…. I truly hope Sony / NBC/ and Days of OUR Lives forwards this epic
Bravo !! Well written Freddie you will be sadly missed by me and my younger sister who also watches the show. No one can every take your place in our eyes Best wishes to you in all you do in the future.
You will be surely be missed. You stress a great actor and played your role so well. I hope that you will return to the show because your fans would bee very happy if you did. It was so hard to see you say goodbye. We love you Freddie.
Freddie(Sonny) you truly will be missed just hoping that in the near future you will return to your much loved character, we love our Sonny
Have been a fan and a support to your career, Freddie, for all this time. Will miss you and all my friends here in Clarkston, Michigan will, too. Your Grandma, Fran, first cousin to my mother, Carmelita Corbissero, is so very proud of you! Cece
I am really gonna miss you on the show. You were one of the best on the show. Is there a chance you could return. I use to watch Days all by my self but now I got my husband into it too. Good luck with your future plans.
Freddie you made your character real. It was amazing how much realism you put into Sonny. The emotion I saw, you made him real. When Sonny was hurting we saw that in his face and actions. As fans we hurting right along with you. You are such a special person and your talent as an actor will take you far. I hope to see you on Dool again if only for an occasional visit. I to wish that they would bring you back with Chandler Massey. You two were so great together.
i will always miss Sonny i love the story of Will and Sonny and that sweet baby perfect couple
Dear Freddie,
God Bless you and keep you safe on all your adventures.
Best of luck in all your carrier choices.
Big hugs,
M
Freddie “Sonny” Smith- you will be greatly missed. I hope you will one day return.
I will so miss Sonnys character on Days He is a great actor. I looked forward to seeing him each day he was on the show. Loved every scene he played in. He played such a sweet guy.He was so much a part of my family it was a very sad day yesterday when told everyone goodbye. Made me cry through most of show and the scene with Ariana was was so touching. It gave us all hope when he told Paul he would be back. Good luck Freddie Smith and God bless you.
You will be missed on screen Freddie. I can’t picture anyone else playing the role of Sonny. Good luck in the future! Hope it includes your return to Days soon.
You will be missed on DOOL. I know that you will be back soon. Until then I wish you the best in everything you do
He did a great job as Sonny. He will be missed. I hope he will return and reconcile with Will.
Will miss the GREAT acting of a wonderful human being no matter what his part he was part of it that is why he was so good. Thank you for making days better all the time I have watched for over 40 years. Will miss you. Your first love is a great replacement. I still think you should be together. Thanks again for my hour of relaxation.
He carefully states that “Sonny will be missed by Salem always has it’s door open” which I interpret to mean that the CHARACTER of Sonny may re-emerge (as portrayed by a new Actor) but it doesn’t sound like Freddie himself will be back. I think that after the character of Sonny is gone for a while in Europe, he may return after a while as played by someone else. I hope so, I would not want to see Sonny, Derrick, Will or Paul off the canvas. Their storylines are just as valid if not more so than some of the other plots which can get a little tedious after a while. I mean, this whole Daniel-Nicole-Eric triangle has gone on for long enough.
He will be missed. I truly hope he comes back again but for good.
i have been watching Days since it began and I can honestly say I have loved most of the characters over the years. By far, I have enjoyed the Sonny and Will story line the best. I really loved it with Chandler and Freddie but Guy has done a great job as Will and I really felt like Will’s character changed tremendously when Chandler left. This Will has done an outstanding job as an offspring of Sammie’s would. Chandler was really much more lovable. Freddie has played Sonny with so much honesty and charisma. He really has done a great job representing the Gay community in this day and age and not the stereotypical showing of those that feel threatened by Gay people. I also commend Days of Our Lives for taking the high road. Bravo!
Best of luck to you in whatever you decide to do now, I will miss you, but hopefullt you will come back, you did say when you left you would be back & they said dont stay away too long.
I always loved the Character of Sonny as I do Will as well. I will definitely itely miss Sonny on the show. What disappointed me the most was when those of us who are gay have tried so hard for marriage acceptance.. and the writers pulled our first good example apart.. but it is a soap. Haha I will miss you Freddy! And I wish you all the success and happiness in the future! I hope to see you again n film , tv or as even Sonny again.
Best wishes,
Chad C.
Love this actor. Hope he returns.
What I don’t understand is why is he leaving Days? Was he fired or did he quit or is he going back to Ohio to serve his 2 year community service and then come back to days? How come no one is saying why he is leaving?
Freddie chose not renew his contract, Melissa. He played Sonny for 4 years and wanted to face new challenges. He said he knows the door will be open for him at DAYS if he chooses to go back.
I’m new to the show! Only started watching since Sonny, Will, & Paul! I could clearly see Sonny n Paul are soul mates! Enthusiastic to see the chemistry between the two. Looking for more I researched and learned all the hoopla involving the storyline. Finding past episodes online I fell in love with Chandler M. And I get get what all the drama is about. It’s a soap and happy couples don’t last or viewers might get bored!
Freddie Smith you will be missed!!!
I wish for your girlfriend a full recovery and that you can get your life in order and come back to us!
Sonny will be very much missed on zDays. Hopefully, Freddie will come back after taking some time away from the show. I hope they don’t recast the part. Good luck Freddie.
Four years already? Freddie Smith will be missed on Days Of Our Lives!
I want the gay story to continue but seriously wish they would add a lesbian story! No one does both and no one is presently doing a lesbian story. Bring Stephanie back as a lesbian. Or one of Maggie’s daughters.
I stumbled on the show one day about the time that Paul came to town, never missed an episode since. Always looked forward to any scene that Sonny was in, Freddie is an A+ actor in every way. I haven’t really watched the show since his goodbye, just checking in on spoiler alerts. I wish Freddie all the success in the world but also hope he comes back even for a short while and gets together with Paul, they are soulmates.
Freddie’s Grandma Fran Smith and my mother, Carmela Corbissero were First Cousins. Somewhere, down the line, I, too, am a cousin of Freddie Smith.He was the reason I watched DOOL
Days Of Our Lives
‘Days of our Lives’ Reveals Kyle Pryor Cast as Dominic Marino

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.

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

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.

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.”

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.”

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.
Days Of Our Lives
‘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’

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.

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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