Days Of Our Lives
Freddie Smith Returns On-Air To DAYS! What Are Your Hopes For Sonny Kiriakis?

Courtesy/NBC
It’s been months since fans of Days of our Lives have seen Freddie Smith on their screens as Sonny Kiriakis.
The last time he was in Salem was for the heartbreaking funeral of his husband, Will. But that will finally change on the Tuesday, July 26th episode of the NBC soap when Daytime Emmy winner Smith begins again as Sonny returns to Salem. Many are hoping Sonny will rekindle his relationship with his former flame, Paul Narita (Christopher Sean). Will time and instance heal old wounds? Will time away to grieve for Will open up Sonny to new possiblities?
In this week’s Soap Opera Digest on newsstands now, Smith teases: “You’re going to see Sonny interacting with everyone. I get to work with a lot of new people.”
So, what are your hopes for the character of Sonny this time out? Share your thoughts in the comment section below. But first watch next week’s promo for DAYS ushering Smith back to the show after the jump.
Bring on PaulSon, plz!
Days needs shocking twists…like Celia said Caroline gets pregnant by Victor…An outraged Maggie threatens divorce…a pleading Victor explains he only slept with Caroline because no one else would and he felt sorry for the tramp..Maggie understands…’Oh my darling Victor,’ coos Maggie.’What a sweet kind man you are!.Always ready to help the less unfortunate!’…this turns Maggie on!…with lightening-like movements, Maggie rips off Victor’s jacket and shirt, throws him to the floor in the K mansion and makes mad passionate love to him…sparks fly and starts a fire in the K mansion…Maggie suddenly develops super hero strength…Victor’s back is out so Wonder Woman Maggie lifts him off the floor and carries him outside the burning mansion…Meanwhile, Caroline, upset Vic will have nothing to do with her and the baby, vows revenge…and her belly has unexpectantly grown huge days after getting pregnant…Caroline, her hormones out of whack, chases Maggie with an ax around the town square, Caroline’s belly flapping like a bobble head…Nicole, Kate and Chloe are there but do nothing to help Maggie because they are too busy talking about hunky Deimos whom every lady and man in town are attracted to and they have declare him the next Dr. Danial Jonas…Caroline chops up Maggie and serves her remains to Brady Pub Customers in her famous clam chowder…those who eat the chowder with Maggie’s remains find themselves wearing red shoes and hearing the Days theme repeatedly in their heads-‘Like Sands Through The Hour Glass…So Are The Days Of Our Lives!’…90 (Caroline’s age) days later Caroline gives birth to a demon baby with Vic’s dastardly mustache, razor sharp teeth and a Kim Kardashian rear…the demon baby crawls around Salem biting people with its razor sharp teeth…all its victims will die from the deadly bite…the only cure is its victims must listen to Miley Cyrus or Justin Beiber music…horrified that is the only alternative for them to survive, every victim chooses death-lol
Oh, Sonny returns…maybe for Paul…and for the return of Chandler Massey as Will Horton who survived Ben’s attack…he was revived off camera after someone detected a faint heartbeat but has been in a coma all this time…Will wakes up but has amnesia!!!
I am looking forward to seeing Freddie back as Sonny. Now that Will is dead, it is time for Sonny to move on. If that means with Paul, then so be it. He had been hiding his feelings for Paul from Will for a long time, and even told Will he was “delusional ” to think Sonny still loved Paul. Well now we know Will did not imagine it at all. But Will is no longer in the way so Paul and Sonny can finally have it all with no distractions. I just hope that Sonny gets a story that is independent from Paul and vice versa. Because If all we see is Paul and Sonny in a relationship with no actual story to keep them interesting, they will become stale and boring in no time.
Right on, Jimmy!! My hope for Sonny is to be reunited with Will (Chandler).
You have it right Celia, same here.
Oh, my Lord, Jimmy. I wish I could send you a recording of my laughter. I am laughing so hard, as I am reading your post, my side hurts. Tears streaming down my face.
My sisters are here….you’ve got them going, too.
Caroline has twins….with horns. Each horn is bejeweled with the name ‘Stefano’. Uh-oh !!!! Caroline cheated on Victor!!!!
Was that you…..i think i did hear you-and we live thousand miles apart-lol…i actually wish Days would had done that Caroline preggers exactly how i had written it as an unexpected April Fools Day prank for its viewers-it would had been so funny and a nice change from all that bleakness-better yet…really make Caroline with child…if Doc Evans can be possessed by the devil and also a serial killer who really killed no one i say why not?-lol
That would be great too and a daytime first-Caroline cheats on Victor with a dead man Stephano-love it-you are now my co-writer-lol
@jimh(leave it to beaver).
Lol, Jimmy. We’re a team. See you in Hollywood…on the NBC set.
I’m very happy to have Freddy Smith and Sonny back on the canvas. I don’t want him to get romantically involved with Paul. It’s nothing against Paul. I just didn’t like the two of them together. They should be good friends; but nothing more. I’m thinking after the tragic murder of Will, it will probably be sometime before Sonny is ready to open himself to romance again. And when the time comes, please let it be someone other than Paul. Why have Sonny move backward? He needs to move forward with his life.
I think as you do, Llanviewer. I’m thrilled to have the talented, gorgeous Freddie Smith back. But the chemistry between him & Chandler Massey still sticks with me. Someone new might be just what Sonny needs. Maybe they can lure Robert Adamson, Y&R’s Noah, over to DAYS now that he’s been cut to recurring status. Or Brandon Barash, ex-Johnny from GENERAL HOSPITAL? Can you imagine the sparks? You’d need the Fire Department on standby!
Hope there’s a Wilson reunion … Bring Chandler Massey back as Will Horton who is actually still alive ! and reunited with Sonny, then they live together happilly ever after …
Bring chandler Massey back!!!
I agree.
I hope he’s back for good and not just a short visit. I’d like to see Sonny and paul back together again.
Welcome back, Freddie Smith!
Freddie signed a one year contract with an option for an additional year. During his live Facebook chat today, Freddie said he couldn’t think of anyone he hasn’t worked with in the cast this time around. He also was shocked to see a man on set that will surprise us all, but the secret returnee won’t be seen on air for four more months.
The secret returnee could be Chandler Massey unless he’s already been taping or the returnee could be Drake Hogestyn! We’ll see.
Other surprise return possibilities are Greg Vaughan (Eric) or JKJ (Philip).
Oh honestly we can do without the ex-father Eric coming back, can’t we? He’s so whiney and sanctimonious I just can’t take it.
For me, Sonny’s return is too little too late. I won’t be returning as a regular viewer. I think Chandler Massey will make an appearance as Will, but only as a flashback to happier times or a vision in which Will tells Sonny it’s okay to move on and find love and happiness.
I agree; I stopped watching when Eileen Davidson’s short arc was up. Unfortunately, the show just does not interest me any longer. I still read the updates here and there, and it just seems boring, dull, and very dark.
I hope Paul and Sonny get together and that Will never comes back.
I want Sonny to reunite with Will, who is alive.
Am thrilled Sonny K is back in Salem!!! Mr. Smith has the presence and talent to carry a very strong story, one that is based in humanity and the very reality of grief and moving on with one’s life. A genuine plot that is on which serial drama and family-centric storytelling is based.
I am weary of the nefarious GH-wannabe shenanigans of diMeras and the dark cloud over Salem. Romance, redemption, fresh starts, human passions and emotions. Bring it!
Well is Sonny returns, it can only HELP this draggy show. The writing has been terrible, and the plotlines so very boring.
I don’t think they will bring back the character of Will. My guess, for I don’t know for sure, will be the ghost of Will telling Sonny that it is all right to move on with his own life.
At any rate, it’s nice that Sonny will be back.
I love the fact that Freddie smith is back as Sonny. And while I originally feel in love with the pairing of Will and Sonny, due to the lack of any kind of indication at the moment that Will is going to be revived from the dead I like to see where they might go with Sonny and Paul but over time, not immediately. Ari I think being still very much in the picture with Sonny’s return will be and show be a factor in choices Sonny’s makes. It was one for Gabi when she began dating JJ. Her decision was helped by the fact that Ari had been around JJ prior to Gabi dating him.
Glad to see him back,the show needs some kind of excitement ,i mean it has been so slow lately.
THAT’s a kind understatement, the show has been moving at a snail’s pace lately, with very few storylines that are compelling. That is unless one thinks that Belle and Shawn talking about their daughter’s singing career is interesting – I am glad that Sonny is back – now get some new sets and some compelling actors to interact with him and MAYBE this draggy show will improve.
I hope he reunites with Will (Chandler)
have Freddie smith play all of his brothers on days of our lives that would be a challenge for any actor. sonny seams to be the only son that wants anything to do with his parents.
How come there wasn’t ONE WORD on this page about the return of Derrick (the former bell Hop) who has now returned to cause some (much needed) trouble between the possibility of Sonny getting back with his former love, Paul?
I would have thought that this site would have given us the scoop that – as many of us suspected – we had not heard the last from Derrick who is now supposedly working at the Hospital in Administration.
Beyond the Gates
53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations: Outstanding Lead Actress Drama Series

Monday on Entertainment Tonight, the second set of nominations for the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards were announced which included the highly-coveted Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series – Actress and Outstanding Daytime Talk Series.
ET followed suit after Extra announced the nominees, as previously reported, in the Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series – Actor and Outstanding Daytime Talk Host.
Now, five leading ladies of the soaps are vying for the gold for Lead Actress and the category marked the first-ever nominations for CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates when two actresses made the final cut. Only General Hospital is not represented among the actresses this year after Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis) took home the trophy last year.

Photo: NATAS
THE FIVE LEADING LADIES OF THE SOAPS ARE …
The 2026 Lead Actress nominees are: Stacy Haiduk (Kristen DiMera), Days of Our Lives, Karla Mosley (Dani Dupree), Beyond the Gates, Michelle Stafford (Phyllis Summers), The Young and the Restless, Heather Tom (Katie Logan), The Bold and the Beautiful, and Tamara Tunie (Anita Dupree), Beyond the Gates.
This marks the first Daytime Emmy nominations for Karla Mosley and Tamara Tunie. In addition, this marks the first-time in her career that Stacy Haiduk had received a Lead Actress nod after two Supporting Actress nominations.
Meanwhile, Michelle Stafford had previously won 3 Emmys – 2 for Lead Actress and 1 for Supporting, but this recognition makes it her 11th overall nomination.
Heather Tom currently is tied for the most all-time Daytime Emmy wins with One Life to Live alum and General Hospital guest star, Erika Slezak. The B&B star has 19 nominations throughout her career.

Photo: ABC
DAYTIME TALK SERIES
In the Outstanding Daytime Talk Series category, the nominees are: 3rd Hour of Today, The Drew Barrymore Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Live with Kelly and Mark, Today with Jenna and Friends and The View.
“We’re proud to honor the extraordinary talent and creative teams whose work continues to define and elevate daytime television,” NATAS president and CEO Adam Sharp said in a statement on the nominations. “As the Daytime landscape evolves and new forms of storytelling emerge, we remain committed to recognizing the innovation happening across the industry.”
The rest of the nominations will be revealed tomorrow on Tuesday July 14 starting on The View and then the full list of nominees in both the main and creative arts will be released by NATAS. The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards are slated for October 30th in Hollywood, California.
So, what do you think about the women who are vying for the Lead Actress Daytime Emmy? Happy with who got in? Who do you feel got snubbed? What do you think of the nominees for Daytime Talk Series? Weigh-in via the comment section.
Beyond the Gates
‘Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026’ Live on the Michael Fairman Channel

It’s Daytime Emmy nomination week, and as previously reported things kick-off on Monday, July 13 when Entertainment Tonight (7pm ET) will announce the nominees for Lead Actress category and Daytime Talk Series for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards. In addition on Monday, Extra (7pm ET) will reveal the nominees for Lead Actor and Daytime Talk Host.
On Tuesday, The View (11am ET) starts things off with their announcement of Daytime Drama, Entertainment News program and Outstanding Daytime Personality-Daily. That is followed by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) full reveal of all the categories beginning at 12noon ET/9am PT on their website and their official social handles on X and Instagram.
Then, Tuesday night at 8pm ET/5pm PT join Michael Fairman as he hosts his 12th annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026 live on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel where he will chat with some of the just announced nominees as we celebrate the hard work of the men and women in front of the camera who will be going for gold.
WHEN ARE THE DAYTIME EMMYS?
This year, the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be handed out on October 30 in ceremonies in Hollywood, California (Venue yet to be revealed). At that time, as like last year, both the major categories and creative arts will be presented. There is no word yet on a broadcast partner for the annual celebration of daytime programming, or if it will soley be streamed on NATAS’ watch.theemmys.tv and various apps and platforms.
WHO WILL BE APPEARING ON THE DAYTIME EMMY NOMINATIONS SPECIAL 2026?
Throughout Tuesday, keep an eye on Michael Fairman TV’s social media handles on X, Facebook and Instagram, for updates of who will be expected to appear on our live show.
If you have a question or comment for one of the nominees, or on the nominations, we can encourage you to join us in the live chat on Tuesday night.
So, who are you hoping lands a nomination from Beyond the Gates, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, The Bay, The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless? Let us know via the comment section. More Tuesday!
Breaking News
53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards: ‘The View’, ‘Extra’ and ‘Entertainment Tonight’ to Reveal Major Categories in Early Nominations Rollout

As has been standard over the last several years, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, will get a early start on revealing the nominations for the 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, next Monday July 13 and into the official nomination release today on Tuesday, July 14.
First up on Monday, July 13, Entertainment Tonight will announce the nominees in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category and the Outstanding Daytime Talk Series.
Entertainment Tonight airs in New York at 7:00pm ET (WCBS-TV) and in Los Angeles – 7:30pm PT (KCBS-TV), you can also check out local listings in your area here.
Next up, also on Monday, July 13, Extra will reveal the nominations in the categories of Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Daytime Talk Host.
Extra airs on New York at 7:00pm ET (WNYW) and in Los Angeles – 7:00pm PT (KTTV). Of note: some East Coast affiliates begin airing at 4:00pm ET. To check your local listings for when Extra airs in your market, click here.
Then, its on to the official 53rd annual Daytime Emmy nominations day on Tuesday, July 14 which will kick-off with the ladies of ABC’s The View revealing the nominee in the categories of Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, Outstanding Entertainment News Series, and Outstanding Daytime Personality – Daily.
The View airs in New York City and the east coast market – 11:00am ET, while on the West Coast and Los Angeles – 10:00am PT.
After that, on Tuesday, July 14, all eyes will be on the lookout for the announcement of all the remaining categories via the NATAS social channels beginning at 12pm noon ET/9am PT.
You will be able find the nominations at the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Daytime Emmys website: TheEmmys.tv/Daytime Instagram: Instagram.com/theemmys.tv and on X: X.com/TheEmmys .
Michael Fairman TV will also reveal the full list of nominations when they become available.
So, what do you think about Entertainment Tonight, Extra and The View set to reveal nominations in Lead Actor, Actress, Daytime Drama, and key talk show categories ahead of the full list of nominees? Weigh-in via the comment section, and let us know who you think will be announced as a nominee in the categories listed above.
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