Breaking News
Kristian Alfonso Departs Days of our Lives After 37 Years
In a bombshell announcement, Days of our Lives enduring and ever-popular star, Kristian Alfonso (Hope Williams) has decided to make her exit from the NBC daytime drama series after more than 37 years in her role.
Kristian made her debut as a teenaged Hope Williams in 1983 and quickly rose to popularity and became soap-famous; along with her on-screen romance to Bo Brady then played by Peter Reckell. Together as one of soaps most all-time popular duos and separately, Alfonso has remained one of soap opera’s most notable performers. There were only two times throughout her time in Salem, that Kristian took breaks from the show; during one of them she starred on CBS’s Falcon Crest.
According to Deadline who broke the news; in a statement to the outlet, Alfonso shared, “I feel blessed and honored to have been invited into people’s homes for over three decades. However, it is now time for me to write my next chapter.”
And it appears its already a wrap for Alfonso, who will not be returning to the series when the show is planned to return to production in the fall and come early September.
Kristian added: “I will not be returning to Days when it resumes production in September. I’ve already filmed my last episode several months ago.”
In a heartfelt post on her Instagram account, the actress gave special thanks to the late Betty Corday (mother of DAYS EP Ken Corday), and of course, her millions of fans who loved her as Hope throughout her time on the soap. You can read it in full below.
So, what do you think about Kristian Alfonso’s exit from Days of our Lives? Are you heartbroken to see her go? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
The character needs a rest. She can pop back in and out like Alison. Wish PR was back to leave with her.
Now I understand why she has been getting closer to Rafe. She’s going to leave with him.
I’ve noticed this too? not thinking tho that Hope would be leaving… who would even think that? so yes, this is a bombshell. after DAniel Cosgrove … man @DAYS really thru this out… with all the psycho nilly willy… including his talented “son”. Chase and Aiden had a lot of charisma and w/Hope…. spades. WASTE
I never thought Rafe and Hope were that good together… per @RAY the writers never gave them any thing to interact . this forced pairing… never clicked.
I don’t know who is responsible for writing… but they truly lost it big time by not rehiring Christie clark. she moved to London
just mentioning again… how both Christie Clark AND Judi Evans contracted Covid-19. wish them both WELL.. and respectfully any and all “YOUS”
at the very least 9/2021 is still 15 months away.
hoping Corday production WORKS cohesively with @NBC and @Sony.. to keep this afloat.
I guess a Bo Brady return is out of the question now.
Wow what a shocker, did not see this coming lol. Maybe Kristian can get a role on Y&R as Jack’s new love. Will miss her as Hope Brady.
What a great idea-to see her on Y&R with Jack would be the bomb!
Your comment is exactly what I came on here to say! It’s the first thing I thought of. She is a great actor and you know she would stay for the long haul. Jack needs someone real bad!!lol
There hasn’t been much with Hope lately. Did not enjoy her attempted association with John not her Princess Gina. I have noticed she is looking better lately, perhaps because she’s getting away from all the craziness that used to be DOOL. Good luck to her in the future.
Have read s lot of spoilers lately concerning Hope, Rafe Ciara, Ben and others.Sure how they all aren’t true.
So heartbroken. Watched her since she started. I’m going to miss her!! Was hoping her and Rage back together
When I think of DOOL, I think of Hope and Marlena. This is tough news to read if you have been a fan since the early 1980s. Kristian and Peter Reckell was, and will always be, the most exciting couple in the history of soaps. It is sad she has been stuck with so many stories that have fallen flat with the audience since Peter left the show five years ago. I thought she had great chemistry with Daniel Cosgrove, but the writers had to make him crazy. I thought Hope and Rafe had a lot of promise, but I was bored with them as a couple by the time they were married. The Princess Gina, Part II storyline was…oh never mind.
If this was a financial issue, I would have rather seen the money going to Marci Miller and Stephen Nichols go to Kristian. What is DOOL doing to their history? With Greg Meng’s exit on Friday (30+ years) and Kristian (37 years) leaving, it is making me fear for some of the older actors that are a part of the history of the show. I hope DOOL keeps Kate, Maggie, Victor and Justin. If NBC or Sony is not going to give the show adequate funding to put on a quality show, than maybe the writing is on the wall.
I think this exit not go over well with long-time fans.
I wish Kristian well. After 37 years on DOOL Kristian has obviously decided that she wants to do something else. I hope that the long time fans accept her decision.
I saw that her and Rafe were getting close again, and I thought to myself what if they get back together and she leaves with him as Galen Gerring is leaving the show. So will see if I was right.
Oh please. I give it a year (if DOOL is still on the air then) and she’ll be back. Temporarily, permanently, whatever – they always come back.
LOL ‘why not’, I was gong to say about the same thing! Does ANYONE ever leave Days for good?
During the short time I watched, many people came and went, and in the 1+ year since I quit, there have been so many returns, departures and returns again!!.
How does anyone keep track?
^^^^ ! GRANS JEWEL ! Kristian Alfonso
Ms. Alfonso, this thread deserves RESPECT
bottom line : just how much , her salary, affords MORE character (s)
which is truly what I want with Jenny Bear,back to coma,Melissa Reeves; MORE salary die please
LET ME SAY : never had I LOVED Hope MORE; when she was with Mr. Daniel Cosgrove… dang they were HOT HOT HOT! the romance spilled out of my telee… AND , when our little Cierra Alice was …
Lauren Boles… LOL what a marvel of a little girl… perfect for Kristian. chemistry w/both
not to say she doesn’t have it w/Victoria.. it’s just that … TPTB are in overdrive with Ciera AND Ben. CHILL OUT SOME. dag it’s a wonder it’s so refreshing to see Claire… another one… Gabs CHILL OUT SOME. maybe Jake/Stefan will thaw her out.
there will never be ; another
Kristian and Frances Reid
Kristian and Peter Reckell
Kristian and Matt Cook
Kristian and Lauren Boles
PROP : the baby switch story w/Lexie Renee Jones !!!! GOD this was superlative ACT..because these two gals… Hope and Lexie GOT STORY.. and it rocked to the core.
Sep 09, 2010 · The Hope/Lexie Baby Switch Stefano switches Hope’s baby with the baby Lexie planned to adopt. The birth mother for Lexie’s baby was shown drinking at bars, and Roman witnessed this. When Hope realized her baby had fetal alcohol syndrome, she assumed it was based upon her action’s while pregnant, which she would not remember.
You can’t forget these characters, even thru ALL the up and down… with behind the scenes switcheroo… executive producers, BAD WRITERS …. mayhem and heart pull. ALL the heart wrench
My Lady… YOU are forever etched… and this is the best way… while we are glimpsing the world as we know
OK just a little standing O… ovation for : Kristen / Hope
smile and heart tug
“Thank You”
Patrick rumblings that it was a salary dispute who knows! Not sure if you ever heard this but when she first started she to a certain co star was too full figured she had to deal with that just like Genie Francis well you noticed she lost the weight never put it back on their were times when I watched the show that I was concerned that she was getting too thin . I always thought she was a gorgeous lady I wish her well if the show does get canceled they would probably bring her back ! Hope you are doing well !
Yeah, Ken Corday CLEARLY – needs – to explain to his audience just what transpired with Greg Meng
^^^ “If NBC or Sony is not going to give the show adequate funding to put on a quality show, than maybe the writing is on the wall ”
this has certainly crossed my mind.
with heart pull and wrench in hand. hoping for the best
WHOA!
37 years– on the same show..
wow- that’s crazy!
That’s a total lifetime-
birth to date; a lifetime..
She needs to move on lol
Well.. that makes Days kinda “Hopeless”, doesn’t it??
Given the previous news of Rafe’s departure it seems to be a good bet they’ll split town together.
Bit of a bummer… they killed Bo off, and bringing him back with some sort of Rolf zombie serum just to immediately write him out again would certainly be a waste of time. But the idea of Rafe & Hope riding off in the sunset just seems so….. wrong somehow. And even more so if it’s by boat (does the “Fancy Face” still exist, by the way??)
Hey Satan, not so bad if they exit on the Love Boat.
Not even Doug & Julie are going to want to be getting on a cruise ship any time soon! Those things were giant floating germ laboratories even before the Cheetoplague!
I know the cast is too large already, but KA would be an interesting Lois Cerullo on GH.
I agree
I don’t see her as Lois at all.
Though she couldn’t be anymore miscast than the previous Lois recast was.
Without Rena Sofer, that character didn’t really fit in.
If Kristian were ever to show up in Port Charles, I’d rather see her as a new character. Perhaps some long lost Quartermaine or Cassadine relative we haven’t seen before. On the other horn, maybe not a Cassadine, because we wouldn’t want her to use that ridiculous “Princess Gina” accent ever again!
She sure will be missed! Best of luck to her. She can always pop back
in ! Wow! just wow!
I liked her story as Princess Gina, but since then she has not had much to do. I’ll miss her, but maybe she can come back every now and then.
Good for her. She’s put in enough years, if she can fully retire, she should.
Yes you have been a great asset to Days I admit I loved you and Bo best my prayers for your journey in the future. God Bless you
I wish her well, but man!, is she ever going to leave a whole in the Horton family canvas. SO may Hortons have been dispatched this year. Not liking the thinning of the main family and trying to make it seem bigger by having “add-ons” at the Horton family Christmas party. We can see right through that.
Kristian is the only one who can play Hope. I would love it if she’d pop back in from time to time.
Now Ron and Ken need to add more Hortons back on the scene to fill the void left by the departures of JJ and Abby and Will and Lucas, to name a few. Where’s Tom, Jr. and his daughter, Sandy? How about Marie and Jessica? Dr. Mike and Jeremy? What about Julie’s brother Ben or her grandson, Scott? We need some men named Horton back on the set pronto! Maybe Tom, Jr. fathered a whole slew of boys we know nothing about. Would not be a first, ya know.
Wish KA the best!!! If she is still in acting, Jack needs a good love interest on Y/R she is gracious and elegant enough to fit right in at Y/R..wishful thinking. Seriously, the first episode I ever saw of the show was when Kayla went to Stockholm to help Steve when he was shot. Hope and she were having a talk and Hope told her not to give up on Steve and that he was a lot like Bo. Loved the connections between friends & family. Bope/Stayla become my instant favs. Thanks for the memories.
shoot… I still say… Jacks LOVE INTEREST ex-Beth Raines Spaulding… Beth Chamberlain. from Guiding Light
her soft sultry tantalize with JUST Jacks’.
I would like to see her do a Hallmark movie act opposite Ryan Pavey. She can be the new Taylor Hayes on B&B or YR for Jack or Billy.
i do Hope that she decides to come back one day.
I no longer watch DOOL but I did watch it with my mom back in the 80s when Bo & Hope started going together and all the trouble they would get into…. I read that Kristian Alfonso is leaving DOOL… her last episode will be in Sept. That made me so sad and I really got thrown off the cliff when I found out Bo died 5 years ago! That said, I went on Youtube.com and found old scenes of Bo & Hope back in the 80s….when they first met, her 18th bday party, Bo kidnapping her from her wedding to Larry, etc. If anyone wants to see scenes from old episodes just go on youtube and do a search….theres lots on there. Oh how sad I am hearing that she’s leaving…. its an end of an era! It also amazes me that how much older Peter Reckell looks compared to 37 years ago….LOL….he was 28 when he started and Kristian was 20 (although she was playing a 17 year old) and now Peter is 65 and Kristian is 57…. it just amazes me…37 years ago! WOW!
Also, not sure why the press reported he was playing Bo for 23 years….he started in 1983.
Breaking News
Jacob Martinez is ‘Days of Our Lives’ New Javi Hernandez Replacing Al Calderon in the Role
Finally! The casting has been revealed as to just who would be Al Calderon’s successor in the role of Days of our Lives, Javi Hernandez. On Friday, April 30, the long-running soap opera revealed Jacob Martinez is taking on the part and he will first be seen this coming June 30th and then on all-new episodes streaming on Peacock.
As previously reported, the popular Calderon exited the soap opera last year to join the cast of the NBC primetime medical drama, Brilliant Minds as nurse Nico Silva, who in May will air the remainder of their second season. The series has been on the bubble for renewal by the network. His last episodes as Javi will also air this May on DAYS.
Since DAYS tapes ten months ahead of streaming, Martinez has been secretly ensconced in all the drama in Salem for quite some time. When viewers see the new Javi in story, we should learn what will happen in Javi’s relationship with Leo Stark played by Emmy winner, Greg Rikaart, plus his continued relationship with his relatives in the Hernandez clan. Currently, when Javi returned to Salem after taking care of his ailing father, and after the bust-up of his marriage to Leo thanks to Dimitri (Peter Porte), he claimed he had moved on with someone else while he was away from Salem.
Photo: JPI
Like Calderon before him, Martinez is a multi-talented actor and singer. Jacob’s resume is impressive having appeared in the musical In Pieces: The Musical at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater and he was hand-picked by Joey Contreras to play the role of Grey. Other credits include: the short film, Memory Swim and the play Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage.
Martinez hails from Norfolk, Nebraska and appeared when he was very young at the Johnny Carson Theatre, and as DAYS fans know, Jacob is now working at the Days of our Lives studios, right where the “Tonight Show” is filled. In addition, Jacob Martinez is a graduate of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA).
Taking to his Instagram on Thursday, April 30 once the news of his casting was revealed, Martinez, expressed, “Way too many people to thank in one post, so I’ll just say THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART to each and every person who continues to pour into me and encourage me to chase my dreams. I cannot even begin to express how grateful I am. I already feel beyond blessed, supported, and loved. See you all in Salem ⏳”
Jacob Martinez appeared on Friday on the Days of our Lives Instagram account announcing his casting. You can check it out below. Deadline was the first to report the casting switch.
So, excited to learn who is the new Javi Hernandez? Please welcome Jacob Martinez to the role and be on the lookout for his debut on June 30. Comment below.
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This week starts with heartbreaking news. Patrick Muldoon, best known for his roles as the original Austin Reed on Days of Our Lives and later as Richard Hart on Melrose Place, died on Sunday, April 19, at the age of 57. Reports indicate his death was sudden following a heart attack.
Muldoon’s sister, Shana Muldoon-Zappa, told TMZ on Monday more details on her brother’s death, “Patrick went to take a shower Sunday morning after drinking coffee with his girlfriend in their Beverly Hills home. His girlfriend decided to check on him after he was taking too long and found him unconscious on the bathroom floor?” Shana added that paramedics rushed over and tried to revive Patrick, but there was nothing anyone could do.
Soap fans first saw Muldoon as Kate’s (Lauren Koslow) son on DAYS back in 1992, where he quickly became a fan favorite during the on-screen love story between Austin and Carrie Brady (Christie Clarke). Patrick left the series in 1995. He later made comeback for appearances in 2011 and 2012.
Photo: JPI
On Melrose Place, he played bad buy Richard Hart from 1995-1996. Patrick launched his acting career while in college landing the role of Matt in the 1990 sitcom Who’s The Boss? alongside the likes of Judith Light (ex-Karen, OLTL) and Tony Danza. Following his graduation, Patrick nabbed a recurring role as Jeffrey Hunter in Saved By The Bell by 1991.
Throughout his decades long career, Muldoon also starred in several motion and TV series including his leading roile in Starship Troopers (1997). He also had parts in Deadlock (2021), Vanquish (2021), Dakota (2022), Marlowe (2022), and Murder At Hollow Creek (2023).
Photo: JPI
Not only was Patrick an actors, but a producer and a musician and singer. He often made appearances and put out music with his band, The Sleeping Masses. Muldoon was the band’s lead singer and guitar player. Patrick was also a producer of TV and film projects.
At the time of his death, Patrick was also an executive producer on a the movie “Kockroach,” which is currently in production.
Taking to his Instagram, just a few days before his death, Muldoon expressed,“So excited to be a part of this amazing project KOCKROACH directed by Matt Ross starring Chris Hemsworth, Taron Edgerton, Zazzie Beetz And Alec Baldwin. Filming now in Australia,” he captioned his post.
Sadly, on April 24, Muldoon can be seen in his 2025 film Dirty Hands also festuring Denise Richards (ex-B&B, RHOBH), which will be released on digital streaming platforms on VOD.
Muldoon is survived by his partner, Miriam Rothbart; parents, Deanna and Patrick Muldoon Sr.; his sister and brother-in-law, Shana and Ahmet Zappa; and their children, Muldoon’s beloved niece Halo and nephew Arrow Zappa.
Share your remembrances and condolences on the loss of Patrick Muldoon via the comment section, which is followed below by the trailer Dirty Hands due out later this week on digital platforms.
All My Children and Hallmark alum, Jonathan Bennett has been cast in the newly-created role on General Hospital as Joe Fitzpatrick.
Look for Bennett to make his debut on the ABC soap opera next month in May. Bennett is very familiar to daytime fans for his work as JR Chandler on All My Children from 2000-2001. Later, he landed the part of Aaron Samuels in the motion picture, Mean Girls in 2004 starring Lindsay Lohan, which would become his breakout role.
Jonathan would go on to star in seven Hallmark Channel movies and then hosting and producing the network’s reality competition show Finding Mr. Christmas, Bennett has also appeared as a contestant on Season 19 of Dancing with the Stars, plus Celebrity Big Brother in 2019, and he starred on Broadway in Spamalot.
Courtesy/ABC
Frank Valentini, the executive producer of General Hospital shared to Deadline who first reported the casting news, “We’re so excited to have Jonathan joining our cast. He’s a tremendous talent and will be a fantastic addition to ‘GH.’
After the news broke, Bennett took to his Instagram and shared, “There’s a new guy in town…” Meanwhile, the official General Hospital account shared a pic and expressed, “He’s already tired of us telling him his hair looks sexy pushed back. Welcome to the family, Jonathan Bennett.
Bennett is married to Jaymes Vaughan. Back in 2022, they became the first gay couple to appear on the cover of the wedding magazine, The Knot.
So, what do you think of the casting of Jonathan as Joe Fitzpatrick? Is he the new man for Lucas? Share your thoughts via the comment section.
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