Days Of Our Lives
Mike Manning On His DAYS Departure: “Thank You to NBC, to Everyone Involved, and Most of All to the Fans That Were Along for the Ride With This Crazy Character.”
Now it’s the end of the line for Charlie on Days of our Lives, his portrayer Mike Manning took to his Instagram for some parting words of his time in Salem playing this very bad dude.
As Days fans know, many people wanted Charlie dead, and now he is! Thus begins a good old fashioned soap murder mystery on the long-running NBC soap opera, the question now is, who ultimately did the deed?
Photo: JPI
After getting a copy of the latest Soap Opera Digest on newsstand now, which features, “Who Killed Charlie?” on the cover, Manning shared in a post on Friday: Everybody has a motive to want this guy dead.” 😂 Not exactly how I pictured my first soap magazine cover, but at least we’re having a good time with it. It’s been fun Salem. I’ll love you all forever. ✌🏼💙. Thank you to NBC, to everyone involved, and most of all to the fans that were along for the ride w/ this crazy character. You’re amazing. I’ll always be grateful for you. Excited to share what’s next as soon as I can. Arrivederci. -Charlie/Mike”
So place your bets on who will turn out to be the murderer via the comment section below and let us know what you thoughts on Mike’s run on DAYS!
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I’m sad to see Charlie go as he brought drama and I liked the actor. But, as we know, he can always come back! 🙂
Mr. Manning, thank you for your outstanding work on DOOL! I was hoping that the character of Charlie Dale — or is it “Del?” or “Dill?” I was never certain — would somehow be able to continue in the role. You are an appealing, fantastic actor with great range and presence.
If your character were on GH, the character might have had a chance, as that show has staked its franchise on the glorification of criminals: first, for decades, rapist Luke Spencer, then, for decades, murderer/abuser/mob boss Sonny. Maybe if Herb Alpert’s “Rise” had been playing during the flashback rape scenes, it would have helped.
Nonetheless, you have many fans thanks to DOOL, and we eagerly anticipate good things for you, Mr. Manning!
Well, it’s not like Days hasn’t redeemed its share of vile characters… Ben Weston’s a “reformed” serial killer, for Hell’s sake!
And then there’s Elvis “EJ” DiMera who went from Sami’s rapist to the so-called “love of her life”. Pretty much the same thing with his adopted sister, Kristen.
And even right now, ReRon is doing his damnedest to turn Ava Vitali and even Gwen (Rizchek?? Deveraux?? what are we calling her now??) into some sort of sympathetic victims we’re supposed to feel sorry for, due to the family circumstances they were raised in.
Stefan DiMera couldn’t really be redeemed, so they brought him back as a twin brother. Considering how Ava seems to have forgotten Charlie’s entire existence until just recently, how the Hell do we know she didn’t also forget he had a twin brother. So maybe (in the words of my neighbor Poppy Bush) we’ll see a “kindler, gentler” Charlie in the form of his twin brother down the road.
Sonny & Luke got new leases on life because they were too good to be thrown away after 13 weeks. Charlie as a character? No chance in Hell… but Mike Manning under a new character? Who knows.
Saying I always agree with Satan is a scary thing! But, I do. Your comments are right on the mark! Here’s a question; who the hell is his father? Dale/Del/Dill? She’s Ava Vitale, this week she said his father was a guy named Jimmy Jackamo……don’t get me started on that. Once again Ron can’t tell a straight story. And suddenly she has a picture of holding Charlie as a baby??? Oh M Gee.
Moto62
I had read somewhere that Jake might turn out to be his bio dad, since Charley, Ava, Jake and Gwen all come from Penn.but that hasn’t panned out.
Oddly enough, when Gabi mentioned “Ava Vitali, mafia princess” to Jake today, there was no reaction from him.
Not saying he was necessarily Charlie’s daddy, but given his past dealings with “the Philadelphia mob”, it seems unlikely that he would not recognize Ava’s name. Unless there’s some other Philly mob family out there (possibly another one of ReRon’s dumb inside jokes for the OLTL fans, since that show was based in PA)
Gwen & Jake – by all rights – should already know Ava, and probably Charlie too. But they seem to be forgetting where these two allegedly came from, since they moved into the DiMera mansion.
Yes, everything you say makes sense but why did they stress from the beginning that Jake came from Philly, bringing Gwen along with him. We know they don’t say things that don’t mean anything, or will in the future. Also, sending Steve and John to Philly to talk/threaten Ava’s cousin and later on Victor himself to settle the wimpy Philip’s problems with the “family” has got to tie in to Jake. I can’t believe it’s just coincidence that he was from there and had been tied in with the mob. Also, what about that book, remember the one he had that he said belonged to the big boss?
I know there are more than one mob in a city, especially one as notorious as Philly but with their tentacles reading out to Salem via Ava,Charley,and possibly Jake is very interesting to say the least.
Unlike what happened with the rapist Luke Spencer on GH, the writers on DOOL understand that there is no justifiable redemption for rapist Charlie or any other.
Huh? Current DAYS head writer, Ron Carlivati, wrote years of storylines for Todd Manning (OLTL) and started the “redemption path” for Franco when he reintroduced the character to GH.
Well, the writer on DOOL gave serial killer Ben Weston a free pass, didn’t he? Similar what he did on GH… except Frodd isn’t really so much the serial killer Franco, but more like the serial rapist Todd, pretending to be the serial killer Franco (hence the name “Frodd”)
What Luke did way back in the disco era doesn’t really bear any resemblance to Charlie, Ben, or Frodd. And while the GH writers did a retcon of Luke’s backstory to explain some of his other actions later in life (and botched it badly) they never tried to negate Luke’s rape with “magic DVDs”, a brain tumor, or some sad story about how “mommy never loved me”.
I know DOOL isn’t taping eight months in advance anymore, so why did the writers not change the direction of this storyline? Were they not aware of the fans not liking Charlie? The show needed a character that wasn’t a Horton, Brady or DiMera, I am hoping Mike will be back on the show as a “third” son to Ava. If not, maybe a recast for Dillion Quartermaine on GH?????
He might work as a Morgan Corinthos recast on GH (assuming Bryan Craig doesn’t come back). He’s slightly old for the part (same age as Chad Duel who plays Michael) but in the soap world it’s not that uncommon to play a few years younger than you actually are. Especially when characters who really should still be in grade school have been SORASed to adulthood and nobody really remembers how old they are supposed to be now.
But I could definitely see him as a Corinthos. And given his portrayal of Charlie’s mental issues, he could probably pull off a Morgan bi-polar meltdown, if necessary.
In sorry to see Charlie go. Mike Manning is a fabulous actor and is one to watch.
Are we to think it’s only the people on the cover because I like the idea of it being Belle too. She told him she’d kill him. I’d even like it to be Claire. Isn’t Drake being written off? John killing Charlie intrigues me.
Sami is being charged and that’s too obvious. Ava doing it? I don’t think she would since they are making her a redemption character which, yuck.
I don’t think it’s Allie.
Honestly, I thought Ron would write Gwen into the mystery and she would kill him for her former friendship with Claire. What was the point of those scenes where Gwen & Charlie were talking anyway?
All that being said, I hope it’s Lucas. I love Lucas and Bryan Datillo. Lucas FTW!
Sami is obviously not the killer, but she’s covering for somebody. Allie would be the obvious choice there. Not to say Allie is the killer either, but Sami may THINK she is, which led her to attempt to tamper with the crime scene, which she was doing when Rafe showed up.
John is a viable suspect because he blacked out during the time of the shooting. He was near the crime scene by his own admission (to Marlena) but has no memory of actually going into Charlie’s apartment. But the last thing we saw from him on Friday was flashing back on the sound of a gun shot.
Would Sami also cover up for John? Yeah, because she still feels guilty over causing his aneurysm, and Hell knows he hasn’t been the same since that happened. That said, I doubt John did it either. But he probably saw the killer enter or leave the apartment, heard the gun shot and then blacked out from the residual effects of the aneurysm in his head.
Lucas will obviously be considered a suspect at some point, because he was dumb enough to threaten to kill Charlie right in the middle of Horton Square with several witnesses present. And Lucas would give a false confession to protect Allie, if he thought she did it. We know this, because he already did that for Will, when he was a teenager & shot EJ in the ass.
Gwen would be an interesting suspect, but she’s already apparently going to get away with killing Laura. No way they pin this one on her too. But the real question I have, is…. shouldn’t Gwen & Charlie already have known each other before they came to Salem? You may recall the back story of Gwen & Jake is that they were hiding from the “Philly mob”. And the Philly mob is the Vitali crime family. Oddly enough, I don’t think Jake & Charlie ever had scenes together, nor has Jake been in the same room with Ava that I can remember. But if they were all part of the Vitali circle, it’s not much of a stretch that they would know each other. At one point, I actually thought they were going to make Jake into Charlie’s father (though he doesn’t look old enough for a son that age) because Ava had never mentioned the father’s name until just this week. “Jimmy Jackamo” or something ridiculous like that??
Love him or hate him ( the character), Manning put out an outstanding performance from the onset. He is so versatile, so believable, he should get an award for his short stint.——Awesome!!
Cherlie’s fate was sealed from the onset, nonetheless, many a baddie received his/her redemption –given time. Look at Jack. He raped Kayla….among other “things”. It’s normal fodder for soaps.
I guess TPTB needed him to redeem Ava?—to “unite” Tripp and Allie?
Perhaps, Manning will pop ip elsewhere.
Aside—is Marcie enceinte?
Sorry but I for one did not care for his character.He is a good actor.Good luck in whatever you do.
Friends and Fans,. HELP me remember another soap years ago when a woman character so glad someone died, went up and shot the corpse at a funeral service. This thing with Sammy shooting Charlie for the second time brought back memories, but not enough details.
Shooting a corpse in Salem might not be such a bad idea. If for no other reason than to make sure they’re dead, and less likely to become a Rolf zombie and return a few months later.
Thanks, was hoping Michael F. or maybe some other old timer like me would have some memories of this incident in soap history.
Oddly enough, I do seem to remember some sort of funeral shooting like the one you describe. But I’ll be eternally damned if I can remember what show it was, who the corpse was, or who did the shooting.
Days & GH are the only two soaps that have aired continuously down here in Hell, so if I saw it, it would most likely be on one of those two.
Unless it was on a prime time show. Wouldn’t be surprised if somebody didn’t try to write that scenario more than once.
Satan
Thanks for trying. I think I have watched so many over the years I get them all mixed up in my head.
I really believe John shot Charlie and telling his wife that he heard the load noise, before he blacked out. If this turns out to be true, he will hopefully not be convicted because of his medical condition, whereas one of the other suspects will be facing prison. When are they ever going to find out that Charlie was shot twice, and get a credible ballistic report?
Bring Mike over to Y&R; we need some talented eye candy.
Days Of Our Lives
‘Days of Our Lives’ Favorites Making Returns: Alison Sweeney, Christie Clark, Chandler Massey and Bryan Dattilo
Great news for Days of Our Lives fans, now that Ryan Quan is co-head writer of the long-running soap opera. Coming in June of 2027 (since DAYS tapes ten or so months ahead), you can look forward to the returns of Alison Sweeney (Sami Brady), Christie Clark (Carrie Brady), Chandler Massey (Will Horton) and Bryan Dattilo (Lucas Horton).
The foursome is back on set and began last week to tape their upcoming story arc, according to TV Insider. As to what exactly is going on that brings sister Sami and Carrie’s history back up, as well as Will and Lucas’ is only being teased at this time, but suffice to say, it should be intriguing.
Alison Sweeney explained on being back on set, “It was a lot of dialogue and emotion, but with all the best actors to work opposite, we fell into it as if no time had passed. It was really wonderful.”
Photo: JPI
As to working with the longstanding rivalry of Sami and Carrie, Alison added on working with Clark, “So, it really does feel like we’re sisters. It’s so fun, and she’s such a good actor that she makes everything so natural that you can really disappear into those stories.”
JUST LIKE OLD TIMES
It also seems like the deep-history, which often had the sister fighting for the love of Austin Reed, but that might not figure into the equation this time, or will it?
Alison indicated what she thought of the scripts she was given. “I felt like when I read it, it was a page-turner. I was very excited. There’s a lot of history here, and a lot of things that haven’t been said. So, it’s really not like, ‘Oh, rehashing stuff.’ And now having played some of the scenes, I’m psyched.” Sweeney added, as for the men, working again with her on-screen son, Chandler Massey and Will’s on-screen father Bryan Dattilo, was also extra special.
The last time DAYS viewers saw Sami on the canvas was back in November of 2025, when she revealed she has gotten engaged to never-before-seen Dante Vitali. As for Clark, she last visited Salem for the episodes surrounding John Black’s memorial in June of 2025.
Chandler Massey’s Will Horton last made a visit to Salem in November of 2025 when he attended the gala for the Tom Horton Free Clinic as part of the soap opera’s 60th anniversary celebration. Bryan Dattilo was last seen in December of 2025. So, by the time we see all four again it will be close to two years since they were on new episodes of the series. Time to look forward to June of 2027.
So, excited by the news of Alison, Christie, Chandler and Lucas making a return to Days of Our Lives? What do you think the story will be involving, Sami, Carrie, Lucas and Will? Let us know via the comment section.
Days Of Our Lives
‘Days of Our Lives’ Alum Al Calderon Talks On His Daytime Emmy-Nominated Scenes as Javi Hernandez (Exclusive)
Last Tuesday, Al Calderon scored the first Emmy nomination of his career for his role as Javi Hernandez on Days of Our Lives.
Calderon name was announced as one of the performers competing for gold in the Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series category at the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards on October 30.
This week, Calderon chatted live on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel for a one-on-one conversation where he discussed: his nominated scenes and time on the Peacock streaming soap opera, his decision to leave DAYS, his role of Nico Silva on Brilliant Minds and its sad cancellation, plus his passing the torch of Javi to Jacob Martinez, who took over the role on-screen on the June 30, 2026 episode of Days of Our Lives.
Photo: JPI
JAVI REVEALS TO LEO THAT HE HAD A DAUGHTER WHO DIED
Al revealed the scenes that comprise his now Emmy-nominated reel have at its epicenter the heartbreaking moments from the September 12, 2025 episode. In it, Javi shares for the first time to Leo (Greg Rikaart) that he had a daughter named Solana, with a woman he was seeing named Sylvia. One fateful day, Sylvia left their child in a car when she went to work and the little girl died. Javi had blamed himself for not being the parent to take his daughter to school that day since he was hungover the night before, therefore it opened up the opportunity for something to happen to the his child, and it did.
The multi-talented actor/singer explained his reel: “It was the scene where he is talking about his daughter to Leo. I also included the scene where Javi goes to talk to Melinda (Tina Huang) and to see if it would be a viable option to adopt, because I wanted to introduce the subtlety and nuance of why Javi kind of has this whole connection to Tesoro, in a way.”
It is true that Al can bring the tears and make us cry right along with him during his run as Javi. To that, Calderon added, “I’ve read the comments that I’m a little bit of a crybaby, so I didn’t want the entire reel to be of me crying, but I wanted it to show a little bit of an emotional range of the restraint that Javi was feeling so I included that scene
In addition Calderon shared, “I also included a really beautiful scene with Cherie Jimenez (Gabi Hernandez, DAYS) where I’m looking at photos of Tesoro, and of course, Javi is crying. I just wanted to show the relationship between Javi and his family as well, and as I mentioned the reveal of the child that he lost.”
Photo: JPI
ALUMS AL CALDERON AND ALICE HALSEY REPRESENT DAYS OF OUR LIVES IN EMERGING TALENT CATEGORY
In a twist of fate, Calderon is also nominated in the Emerging Talent category with Alice Halsey who played Rachel Black. Halsey is currently starring in the reboot of Little House on the Prairie in the lead role of Laura Ingalls on Netflix.
As to his hope on Emmy night, Al expressed, “Of course, I want to win, but Alice Halsey is going to give me a run for the money. And if’s not me (who wins the award), it better be her!”
You can check out the full interview with Al below.
Now let us know, do you remember Al’s emotional scenes when he explained to Leo he had a daughter who died, which made it all the more heartbreaking to not end up with permanent custody of Tesoro? What do you think of Al’s chances to win the gold based on his Emmy scene selection? Do you miss him as Javi? Weigh-in via the comment section.
Days Of Our Lives
Emily O’Brien Talks On Her Y&R Past as Jana Hawkes and Working with Peter Porte on ‘Days of Our Lives’
On the latest edition of Soapy Hosted by Rebecca Budig and Greg Rikaart which dropped on Tuesday, July 21, Emily O’Brien is the featured guest. As soap fans know, Emily has worked with Rikaart both in her first soap role on The Young and the Restless as Jana Hawkes and now on Days of Our Lives in her current role of Gwen Rizczech.
While Emily continues on DAYS, she has very impressive list of credits in the other part of her career as a voice-over actress and one in motion-capture in some of the most popular video games in the world.
O’Brien was first seen on The Young and the Restless back in 2006. She recalled her landing the role which eventually paired her for her five year run with Greg Rikaart.
Photo: JPI
BEING CAST ON THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
“The role was just a few days and she wasn’t even supposed to be English,” Emily recalled. “The role was originally called Jade. Karen Rae, the casting director of The Young and the Restless at the time said to me “Oh, you’re from England. Try it with the dialect.” I put it on and she said, ‘I’m going to bring you back at like 3 for s callback.’ So then they changed the role to Jana and they said she’s going to be a Brit. I was only supposed to be on for like five episodes and it turned into 5 years.”
In explaining why she loved crazy Jana, Emily shared, “Jana was sort of like the misanthrope. She was just was the odd one out and I loved it. I felt so comfortable playing that because she was just eclectic and weird and she loved playing with Ouija boards and she rode a motorbike. There was just so much color to bring to her. It was just such a great match to play with Greg (Kevin), and Christian LeBlanc (Michael) and Tracey Bregman (Lauren).
Photo: JPI
GWEN, DIMITRI AND LEO ON DAYS OF OUR LIVES
On Days of Our Lives, the Leo, Gwen, Dimitri dynamic is quite unique and been through many schemes and entanglements. Often Emily finds herself in repartee with her ex-lover, Dimitri, who turned out to be gay and then had a thing for her bestie, Leo (Greg Rikaart)!
During the conversation, Greg and Emily sang, Peter Porte’s praised with O’Brien expressing, “Peter is just ready to play. He comes on set prepared. I’ve never seen him with his script. From blocking and rehearsals, he doesn’t have it. He’s prepared. He’s a physical actor and he always trying to come up with something. I think he let me slap him. He let me kiss him. He let me throw a cheeseburger in his lap. He’s ready for anything for anything.”
You can catch the full episode of ‘Soapy; featuring Emily O’Brien below where the actress also talks about replacing Jen Lilley as Theresa Donovan after being let go as Gwen; and being paired again with Greg Rikaart on the Peacock streaming soap opera this time as best friends and more.
So, were you a big Jana Hawkes and Kevin Fisher fan on Y&R? Did you like them as a couple? Do you like the dynamic between Emily and Peter Porte and Greg Rikaart on DAYS? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
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