Earlier this week on the November 2 episode of Days of our Lives, Kyle Pryor made his Salem debut when a key scene at the end of the episode, with Rita sitting in a chair, the long-talked about character of Dominic Marino unmasks himself!

This sets the stage for the new umbrella storyline that long-running soap opera set to turn 61 on November 8 is launching into. What we know thus far is the viewers are led to believe from a birth certificate discovered that the late Stefano DiMera and Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) are the billionaire’s biological parents, but is he? Does Marlena have another son she will come to love?

Ahead of his debut, Michael Fairman TV caught up with Kyle Pryor on the red carpet at the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards where he teased to us, whether Dominik will be all bad or just misunderstood?

Photo: Peacock

Pryor revealed, “I feel like having a bit of a good side makes it a bit more nuanced, but, we always want to see that sort of character development and not be too predictable. Just keep it a bit of a mystery and sort of surprising.”

Speaking about working with Days of our Lives icon Deidre Hall as his alleged mother on the show, Pryor had nothing but winning things to say about the legend. “Deidre is the absolute OG, amazing,” shared Kyle.”She’s so experienced on the show and her character has been through so many sort of trials and tribulations.”

As to his Days of our Lives father, Stefano DiMera, played by the late Joseph Mascolo, Nick shared he heard plenty of stories from the cast about Joe. “I heard that he was quite sort of method in his approach. as well. That behind the scenes, he would be his sort of usual casual self by the sounds of it. And then as soon as he gets on set, he’s in ii! An absolute sort of legacy … amazing character.”

Photo: JPI

In addition, TV Insider spoke to the former Home and Away (ex-Nate Cooper) and Hollyoaks (ex-Laurence “Laurie” Shelby) soap star, where he was in for quite the shock at how far ahead Days of our Lives was taping in advance of streaming new episodes on Peacock.

Kyle expressed, “Every other show that I’ve worked on in the past, it’s been a much faster turnaround, Usually somewhere around five, six weeks, so it’s been really interesting keeping a secret for 10 months. Also, this is the fastest soap that I’ve ever worked on, so you have to become very good at being instinctual, which in a weird way works for me. I’m a bit of an over-thinker, so it’s nice to be just very reactive and in the moment. It’s a lot of dialogue to get across, and Dominic loves a chat, so there’s always a lot to deal with.”

You can check out our quick chat with Kyle Pryor on the red carpet at the 2026 Daytime Emmy Awards below and make sure to check out more video coverage of Emmy night via the Michael Fairman Channel here.

So place your bets! When all is said and done will Dominic Marino be the true biological son of Marlena Evans she never knew she had? Or is someone else his mother? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below.

Days of our Lives actress Raven Bowens has opened about publicly about what happened when she learned back at the very beginning of 2026 that she was being let-go by the soap opera after playing Chanel Dupree for five years.

Bowens took to her TikTok and explained in a video what went down and how that helped inspire her next move in life. “On January 2nd, before I could even start on any of my New Year’s resolutions, I got fired,” shared Bowens after receiving a call from DAYS early that morning.

“For the backstory, I spent five years working on Days of Our Lives. I played Chanel Dupree. I love my character. I love the show. I love everyone that I worked with. I had just signed a new contract that was for nine months, but every three months, your contract can not be renewed or picked up.”

Photo: JPI

THE DREADED CALL

Chanel recalled the moment she found out. “It’s like, eight o’clock in the morning, and I am completely blindsided” Next, Bowens recalled saying to her sister in that moment, “‘Why would my producer be calling me on January 2nd? We don’t go back to work for a week. Something is going on. I think I’m getting fired.” Then, Chanel revealed, “I answered that call, and that is what that call was.”

As to the reason for her pink-slip, Raven shared, “I was told that they didn’t have a storyline for me at the moment and so they will be writing my character off at the end of my current storyline.”

Trying to buckle up after hearing she was being fired, Raven recalled, “While that isn’t fun, that is the business of show business, especially on soap operas. So it is what it is. That’s the contract I signed. I had to accept it. But it was a really hard reality.” She realized, “Having spent five years in Salem, I got comfortable. That was like my second home.”

RAVEN BOWENS EXITS DAYS ALONG WITH THREE OTHER ACTORS

As Days of our Lives fans know, Bowens along with her on-screen love Carson Boatman (Johnny), Leo Howard (Tate) and Ashley Puzemis (Holly) were also let go at the same time. Since DAYS tapes nearly 10-11 months in advance, Raven and Carson’s final airdates should be right around the corner, although nothing has been released.

After explaining the life-changing job news, Raven explained what she is up to next: “My next chapter is not my acting career ending because I’m an actress. I will always be an actress. I have sacrificed so much for this life and for this career and I love it. I will never give it up and I will never quit. However, losing the job made me realize the importance other streams of income.”

THE NEXT CHAPTER POST-DAYS

From there, Bowens encouraged fans to follow her journey on TikTok to become a millionaire by the end of 2027 with money and wealth management. In fact, she launched a new TikTok series, Millionaire Pending where she plans to document the financial journey she is with advice from a financial adviser, wealth coach and her father.

Bowens explained, “When that job ended, I was kind of shocked. I had felt a certain sense of security, even working in a non-secure profession, and I didn’t really prepare. This series is me trying to put myself in a position so that nothing like this ever happens again.”

So what do you think about Raven coming forward with how her dismissal from Days of our Lives went down? Will you miss Chanel and Johnny when they eventually exit Salem? Will you be interested to check out Raven’s wealth management series on TikTok to see if you can pick up any pointers for financial security and success? Let us know via the comment section.

Alison Sweeney (Sami Brady, Days of our Lives) is jumping head first into the celebrity podcast rage with the launch of hers entitled, Between Takes with Alison Sweeney.

In between her busy schedule of Hallmark Channel movies, features, TV appearances and returns to Days of our Lives, Sweeney will now feature special guests each episode as previewed in her Instagram video clip announcing the new podcast series.

Accompanying her video, Sweeney expressed, “Trying something new! Check out my new podcast. Just fun casual chats with my friends. Links are in my bio.”

Photo: Hallmark

The first episode features former DAYS star and Hallmark Channel mainstay, Victor Webster (ex-Nicholas Alamain).  It was back from 1999-2000 that Victor first appeared on the then NBC soap opera.

As previously reported, Sweeney will be reprising her role of Sami on Days of our Lives, next summer in June when she returns along with several fan favorites for a story arc.

During Alison’s premiere of “Between Takes,” Webster shares stories of his time on DAYS, being a proud dog dad, and globetrotter, plus working on action scenes and for Victor, taking over from The Rock in the the Scorpion King franchise appearing in Scorpion King 3: Battle For Redemption. Alison and Victor also chat about their time on sets.

You can listen to Between Takes with Alison Sweeney on all major podcast streaming platforms; including Apple Podcasts here.

So, will you be checking out Alison’s podcast as it continues to grow? Intrigued who from Days of our Lives and the soaps might chat it up with her in future episodes? Let us know in the comment section.

 

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