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Days Of Our Lives

Vivian Jovanni Done At DAYS!

By Michael Fairman

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Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

Soap newcomer Vivian Jovanni who played the SORAS’d Ciara Brady on Days of our Lives is out at the long-running NBC soap opera.

During her run, Jovanni was put in a controversial front burner rape storyline and played the daughter of legacy characters Bo (Peter Reckell) and Hope Brady (Kristian Alfonso).

From the looks of it, Vivian will continue to air until the spring of the New Year.  As to if DAYS plans to recast, or how Ciara is written-off the canvas that is yet to be seen.

Serial Scoop spoke to Jovanni where she expressed what precipitated her exit from DAYS: “The decision to exit was mutual. At this point in my career I wanted to pursue other interests. Yet, I am eternally grateful for the opportunity, love and support I received from everyone at Days and the fans. I’m really excited about the future and what’s to come in the world of Days of Our Lives.”

So, what are your thoughts on Vivian’s exit from DAYS? Should the show recast? Comment below!

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Of course they should recast. Talk about a legacy character, She is the daughter of Days royalty!

once again… I hold Ken Corday responsible for so many mishaps

he definitely has his own ideas on what an Executive Producer is

is he … what ? still riding on the coattails of his beloved parents Betty and Ted Corday?

is he living off the residuals ? and just not caring for what supports him.

His parents legacy… was taken care of

do your job Ken Corday… whatever you imagine that to be

have you been drinking the Kool-Aid with Frank Valentini

Her leaving was by mutual consent of the actress, the powers that be at Days and every single viewer. To her credit she has improved incrementally over her tenure and I’m sure she did her best. The responsibility for an epic failure like this lies with the casting director and the producers. The show should definitely recast using thoughtful care and consideration.

Acting through your nose instead of her clinched teeth is not an incremental improvement. Nothing at all could improve that young lady’s acting abilities except a divine intervention by the man himself.

It is possible that as Vivian matures she might become a better actress. Also, don’t forget that Vivian was never right for the role of Ciara in the first place. For that I blame the casting director.

Call me crazy, but I don’t think she is the worst… she will likely improve with age. Alison Sweeny sure did… I thought she was horrible when she first appeared on the show, but I ended up loving her! I do hope that they recast this role… the character is needed! On a side note, not sure how popular of an opinion is, but I am loving Marci Miller as Abby!

I always felt Vivian G. was cast almost solely based on her similar look to her on screen “mom”, Hope. I really think the casting director (and whomever) thought this was more important than her acting ability….maybe thinking that Vivian would improve (quicker) over time. Honestly, I wanted Vivian to succeed and I gave her a LOT of time. I did not fast forward. I watched and stuck with her…but it became evident it was not going to improve. I wish her all the best. YES, Days should RECAST.

I feel sorry for her, she was horrifically miscast. I did fast forward often ~ otherwise I might have thrown something at the TV screen.

The casting director needs to be fired.

I do not see any particular reason to re-cast the role. This gal did her best but they gave her too much to take on and as a young actress I don’t think she was quite ready to do “rape scenes” and heavy dramatic front line storylines. She (the character) can go off to College or to visit a long lost Aunt. The youthful storylines on this show are atrocious anyway – the whole writing team needs to wake up to 2016 and stop writing like we’re in 1985.

I’m so happy that she is leaving. I really never bought her portrayal. I think it’s a great character and I hope they recast!

She never stood a chance. wow… I applaud her for trying

this career choice has too many “hits”… and so few chance/opportunities.

oh god… I miss Lauren Boles

I wish Vivian Jovanni : take care, be well, you’ve learned, and are moving

Jovanni made her on-screen debut on October 30, 2015 and as posted above, will be on air thru spring, 2017. she had 1 1/2 years of on air screen time

it just bugs me to no end… that along with Vivian… the characters of Aiden and Chase were also sacrificed…. loved the SORAS Chase. with yummy Daniel Cosgrove

sigh… all we’re left with is toothache Rafe and Hope

I love Hope and Rafe together never did like aiden

I like Hope and Rafe too. I don’t really miss Aiden or Chase either.

I never did like the character of Ciara. I have this thing about too many babies and kids on DAYS. Then when they decided to age-advanced Ciara into a teenager (and the other kids) around the time Bo Brady was about to arrive in Salem, it did not work for me. We were deprived of seeing Bo hug Ciara, his little girl.
I don’t mean to be too harsh, but the new actress did not emote too much emotion. She just has one of those faces that does not express well. I thought the rape storyline was nauseating. I will be glad to let the character go out of my mind. Another character I wish they would get rid of is the singer, Claire.

I agree 100%. Bring back Lauren Boles & let’s just forget the awful rape. I just cringe every time I see everyone sitting on Jenn’s couch at the Horton house, ugh.

Well, I mean they CAN’T just age her backwards after they decided to jump her age from like 9 to 18 or whatever the heck age she’s supposed to be.
When I watch this show, I am embarressed by how awful it is – the prison scenes are so ludicrous (with character Hope) that I wish I could FF through the NBC ap –
but as far as the character of Ciara goes, they should just have her visit an out of town Aunt or grandma or long lost Cousin ~ or have the character switch to an out of State College –

yeah, the kick in the pants… was when Peter Reckell and Lauren Boles… never have that chance. Bo & Ciera Alice

what a dream , that would have been.

“…but the new actress did not emote too much emotion ” wholeheartedly agree.

really reminds me of Kelly Monaco @GH as Sam.

truly… the rape story was the nail in the coffin.

Vivian Jovanni had her moments … that’s not a full time job makes.

Ciera Alice is a high yield pivotal front and center legacy character.

wouldn’t it be something… if… when Hope is sprung… who’s the first to greet her

Lauren Boles.

wishful thinking

who is Lauren Boles

I cry for these things still

I got it

Judy, Lauren Boles played Ciara before the role was SORASed.

Regardless of this actress or acceptance of portrayal, the error was in the SORAS, Look, if we want kids on the canvas, then accept kids on the canvas. Sudden age jumps often are not in best interest. As in real life, if you have kids, you keep them! LOL Children are not props or plot devices!

What took so long? Seriously, the worst actor on daytime since Guy Wilson.

Two miscasts. Maybe Days also needs a new casting director.

I certainly agree with that response – The casting director needs help ~

She just wasnt right for the part…wish her the best

Not sad to see her go. With all the talented younger actresses out there, she was totally miscast in that role. First, it sucked they SORAS the character in the first place, but to put in someone who…sorry simply can’t act was the second mistake. I’m not being a bully just stating a fact. When you suck at your job anywhere else you’d get fired a long time ago. Just because someone has a pretty face it doesn’t mean they act! I always fast forward when she is on because she is that bad in the role. Plus she looks uncomfortable in it as well which adds to her terrible performance.

Thats my opinion and I’m entitled to it!

agree all the way

behind the scenes mismanagement

how could they not have seen what we’ve known for months:

“…Plus she looks uncomfortable ”

yeah, it’s a tough love thingy… i’m sure she’s glad to be out

for a youngster… she made some cashola

Sometimes the truth hurts. And by that I mean she hurt my ears and my eyes just looking at her trying to act.

I never like to see a soap actor lose their jobs. It probably seemed like a good idea to age the character before Bo’s return and death. The actress was given too much heavy storyline (father’s death and rape) within a short period of time and unfortunately, it proved too much for a less-seasoned actor. It probably did not help that the fans have been BRUTAL to her for more than a year. The teen storylines continue to be the show’s weakest link. I could care less that Jade has been recast because I do not like the storyline now with Joey. Claire always has a look on her face like she is irritated. I wish Corday and company would realize the higher rated soaps feature actors over the age of 30. We do not care about these teens and prefer to see Maggie, Hope, Brady, Nicole, Jennifer, Chad, Gabi and Abigail. I would love to see Eve return.

To be honest, Ciara was growing on me. Too bad….but, she’s so young, I am sure she wants to move her carrier/ambition/aspirations along. Soaps are very tenuous, today. Good luck!!
But, Claire needs to go. This girl does not inspire me one bit. She is languid and insipid. How old is she supposed to be? She and Theo are sooo mismatched.

Out of context:
1) What newborn, a couple of hours born, coos? Plays with her hands? Makes eye contact with the person holding her and responds to the baby-talk? Okay….it’s a soap, but, this baby “Holly” looks three or so months old. Make it a bit real.
2) considering the DiMera’s wealth and the grandeur ( size-wise) of the mansion, why is there no intercome system? Or a baby monitor? I suppose if that were the case, then Abby would not have been able to sneak into the nursery? How convenient.
Chad opening the door was so much more dramatic!! Not really.

Also, ( and, I realize I am being being unreasonable, LOL) I can’t stand Gabi, right now. She runs to Chad in a flash). So typica. I just don’t understand why these women are made to look like floozies and so whimsical. I thought she was in love with JJ. I don’t…..I woukd be in my room, on my bed, crying my eyes out, not out looking for comfort in snother’s arms…..then some. I think Gabi has coveted Chad forever….she’s always had a thing for him.
Sorry, I had to post everything in my head……won’t be posing for a while….
So, Happy Holidays to one and all…much love and joy!!!!!

The baby thing-i guess tptb decided to soras the infant the moment it popped out…next week she will be 16 and on drugs-lol…Merry Christmas to you and your family!!!

It’s just too bad they felt the need to SORAS all the DOOL kids, who really were not bad…especially the child that played Ciera…into obnoxious teenagers!
I really wish sometimes that they would just let characters age naturally. They way they do it, the “kids” end up being WAY too old to actually be the child of their “parents.”

Yep, agree 100%. Should have let those kids be. No reason to age them except, I think at the time, Days 50th Anniversary (reboot) was approaching and TPTB probably thought it would be a new aspect to the show. Wrong call IMO.

Bring back Lauren Boles, the original actress. She was a wonderful little actress. Lauren is spunky and she can act. Vivian is 21 years old and her acting got a little better, but not good enough. I wish her luck, my suggestion take more acting classes.

It’s too late! Ciara has been SORAS. Lauren Boles is too young to take the role once again.

The firist Ciara they did to get a new Ciara

The hatred this young woman has endured is absolutely outlandish. The bullies are absolutely rude, and clearly have never had a heart. Is she the greatest actress in the world? No. Did she do the job she was hired to do? Yes. The problem with Vivian Jovanni’s acting is that it’s very dry, which isn’t a bad thing for comedy, but she’s in a very high-intense dramatic medium, where you need emotions. This platform was simply not right for her. She’d do very well in comedy, as I feel like her seriousness would really work in her favour.

As for the character, I’d say send her away to college for 6-12 months, a-la Kristina Corinthos on General Hospital, and then bring her back with a new actress. Funny enough, I’d love to see Lindsey Morgan (ex-Kristina, GH) be brought to the role of Ciara, or even another unknown. But the character does need some downtime, so write her out, for now, and then bring her back in the fall of 2017.

she is quite certainly a nice girl but nice doesn’t make you a good actress ; the casting department needs a shake up , solid theatre and acting background should be paramount when hiring actors on that show , clearly this is not the case.

Again, you’re missing the point of my post, and that concerns me.

I totally agree. I cannot believe people can be so downright cruel. It is one thing to express an opinion, but to verbally attack a person is uncalled for. Kind of makes you wish all those experts out there were given the same type of critique when they started their careers. Do I think she could improve as an actress? Of course, but by the same token, I feel all the DOOL teens could improve and probably will with time. Ease up folks, she’s just a young girl starting out trying her best.

She may very well be a good person. However, she’s being paid a lot of money for a job she is simply not qualified for. Simply put- she is just not an actress. Somewhere, someplace is a REAL actor chomping at the bit for an opportunity to portray this role.

To call someone a “REAL” actor is insulting, and is exactly what my post is about. And knowing that your response simply proves my point is baffling. Berating this young woman is wrong and shameful.

No offense but I never thought she could act anyway.Not saying that I could do any better because I cannot I just feel that someone else could have done a better job.To all Happy Holidays and stay well and safe.

Head writing duties for days of our lives need to be handed over to leah laiman , thom racina and sheri anderson . executive producers should be : ken corday , al rabin , shelley curtis and greg meng . the casting department need to have recruiters who hire actors and actresses who know how to act with solid theatre and acting background ! Jovanni should never have been hired in the first place .

Air into the spring? Good grief. Well, I can fast forward.

Ciara should have been recast ages ago. Vivian was not good in the role from the get-go. Frankly, I don’t think she can act. It was thoroughly painful to watch her stumble through scenes.

I am glad this actress is gone. Days has plenty of time to find someone suitable as a recast. Although at this point, I wouldn’t care if they got rid of all the SORASed teens.

YES! One annoying teenager actor gone…3 to go….and you know who you are 🙂

All they have to do is this scene:

Ciarra: Mom, I have something to tell you, I don’t mean to burden you while
you are still locked up in Prison with Marlena’s look-a-like

Hope: Yes, sweetie, what is it, you can tell me anything you know that!

Ciarra: Well mom, I’ve decided to transfer to another School out of State
– I spoke with Cousin Martha and she said I could stay with her.

Hope: Ciarra, have you thought about this carefully? You know it’s hard for
me to tell what you’re feeling since you only seem to have one expression.

Ciarra: Yes Mom it’s what I want, my bus leaves tomorrow.

Hope: Well honey we will miss you and if I ever get out of Prison on a
technicality I will let you know

Ciarra: Okay Mom….good bye I will miss you too

The end. See, not that hard to write her out.

This actress wasnt very good at emoting and yes she looked terribly uncomfortable etc but she gave it her best shot. The casting director and prodiucers are at fault for hiring someone lacking the skills. Soap fans online are awfully awful to any and every “newbie” that graces the television screen. In this instance i think tactful critique would have given this girl

Her acting is not great but she is ok. I think the actor who portrays Joey is so cute but his acting is terrible as is the woman who portrays Abigail.

Horray!! Maybe she can take Joey with her-2 horrible actors!!

I thought Vivian did a good job, I would like to see any of the people writing comments on here go on a soap & try to act any better!!! I will be sad to see her go, she tried & all people did was put her down all the time. She use to model, too & she is beautiful.

She was a terrible actress from the start. I was hoping she would improve over time, but that didn’t happen! I will not miss her gritting teeth, that’s for sure. She does need to pursue other interests and for our sake, please don’t let it be acting!!

Days Of Our Lives

‘Days of Our Lives’ Favorites Making Returns: Alison Sweeney, Christie Clark, Chandler Massey and Bryan Dattilo

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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.

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Days Of Our Lives

‘Days of Our Lives’ Alum Al Calderon Talks On His Daytime Emmy-Nominated Scenes as Javi Hernandez (Exclusive)

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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.”

Alice Halsey

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.

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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’

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Emily O'Brien

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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