‘Days of Our Lives’ in 2025: Fan Favorite Returns, Recastings, New Writers & More

Stephanie Sloane January 1, 2025, 3:15 pm

It was a year of highs and lows for Days of our Lives in 2024. While the show was picked up for Season 61 by Peacock and celebrated its 15,000^th episode, real-life deaths of beloved castmates and a head writing change shook up things behind the scenes.

As the new year kicks off, where the soap is set to celebrate its 60^th anniversary on November 8, co-executive producer Janet Drucker says, “Despite how hard the past year has been, personally and professionally, including losing Bill [Hayes, Doug Williams], Drake [Hogestyn, John Black] and most recently Wayne [Northrop, ex-Roman Brady], in addition to the major changes in our writing staff, we have really settled into and are enjoying the trajectory of the show. We are truly enthusiastic about how our vision is taking shape and can’t wait to share it with our fans, old and new.”

Those changes will be more realized in the spring, when the material of new co-head writers Paula Cwickly and Jeanne Marie Ford, who replaced Ron Carlivati, will begin airing. “The stories created by Paula and Jeanne Marie will first be seen at the end of April and it will quickly be evident that they are moving us back to Salem’s core family dynamics — Brady, Horton, Kiriakis, DiMera, and Hernandez families,” previews Drucker. “We’ll see Sami [Brady, Alison Sweeney] and Rex [Brady, Kyle Lowder] come home for visits, and the closer we get to the show’s 60th anniversary in the fall, the more familiar faces will appear.”

Leo Howard, Ashley Puzemis -'Days of our Lives'

XJJohnson/jpistudios.com

And some new ones, as well, the exec shares. “It is going to be a big year honoring the show’s past and legacy while setting up new, eventful, and exciting stories,” enthuses Drucker. “Marnie [Saitta, casting director] continues to bring some really great actors our way for a couple of recasts, plus more intriguing characters to come. We have new actresses portraying young Rachel and Sophia; they appear early in the year. There is definitely a refocus and stronger storylines featuring our college-aged characters, as audiences are already getting a taste of with the Tate [Black, Leo Howard], Holly [Jonas, Ashley Puzemis], and Sophia [Madelyn Kientz] love triangle/baby story. We, of course, will stick with romance — Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, love triangles — plus a riveting whodunnit, and of course, small doses of humor Leo [Stark, Greg Rikaart], Hattie [Adams, Deidre Hall] and Bonnie [Lockhart, Judi Evans], Susan [Banks, Stacy Haiduk] and Vivian [Alamain, Louise Sorel] always deliver.”

New Writing Team’s First Episodes

Episodes from the new head writing team of Paula Cwikly and Jeanne Marie Ford will start airing on April 24, 2025.
Special, joyous, 60th anniversary episodes are being planned and will include the return of some favorite Salemites, airing in November 2025.

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Big Casting Changes

Madelyn Kientz’s last airdate as Sophia Choi is January 27, 2025. Newcomer Rachel Boyd takes over the role on February 12, 2025.
Kim Coles returns as Nurse Whitley King — Abe Carver’s (James Reynolds) soap-loving kidnapper — for one episode February 5.
Emily O’Brien, who played Gwen Rizczech before assuming the role of Theresa Donovan when Gwen left town in October 2023, will be back as Gwen on March 10, 2025.
Alice Halsey takes over as Rachel Black on April 24.
Soap vet Michael Dietz, known for playing Joe Scanlon on Port Charles and Alan-Michael Spaulding on Guiding Light, will appear for a short story arc beginning April 30.

Exciting Storylines Ahead

Philip Kiriakis (John-Paul Lavoisier) and Xander Kiriakis (Paul Telfer) work to change the course of both Titan and DiMera Enterprises.
Stephanie Johnson (Abigail Klein) realizes Philip isn’t the one for her.
EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel) and Belle Black (Martha Madison) can’t deny their intense attraction to one another.
The Who Shot EJ? mystery commences, involving most of Salem.
Rachel Black disappears.
Sophia Choi continues to weave a tangled web with Tate and Holly, and her mother, Amy Choi, adds to the chaos.
Steve Johnson (Stephen Nichols) vows to Marlena Evans (Hall) that he’ll keep searching for John Black.

Stephen Nichols, Deidre Hall - 'Days of our Lives'

XJJohnson/jpistudios.com

Gabi Hernandez (Cherie Jimenez) and JJ Deveraux’s (Casey Moss) feelings are rekindled.
Doug Williams III (Peyton Meyer) and Holly Jonas find an attraction
As Jada Hunter (Elia Cantu) and Rafe Hernandez’s (Galen Gering) wedding approaches, his doppelgänger Arnold Feniger (also played by Gering) returns.
Cat Greene (AnnaLynne McCord) and Chad DiMera (Billy Flynn) do their best to fight undeniable feelings for each other.
Rex Brady (Kyle Lowder), Vivian Alamain (Sorel), and Sami Brady (Sweeney) all make return visits to Salem.
Alex Kiriakis (Robert Scott Wilson) is caught between Joy Wesley (Alexann Hopkins) and Stephanie.