Hey Days of Our Lives fans! Today, we’re going to talk about the real reason some top Days stars really left the NBC soap. We’re going to discuss Camila Banus, Tyler Christopher, Arianne Zucker, and many others.
These are some huge names that left fans very upset when they exited the NBC soap, and we’re going to spill the beans on why they really left. Let’s dig into it!
Camila Banus’ Departure: Unpacking Her Exit from Days of Our Lives
First, let’s talk about Camila Banus. She was the second and longest-running actress to play Gabi Hernandez. We saw Camila Banus from 2010 until 2023. She wrapped shooting as Gabi in April of 2023, and her last air date was November of 2023. The reason why Camila Banus left her long-running Days role is a bit complicated. Back in 2020, there were signs of things going badly.
She had just wrapped a long day shooting Gabi scenes, and Camila Banus was in her car in the parking lot, driving home, and she was just bawling about stresses backstage. In hindsight, Camila Banus could have been alluding to the allegations about Albert Alarr’s reported ill-treatment of female cast members that eventually got him fired.
Camila Wanted to Start Fresh
Camila Banus also said the move when NBC went over to Peacock Streaming was a sign that she should start a new chapter in her life. Also, Camila Banus also talked about her father’s suicide. He took his life right before she landed her role in 2010 as Gabi on Days. Camila Banus said her dad never got to live out his dreams, so she wanted to make sure she achieved hers.
Camila Banus decided to stretch her wings professionally beyond playing Gabi Hernandez (Cherie Jimenez) on Days of Our Lives. She also talked about starting a family with her husband, Marlon Ainho. So, there were several reasons that Camila Banus left the soap.
Tyler Christopher’s Tragic Exit: Addiction’s Impact on a Soap Opera Star
Next, we’re going to talk about the very sad tale of Tyler Christopher, who played the role of Stefan DiMera, which was created just for him. Tyler Christopher left an indelible mark on fans of both Days of Our Lives and General Hospital, where he also originated the role of Nikolas Cassadine.
Tyler Christopher admitted his issues with alcohol addiction cost him both of his soap opera roles. He didn’t choose to leave either soap. But his demons did it for him. He was released from his contract at General Hospital because of sobriety issues. He then got a second chance from then Days showrunner Ron Carlivati, who knew Tyler Christopher very well because they worked together for years over at GH.
Unfortunately, Tyler Christopher’s addiction demons got the better of him on the other soap as well. When he failed to maintain his sobriety on the Days of Our Lives set, they had no choice but to terminate his contract. Tyler Christopher’s final episode as Stefan DiMera aired March 20th, 2019. Two days later, Brandon Barash, also a GH alum, began appearing in the role.
Tyler Christopher’s Battle with His Demons
Tyler Christopher admitted on the State of Mind podcast with Maurice Benard that he has alcohol addictions and said of his roles on both soaps that he “threw it away.” He said, “Nobody took it away from me. I dropped it.” Tyler Christopher also confirmed his struggles with bipolar depression and ongoing efforts to get and maintain sobriety.
In the ultimate tragedy, Tyler Christopher passed away at age 50 on October 31st, 2023, after losing his final battle with addiction. The Stefan DiMera actor’s official cause of death was positional asphyxia and was ruled accidental, a terribly, terribly sad event.
As a side note, I interviewed Tyler Christopher several times, the most recent not too long before he passed away. He was honestly one of the nicest actors I’ve ever met—just down to earth, very humble, very sweet, considerate, sincere, just a gentle soul. He was very open about his demons and his struggles.
The Eric Brady Saga: Greg Vaughan’s On-Again, Off-Again Role on Days of Our Lives
Next, we’re going to talk about Greg Vaughan’s exit and return, and then his other exit from Days of Our Lives in his role as Eric Brady. We had seen some big changes with Greg Vaughan that had him in and out, and then back in and out again as Eric Brady. Not all of these had anything to do strictly with Greg Vaughan, the actor himself, or his character.
Some of it had to do with his primary scene partner, Arianne Zucker, as Nicole Walker, who was in a romance with Eric. In the summer of 2020, and this was nothing to do with Arianne Zucker, Greg Vaughan announced that he was ending his run at Days. He said that he’d been thinking about leaving since 2017. This was during a renewal period.
Greg Vaughan Unhappy on Days of Our Lives
Days was negotiating with NBC to stay on the air, before the transition to streaming. In one interview, Greg Vaughan said he felt like a “glorified extra” in everybody else’s storyline and said he and Arianne Zucker, who of course plays Nicole Walker, weren’t getting good storylines. Basically, Greg Vaughan left because he wanted more screen time and better stories. Days did want him to stay, but he left.
He stayed gone pretty much through late 2021 with a few appearances here and there for storyline reasons. Then Arianne Zucker’s contentious exit seemed to have taken Greg Vaughan out with her. With Eric tied to Nicole and her being gone for good, that’s the basic reason he’s not front burner anymore. Unless they sever that Eric and Nicole tie, we’re probably not going to get Eric back front burner.
Ciara Brady Weston’s Future: Why Victoria Konefal Left Days of Our Lives
Victoria Konefal’s departure is the one to talk about next. The pandemic played a big piece in her exit. She has left and is rarely seen. Of course, Victoria Konefal plays Ciara Brady Weston. Back in 2020, Victoria Konefal left Days of Our Lives to pursue other opportunities. But then the pandemic hit and stalled all the other projects.
So she came back for a while, and Days in fact wanted her back on contract. But Victoria Konefal did not want to return full-time to playing Ciara. Back then, Victoria Konefal said the soap was no longer fulfilling her artistic integrity, and now she is rarely seen. She showed up for Bo Brady (Peter Reckell)’s coma awakening and family funerals, but don’t expect to see a lot of her.
Bo and Hope Brady: Unraveling the Exits of Peter Reckell and Kristian Alfonso
Now, let’s talk about Kristian Alfonso and Peter Reckell’s exit as Bo Brady (Peter Reckell) and Hope Brady (Kristian Alfonso). Back in 2015, Days killed off Bo Brady with a brain tumor because Peter Reckell wanted a break from the soap. And Salem being as it is, death is never a barrier to return. But Bo Brady’s death was sad and devastated and outraged fans.
Then five years later, Kristian Alfonso announced that she was going to be exiting as Hope Brady, saying she was relieved to go and she didn’t really plan to come back. But then Days lured Kristian Alfonso back to play Hope Brady again on Beyond Salem in 2022. They woke Bo Brady up from the grave and then pulled Hope Brady and Bo Brady over to the main Days show and then wound up putting Bo Brady back in a coma, and Kristian Alfonso pretty much left again, getting off-screen mentions.
Every now and then she’d be seen, but now he’s awake, and Bo Brady and Hope Brady got a brief reunion and then exited again. Kristian Alfonso was ready to write a new chapter in her life, and she seems content to remain mostly absent from Days. Peter Reckell expressed an interest in them coming back, but he lives all the way in Alaska, so that seems a logistical nightmare. There are no plans to bring Hope Brady and Bo Brady back for any front burner action.
Stefan DiMera’s Recasting Drama: Brandon Barash’s Unexpected Firings from Days
Next, we’re going to talk about Brandon Barash’s abrupt firing from Days of Our Lives for the second time. When Tyler Christopher was struggling with his sobriety, Days made a snap hiring decision and brought in General Hospital alum Brandon Barash to take over the role of Stefan DiMera. Brandon Barash slipped in seamlessly and was very popular with fans, but the writers had already written Stefan DiMera’s death.
Jada Hunter (Elia Cantu) shot Stefan DiMera and then they brought Brandon Barash back to play Stefan DiMera (Brandon Barash)’s secret twin, Jake Lambert. Then they killed off the less popular Jake Lambert and gave Stefan DiMera his heart so they could bring Brandon Barash back as Stefan DiMera. Fans were happy, but then things got messy for Gabi and Stefan.
Brandon Barash Fired Mid-Contract by DOOL – Twice
Brandon Barash revealed that Days fired him in October 2024 mid-contract. The first time he was fired was when they killed off Stefan DiMera. The second time was when Brandon Barash said the writers just told him they didn’t know what to do with Stefan DiMera. He was called up to Janet Drucker’s office and shocked, just given a firing notice.
Brandon Barash has now said he won’t come back to Days because this was the second time they fired him mid-contract. He feels like there’s no trust there. To exit Stefan they had Vivian Alamain (Louise Sorel) forge his name on divorce documents, and her flunky Ivan Marais (Ivan GVera) shoved him in a trunk and shipped Stefan to Alamania.
Remembering Drake Hogestyn: The Legacy of John Black on Days of Our Lives
Let’s talk about Drake Hogestyn. We cannot talk about exits at Days without mentioning Drake Hogestyn, who played John Black for nearly four decades. The reason that Drake Hogestyn left Days of Our Lives was to fight a losing battle with pancreatic cancer. His final episode as John Black aired September 9th, 2024.
But he stopped filming months prior, very early in 2024, because he needed to focus on his health and that medical battle. Less than three weeks after Drake Hogestyn’s final episode aired, he sadly passed away on September 28th, 2024. The soap then brought in someone as a body double for the on-screen death storyline.
That actually taped while Drake Hogestyn was still alive, but he was too sick to work on the soap. He signed off on the whole John Black exit story. Drake Hogestyn’s character death aired June 2nd, 2025, months after the iconic Days of Our Lives actor passed away in real life.
Arianne Zucker’s Controversial Exit: Allegations and Lawsuits Rock Days of Our Lives
Last, we are going to talk about Arianne Zucker, certainly one of the most controversial exits ever on Days of Our Lives. She played Nicole Walker. This whole thing started early 2023 when a bunch of female actresses were fired or cut back to recurring, and allegations arose about executive producer and director Albert Alarr.
Then came more allegations that he had behaved inappropriately towards Arianne Zucker and other female cast and crew. Arianne Zucker decided to get vocal about it. Days initially wrote her out as Nicole Walker, essentially fired her, but she got a lawyer involved, and they had to bring her back in, and she stayed for a little while.
Arianne Zucker was reportedly constructively fired during contract renewal talks by the show making lowball offers they knew Arianne Zucker couldn’t accept. These are allegations she raised in her ongoing lawsuit against Albert Alarr, Ken Corday, Sony, and others.
In February 2024, Arianne Zucker said that her sticking up for herself and fellow actresses on Days of Our Lives is why they pushed her out of her longtime career on the soap. She held press conferences and she aired her grievances. In the end, Days fired Albert Alarr in August 2023. Arianne’s lawsuit is ongoing.
