Days Of Our Lives Comings & Goings 2026: Exits, Returns, New Arrivals, Recasts + Airdates

Days of Our Lives spoilers reveal the land of Salem can be a flurry of activity when it comes to new character arrivals and departures. Read on to see all the returns, exits, debuts, and more happening in 2026, below

New Arrivals

It was recently announced that General Hospital alum, Sofia Mattsson, who played Sasha Gilmore on the ABC soap, started filming on Days of Our Lives in late March 2026. The actress is slated to appear in Salem in a mystery role sometime in early 2027.

Michael Ocampo debuted on May 28, playing Javi Hernandez’s (Al Calderon) new boyfriend, Gus.
Plus, actor Stephen Oyoung appeared on the soap during the week of May 11-15 playing Sophia Choi’s (Rachel Boyd) father, Jason Choi.

Shocking Contract Changes

Off the cusp of the Sofia Mattsson announcement, Rachel Boyd (Sophia Choi) and Peter Porte (Dimitri von Leuschner) were placed on recurring status during the week of April 27.

Boyd took over the role of Sophia from Madelyn Kientz in February 2025. While she apparently “died” in early May, when Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk) knocked her over the head with a rock and threw her into the river, there’s always a chance that Sophia will return very much alive, or at least as a ghost, hallucination, or a dream!

Then there’s Porte, who has been on and off the screen since Dimitri was first introduced to Days fans in 2021.

In addition, the closing credits of Days revealed in late March 2026 that Galen Gering (Rafe Hernandez) and Elia Cantu (Jada Hunter) had been taken off contract and dropped down to recurring status, as well.

Stunning Exits

Al Calderon will be exiting the Javi Hernandez role in June. Calderon snagged a part in the primetime NBC drama, Brilliant Minds.

Michael Roark, who entered Salem in October 2025 as the Jeremy Horton recast, exited the show on April 29.

As of this writing, there’s no news as to whether the show intends to recast the role.
Marissa Reyes, who entered the role of Arianna “Ari” Horton in May 2025, exited Days on March 26.

Meanwhile, Alice Halsey, who played Rachel Black since April 24, 2025, left the soap. She was cast as the lead in Netflix’s revival of Little House on the Prairie and is slated to play Laura Ingalls. Halsey’s last appearance was on March 5.

Billy Flynn, who played Chad DiMera, exited the role, with his last appearance on soap being the February 17 episode.

As Days films months in advance, Flynn left the show in 2024, surfacing on The Young and the Restless as the Cane Ashby recast on June 16, 2025. He started on the soap in September 2014.

In addition, Cary Christopher left the role of Thomas DiMera during the February 17 show, as well as Autum Gendron, who played Charlotte DiMera.

It was announced in January 2026 that Raven Bowen (Chanel DiMera), Carson Boatman (Johnny DiMera), Tate Black (Leo Howard), and Holly Jonas (Ashley Puzemis), are all exiting Salem in the near future.

While their final airdates have not been revealed, fans should expect them to leave the canvas sometime in late 2026, early 2027.

Recast City

The “new” Javi Hernandez has been recast, and soap newcomer Jacob Martinez will enter the role on Tuesday, June 30.

The role of Victoria Kiriakis, previously played by Amelia and Kennedy Hileman, was once again recast. Young actress Angelica Nero took over the role during the April 24 episode.

In fact, Nero is a social media personality well-known for her vocal, piano, and violin performances that have gone viral.

Conner Floyd entered the role of Chad DiMera on April 21, and the “new Thomas DiMera” also debuted that day, as Alexander Elijah Bond took over the role. In addition, actress Vico Escorcia joined the Peacock cast as Ari Horton during the week of April 6-10.

Young actress Lorelei Olivia Mote entered the role of Rachel Black on March 17, 2026, while Nikki Crawford joined the soap as the Lexie Carver recast on March 6.

Bombshell Returns

Joy Wesley, played by AlexAnn Hopkins, returned on the April 24 episode and caught Alex Kiriakis (Robert Scott Wilson) off guard when he realized he was a dad to Baby Kelsey Kiriakis.

Eli Grant returned to Salem during the February 3 episode to help Rafe with his investigation in Alamainia, but also brought some good news with him: that he and Lani Price-Grant, played by Sal Stowers, would be returning home … for good!

While fans have seen the couple pop in now and again over the years, they officially left the little town in 2022. Lani officially returned to the canvas in April 2026.

Wes Rasmey made an explosive return in February 2026, reprising his Owen Kent role after a 16-year absence from the soap. Owen Kent ended up being the person stalking Stephanie Johnson (Abigail Klein) – not Jeremy Horton – as everyone believed.

He exited the canvas in March 2026.

While it was brief, it was still lovely when Louis Sorel reprised her devious role of Vivian Alamain during the week of January 26, 2026. Sorel has been playing villainess on the soap, on and off, since 1992.

What do you think of DOOL’s casting news so far in 2026? Catch the popular Peacock soap daily for all the exciting moments and visit this site often for the best Days of Our Lives updates, spoilers, and news.