When NBC and Ken Cordray announced last month that Days of our Lives would be returning for another year, they attempted to make it sound like all was well.
But anyone who has been following the ongoing budget issues with the longtime daytime soap know otherwise.
And budget cuts have led to the firing, so far, of four popular cast members.
Gone are Freddie Smith, Chandler Massey, Galen Gering and Casey Moss.
Moss, who played JJ Deveraux, was seen for the final time today as he exited Salem on his way to Africa with his family.
Smith and Massey, who play Sonny and Will, the historic first gay couple storyline on daytime TV, have also been ousted from the NBC soap.
Smith took to Twitter to share a video revealing the news to fans.
In the video, he admitted that “it was not our choice” to exit.
“We were looking forward to staying on and keeping the story going,” he added.
“I can only imagine that there was a big board of 35 actors … and they were like, ‘We’ve got to cut some people, so who is it going to be?’ And it landed on me and Chandler,” Smith said.
Days of Our Lives releases Freddie Smith and @ChandlerMassey from contracts. https://t.co/dMOErFKz2b
I will miss Salem so much!! Thank you all for the incredible love and support throughout the years. I really feel we told a love story that will live on forever.— freddie smith 🧢 (@freddiemsmith) February 12, 2020
Smith revealed that the decision to write them out seemed clear when the first scripts arrived.
“As the scripts started coming in, I was like, ‘This doesn’t look good. This doesn’t look like we’re going to get [re-]signed to a contract.’”
Despite their looming exits, Smith and Massey will be on-screen until September.
“Though it’s sad and shocking, I want to celebrate what we’ve created,” the actor told fans. “That’s what I want to focus on.”
Sonny and Will have had several bumps in the road during their relationship, but it’s unclear whether they will be leaving as a couple and riding off into the sunset.
Also leaving is Galen Gering, who announced his departure in an IG post.
“I’ve always seen birthdays as a day of reflection, an opportunity to look back at where I’ve been and where I’m going. So, it’s oddly befitting that today also happens to be my last day at ‘Days,’” said Gering.
He turned 48 the day he announced his firing.
Gering got his start on “Passions,” where he played Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald from that show’s premiere in 1999 until its ultimate cancellation in 2008.
Gering hopped aboard “Days” that same year as Rafe Hernandez and has been playing that role ever since, during which time he has been paired with, among others, Alison Sweeney and Kristian Alfonso, both of whom are pictured with him in his farewell message.
“I have such great memories from the last 10 years,” Gering added. “Onscreen I’ve fought for marriages and fought evil twins. I’ve put people in prison and been imprisoned. And offscreen, I’ve made friendships that I will have for a lifetime. All the while, I’ve been so fortunate to have the love and support of the greatest fans in the world. I hope you know how thankful I am to have had you at my side. With that said, the journey continues and I hope to bring you along for the ride. Thanks for the memories, ‘Days of our Lives.’”
Corday Productions previously released the entire cast from their contracts as negotiations continued for Days of Our Lives Season 56.
The new contract reached with Sony and NBC runs through the summer 2021, but budget issues are likely to remain an ongoing issue unless major adjustments are made.
Days of our Lives, which aired its 13,755th episode in 2019, remains a television institution.
The show first premiered as a half-hour drama in 1965 and expanded to an hour 10 years later.
Set in the fictitious Midwestern town of Salem, Days of our Lives airs nationally on NBC in the U.S. and in more than 25 countries internationally.