Days of Our Lives is set for another casting shake-up as Brandon Barash has been written out of the long-running soap opera, with his final episode slated to stream on Peacock on Monday, October 28.
As first reported by Soaps.com, Barash, who has starred in the dual role of Stefan and Jake DiMera on Days since 2019, said that he received notice seven months ago that the writers were bringing his chapter on the show to a close.
Recalling his meeting with Days co-executive producer Janet Spellman-Drucker, Barash said, “I knew exactly what was happening as soon as I was called up to [the boss’] office. And she said, ‘Look, this is not my doing. I don’t like it. And this is no reflection on you or your abilities. You’re very talented. We know your work ethic is very high, but it’s just where we’re deciding to take the character.’”
Barash, who previously starred as Johnny Zacchara on General Hospital, said the news came as a “surprise” and a “gut punch” but that he is trying to see the positive side of the situation.
“Of course, the ego is like, ‘Oh, okay, that hurt,’” he shared. “But I walked out of the office equal parts shocked and excited about what was around the corner.”
Barash’s time with Days isn’t quite over yet. His final episode will air on Monday, and then he will be in attendance for the Day of Days event with The Day Players Band on Saturday, November 2, in Los Angeles, California. However, when it comes to a potential return to Days in the future, Barash said it would require a rebuilding of trust.
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“I don’t know,” he said about possibly returning to the soap. “This is the second time this has happened to me on Days of Our Lives. And, you know, it would have to be very, very right. The terms would have to be right. The story would have to be right. The contract would have to be right. And I would have to be able to trust them. And I’ve lost that. I’ve lost that ability to trust that team, quite frankly.”
Barash joined Days in 2019, taking over from Tyler Christopher as Stefan DiMera. The character was killed off that same year, but Barash returned to the soap in 2020 as Stefan’s twin brother, Jake. While Jake stuck around for a couple of years, he was fatally shot in July 2022.
Of course, in the land of soaps, nobody is truly dead forever. It was later discovered that Stefan’s body had been preserved and could be revived with a heart transplant using Jake’s heart. This is what happened, and Barash has portrayed Stefan, new heart and all, ever since.
Days of Our Lives, Weekdays, Peacock
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