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Starting the new year with not just one, or two, but four exits at Days of Our Lives was not how we were expecting to ring in 2026. But it seems, neither was the cast of the Peacock sudser! The Daily Mail reports that the show returned from holiday hiatus and immediately let go of four of its younger actors: Carson Boatman (Johnny), Raven Bowens (Chanel), Ashley Puzemis (Holly) and Leo Howard (Tate).

 

“While we don’t comment on individual contracts or casting decisions,” a Days of Our Lives spokesperson shared with Soaps, “we have tremendous respect and appreciation for the actors who bring these characters to life. What may seem sudden is part of long-range storytelling decisions. Our goal is to balance the show’s rich history with where we’re headed creatively. Due to our long tape-to-air gap, any changes won’t be on screen for some time.”

Onscreen, we won’t see much of a difference since the show tapes about 10 months in advance at this point. Bowens and Boatman both debuted on the show back in March and August of 2021, respectively. Puzemis, of course, made her first appearance in October of 2023 Nicole’s teenage daughter, while Howard took over as Brady’s son from Jamie Martin Mann in April of 2024. And they’ve all had frontburner storylines virtually ever since.

Holly and Tate have been built up as star-crossed lovers, with more than their share of drama. Though with Tate’s supposed baby being Aaron’s, it’s felt like the couple may finally be able to date relatively drama-free for some time. Johnny and Chanel may be heading the other direction with their friction over her pregnancy, but those two have been through far worse and we’ve had high hopes for their budding family.

Now, though… There’s no word about whether the show will be recasting the characters or simply sending them off. Tate’s mom, Theresa, is in California, of course, and Holly’s mother, Nicole, is in Paris, so both characters potentially have places to exit to. Johnny and Chanel are another matter, unless they decide to go live with his mom, Sami. Or perhaps, if they leave, they’ll simply decide they’ve had enough of Salem’s drama. DiMeras, devils and delusional teens can wear you down.

All four characters, of course, are connected by Sophia, who’s currently concocting some sort of plan, which is sure to be target some or all of them! But we don’t see her being a reason for them to leave, as we’d be surprised if she was still causing trouble 10 months from now. Then again, this is Salem, and villains stick around.

 

While it sounds like this was a shock to everyone, Boatman handled it with aplomb, telling the Daily Mail that he was, “incredibly grateful for the past five years. I have nothing but love and respect for everyone over there from top to bottom. ” As for what’s to come, he’s “genuinely so excited to see what the future holds for me, as well as the show.”

This news, of course, comes on top of the trio of recast news that we got just last week, with Ari, Rachel and, of course, Chad all seeing new faces soon.