When Days of Our Lives aired John Black’s funeral back in the beginning of June, Sami couldn’t attend as portrayer Alison Sweeney was unable to be on set when the episodes were taped in the fall of 2024. But the actress is returning to DAYS for another visit on Monday, August 4, and Sami will finally be able to grieve the loss alongside her mother, Marlena (Deidre Hall).
A Final Farewell
“I was so devastated that my schedule didn’t allow me to film the funeral scenes for John Black with the rest of the cast,” Sweeney told TV Insider. “But I had a great talk with [then-Co-Executive Producer] Janet Spellman-Drucker, and she said she and the writers would figure something out for me to return as soon as I was able, which meant so much to me. I really wanted Sami to be a part of the story of saying goodbye to John, as well as being there to mourn with Marlena. As difficult as the subject matter was, I’m really glad they were able to make this happen.”
Sami and her stepfather had a rather contentious history, which she can now never put right, a fact that makes the loss even more painful. “Especially after the last time Sami was in town and had that talk with [her son] Johnny, she mentioned that she was going to therapy and that kind of self-reflection would really make her aware of how poisonous she was to John,” Sweeney explained. “Even though the writers reminded me that there had been this mea culpa moment where Sami apologized, I still think Sami wouldn’t forgive herself that easily, now that he’s gone and they don’t have years to unwind all that bad blood.”
The real-life relationship between Sweeney and the late Drake Hogestyn was the polar opposite of Sami and John’s. “I absolutely loved working with Drake,” she shared. “Every time I got to have a scene with him, even when Sami was terrible to him, I was thrilled to get to see Drake, share the stage with him, joke with him, hear his stories, and laugh with him. He really was like a dad to me, and I admired him so much. He was such a great role model on set, always a positive attitude, a professional work ethic, and he never missed a chance to be kind and caring to everyone he worked with.”
While Sami’s Salem comeback is brief, Sweeney is already set to make another return to the show this fall. Fans can look for Sami to head home again in November, which will be a milestone month for the show: On November 8, DAYS marks the 60th anniversary of its debut.
