Rumors have been swirling that Days of Our Lives’ newest hunk Peyton Meyers, has left his role as Doug Williams III, less than a year after the actor joined the Peacock streaming soap last December. But what clues have Days fans been picking up on and why do they believe that he has left?
Meyer’s joined Days of Our Lives in April 2024, but due to the soap operas filming schedule his debut didn’t air until December 2024. Upon his premiere fans quickly picked up that Meyer’s was referring to his time on Days of Our Lives in the past tense. When he joined the soap back in December he spoke with TV Insider saying, “Balancing the traveling between Nashville and L.A. and my son put me in such a challenging position that I had to use every ounce of strength I had in me to be able to show up and perform every day because I didn’t realize how difficult it was going to be. It feels like someone paid me to go to an intense acting boot camp. I feel like I’ve learned so much as an actor, and that this boosted my career and my performance as an actor 10 times.” Since his episodes of the soap opera have aired fans have paid close attention to the various social media accounts and the way active cast members participate, but Meyers has been involved in zero of the content posted on the official accounts.
This weekend rumors picked up in part thanks to NaVell Lee at BuzzWorthyRadio. Lee posted on his website “A source close to The Buzz tells us that Peyton Meyer has concluded his time at the Peacock soap, “Days of our Lives.” No word on how the character exits Salem, but expect Meyer to still be shown for the next several months.” Fans took to X (Formerly twitter) to comment on this latest rumor. One user said, “Saw this coming from a mile away. Glad to see Doug is leaving soon, the character doesn’t click for me.”, while a second added, “Yeah. I am like fairly certain he’s been gone a second. #Days” while a third said “What!!! I was just starting to like him! He has chemistry with all the girlies. Days is slowly becoming YR, with there being limited to no young folks on the show.” Meyer’s credits include Dog with a Blog, Girl Meets World, American Housewife and He’s All That
Fans will have to stay tuned to Days of Our Lives to see if or how Doug leaves the show. Groundbreaking ‘Days of Our Lives’ Character Return For Emotional Goodbye
One of Days of Our Lives most groundbreaking characters and fan favorite actors is returning to the Peacock streaming soap opera this week. Chandler Massey is returning to the series as Will Horton as the character says goodbye to his grandfather John Black (Drake Hogestyn) as the characters exit storyline begins. Massey will return Friday, May 30 to reunite with his family and pay his respects to his grandfather. Massey was last seen on screen in 2023. Days of Our Lives fans have been preparing for this moment. It’s time to say good-bye to one of daytime’s greatest heroes, as John Black’s family and friends come to say goodbye as the character is written off the Peacock streaming soap opera after actor Hogestyn passed away. The official Days of Our Lives YouTube channel gave us our first look at the characters exit storyline as the family visit John in the hospital room to say goodbye. The promo ended as family and friends visit John’s hospital room to say good-bye to the hero. Abe Carver (James Reynolds) visits his longtime friend and says, “we’re family John.” We hear Marlena’s (Deidre Hall) voice over saying, “Family is who sets it in your heart. Who brings you to life, who makes it worthwhile.” While we see scenes of Paul (Christopher Sean), Brady (Eric Martsolf), Will (Chandler Massey), Carrie (Christie Clark), Eric (Greg Vaughn), and Belle (Martha Madison) visiting and saying goodbye to their father/grandfather. We then see Steve (Stephen Nichols) is in the church begging God for a miracle saying, “please help my partner.” Before ending on a shot of Marlena climbing in bed with John saying, “don’t leave us.” Earlier this year we learned that one of the first stories the new head writing regime would tackle is writing out the character of John Black. Hogestyn had to step away from the role he had inhabited since 1986, for an impressive 4425 episodes, as he courageously fought pancreatic cancer. Hogestyn sadly passed away on September 28, 2024. Speaking of this story, the writers said, “While we wanted John to have a heroic and meaningful exit, we wrote the story with the fervent hope that Drake would be able to return someday. John had already been off for over nine months, and there were only so many missions the man could be on. Realizing he might never come back, while praying he would, we needed to craft an exit that honored John, Drake, and the fans.” ‘Days of Our Lives’ Peter Reckell Breaks Silence on Bo’s Return and Losing Drake Hogestyn The moment Days of Our Lives fans have been waiting for has finally arrived as Peter Reckell and Kristian Alfonso have returned to the Peacock streaming soap opera. Now, Reckell is opening up about what this return means to him, the impact Drake Hogestyn had on him, and what being a part of the legendary supercouple Bo and Hope.
Reckell recently spoke with TVInsider about his return. Speaking about the storyline, Reckell shared, “I got to, not only in person, but in character, have these reunions and tell people how much they mean to me. The last time I was there, Bo was in a whole different state of mind, and pushing everybody away, but this is a reconnection of the characters and the history of not only Bo’s children and his wife, his best friends, and his sister, but the people that are no longer there. So, these shows are really impactful that way and that’s why the impact of not having John and hits you hard.” The actor reflected on the loss of his costar Drake Hogestyn, telling TVInsider, “It’s still difficult to talk about because Drake touched everybody in his sphere so closely, and he was my brother and one of my best friends. Having his memorial, there was no acting required in those scenes, because you’re saying things as the character that parallel your feelings in your personal relationship. When I went to John’s memorial and all these emotions came up, I just wanted to run away and be by myself and feel those feelings. To have to do it as a character was really difficult.” Discussing the impact of Bo and Hope, Recekll said, “It’s just astounding to me. Kristian and I were talking about how we created something along with everybody else that has touched people on a very deep level. Whatever it was, we worked as hard as we could to make it the best show that day and every day. We would surprise each other and challenge each other, and we can’t help but have that connection.”
Back in 2018, on his debut anniversary, the actor posted to Twitter: “On this day, what seems like a lifetime ago, I realized I was the luckiest man on Earth! What a gift, what a ride, it was amazing!”
Now the actor has retweeted that sentiment with a bit of an addition saying, “Several of you responded by asking me to come back to DOOL. I would love to go back, the show just has to find room for me. Thanks so much for your continued support, it means a lot after all these years!!
It’s Time to Say Goodbye on ‘Days of Our Lives’ It’s time to say goodbye to John and so much more on Days of our Lives. Here are the Days of our Lives episode breakdowns for the week of May 26, 2025, which may contain some spoilers!
MONDAY, MAY 26, 2025 – Episode #15125
Kayla works to save John. Will her efforts be enough? Brady, Belle, and Paul sit vigil with Marlena. Steve deems John a hero. Sarah throws herself into work. Maggie tears into Xander. Will he understand where she is coming from?
TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2025 – Episode #15126
Gabi and JJ search for Ari. Doug III asks Leo for help. Will he get it? Chanel consoles Johnny. Sophia begins the adoption process with Melinda. Will things go smoother this time?
WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2025 – Episode #15127
Belle questions Alex. Kate confides in Roman. Will her husband be able to help her? Johnny runs from his problems. Carrie arrives in Salem to see Marlena and John. It’s a bittersweet homecoming, but the family needs each other to lean on.
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THURSDAY, MAY 29, 2025 – Episode #15128
Maggie confides in Julie. Can these two friends come up with a solution? Belle updates Jada. Kristen refuses Brady’s request. Was what he asked of her unreasonable? Xander and EJ wait for the board vote results.
FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2025 – Episode #15129
Will reunites with Marlena. Johnny feels isolated. Kristen confronts EJ. Will he tell her the truth? Brady, Belle, Paul, and Eric all take turns at John’s bedside. How do you say goodbye to your hero?
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Don’t leave us now!
Accusations fly. Arrests are made. And the moment to say goodbye may have come too soon.
“Days of our Lives is set in Salem, a fictional Midwestern town. Follow the intertwined lives, love stories, and suspenseful adventures of the town’s residents, including characters from the Horton, Brady, Kiriakis, Hernandez, and DiMera families. Expect everything from surprising courtships and love triangles to custody wars, mistaken identities, murders, medical emergencies, mental illness, kidnappings, amnesia, and much more.”
