It’s not unusual for Days of our Lives to have high-profile cast members exit the hit show simultaneously. In the fall of 2020, several famous faces said goodbye to Salem.

Now, as 2022 kicks off, Days faces another loss of fan-favorite actors/actresses and characters. Let’s look at who is leaving Days and if they are gone for good or temporarily.

Melissa Reeves (Jennifer Horton) & Matthew Ashford (Jack Deveraux)

The long-time super couple of Jack and Jennifer are riding off into the sunset once again. They are leaving Salem for Boston to run a small newspaper and embark on a new chapter in their lives.

It’s no secret Melissa only agreed to reprise the role of Jennifer for the holiday season. The actress has opted not to commute from her home in Nashville to the NBC studios amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Instead of sending Jennifer off on her own, the daytime drama chose to have Jack leave with his wife. Since Jack and Jennifer are such a popular couple, fans should expect to see them back on screen at some point.

Mathew resides in LA, so all bets are on Jack popping into Salem from time to time to check on his daughters Gwen (Emily O’Brien) and Abigail (Marci Miller).

Alison Sweeney (Sami Brady) & Bryan Dattilo (Lucas Horton)

Lucas finally got what he wanted, Sami. The blonde beauty professed her love for Lucas on New Year’s Eve. Sami asked Lucas to leave Salem with her to have a fresh start, and Lucas happily obliged, and they are officially off-screen.

As fans know, Alison is not on contract with the hit NBC show. The actress recently admitted to People magazine she loves being able to play Sami for brief stints. However, she is one busy lady acting in and producing Hallmark movies, so she isn’t up for a full-time return to the soap opera.

It’s pretty much guaranteed Sami and Lucas will return to Salem this year. After all, Lucas framed EJ (Dan Feuerriegel) for Sami’s kidnapping, and the truth about that has to come out soon.

Jay Kenneth Johnson (Philip Kiriakis)

Oh, what a mess Philip has made of his life. Now that Kate (Lauren Koslow) and Victor (John Aniston) know Philip didn’t die but instead framed Brady (Eric Martsolf) for his murder, they are determined to get their son help.

The dire situation means Philip will be in hiding for a while to get the treatment he needs. Like Kristen (Stacy Haiduk), Philip probably won’t stay gone for good.

Brady and Chloe (Nadia Bjorlin) have yet to discover what Philip did, so that truth bomb will need to be dropped. Yes, there is still plenty of story left to tell regarding Philip’s deception, making it a given Jay and Philip will be back in Salem this year.

Greg Vaughan (Eric Brady)

Eric returned as a priest to help banish the devil from Marlena (Deidre Hall). It was the second time Greg reprised the role since exiting Days in 2020. The actor has made no secret of hoping to come and go from the show if the storyline makes sense.

This time around, Eric left almost as quickly as he returned to town. After a quick meeting with his ex-wife Nicole (Arianne Zucker), Eric was back on a plane to Africa.

It’s all but certain Eric will soon find himself in Salem again thinks to the devil taking over Johnny (Carson Boatman). The possession story is far from over, and Eric’s priest services will be needed to save his nephew from evil.

There you have it, Days of our Lives fans. Sami, Lucas, Eric, Philip, Jack, and Jennifer are all leaving the show for the time being.

What do you think of these cast changes?

Days of our Lives airs weekdays on NBC.