As “Days of our Lives” prepares to say a formal on-screen goodbye to Victor Kiriakis and his portrayer, the late John Aniston, several fan favorites are set to return to the series in tribute, including Jen Lilley (Theresa) and Zach Tinker (Sonny), among others, sources confirm to Soap Opera Network. The actors are set to be a part of the funeral episodes, set to begin airing later this month on the daytime drama series.
For Theresa, she’ll be around to support Brady (Eric Martsolf), her former partner and father to their son, Tate, as Brady mourns his grandfather. Meanwhile, Sonny is Victor’s great-nephew and their bond grew ever closer when Sonny came out as gay in 2011 (when played by Freddie Smith). Despite some concerns, Victor continued loving, supporting, and respecting Sonny after he returned to Salem. In fact, Victor’s only concern about the matter was how other people would react to the news.
Lilley last appeared on “Days of our Lives” in 2018. She joined the series in July 2013, marking Theresa Donovan’s first appearance on the show as an adult. Lilley left the series in November 2016, going on to make a name for herself in several Hallmark Channel and Great American Family movies.
Earlier this year, it was announced she’d be starring in a new holiday movie co-starring Matthew Morrison (“Glee”), titled “Paris Christmas Waltz.” The TV movie will be directed by Michael Damian (“The Young and the Restless”) from an original screenplay he co-wrote with his wife, Janeen Damian.
Tinker joined the “Days of our Lives” family in 2021, first appearing in the spinoff series “Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem” (Chapter One). He also played the character in the show’s first Christmas movie, “Days of our Lives: A Very Salem Christmas.” He officially joined the cast of the mothership series in March 2022. Sadly, with little story to tell, the writers wrote Sonny and his partner, Will Horton (Chandler Massey), off the show, with Tinker last appearing as a series regular in December 2022. However, he continued appearing in a recurring capacity throughout early 2023.
In January 2023, Tinker reprised his role of Fenmore Baldwin on “The Young and the Restless” for just one episode, which was dedicated to Tracey E. Bregman, who played his on-screen mother Lauren Fenmore, as she celebrated her 40th year on the show.
Watch a promo from this week’s episodes of “Days of our Lives” wherein Salem begins to learn the fate of Victor Kiriakis, whose plane has gone down.