SAMI BRADY’S SALEM HOMECOMING IGNITES FAMILY DRAMA AND UNCOVERS OLD WOUNDS

Brace yourselves, Days of our Lives fans! Sami Brady is storming back into Salem on April 10, and she’s walking straight into a powder keg of family secrets and unexpected romance. Alison Sweeney‘s return promises to deliver the emotional fireworks we’ve been craving!

SISTER RIVALRY EXPLODES AT EJ’S HOSPITAL BEDSIDE

Talk about walking into the wrong room at the wrong time! When Sami arrives in Salem, her first stop is the hospital to see EJ DiMera, who’s fighting for his life in a coma after being shot. But the real shock? Finding her sister Belle Black professing her love to Sami’s ex-husband!

The sisters’ already complicated relationship is about to go nuclear. According to Sweeney, “Sami had been told that there was something between Belle and EJ,” but seeing it with her own eyes is another matter entirely. Always ready for confrontation, Sami is “upset and immediately looking to cause friction.”

Let’s be real—these sisters have NEVER gotten along. As Sweeney puts it, “Belle‘s never been on Sami‘s side for anything, and this is just another example of that.” But it gets even messier! Sami believes EJ is only with Belle “just to piss off Sami“—and it’s working!

Classic Sami, right? Always believing she’s at the center of everyone’s motivations. But is she wrong about EJ‘s intentions? And how will Belle react when Sami inevitably calls her out?

PRIVATE MOMENT WITH EJ REVEALS SAMI’S TRUE FEELINGS

Once Belle leaves, we get a rare glimpse of Sami‘s vulnerability as she sits with the comatose EJ. Sweeney reveals that Sami “professes her underlying feelings that she’s willing to admit when he’s unconscious.”

There’s something heartbreakingly intimate about Sami finally being honest about her feelings when EJ can’t respond or reject her. “Maybe he’ll hear her and want to wake up,” Sweeney teases. “She wants him to fight through, she wants him to be OK. She doesn’t want this to be how it ends.”

But this tender moment is interrupted when Johnny walks in and sees his mother getting cozy with the father he’s currently furious with. Talk about awkward timing!

MOTHER-SON CONFRONTATION OVER PAINFUL PAST

The most emotionally charged scenes revolve around Sami and Johnny confronting a horrific truth from the past. Johnny recently learned the circumstances of his conception—that EJ forced Sami to have sex with him back in 2006.

This storyline caught Sweeney by surprise. “It definitely caught me off-guard that they were playing out the story, just because it felt like it was in the past,” she admits. “I never thought about the idea that people wouldn’t have told Sami‘s kids.”

Despite the 19 years that have passed since this storyline first aired, Sweeney says she remembered every detail. “Having played all those scenes, I remember it all,” she shares. “I have real feelings about how it was to play them.”

The weight of responsibility wasn’t lost on her either. “I felt such a responsibility to honor the storyline,” Sweeney explains. “I remember what a huge uproar this storyline caused when it happened, and how all the different fan bases felt about it.”

A MORE MATURE SAMI EMERGES

One fascinating development is Sami‘s growth through therapy. The writers have given her character an off-screen evolution that allows her to approach her traumatic past with more maturity.

“Part of what they wrote for the storyline is that she’s been going to therapy and talking it out with someone,” Sweeney reveals. “I do think Sami can use some therapy, and working through some of those issues is probably very healthy for her.”

This doesn’t mean Sami has completely changed—she’s still the fiery, confrontational character we know and love—but she now has more tools to process her trauma and navigate complex relationships.

UNEXPECTED SPARKS WITH RAFE

In a delightful twist, Sami crosses paths with ex-husband Rafe Hernandez during her visit, and their interaction takes an unexpected turn. “That was really fun and funny and surprising,” Sweeney teases. “Definitely an unexpected turn for the storyline, and a treat for the Sami and Rafe fans.”

Could old flames be rekindled? Or is this just Sami falling back into familiar patterns? Either way, Sweeney clearly enjoyed reuniting with Galen Gering on screen. “Working with Galen is such a blast,” she says. “We’ve had a great history together—so many great storylines and fun times.”

ICONIC VILLAIN FACE-OFF

If all that family drama wasn’t enough, Sami also comes face-to-face with none other than Vivian Alamain, played once again by Louise Sorel.

Sweeney was thrilled by this reunion. “That was such a delight to see her, and she looks exactly the same,” she marvels. “She goes way back at Days, and I remember her in the very beginning when I first started, burying Carly alive.”

Two soap powerhouses in one scene? Sign us up! The clash between these two strong-willed women promises to be explosive.

JUST THE BEGINNING OF SAMI’S RETURNS

This April visit is just the first of several upcoming appearances for Sweeney. She’ll be back for John Black‘s memorial service and for the show’s 60th anniversary celebration in November.

After 11 years since leaving her full-time role, Sweeney appreciates how the writers make her brief returns meaningful. “I never wanted to close the door entirely on my time at Days,” she reflects. “But I just imagined being in a church with 15 other characters at a wedding. I didn’t really imagine how fun it would be and how creative they could get building whole moments for me in these short little returns.”

For longtime Days fans, these visits are a precious chance to see one of Salem’s most iconic characters stir up drama once again. And with Sami Brady, drama is absolutely guaranteed!