‘Days Of Our Lives’: Stephen Nichols Returning As Steve Johnson

Days of our Lives fans were thrilled this week after it was announced that actor Stephen Nichols would be returning to the NBC soap opera as his beloved character, Steve “Patch” Johnson.

According to TVLine, Stephen Nichols left Days of our Lives nearly a year ago, and the actor is crediting his fans for being supportive of him when he was cut from the cast last year.

“These good people who are so loyal and dedicated to supporting us, mean so much to me. In my opinion, the most beneficial thing about social media has been connecting with the fans on a deeper level. So much so that I consider them true friends,” Nichols told Soap Opera Digest.

Stephen is currently already back to work on the soap opera, which films about six months in advance.

“I got the call about a month ago. [I said] to myself, ‘Well, I’ll be da**ed.'”

In April 2018, Nichols stirred up fans’ emotions when he commented on the lack of screen time that he and his on-screen wife, Mary Beth Evans, were being given, revealing that he thought their legacy characters deserved more from the soap.

“I do believe continuing to weave Steve and Kayla’s past into present day story is intelligent writing. However, one day per week (or less) doesn’t give the fans enough time to live with these characters. Respectfully, hoping for a remedy to this,” the actor stated.

Meanwhile, Days of our Lives is said to have “big plans” for Steve Johnson when he finally returns to Salem. He’ll likely be given a big storyline that will put both he and his wife, Kayla Brady, at the center of the show.

Exclusive! @officialnichols Back To DAYS! https://t.co/SsYRcrKbwB @nbcdays

— Soap Opera Digest (@SoapDigest) April 30, 2019

Perhaps that plot will have to do with Steve’s bionic eye, his past with the I.S.A., his marriage to Kayla, his brother Jack Deveraux’s (Matthew Ashford) return, or his children: Stephanie, Joey, and Tripp. Although Stephanie and Joey are both out of the picture at the moment, Tripp Dalton (Lucas Adams) is currently involved in some Salem drama.

The news of Stephen Nichols’ return comes just days after DOOL fans watched Arianne Zucker return to her beloved character, Nicole Walker, and weeks following the departure of fan-favorite characters Abigail Deveraux (Kate Mansi) and Chad DiMera (Billy Flynn).

Days of our Lives fans should be on the lookout for Stephen Nichols to pop up back in Salem as Steve Johnson sometime this fall.