Monday’s episode of Days of Our Lives finally revealed who would be replacing Jen Lilley as her character Theresa Donovan: Emily O’Brien… who already stars on the soap opera as Gwen Rizczech.
Lilley, 39, had played Theresa Donovan since 2013, though she hadn’t appeared on the soap since 2018 before her return for an arc of new episodes in September.
Her return was bittersweet when she revealed in August that she was ultimately going to be replaced by another actress… which was revealed on Monday to be Emily O’Brien.
As word of the re-casting confirmation spread throughout the soap world, Lilley took to her Instagram story on Monday to show her support for O’Brien, calling her a ‘rockstar.’
While she does support the star who replaces her, she admitted in an August interview with Soaps.com that the re-casting, ‘wasn’t handled the right way’ and everyone was ‘kind of lied to’ in the process.
Replacing: Monday’s episode of Days of Our Lives finally revealed who would be replacing Jen Lilley as her character Theresa Donovan: Emily O’Brien… who already stars on the soap opera as Gwen Rizczech
Replaced: Her return was bittersweet when she revealed in August that she was ultimately going to be replaced by another actress… which was revealed on Monday to be Emily O’Brien (above)
Rockstar: As word of the re-casting confirmation spread throughout the soap world, Lilley took to her Instagram story on Monday to show her support for O’Brien, calling her a ‘rockstar’
Lilley’s return as Theresa Donovan was first reported in mid-August, with the character coming back to Salem for the memorial service for Victor Kiriakis’ funeral.
Lilley revealed that she actually reached out to executive producer Albert Alarr and pitched her character’s return, though things didn’t quite go as planned.
What was supposed to be a quick return for the memorial (Victor’s portrayer John Aniston passed away in November 2022 at 89) turned into a much longer arc.
She said she would come back for three weeks – due to her family commitments and her obligation to Great American Family – but that turned into a 12-week commitment.
Much to everyone’s surprise, that arc came to an abrupt end when Lilley revealed in late August that she was going to be replaced with another actress for the actual funeral.
She said that she went to producer Albert Alarr – who was fired in early August over workplace complaints – since she had not yet filmed the things she was expecting.
Lilley said she told him, ‘Listen, you told me Theresa’s going to do X, Y and Z, and I haven’t gotten the scripts. I only have one more for Monday, and I have two weeks left [on set].’
She said Alarr told her, ‘Oh no, Theresa is still going to do all of that … We’re going to do it with a different Theresa.’
Return: Lilley’s return as Theresa Donovan was first reported in mid-August, with the character coming back to Salem for the memorial service for Victor Kiriakis’ funeral
Reached out: Lilley revealed that she actually reached out to executive producer Albert Alarr and pitched her character’s return, though things didn’t quite go as planned
Different: She said Alarr told her, ‘Oh no, Theresa is still going to do all of that … We’re going to do it with a different Theresa’
Wig: The blonde Lilley also said that, when she learned the brunette O’Brien was replacing her, she was told, ‘Oh yeah, we’re just gonna put her in a wig’
The blonde Lilley also said that, when she learned the brunette O’Brien was replacing her, she was told, ‘Oh yeah, we’re just gonna put her in a wig.’
Lilley insisted she has, ‘no hard feelings’ towards O’Brien, adding, ‘That poor girl has had to have conversations with me [on set, knowing she was going to replace me]. How horrible she must have felt!’
However, she said the whole ordeal was a ‘horrible situation’ and she thought the network was ‘bluffing’ about recasting her.
‘Top to bottom, it was just not handled the right way. Everybody was mad because everybody was kind of lied to,’ she said.
