In 2018, Stephen Nichols, one of the most recognizable faces on “Days of Our Lives”, took to social media to express his unhappiness over the amount of airtime his character was seeing. Shortly after, he was fired from the show for demanding more airtime proving you can’t piss off the writers who control your fate in the show. At the time, the actor said he was blindsided by the show’s decision to axe Days of Our Lives.
Stephen Nichols was introduced to fans in 1985 when he played Steve “Patch” Johnson on Days of Our Lives. The character soon formed a bond with Bo Brady’s sister, Kayla Brady (Mary Beth Evans), eventually becoming one of the greatest super couples on daytime television.
Given his popularity on the show, fans were shocked when Days of Our Lives fired him. His dismissal was spurred by a Soap Digest article that paid homage to Nichols and Evans as performers of the week. In 2018, Stephen Nichols took to Instagram to share the Soap Digest article that described him and Evans as Performers of the week.
At the time, he wrote, “Thanks @soapdigest for the acknowledgement, and many thanks to our fans/friends who stay with us no matter what. Thanks especially to @marybeth.evans. You are my partner, my anchor, and the best actress I know. I do believe continuing to weave Steve and Kayla’s past into present-day stories is intelligent writing.”
However, Nichols did not stop there. He then went on to call the show over his reduced airtime, writing, “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.”
However, instead of getting more screen time, the show opted to sever ties with Nichols entirely. Shortly after, Nichols revealed he was blindsided by the show’s decision. He told Sopa Hub, “I accepted their offer after trying unsuccessfully to negotiate something better than a 30% cut. With no warning—written out. Truth.”
After a year in exile, Days of Our Lives bought back Stephen Nichols in 2019.
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