A lot of ingenues have come and gone from Salem over the decades, and now another one — Jade Michaels — is bidding farewell to Days of Our Lives (DOOL).
As previously reported, Jade’s portrayer, Gabrielle Haugh, is making her final appearance on Friday, July 14.
Salem’s had stronger teen sets over the decades — like Carrie/Austin/Sami/Lucas and Belle/Shawn/Philip/Chloe — but will fans really miss Jade and her interactions with Joey and the other teens? Soap Hub quizzed DAYS fans and the results may not surprise you.
Don’t Let The Door Hit You
Alas, the character of Jade never caught on with fans because the majority of you — 95% — voted that it’s “Celebration time!” about the character’s exit, which isn’t surprising.
Whether she was played by Haugh or her predecessor, Paige Searcy, the character of Jade had little to no rooting value from the beginning. The two actresses who portrayed her are certainly likable — but the writing just didn’t allow us to become invested in the character.
The writers tried to help us feel sorry for Jade; her parents kicked her out of the house after she caused some trouble. Then, she and Joey (James Lastovic) ran off to a commune that was run by Jade’s aunt.
Jade convinced Joey to commit robbery to prove how much he loved her. She also encouraged Joey to distance himself from his parents. None of this made her particularly endearing to the audience.
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And Joey’s often blatant indifference to Jade didn’t help matters. In fact, it made their scenes rather awkward to watch. It’s hard to remember how the couple mustered up enough passion to have sex!
The Rabbit — and Rooting Value — Died
Jade saw her unplanned pregnancy as a ticket to easy street with the Johnsons. But her condition didn’t soften her and there wasn’t even a rival for Joey’s affections — the pregnancy was a plot device.
Kayla (Mary Beth Evans) showed a great deal of compassion for the teen girl (even though she wasn’t thrilled about the situation) and then Jade miscarried. Where does a writer go with this?
Apparently, nowhere. Jade stuck around for a while longer, whined a lot, and then decided to go live with her mom to help clear out her deceased grandmother’s cottage.
The only thing Jade had going for her was standing by Joey after he killed Ava. She pointed that out to him on her way out the door, but Joey just kind of stood there, unable or unwilling to appreciate even that about her.
Good luck, Jade. You can only do better outside of Salem.
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