Now that John Oliver’s three-episode stint on Days of our Lives is over, it’s time to marvel over one of the standout elements of his guest appearances: his character’s wig. It was big, bushy, and beautiful. And believe it or not, the wig came from John Oliver himself. Soap Hub spoke exclusively with DAYS’ Hair Department Head, Marisa Ramirez, to get her perspective on this unique hairpiece and experience.
Key Takeaways
- John Oliver brought a wig for his three-episode DAYS guest stint.
- DAYS Hair Department Head Marisa Ramirez shared how her team made the wig camera-ready.
- Emmy-winning hairstylist Jennifer Serio helped select the high-quality hairpiece.
- Oliver wore the wig all day without complaint and embraced the full daytime experience.
John Oliver, aka Chief Water Inspector Devlin St. John
During the week of August 10, Oliver appeared in three episodes as Salem’s Chief Water Inspector, Devlin St. John. The strange man took his job seriously. He was quick with a rambling metaphor. And he was a single dad of three rescue ferrets.
Unfortunately for him, he tried to out-DiMera EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel), and with Rita’s (Maggie Carney) help, he paid the price for his blackmail attempt. And now he’s on ice. Literally.
The Comedian’s Serious Wig Game
On a daily basis, Ramirez and her talented group of hairstylists see up to 30 actors a day as they continually funnel in and out of her room, moving from the chair to the set.
Meanwhile, Oliver’s joining the show for a few episodes meant that a lot had to happen. It has been widely reported that, with DAYS’ unique production schedule—the show is currently filming episodes that won’t air for roughly a year—Oliver’s appearances were taped earlier this summer, and then inserted into the episodes that recently aired.
Photo Credit: Days of our Lives/Chris Haston
As usual, the daytime pace was fast. And so Oliver and his camp did everything they could to make it a smooth and fun experience for everyone involved. This included selecting and shipping the wig that Oliver’s character sports. It arrived in a box on a mannequin head and everything.
“We got a really cool email saying that he was going to be bringing his own wig, which was a total surprise,” reveals Ramirez, who says she was excited to work with Oliver. “It was really great because we got a lot of pictures ahead of time from his hair person in New York.”
His hair person? Saturday Night Live‘s Emmy-award-winning hairstylist, Jennifer Serio. As a result, “we knew we were going to be getting a quality piece,” Ramirez explains. Oliver was big on this being his ultimate daytime experience. He checked a lot of boxes for his roles on DAYS and General Hospital where he guest-starred as Z, the head of the show’s spy organization known as the WSB, in July.
According to Ramirez, this was the first time Oliver had ever worn a wig. Apparently, that’s not something the host of an Emmy-winning late-night talk show regularly does. “Because of the quality of the wig that they sent, we had our hairdresser, Armando Licon, put it on him.”
They did have to make the wig camera-ready, however. “We just did a few touches and trimming and made sure it was to his liking. And because he had a vision, we wanted to make sure that we performed for him.”
The comedian wore the wig all day long. “He was so lovely about the whole thing, never complained.” While he took this guest-starring role seriously, Oliver still had some fun behind the scenes. “He totally lit up the room and was joking with us,” Ramirez relayed. “To have him here was a little surreal. It was nice mixing things up, and I think it’ll be good for our show.”
