Days of our Lives is bringing another member of one of Salem’s most complicated families home. Deadline reported that Sydney Malakeh has been cast as Sydney DiMera, the only daughter of Sami and EJ, and she’ll make her first appearance on September 9. But Sydney’s return may be about much more than simply aging another legacy character into the Salem mix.
Key Takeaways
- Sydney Malakeh has been cast as Sami and EJ’s daughter, Sydney DiMera.
- The character returns to Salem beginning September 9.
- Sydney’s arrival gives DAYS another young legacy character with ties to multiple core families.
Sydney DiMera Is Coming Home With Quite the Family Tree
Sydney is certainly no stranger to Salem, even if viewers haven’t seen much of her lately. The character was last seen as a pre-teen in the 2021 Peacock movie Days of our Lives: A Very Salem Christmas. Now, Malakeh takes over the role as an older Sydney, ready for stories of her own. And there are plenty of stories waiting for her.
Sydney is Sami (Alison Sweeney) and EJ’s (Dan Feuerriegel) daughter, which makes her a Brady and a DiMera. Johnny (Carson Boatman) is her brother, meaning she’s also coming home to a sibling whose life has changed dramatically. That gives DAYS plenty to work with before Sydney even makes a friend, finds a romance, or gets herself into the kind of trouble that tends to follow members of her family.
Sydney’s Return Could Be Part of Something Bigger
The more interesting part of this casting may be what it says about where DAYS is headed. Malakeh isn’t arriving alone. She’s part of a wave of younger additions that includes Brandon Butler as Mason Whitfield and Franco LoPresti as Dante. LoPresti’s character arrives on September 14 and also has a connection to Sami.
That suddenly makes Sydney’s return feel less like an isolated recast and more like Salem’s younger generation is getting a serious expansion.
DAYS has a deep bench of legacy children who have spent much of their lives offscreen. Bringing Sydney back creates an opportunity to build the next generation without severing ties to the characters and families viewers already care about.
Malakeh Has an Impressive Résumé
Malakeh may be new to daytime, but she isn’t new to television. Her previous credits include Grey’s Anatomy, Shrinking, Loot, and The Sex Lives of College Girls.
Now she gets to tackle something entirely different: being Sami Brady and EJ DiMera’s daughter. With those two for parents, Sydney probably won’t be allowed to stay out of trouble for long.
