RUMOR ALERT: Stephen Nichols OFF Days of Our Lives?

Say it isn’t so! While it hasn’t been confirmed by the soap, the rumor mill is turning with the news that Days of Our Lives (DOOL) might be losing one of its most popular longtime characters.

Social media is abuzz that Stephen Nichols and DAYS could not come to a contract agreement earlier this year. In fact, the website Soap Opera News claims that Nichols’ contract was up in March and the show only wanted to give him one tape day a week that the actor didn’t agree too.

Nichols has even posted congratulations to the soap for its Emmy win, noting he wished he could have been there when the soap celebrated its victory with an on-set party. The actor is conspicuously missing from the photo.

Other social media posts from the actor have made it clear he’s been helping care for his aging and ailing mother over the last few months. And this past weekend, he began posting photos from a current vacation in Valencia, Spain.

So, all the time he has spent not working has added fuel to the rumors that he’s gone for good. (Or, at least until a new contract can be worked out.)

His character, Steve Johnson, recently had another brush with death when it turned out John was poisoning him, but oddly, only to save his life. Of course, the poison John gave him caused Steve to go blind and we don’t know where that story will go if Nichols has not been taping.

With DAYS’ six-month lead time taping schedule, it’s possible the story was resolved before the rumored contract dispute.

Some fans have even began speculating Nichols could make the move back to General Hospital if the soap decides to resurrect the Cassadine family with someone other than Valentin.

When Soap Hub learns more about Nichols’ status with DAYS, we will let you know.

Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.