After 21 years of lies, blackmail, and love, Alison Sweeney (Samantha Brady) has decided that she will be exiting Days of our Lives. The fan favorite actress made the announcing during a taping of the Ellen DeGeneres Show.
"I decided that it's going to be my last year with the show," Sweeney said to audible gasps from the studio audience.
For the past seven years, Sweeney has been pulling double duty on DAYS and as host of the NBC reality weight loss show The Biggest Loser. The heavy workload has meant that she hasn't had as much time to be with her family as she would have liked.
"I've been on Days of our Lives since I was 16 years old and I have never had more than a two-week vacation in that whole time. I mean, it's so awesome. I love Sami, I love Salem, I love my job, I love daytime, I love the fans, I love everything about it," Sweeney added. "I've worked so much, and my daughter just turned five and my son is nine, and I just want to be with them and enjoy my last year"
As for when Sweeney will make her final appearance, the actress indicated that a date hasn't been set.
"I'm going to be on DAYS all this year. We don't have a specific time yet, but I'm going to be on all this year and we'll see what happens," Sweeney explained.
When the time does come for Sweeney to make her on-screen exit, the actress joked that she wants to go out with a bang.
"It would be awesome to have some kind of happy ending," Sweeney offered, before noting that her character has also caused a lot of problems for other Salem residents. "She probably deserves some sort of very twisted, like Breaking Bad ending."
Sweeney made her first appearance as Sami on January 6, 1993.
Sweeney's appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, in which she also plays guest D.J., aired January 21. Check your local listings for the time and channel in your area. You can watch a clip of Sweeney's announcement below.
UPDATE: Alison Sweeney will make her final DAYS appearance on October 30.
What is your reaction to Sweeney's announcement? How do you think Sami should be written out -- a happy ending or something more soapy? Tell us what you think in the Comments area below, or you can also click here to submit feedback.
