Days of our Lives is all about the drama, but unfortunately, most of it is happening backstage at the moment. Hot on the heels of the news that Freddie Smith (Sonny Kiriakis) and Chandler Massey (Will Horton) have been let go from the NBC soap opera comes confirmation from Galen Gering (Rafe Hernandez) that he has officially been dropped at DAYS, as well.
On Instagram, the actor revealed that his final tape day -- February 13 -- was both his birthday and his last day on set at the series he joined in 2008.
"Thank you all so much for the incredible birthday wishes. I've always seen birthdays as a day of reflection, an opportunity to look back at where I've been and where I'm going," he posted. "So, it's oddly befitting that today also happens to be my last day at Days. Man...I have such great memories from the last 10 years. Onscreen I've fought for marriages and fought evil twins. I've put people in prison and been imprisoned. And offscreen, I've made friendships that I will have for a lifetime."
He continues "All the while, I've been so fortunate to have the love and support of the greatest fans in the world. I hope you know how thankful I am to have had you at my side. With that said, the journey continues and I hope to bring you along for the ride. Thanks for the memories Days of our Lives. Like sands through the hourglass...Love Y'all."
Prior to his Instagram post, while he was a guest on The Cliff Dorfman Show, Gering had hinted that he would likely be exiting the role of Rafe. During the episode, he said, "The fact of the matter is, I might as well say it, I don't know how long I'm going to be on the show ... what the next chapter holds."
Galen Gering took on the role of DAYS' Rafe in October of 2008 and has been playing him steadily since that time. He will mark his final episode this fall.
Most of Rafe's early storylines were tied to Alison Sweeney (Sami Brady), who left the show in 2015 but has recently been back filming scenes scheduled to air later this summer. The details about what brings her back to the canvas have been kept under wraps, but speculation now rests with Sami coming to help set the stage for the exit of either Rafe or her son Will, both of whom will be leaving around the same time this fall.
In addition to DAYS, Gering is known for his 1999 to 2008 role as Passions' Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald. He also did a number of episodes on the digital drama Venice: The Series.
What do you think about DAYS' decision to let Galen Gering go? How would you like to see the character leave the canvas? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
