Days Of Our Lives Characters Fans Hated But Grew To Love

The land of daytime drama can be an interesting place. Thanks to ever-evolving storylines, one day fans might loathe a character, and the next, said character can redeem themselves. Salem is no exception to this rule, and there are plenty of residents in the little town that were once disliked, only to be adored down the line. Below are Days of Our Lives (DOOL) characters fans hated but grew to love.

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12. Brady Black

Being a fan of Brady Black can feel like a roller coaster ride. One moment you love him, and the next you hate him (and vice versa). DOOL fans weren’t too pleased when he ran Nicole Walker out of town some time ago before she could reunite with soul mate Eric Brady; however, saving Eric recently has helped redeem this character.
© XJJohnson/jpistudios.com

11. Melanie Jonas

Melanie Jonas entered the land of Salem as a schemer and left the little town as a heroine in DOOL fans’ eyes. Through the years, viewers have fallen in love with her spunk, loyalty to friends, and overall charismatic personality. In fact, many Days fans wish she’d return already! Brady needs a spark in the romance department.
© Howard Wise/jpistudios.com

10. Chloe Lane

Much like Brady Black, Chloe Lane has had her ups and downs on DOOL. She’s played the victim, the heroine, and the do-gooder; however, she’s also schemed, plotted, had affairs that really hurt people, and even kept Baby Holly away from bio mom Nicole for a while there. Thanks to her relationship with Lucas Horton, Chloe is back in the good books with Days fans now, but who knows how long that will last?
© XJjohnson/jpistudios.com

9. Theresa Donovan

Theresa Donovan returned to DOOL in 2013 as a party girl always looking to score a good time. She tried to rope Brady Black into the dark side; however, something interesting happened along the way … she truly fell in love with him and evolved into a heroine. She became a fan favorite when she shook away the party scene to focus on her career, son Tate, and relationship with Brady.
© Howard Wise/jpistudios.com

8. Nick Corelli

Digging into the DOOL history vault we come to a zero that hit hero status way back in the ‘80s. He was a seedy individual that dabbled in crime and was also a pimp, but after falling in love with Eve Donovan, it turned out that this slime ball actually had a heart of gold. In fact, he cared for Eve so much that he decided to leave her alone so that she could find someone better than him to have a future with. If that doesn’t scream hero, not sure what does.
©Jill Johnson/jpistudios.com

7. Abigail Deveraux

One would think that the daughter of Jennifer Horton, the ultimate daytime girl next door, would be as an angelic as her mom, but Abigail had to go through a lot of growing up to become the woman she is today. She once tried to break up super couple Carrie Brady and Austin Reed, and also engaged in an affair with E.J. DiMera while he was married to Sami. Having said that, her relationship and super couple status with Chad DiMera has truly changed her and how DOOL fans view this character.

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© XJJohnson/jpistudios.com

6. Victor Kiriakis

Victor Kiriakis has done some terrible things in the past but has come a long way since the villain he was in the 1980s and 1990s. Perhaps his relationship with Maggie Horton has softened up the Greek tycoon, or the fact that he has a ton of loyalty to friends and family when push comes to shove, but he is far more loveable nowadays than he’s ever been.
© Howard Wise/jpistudios.com

5. EJ DiMera

Who else can’t wait to see EJ DiMera officially come back to DOOL? Seems like the character is on the cusp of a big return! When EJ first entered Salem in 2006 (as an adult), most fans couldn’t stand him. He worked very hard to break up then-super couple Lucas and Sami, and seemed like a chip off the old Stefano DiMera block. Yet, as time passed, EJ evolved into a hero within the town, breaking ties with his dad, and pursuing a relationship with Sami Brady.
© XJJohnson/jpistudios.com

4. Nicole Walker

As one of DOOL’s top fan favorites, viewers were so excited about this character’s recent return, and also completely devastated to learn that her stay in Salem wasn’t exactly a long one in the end. Nicole Walker started off as a schemer and a gold-digger when she first entered the show in 1998; however, she’d transform into a heroine thanks to her relationships with Eric Brady and Daniel Jonas.
© Howard Wise/jpistudios.com

3. Sami Brady

Speaking of Nicole, at one point in time her biggest rival had to have been Sami Brady. Why exactly didn’t these two get along? Maybe because they were cut from the same cloth! Sami has done some horrible things over the years, but once she was able to make peace with her mom, John, and sisters Carrie and Belle, things began to truly look up for this character. She’s evolved into a heroine, who still schemes now and again, but generally does so for the greater good.
© XJJohnson/jpistudios.com

2. Jack Deveraux

The internet is buzzing with news that Jack Deveraux just may be returning to Salem! Yes, he died in an elevator accident years ago, and has come back as a ghost, but in the land of soaps, anyone can come back from the dead in any circumstance. It’s undeniable that Jack is one of the most popular characters to ever grace Salem, and it’s almost humorous to think he was once a villain, but back in the 1980s, Deveraux was a real scum bag. He was a spoiled little rich kid, who raped poor Kayla Brady, while also scheming and plotting against half-brother Steve Johnson. That all changed after he met Jennifer Horton, and Jack became a loveable and somewhat comedic character on the show.
© Howard Wise/jpistudios.com

1. Stefano DiMera

Salem just doesn’t feel the same without Stefano DiMera, and the loss of actor Joseph Mascolo continues to leave a whole in the hearts of many DOOL fans. Stefano certainly never redeemed himself like the other characters on this list, but DOOL viewers have gained a tremendous amount of respect for just how well this scoundrel was portrayed, and how much depth he added to Salem. Simply put: he was a character Days’ fans truly loved to hate.
©Aaron Montgomery/JPI

Dorathy Gass

Dorathy Gass

Dorathy Gass is an avid fan of daytime drama and has been watching Days of Our Lives, General Hospital, and Young and the Restless for over two decades now. As a full-time freelance writer, she gets to combine her love of soap operas and writing through her Fame 10 articles. Also a mother of two busy girls and a mommy blogger, she's been published multiple times over in Huffington Post Parents and Scary Mommy.

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