Days of Our Lives: AlexAnn Hopkins Previews Joy Returning With Alex’s Child
A familiar face returns to Salem when AlexAnn Hopkins reprises the role of Joy Wesley on Days of Our Lives beginning with the Friday, April 24, episode. Hopkins opened up about her comeback and what fans can expect to see Joy — and her new baby! — get up to in Salem this time around in a new interview with TV Insider.
Baby… Boom!
The actress first appeared as the adult version of Craig (Kevin Spirtas) and Nancy’s (Patrika Darbo) daughter back in October 2024, but exited just a few months later in March 2025. However, given that Joy was pregnant with Alex’s (Robert Scott Wilson) baby at the time she skipped town, it seemed likely that she would resurface once the child was born. Hopkins noted, “I felt good about the fact that it wasn’t, ‘She died and she’s off the show.’ They left it like, ‘She’s definitely pregnant with somebody on the show who has a big part,’ so I was assuming that at some point [being asked back] would happen, but at the same time, you never really know.”
Hopkins enthused that even though she’d been away from the soap for a while, it still “felt like I was coming back to a family.” As part of her reintroduction story, Joy will share plenty of screen time with Wilson’s Alex and Abigail Klein’s Stephanie, who, as Alex’s wife, will naturally be interested in learning he has a child with another woman. But she’s also intersecting with a multitude of other characters. “I’ve gotten to work with a lot more people this time around, like Susan [Seaforth Hayes, Julie] and Suzanne [Rogers, Maggie],” she revealed. “That’s been so cool because they’re two of the people who have made this show what it is.”
To hear Hopkins tell it, fans should expect a version of Joy that has evolved — and grown up — during her time away from Salem, particularly since giving birth to her daughter, Kelsey. Hopkins pointed out, “Now she really has a sense of purpose, which is this baby. She comes across as much more womanly now.”
But even a more mature Joy is still capable of stirring up drama. Winked Hopkins, “If there’s one thing about Joy, she has an agenda.” And Alex being the father of little Kelsey definitely puts him at the center of her plans. The actress teased, “Joy holds her own a bit more this time around. [Her] being more of a mama bear now, I think that gives her a lot of confidence to really go for what she wants, and everybody will see what that is. Her main goal is just to protect her daughter and give her the best experience in life possible.”
How do you think Joy showing up with Kelsey impact Alex and Stephanie’s already struggling marriage on DAYS? Share your predictions in the comments below!
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