Days of Our Lives confirms that AlexAnn Hopkins is returning as Joy Wesley. Which means she might have Alex Kiriakis‘ (Robert Scott Wilson) baby in her arms when she arrives in Salem.
I am super excited for Joy’s return and all the drama she could potentially bring to Alex and his wife, Stephanie Johnson (Abigail Klein). We have lots to talk about so let’s dig in!
Days of our Lives: Joy Wesley’s Exit from Salem
So, if you recall, Joy left town pregnant with Alex’s baby last March but she lied to Stephanie and Alex. It was clear that Joy was pregnant but lied to them, I think because she knew Alex was going to be with Stephanie no matter what. More rejection for Joy…
Longtime fans may recall that Nancy Wesley (Patrika Darbo) and her now-ex-husband, Craig Wesley (Kevin Spirtas), conceived Joy as a donor baby to help save their daughter, Chloe Lane (Nadia Bjorlin), who had leukemia. No one else in their family was a bone marrow match so they made a match to save her.
Thankfully, baby Joy was born and saved her big sister Chloe’s life. She was the savior sibling. Later, in 2005, when Joy was just 2 years old, she was the tiny flower girl at Chloe’s wedding to Brady Black (Eric Martsolf). But shortly after that, the Wesley family relocated to New York.
Joy Wesley Returns to Salem as an Adult on DOOL
Joy Wesley returned to her hometown almost 20 years later all grown up on October 22, 2024, marking her debut as the adult version of the character. Nancy had dragged Joy to Salem to get her an audition for Kate Roberts (Lauren Koslow) and Abe Carver‘s (James Reynolds) soap opera Body and Soul.
If you remember, Joy was super excited when she landed the role of Reagan Holloway, a character who liked to stir up trouble with Arrow (who was played by Alex) and Faith (who was played by Chanel Dupree) on the soap within the soap.
Joy and Alex had instant chemistry while running lines and blocking scenes. The two actors eventually hooked up after a New Year’s Eve party, which sparked a brief, hot-and-heavy romance in early 2025. But then, their stint with Body and Soul ended in February 2025.
So, Alex offered Joy a job at Titan. And she accepted. And she developed true feelings for Alex, but he broke up with Joy, admitting he had unresolved feelings for Stephanie. If you remember, she was dating Philip Kiriakis (John-Paul Lavoisier) at the time.
Days of our Lives: Joy Left Salem Pregnant with Alex’s Baby
But Stephanie ended things with Philip and then Stephanie and Alex reunited. However, shortly after the breakup, Joy found out that she was pregnant. And then, Stephanie caught wind of it and confronted her.
Not only did Joy lie to Stephanie about being pregnant, but Joy also lied to Alex as well. And in true soap fashion, Joy decided to leave town without telling Alex that she was carrying his baby. Joy left Salem on March 19, 2025, and headed back to New York to be with her family again.
And since then, Alex and Stephanie’s relationship blossomed. First, they moved in together. And most recently, they eloped in an elaborate plot to entrap her stalker, turned two-time kidnapper, Owen Kent (Wes Ramsey).
Right now, Alex is sick with worry and doing everything he can to bring Stephanie safely home and get her away from Jeremy Horton (Michael Roark), whom Alex continues to blame. Meanwhile, Stephanie is being held captive along with Jeremy in a storage room near EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel) and Dr. Wilhelm Rolf’s (Richard Wharton) secret lab.
So, right now, Joy Wesley is the furthest thing from either Alex or Stephanie’s mind. They just want this whole stalker and kidnapping nightmare to end. And hopefully it will soon. But more drama is headed their way even after Jeremy and Stephanie are saved.
Joy Wesley Returns During Days of Our Lives May Sweeps with Alex’s Baby
Joy Wesley is slated to return on April 24th on the Peacock soap. And the timing makes sense because May sweeps kicks off on April 23rd and runs through May 20th. With her coming back during sweeps, I have no doubt that she’s already had Alex’s baby by then.
Unless Days of our Lives really messes with timing, she should’ve given birth in late November or early December. So, Joy should have a five or six month old baby. Surely she knows from Salem Spectator updates that Alex and Stephanie are engaged and planning to marry.
But since they secretly eloped, Joy may not know they’re married. But surely, she’ll find out that Stephanie is Alex’s wife before she comes back to Salem. This baby bombshell could put Stephanie and Alex’s marriage into a tailspin.
Of course, Stephanie and Alex are both going to be angry that Joy lied to them. But they might not know the truth right away. Because Joy could leave the baby back in New York and come to Salem alone to check things out before she decides what to do.
Or Joy could bring the baby back with her and then when she sees that Alex and Stephanie are happily married, she might lie and claim the baby is some other guy’s. But I suspect Alex and Stephanie will demand a paternity test because of the timing of everything.
Alex and Stephanie’s Marriage Faces Baby Mama Drama on Days of our Lives
Hot on the heels of Alex agonizing over Stephanie’s kidnapping, this is more drama coming their way. Do you remember that Alex and Stephanie had a talk before they were married about having children.
Alex wants a bunch of kiddos, but Stephanie’s not sure if she even wants one, although she hasn’t really come out and told Alex directly that kids are off the table. But once Jeremy’s exonerated, Owen’s arrested or killed, then they might circle back to this chat.
And if Alex finds out from Stephanie that she doesn’t ever want kids and then Joy turns up with Alex’s kid, that could get really messy really fast for the newlyweds. Joy Wesley returns to Salem in just 7 weeks right as May sweeps kicks off and I expect huge baby mama drama for Alex and Stephanie to deal with.
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