Soap Opera
After 40 Years on ‘Days of our Lives,’ This Iconic Star Reveals What’s Missing From Soaps Today
Mary Beth Evans marks 40 years as Kayla on ‘Days of Our Lives,’ reflecting on Steve and Kayla as a supercouple and how soap romance has changed since her 1986 debut.
In 1986, Days of Our Lives’ youngest Brady sibling, Kayla, returned to town, and things in Salem have never been the same. Originally played by brunette Catherine Mary Stewart, Kayla was now a blonde played by Mary Beth Evans. The actress just celebrated 40 years since her big debut on the 65-year-old soap, reflecting on stories from the past and how things have changed for soaps over the last four decades.
Soap Romance is Not What it Once Was
Within months of Evans’ Days of Our Lives debut, Kayla met Stephen Nichols and the rest is soap opera history. Steve and Kayla followed that old soap trope of good girl meets rough-around-the-edges guy with a heart of gold. At the time, the audience had not seen Steve’s heart of gold yet, but Kayla brought it out. The attraction was there immediately, with Steve dubbing the sweet nurse who took care of him when he was beaten and bloodied “Sweetness.”
Steve and Sweetness reminisced about the good times on-screen on May 22, 2026, as they readied to travel to China to witness Steve’s son, Tripp (Lucas Adams), marry. Flashbacks reminded fans why Steve and Kayla have stood the test of time, while Evans reflected on what made Steve and Kayla so special from the start. And it’s something soaps don’t — and DAYS can’t – pull off today.
“I feel so lucky because it really gave me such a beautiful life,” Evans said in an interview with TV Insider. “I think about the connection that Stephen and I had from the beginning, and what a beautiful love story was written. They don’t make supercouples like that anymore. Back then, if they saw the spark and that it worked, they really ran with it.”
Forty years ago, DAYS episodes were only taped a few weeks in advance so stories could be adjusted according to fan reaction. Sadly, that can’t happen in Salem anymore as DAYS is taped close to a year in advance. If the fans see something special between new characters, there is no way to capitalize on that right away.
Despite new couples not benefiting from the supercouple mystique, Evans is grateful that she and Nichols can still bring romance to Salem all these years later.
“It’s nice to be able to play a happy marriage,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be you’re getting shot at or cheating. For anyone who’s been married a long time, they know there are other conflicts and knots to untie”
Days of Our Lives streams weekdays on Peacock.
