So, Clyde Weston, Salem’s resident purveyor of mayhem, has shuffled off this mortal coil. Or has he? Soap Opera Digest has confirmed that James Read, the actor who’s embodied the charmingly sinister Clyde since 2014, has officially exited Days of Our Lives. Viewers saw Clyde take a bullet courtesy of Catharina Greene in the Monday, December 11, 2023 episode, leaving Chad, Gabi, and JJ in various states of shock and awe. While the scene played out as a fairly definitive ending for the character, SOD’s carefully worded confirmation leaves the door open just a crack for Clyde’s eventual return, because, well, it’s Salem. Nobody stays dead in Salem unless they’re boring, and Clyde Weston is many things, but boring isn’t one of them.
Of course, the timing of Clyde’s demise raises some eyebrows (or would if his corpse wasn’t, you know, presumably lying somewhere lifeless). Chad’s been hot on the trail of Abigail’s remains, and with Clyde gone, who’s going to spill the beans? Unless, of course, Abigail isn’t actually dead. It’s Days of Our Lives. Stranger things have happened. Let’s also not forget Clyde’s cryptic parting words, which seemed almost designed to fuel speculation about Abigail’s potential return. Coincidence? In Salem, there’s no such thing.
Now, with Clyde gone (at least for now), Salem’s villain vacancy is wide open. Who will step up to fill his nefarious shoes? And with Ben Weston, Clyde’s somewhat reformed son, also out of the picture, the Weston family’s ties to Salem are looking pretty thin. This could be the end of an era, or just another twist in the never-ending saga of Days of Our Lives.
Days of Our Lives airs weekdays on Peacock.
