John Oliver's Soap Opera Dream Lands on 'Days of Our Lives'
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- John Oliver guest starred on 'Days of Our Lives' as Devlin St. John, Salem's 'nerdy' chief water inspector, across a three-episode arc that aired in early August.
- Ken Corday, the show's executive producer, assembled his creative team the morning after Oliver publicly requested a soap opera role on a March episode of 'Last Week Tonight,' drafting a storyline tailored to Oliver's voice while advancing the show's ongoing plot.
- All of Oliver's stipulations were honored: his character gets slapped, is revealed as someone's long-lost something, and receives a dramatic close-up of his face, per Corday.
- Oliver appeared in heavy makeup, wig, and hair — a 'different persona' than his talk-show self — and Corday called him a 'consummate professional' who matched the show's rapid pace of roughly nine episodes filmed per week.
- Oliver had previously guest starred on 'General Hospital' as Z, head of the World Security Bureau spy agency, in June — making the DOOL arc his second soap opera appearance of the year.
- Corday named Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, and Ryan Gosling as dream future guest stars, noting that Gosling had already accepted Deidre Hall's invitation to visit the set.
Why it matters: For a daytime drama approaching its 61st anniversary, landing a guest arc from one of late night's biggest names — complete with a viral origin story and three episodes of serious dramatic work — is a promotional bridge between soap loyalists and HBO's comedy audience. Corday's openness to celebrity crossovers signals the show is actively courting cultural relevance through stunt casting.
Ask SkimNews
