From Globe Magazine:

Longtime soap star Joseph Mascolo is furious after Days` bosses axed him from the show out of the blue-and did it with a cold phone call. "A show exec called and simply told him his contract isnt being renewed,"says an insider. 'He's furious and in a state of shock. He flew into a rage over the phone.' The 73 year old actor who plays baddie Stefano Dimera first joined the NBC drama in 1982 and worked there nearly 20 years until 2001, when he joined the Bold and the Beautiful for five years. He returned to Days last June reprising his popular role. The storyline put his character in a coma for the past month. "Joe believed DAYS would be his swan song" says the insider. 'He's been at the center of a strong story line since he came back. What's worse is he's not even being brought out of the coma for a major finale. He's worked his last day on the show.'

Now this is just a crying shame.

Grrrrrrrr

OH, HELL NO!!! This is completely unacceptable...

What a [!@#$%^&*] disgrace. I'm sorry for my language, but this is [!@#$%^&*] ridiculous. I knew this would happen. I [!@#$%^&*] called it months ago.

Damn you, Corday! He's the best actor you had and you just fired his ass...another dumb decision on your part, buddy. You're wasting all of this money on completely pointless newbies like Ava and her [!@#$%^&*] mob family? GRRR. DAYS is never satisfied with its original cast... UGH!

Stefano is one of the most popular characters in the HISTORY of DAYS and he doesn't get an exit storyline?? I understand if you don't want to bring him back for another contract, but at least write him off properly! You have Marlena, John, Roman, Bo, Hope, EJ, Tony, Lexie.....and you can't come up with one last storyline for The Phoenix???? Instead the last memory of Stefano will be him in a coma??? Another reason to hate Higley and Corday!

What a [!@#$%^&*] disgrace. I'm sorry for my language, but this is [!@#$%^&*] ridiculous. I knew this would happen. I [!@#$%^&*] called it months ago.

That's the lovely Dena Hackley at her best. She couldn't be bothered to write one frigging scene to end his 20 years? Enjoy it while she desimates the rest of DOOL.

Edited May 2, 200817 yr by operagirl1

What a [!@#$%^&*] disgrace. I'm sorry for my language, but this is [!@#$%^&*] ridiculous. I knew this would happen. I [!@#$%^&*] called it months ago.

Thing is, if this happened during the SSK story, I wouldn't have cared. But after all the work done to make Stefano a REAL CHARACTER last year, they just let him fade into coma-land?

I call bullsh!t.

Don't worry folks, Thaoo is next, followed by James. The Vitali's are the new bad family.

And for the record, if there is one [!@#$%^&*] person that tries to tell me the upside in this...I will go the !@#$%^&*] off. I mean it. I'm all for trying to see the other side, but I'm telling ya, I might get banned and fired from SON if that happens. I'm just letting you know now.....

Ok.

I'll just sit here and wait for the usual suspects to tell me this isn't a big deal.

I'm so pissed right now I could [!@#$%^&*] fire.

Don't worry folks, Thaoo is next, followed by James. The Vitali's are the new bad family.

I know. I rather see the Dimera's, who I consider a core family on this show. I can't believe Tony, EJ, Lexie's father and John's brother has just faded away in a coma.

Hogan Sheffer set it up BEAUTIFULLY for Dena to showcase the Dimera family and she f-u-c-k's it up. I really wanted to see John and Stefano face off ONE LAST TIME as BROTHERS.....and then Stefano eventually dies for real in one last Dimera family story arch. And one last scene with STefano and Marlena or Stefano and the Brady family.

GIVE US A PROPER EXIT!!!!!!!!

And for the record, if there is one FUCKING person that tries to tell me the upside in this...I will go the FUCK off. I mean it. I'm all for trying to see the other side, but I'm telling ya, I might get banned and fired from SON if that happens. I'm just letting you know now.....

DOOL isn't even trying to keep alive. Hiring hacks, firing stars... It's all a bunch a crap. I'm so glad I stopped watching the show a long time ago.

This is so [!@#$%^&*] wrong! Stefano is my alltime favorite villain after Victor. And how the [!@#$%^&*] can Days treat their actors so badly by firing them over the phone?!!

But I dont think they are getting rid of Stefano cause of the Vitalis. I heard the Vitalis are short-term. Tamara came to Days when there weren't any jobs in primetime cause of the strike and Joe Penny is a stunt-casing and they are usually short-term. I think it more has to do with the show having John as the new bad ass DiMera living in the DiMera Mansion.

One of daytime's best actors........and you fire him OVER THE [!@#$%^&*] PHONE!