Soap star Raven Bowens (Chanel) has spoken out on being fired from “Days of Our Lives” as her exit looms. Bowens was one of four stars on the hit Peacock soap let go back in January. The actress has kept quiet on the subject until now, when she got brutally honest about starting the year with her firing.
Raven Bowens Breaks Silence on ‘Days of Our Lives’ Exit
In a TikTok video, Bowens didn’t hold back, revealing how her five years on “Days of Our Lives” as Chanel came to an abrupt, unexpected end.
“On January 2nd, before I could even start on any of my New Year’s resolutions, I got fired,” she began her video. Bowens shared that her sister was in town, but their bonding time took a turn when she got a call from a producer on her day off.
“It’s like 8:00 am in the morning and I am completely blindsided. I just remember being in bed. My sister was in town, and she was laying next to me, and I got this call, and I was like, ‘Why would my producer be calling me on January 2nd? We don’t go back to work for a week. Something is going on. I think I’m getting fired. I was just like, no.’ And I answer that call, and that is what that call was,” Bowens declared.
The actress explained that she had just signed a new contract with “Days of Our Lives” for nine months. However, the way soap contracts work is that every three months your contract can not be picked up or renewed.
Bowens admitted she was told the firing was simply because there was no storyline for Chanel, so they were writing the character off the show. It’s the nature of the soap world.
“So it is what it is. That’s the contract I signed. I had to accept it. But it was a really hard reality. I was going to work every day for five years. I got comfortable. Uh, that was like my second home. All of this just made me realize that it was time to step into my next chapter. I spent five years working on Days of Our Lives. I played Chanel Dupree. I love my character. I love the show. I love everyone that I worked with,” the soap star expressed.
While getting fired was hard, Bowens revealed that it taught her she needs other sources of income beyond acting. It’s one thing she has been working on all year long as the challenge of being a working actor in Los Angeles becomes harder.
The comment came after Bowens’ co-star Colton Little got honest about his financial struggles as a working actor and about how he might have to give up his dream.
Raven Bowens’ On-Screen ‘Days of Our Lives’ Exit Is Coming Soon
Unlike other soaps that film four to six weeks in advance, “Days of Our Lives” films 10 months in advance, which is why fans are still seeing Bowens as Chanel on-screen. However, her exit is looming. The “Days of Our Lives” extended fall and winter preview showed Chanel telling her husband Johnny (Carson Boatman) that she wants to leave Salem.
TV Insider’s Swooon confirmed in their soap couples preview for November that Johnny and Chanel announce they are moving to Italy. There wasn’t a final air date, but based on the November preview, it will be happening in the next few weeks.
Boatman was also let go at the same time as Bowens, which is why their characters are leaving Salem together. They aren’t the only stars exiting “Days of Our Lives” soon, either.
Leo Howard (Tate) and Ashley Puzemis (Holly) were fired at the same time as Bowens and Boatman. They are expected to leave in the next few weeks when Holly asks Tate to go with her to Paris to visit her mother for the holidays.
“Days of Our Lives” airs weekdays on Peacock.
‘Days of Our Lives’ Star Breaks Silence on Getting Fired as Final Episode Nears