Javi is back in Salem… but with a twist. Daytime TV just did what it does best: shake things up right when you’ve gotten comfortable. This time, it’s the fan-favorite Javi Hernandez who’s seeing a familiar face step aside while a new one walks straight into the drama.
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@peacockdays Mark your calendars for June 30. Jacob Martinez joins Days as Javi Hernandez. Say hello in the comments. #DOOL #Days #daysofourlives
A new Javi enters Salem
Days of Our Lives is officially recasting fan-favorite Javi Hernandez, with out actor Jacob Martinez taking over the role. If you’ve been keeping up, you already know this isn’t a sudden switch—soap timelines are their own universe.
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Martinez, 28, replaces Al Calderon, who announced his exit back in August 2025. Because the show films nearly a year in advance, Calderon’s version of Javi is still very much on-screen, with his final episodes expected to land sometime in May. So yes, you’ll be emotionally processing a goodbye while mentally preparing for a hello. Classic soap behavior.
And in a moment that actually feels rare for recasts, Calderon kept it classy and supportive, dropping a “LET’S GO BOYYYYY.” in the comments. No tension, no weird energy—just a passing of the torch that feels genuine.
What happens to Javi and Leo?
Javi’s storyline isn’t exactly being wrapped in a neat bow either. The character is expected to temporarily leave Salem amid his marriage to Leo Stark, played by Greg Rikaart. Yes, that Leo—chaotic, sharp-tongued, and somehow always at the center of everything.
A short break before Martinez’s debut on June 30 gives the show room to reset the character without pretending nothing changed. It’s a familiar soap trick, but when it works, it works. And let’s be honest—Javi and Leo are not the kind of couple you quietly write off. There’s unfinished business there, and the show knows it.
Jacob Martinez: theater kid to soap spotlight
So who exactly is the new guy stepping into one of Salem’s more beloved roles?
Martinez is a musical theatre performer with serious stage roots. He graduated from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in 2018 and recently appeared in In Pieces: The Musical at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater in Manhattan. Not exactly a small room, and not a small audience.
He was hand-picked by Joey Contreras for the role of Grey in that production, performing alongside names like Stephanie Torns, Antonio Cipriano, and Nathan Levy. Translation: he’s been doing the work long before Salem came calling.
On screen, he’s also appeared in projects like Memory Swim and Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, showing range beyond the stage. And now, he’s heading to Burbank Studios—a place with its own TV legacy—to film his new chapter.
Martinez didn’t hold back when reacting to the news either, writing: “THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART to each and every person who continues to pour into me and encourage me to chase my dreams,” and adding: “I cannot even begin to express how grateful I am. I already feel beyond blessed, supported, and loved. See you all in Salem.”
Recasts, romance, and a reset
Recasts can be tricky, especially when the character already has a strong following. But sometimes, they inject just enough unpredictability to keep things interesting—especially in a storyline involving a gay couple that viewers are actually invested in.
There’s also something refreshing about seeing an out actor step into a role like this. Not in a “look how progressive” way, but in a way that simply feels right for where television is now.
So as one Javi exits and another prepares to enter, the real question isn’t whether fans will adjust—it’s how this new dynamic will reshape the chaos, the romance, and the drama waiting in Salem. And if history has taught us anything, it’s this: in Days of Our Lives, no transition is ever just a transition.
Source: Deadline and Soap Opera Network