Alison Sweeney leaving ‘Days of Our Lives’ after 21 years

Alison Sweeney is leaving “Days of Our Lives” after 21 years of playing Sami Brady on the soap opera.

Alison Sweeney is leaving Salem. The actress who plays Samantha (Sami) Brady on NBC’s soap, “Days of Our Lives,” is saying goodbye after 21 years in the role.

Sweeney, who also hosts NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,” will leave the role that made her famous sometime this year.

“I have never had more than a two-week vacation [since I began Days] in that whole time and yeah,” Sweeney explained to Ellen DeGeneres. “It’s [been] awesome. I love Sami, I love Salem, I love my job, I love daytime, I love the fans, I love everything about it,” Sweeney told Ellen DeGeneres.

However, Alison’s family was the deciding factor in her decision to leave “Days” behind.

“My daughter just turned 5 and my son is 9, and I just want to be with them and enjoy my last year. I’m going to be on “Days” all this year,” saying there’s “no specific time yet” for her final episode. “We’ll see what happens!”

Alison Sweeney leaving “Days of Our Lives” is a huge blow to the soap as the actress has been bringing drama to the show since 1993, when she was only 16 years old.

However, leaving Sami won’t be so easy. The character has four children, 3 very young, and a granddaughter in Salem. Will the show recast the role, or send Sami off on an adventure? Only time will tell.