Star of One of Daytime TV’s Most-Watched Weddings Ever Reveals Which Days of Our Lives Storylines She Actually Prefers
Mary Beth Evans is reflecting on four decades of playing Dr. Kayla Johnson on Days of Our Lives and saying the stories she values most are the intimate family ones. Evans first joined the then-NBC soap on May 23, 1986, stepping into the role after Catherine Mary Stewart had portrayed Kayla briefly in 1982. Now celebrating her 40th anniversary with the series, the actress looked back on her time in Salem during a conversation with TV Insider’s Stephanie Sloane.
For Evans, the most meaningful material has never been the show’s bigger fantasy or action-driven plots. Instead, she says the emotional, grounded family stories are the ones that stay with her. She explained that those stories connect closely to her own values in real life and give her the most satisfaction as an actress. Among her favorite memories are scenes with Peter Reckell, who played her on-screen brother Bo Brady, as well as the powerful dementia storyline involving her character’s mother, Caroline Brady, played by Peggy McCay in 2012.
Evans said that working on the dementia arc with McCay was especially memorable because of the emotional depth it brought to the characters and the chance to perform such heartbreaking material with an actor she admired. She added that she would choose heartfelt family drama over outlandish plot twists any day.
Over the years, Kayla has still been part of some of Days of Our Lives’ most dramatic storylines. The character has been tied to a variety of soap-opera twists, including Steve’s return to Salem with the essence of Stefano DiMera implanted in him through a microchip, and Hope’s transformation into the jewel thief Princess Gina. Even so, Evans says the most resonant moments for fans have always been the stories rooted in relationships, love, and family loyalty.
One of the most notable examples is Kayla and Steve’s wedding, which remains one of the most-watched weddings in daytime television history. The enduring popularity of the couple has helped make Kayla one of the show’s most beloved characters across generations of viewers.
Fans also took to social media to celebrate Evans’ portrayal, praising the way she has shaped Kayla into a character audiences continue to care about after so many years. One viewer wrote on X that Evans has given Kayla everything and made her a character people truly love.
Evans continues to appear as Kayla in new episodes of Days of Our Lives, which stream weekdays on Peacock.
