If you listen closely, you can almost hear it—the collective heartbreak echoing across the Days of Our Lives fandom. What initially surfaced as shocking industry news has now revealed itself as something far more devastating. The confirmed exits of Carson Boatman (Johnny DiMera) and Raven Bowens (Chanel Dupree), alongside other young cast members, is not merely a casting adjustment or a budgetary shuffle. It is the violent dismantling of one of the most hopeful, modern, and emotionally resonant love stories Salem has built in over a decade.

This is not just an ending. It is the death of a dream.

Johnny and Chanel were never just another soap couple. They were a hard-won love story forged through supernatural possession, identity crises, parental interference, corporate warfare, and relentless DiMera scheming. They endured obstacles that would have destroyed lesser pairings—and every time, they chose each other. Just as they finally reached solid ground, just as they stood on the edge of starting a family, the rug has been yanked out from beneath them.

And the timing makes it all the more cruel.

Chanel is pregnant onscreen. Hope, legacy, and renewal were baked into this storyline. Instead, that pregnancy now hangs like a ticking time bomb—one that all but guarantees heartbreak. In the world of daytime drama, when two major characters are written out simultaneously during a pregnancy arc, joy is rarely the destination. Tragedy is.

Why This Exit Cuts Deeper Than Most

To understand why this feels so devastating, context matters. This was not a creative decision driven by actors choosing to move on. This was a firing—confirmed by the show’s own vague explanation citing “long-term storytelling decisions.” Soap fans know this phrase well. It usually translates to a far harsher truth: these characters no longer fit the future we’re planning.

That explanation rings hollow when applied to Johnny and Chanel.

Johnny DiMera is the son of EJ DiMera and Sami Brady—a living bridge between two of Salem’s most iconic dynasties. He carried DiMera fire without the cruelty, ambition without the coldness. He was charm where there was once menace, heart where there was once darkness.

Chanel Dupree, meanwhile, is the vibrant center of the Price-Grant family. Paulina’s daughter brought warmth, modernity, and authenticity to Salem. She was entrepreneurial, emotionally intelligent, and refreshingly fluid in how she understood herself and love. Together, Johnny and Chanel weren’t just the present—they were the future.

Now, that future is being erased.

The Cruel “Ghost Phase” Fans Must Endure

What makes this even more agonizing is the long goodbye fans are being forced to endure. Days of Our Lives films nearly a year in advance. That means although Carson Boatman and Raven Bowens may already be gone behind the scenes, Johnny and Chanel will remain onscreen until late 2026.

This creates what can only be described as a “ghost phase.”

For the next several months, viewers will watch Johnny and Chanel plan a nursery. They’ll discuss baby names. Johnny will beam with excitement as a father-to-be. Chanel will glow with maternal hope. Every tender moment will be drenched in dread, because we know it’s all leading somewhere dark.

What should have been a joyful journey now plays like a slow-motion tragedy. We aren’t watching a beginning—we’re watching a doomed timeline.

Predicting the Devastating End: Three Possible Fates

So how does Days of Our Lives write out the son of EJ DiMera and the daughter of Paulina Price without collapsing its own credibility? Based on soap logic, the nature of the firings, and the pregnancy storyline, three grim possibilities emerge.

Scenario One: The European Exile (Best-Case, Still Bitter)

This is the outcome fans are desperately hoping for, even though it still comes with loss. In this version, danger or stress threatens Chanel’s pregnancy—perhaps a DiMera enemy resurfaces, or the pressure of Salem becomes too much. Johnny makes the ultimate sacrifice, choosing his wife and unborn child over his legacy.

He walks away from DiMera Enterprises. He defies EJ. Together, they leave Salem for Europe—Paris or Italy—where Chanel expands Sweet Bits internationally and Johnny builds a life away from the shadows.

They survive. They stay together.

But the cost is brutal. Paulina doesn’t get to watch her grandchild grow up. Sami won’t find her son in Salem if she returns. The next generation of legacy characters disappears into offscreen exile, reduced to occasional phone call mentions.

It’s survival—but at the price of erasure.

Scenario Two: Medical Heartbreak (Most Likely)

Soap operas rarely allow happiness to be the reason for an exit. Conflict reigns supreme. In this scenario, Chanel loses the baby—through miscarriage or stillbirth.

The grief shatters them.

Every corner of Salem becomes a reminder of what they lost. Sweet Bits, once a symbol of hope, turns into a monument to pain. Johnny and Chanel don’t leave to chase a dream—they leave to escape unbearable memories.

Their exit is quiet, heavy, and devastating. Paulina is left broken. EJ stands stoic, powerless to fix what money and control never could. Johnny and Chanel disappear not because they want to—but because staying would destroy them.

This outcome aligns disturbingly well with the idea of “clearing the canvas.”

Scenario Three: Death and Departure (Worst-Case Nightmare)

The darkest timeline must be acknowledged.

What if only one survives?

Johnny dies saving Chanel and their unborn child—a heroic sacrifice that permanently scars the DiMera family. Or Chanel dies in childbirth, leaving Johnny shattered, fleeing Salem with their baby, unable to face his father or the memories of the woman he loved.

Either version would be a soap opera bloodbath—a “Red Wedding” moment for Days. It would provide years of grief material for EJ and Paulina… but at the cost of alienating fans who tuned in for the light Johnny and Chanel brought.

The Ripple Effects: A Salem Without Spark

The tragedy doesn’t stop with them.

Without Johnny, the DiMera mansion loses its heart. It becomes a cold battlefield of ambition and manipulation once again. Without Chanel, Salem loses its warmth. Sweet Bits—once a home—becomes just another hollow set.

The bridge to the younger generation collapses.

A Farewell That Feels Unnecessary

Ultimately, this hurts because it feels so avoidable. Johnny and Chanel weren’t finished stories. They were just beginning. As fans, we’re now forced to watch a long goodbye, knowing the ending has already been decided behind closed doors.

Whether they leave in a taxi bound for the airport or a hearse headed for the cemetery, the result is the same.

Salem is about to lose its light.

So cherish these final months. Savor Johnny’s charm. Hold onto Chanel’s fire. Because when they’re gone, the silence they leave behind will be deafening—and Days of Our Lives will be poorer for it.