Days of Our Lives Icon Deidre Hall Weighs Retirement, Hints at Marlena’s Next Twist
Deidre Hall marks 50 years as Marlena on Days of Our Lives, tackles retirement buzz, and teases the beloved doc’s fate — including when she might finally step away from Salem.
In case you were worried about Salem losing its resident therapist, breathe. Deidre Hall is not packing up Marlena Evans any time soon. She just marked roughly five decades in town and, apparently, she is still having a good time.
Hall clears up the retirement chatter
On the red carpet at Days of Our Lives' 60th Anniversary event, Hall told Woman's World she plans to keep clocking in. The 78-year-old made it pretty simple:
'You’ll have to drag me out of there.'
So, yeah, the rumors about her leaving? Not happening right now.
After everything Marlena has survived, this is just a new chapter
Marlena has done it all on this show: devil possession, a few brushes with death, more heartbreaks and reunions than most people have birthdays. Hall says Marlena's current widowhood isn't a curtain call; it is a pivot. She pointed out that both Marlena and Julie are widows on-screen at roughly the same time, and she specifically name-checked Bill Hayes and Drake Hogestyn as longtime pillars of the series. That combo is an interesting overlap of real-life loss and storyline grief, and Hall leaned into why it matters: a lot of women outlive their partners, and the show is actually acknowledging that stage of life. Her takeaway was basically that the message is older women are still here, still vital, and still interested in love and life.
Could Marlena love again?
Hall hopes so, but she also knows that introducing a new romantic partner for Marlena is a tall order. She deferred to casting and the writers, calling it a big ask to find the right person. And she did not undersell the bar: John and Marlena are iconic for a reason, so any new pairing has to have real magic and undeniable chemistry. I do not envy the poor soul who has to audition opposite that history.
What Marlena is up to right now
- Plenty of scenes with Belle (Martha Madison), which, yes, means mother-daughter time.
- Burying herself in hospital work, which is very Marlena when she is processing grief.
- Navigating life after losing her husband, with the show treating it as a genuine, ongoing phase rather than a one-and-done plot point.
Bottom line: Deidre Hall is staying put, Marlena Evans is not done living, and if the show decides to open her heart again, they better bring in someone who can meet the mythology head-on.