James Read departs “Days of Our Lives ”after over a decade on the soap

Days of Our Lives has lost another legend... or so it seems.

On the Dec. 11 episode of Days, James Read's monstrous Cylde Weston was shot by Susan Elena Matus's Catherina Greene. The shot heard around Salem could in fairness have been taken by at least five other people Clyde had incited to homicidal levels of anger, but it was the unhinged Catherina who finally took him down.

Read has played the character on and off since 2014, spanning over 250 episodes. It's important to note that Weston was last seen in a coma, not dead, and anyway Days has no problem resurrecting characters who were certifiably deceased. An official spokesperson for the show hinted at the possibility of a Read return, telling Entertainment Weekly, "James Read has been a recurring character on the show for the past 10 years and is a well loved member of the Days family. Clyde may be incapacitated for now, but we never say never in daytime."

Read made his grand entrance to the long-running soap on a June 2014 episode. Clyde is the father of Robert Scott Wilson's Ben Weston, stepfather to Chrishell Stause's Jordan Ridgeway (formerly Tammy Sue Weston), and father-in-law to Victoria Konefal's Ciara Brady.

Over his years on Days, Clyde committed murder, rape, and blackmail, displayed both homophobic and misogynistic tendencies, was thrown in and busted out of prison, and ran a drug ring. Several characters can rest easier knowing he's not lurking around Salem - at least while he's out cold.

Related: Deidre Hall says Days of Our Lives cast still in denial about Drake Hogestyn's death: 'We don't talk about it'

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Read enjoyed a prolific career before Days, consisting of lead roles in series like Remington Steele and Wildfire, recurring roles on series like Charmed and American Dreams, and guest spots on everything from Cold Case to Castle to Star Trek: Voyager and Murder, She Wrote.

In a 2020 interview, Read said that the decision to join Days "was all about character." He explained that "the character description included the words 'drug dealer,' 'potential child molester,' and 'all-around bad guy.' Now how could you resist that character?"

Related: Wayne Northrop, Days of Our Lives, Dynasty, and Port Charles star, dies at 77

The door to daytime soaps being an ever-revolving one, Read is one of a number of stars to make shocking recent exits (potential, in his case) from the series. Cherie Jimenez recently opened up about the backlash to her replacing Camila Banus, who departed in 2023. Emily O'Brien left the series in August after a five-year stint, and Bill Hayes finally hung up his hat after a whopping 2,100+ episodes in July.

New episodes of Days of Our Lives stream each morning on Peacock.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly