return, Smith revealed that he was contacted about reprising the role of Sonny in November 2015, shortly after he last aired and said he was happy to be welcome back to the show. Of his return, Smith said "you're going to see a mature side to Sonny." Second departure (2020) On February 12, 2020, on his podcast, Smith announced that he and Massey had been let go from their roles. Detailing the exit, Smith stated: "Essentially what happened is we came back … so we had that big two-and-a-half month or nine-week break. I was under the impression — I knew this going back, that I was coming back for six episodes and contracts hadn’t been signed yet. I said, 'Great, there are a lot of things going on over there, a lot of things are up in the air. Great I am coming back for six episodes.' We hit people up [via] DM from the show and Chandler and I were trying to figure out if we were the only two coming back for six or are there other people that are just coming back for six. Once we got confirmation that other people were coming back for six, we figured 'Okay, good, we are not getting written off.' As the scripts started coming in, we started talking more. I just go , 'Man, this doesn’t look good. This doesn’t look like we are going to be signed onto a contract.'" Smith made his last regular appearance on September 1, 2020, and then made one final appearance during the Christmas season in December 2020. Beyond Salem, recast and third departure (2021–2023) In August 2021, it was announced Zach Tinker had been cast in the role of Sonny for the limited series, Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem, replacing Smith. The same year, he reprised the role in Days of Our Lives: A Very Salem Christmas. In February 2022, it was announced Tinker would bring Sonny back to the main serial, following the 2022 Winter Olympics break. On his return, Tinker admitted, "I didn't have any preconceived notion that they were going to bring me on. Honestly. I thought that was wishful thinking, and then I got a call that they wanted to put me on the show." In February of the following year, it was announced Tinker would exit the role. Reception Laurisa Mahlin from Soap Central expressed that