Only a month after Freddie Smith 's final scenes aired , rumors circulated that Guy Wilson 's Will Horton was to be killed off in October . '' Days '' historian '' Jason47 '' reported that Smith would briefly reprise the role of Sonny to help facilitate Wilson 's departure . Smith told '' Soap Opera Digest '' that he was literally contacted by the series to briefly reprise his role the following week after he finished filming scenes in March 2015 . " It was very top secret " he remarked . A month later , he was contacted again about details of his return and informed that Will Horton was being killed off . " It was the last thing I would have imagined . " Due to the nature of his swift return , " It felt like I was away for a long weekend . " Smith filmed four episodes which started airing on October 12 , 2015 . He last aired on October 22 as a grief-stricken Sonny leaves town again as it is too painful to remain in Salem . " With Will being gone , I felt like there was a closure " Smith said of his return . In an interview with '' AfterBuzz TV '' , Smith revealed that Guy Wilson had contacted him in secret to inform him of the decision to kill of the character and he was officially contacted by the network after . Smith felt the need to explain his prior statements about how he felt " closure " at the end of the story . " The good closure not on the love story , but the closure in the sense that Sonny has to go back to see his husband . If he did n’t go back – it ’s terrible that he died – no one wants that – but as the character , you would obviously go back and see your husband . It was just an interesting end to the whole thing . " On February 3 , 2016 , a picture of actor Vincent Irizarry and Judi Evans on set showed a person resembling Freddie Smith working in the background . Though Irizarry claimed that the person was just a stagehand , many immediately speculated that Smith was set to return to the series . '' Soap Opera Digest '' officially confirmed the news of Smith 's return in April 2016 . Michael Fairman of '' On-Air On-Soaps '' reported that Smith had been filming new episodes for several months which would begin airing in July 2016 . Smith gave a statement to the magazine about his return . " I am beyond excited about returning home to Salem . Sonny is back and it 's going to be amazing ! " On May 27 , 2016 , Smith 's official fan account on Twitter announced that the actor had signed a new deal with the soap . '' Soap Opera Digest '' announced that Sonny 's return to the canvas was slated for July 26 . Of his 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 . " Laurisa Mahlin from Soap Central expressed that " Sonny came into town with a bag of awesome slung over his shoulder " and that she adores Justin and Adrienne 's kid . Tony from Soap Central also stated " Sonny has Justin 's charm , Adrienne 's common sense , and Victor 's persuasive streak . " The character of Sonny Kiriakis has been received well with critics and the audience . The Will and Sonny romance has also gained a lot of fan support and critical success , TV Guide has said that " While it took 45 years for the show to introduce its first openly gay character ( Sonny ) and another year and a half to find him a male partner ( Will ) the wait was well worth it . This steamy , star-crossed saga has had its drama to spare ( paranoia , blackmail , impossible parents ! ) , but its success lies in the fresh easy charm of these young men . " TV Source Magazine named Will and Sonny best couple of 2012 in the '' Days of Our Lives '' series , saying " One of the most refreshing things about Will and Sonny 's relationship is it 's portrayed just as any heterosexual couple . Watching them grow from friends to being in love was one of the highlights of the year for DAYS . " Smith 's portrayal of Sonny earned him a nomination for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series at the 40th Daytime Emmy Awards in 2013 . He won that award at the 42nd Daytime Emmy Awards in 2015
40th Daytime Emmy Awards
40th Daytime Emmy Awards
Sonny Kiriakis