John Oliver Continues His Daytime TV Run With Another Soap Opera Gig: 'It Is A Dream Come True'
John Oliver is living his best life on daytime TV. The comedian and talk show host has been getting into soap operas with some splashy guest-starring roles. It started with "General Hospital," where Oliver's three-episode stint delighted fans. He has now followed that up with three episodes on "Days of Our Lives." Airing on August 11, 12, and 14, Oliver is playing water commissioner Devlin St. John, and he couldn't be happier with the part. In an interview with Access Hollywood, Oliver said, "It is a dream come true." That dream apparently includes a nifty wig, too.
Oliver's character shakes up the fictional town of Salem, Illinois. He comes into the office of Mayor Paulina Price, played by soap star Jackée Harry, and says (via Consequence), "I'm the only thing standing between this town and a catastrophic plumbing failure. A literal sewage apocalypse." Spoiler alert: His motives aren't entirely on the up and up, and Price isn't having it.
Oliver spoke about his wish to have an exciting soap opera role during an episode of "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" back in March 2026. He humorously detailed some of his stipulations for the part: "I want to be a character, and I want his name to be ridiculous. Also, I want to do something juicy like murder, or slapping, or being slapped, or being someone's long-lost something. And ideally, I'd like a dramatic close-up of my face." When asked whether his demands had been met with his time on "Days of Our Lives," he told Access Hollywood, "Challenge issued, challenge fully met." He delighted in the name of his character on the long-running soap opera, and there's plenty of slapping and staring, too.
Jackée Harry and other 'Days of Our Lives' stars appreciated John Oliver's work
John Oliver's first scene partner on "Days of Our Lives" was Jackée Harry. She was excited to work with Oliver, and she was impressed with how well he did. "He was lovely, and he was prepared," Harry explained to TV Insider. "He's a very smart man. I do improvisational, and so does he, which was good."
Maggie Carney, who plays Rita Lesley, also applauded Oliver's on-set savvy. "He definitely likes to improvise, which I do too," Carney said to Access Hollywood in July, "but within the scope of the scene. So, that's so much fun. He's very present." Carney's character seems taken in by St. John, even flirting with him a bit, and fans loved it. One person on Reddit, who had just seen the first episode with Oliver, wrote, "Sparks between Rita and Devlin St John. He needs to be back as her boyfriend." Another Redditor called the sparks between the two of them "truly adorkable."
"Days of Our Lives" typically films months in advance, so it took some work to find a way to add a character for Oliver into storylines that were already filmed and in progress. "We basically had to shoehorn him into our schedule because we were so far ahead," executive producer Ken Corday told Vulture. "It was basically 'We have to do this; let's get it done.' And we did. He was too good to pass up." If the response from "Days of Our Lives" fans (and Oliver himself) is any indication, everyone's happy that they made it work. Now we just want to know when he'll pop up in "The Young and the Restless" or "The Bold and the Beautiful."