‘Days of Our Lives’ and ‘General Hospital’ Actor Tyler Christopher Arrested for Public Intoxication

Daytime Emmy winner Tyler Christopher, who is best known for his longtime role on General Hospital as well as his role on Days of Our Lives, was arrested Monday night on what happened to be his 47th birthday for public intoxication. The soap star was booked into Morgan County Jail following his Martinsville, Indiana, arrest and was being held on $225 cash and $1,000 bond, TMZ reports. It’s unclear if Christopher is still being held or if he has been released.

Christopher’s mug shot, which you can see here, shows that the actor has grown a bushy beard since his time on Days of Our Lives, where he left his role of Stefan DiMera earlier this year after first appearing in 2018. Before Days of Our Lives, Christopher gained fame as Nikolas Cassadine on General Hospital on and off from 1996 to 2016.

He took a hiatus from the show in May 2016; a month later, the character was recast with Nick Stabile playing the part of the wealthy aristocrat. At the time, Soap Opera Digest reported that the shakeup took place because Christopher’s contract negotiations with ABC fell apart. Although it was rumored that he would return to General Hospital in September of that year, that never happened.

The star was also married to Eva Longoria from 2002 to 2004.

He is also known for his roles in 2001’s Out of the Black, 2005’s Into the West and 2011’s Shouting Secrets. He played Dan Whitehorse in the Freeform drama series The Lying Game from 2011 to 2013.

The arrest came a day before the entire Days of Our Lives cast was let out of their contract, which effectively fired the entire cast until further notice. Although NBC has not yet made an announcement regarding the long running soap opera’s fate, a report from TVLine potentially signaled a future cancellation with news that the NBC soap was set for an “indefinite hiatus at month’s end.”

According to the report, the move came as Days faces ratings challenges. There is no guarantee that anyone would return for future seasons.

“It’s actually a shrewd — if cynical — business move,” an insider told the outlet. “If Days gets picked up, [executive producer Ken Corday] can offer the actors new contacts at a reduced rate and with a ‘take-it-or-leave’ it attitude. Worst case scenario, they lose half their cast. Best case scenario [for Corday], everyone agrees to return at a lower salary.”

Another source told the outlet that despite the news, “all indications are that NBC would like to keep the show going.”

Shooting eight months in advance, the soap opera will have enough episodes by the time it stops production in late November to air episodes through the summer of 2020. Production was expected to resume in March, though there is no word if that has been impacted by the recent developments.

Photo credit: David Livingston / Contributor / Getty