‘Days of Our Lives’ Head Writer Makes ‘Oz’ Joke With Photos Amid Entire Cast Firing

The fate of Days of Our Lives may be hanging in limbo, but that isn’t stopping head writer Ron Carlivati from cracking a few jokes on social media. Just hours after news broke Tuesday morning that the entire cast of the long-running NBC soap opera had been released from their contracts, Carlivati took to Twitter to promote the upcoming episode of the show with a joke evoking “Oz.”

Although a promotional tweet for the series, the post quickly became a place for fans to air their concerns over Days of Our Lives‘ fate.

“Why?? Now that whole cast has been released!!” one wrote.

“Seems like bad news today,” a second commented. “Hope all works out. [Days cast] released from [contracts].”

“What’s going on with everyone being released from their contracts?” another questioned. “I’m just trying to prepare myself and buy me some [Kleenex].”

“Just read about cast being released from contracts, show going on hiatus for long period of time, I hope that Days gets renewed for longer then 2020. I also hope reports are wrong,” a fourth wrote.

On Tuesday, TVLine reported that producers of Days of Our Lives had released the entire cast from their contracts for unspecified reasons. While neither NBC nor Sony Pictures Television commented on the news, a source said that “the actor deals are through Corday Productions,” which also declined to comment.

At the same time, it was also reported that the soap opera, which is set to jump one year into the future, which will act as a “catalyst for many more [changes] to follow,” would be going on an indefinite hiatus at the end of the month, sparking speculation that the series could potentially be facing cancellation.

Although NBC and Sony are said to be in negotiations to renew the series, the news means little considering that releasing the contracted cast members from their commitment to the show means that there is no guarantee they would return for a renewed season.

“It’s actually a shrewd — if cynical — business move,” an insider said. “If Days gets picked up, [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.”

Facing ratings challenges, Days is set to stop production at the end of the month, with production currently scheduled to kick off again in March. The series will have enough episodes to run through summer 2020.

Days of Our Lives airs weekdays on NBC. Check local listings for exact air times.