'Days of Our Lives' Pays Tribute to John Aniston in His Final Episode

The final episode of Days of Our Lives with the late John Aniston was released on Peacock Monday. The cast and crew paid tribute to Aniston, whose character Victor Kiriakis has been an important part of the soap opera for nearly 40 years. Aniston, the father of Friends star Jennifer Aniston, died on Nov. 11 at 89.

The episode began with Victor welcoming his new houseguest, Leo Stark (Greg Rikaart), who only recently returned to Salem after he appeared in the Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem spin-off series. Victor gave Leo a signature blank stare before bluntly asking, "What the hell are you doing in my house?" He threatened to throw Leo out of his house, but not until after calling him a "deranged woodland critter" who needed to be thrown out on his "super plumb ass." He wanted Leo to "scamper back to Whoville."

Victor was not happy to learn that his own grandnephew Sonny (Zach Tinker) invited Leo to stay. He threatened to fire Sonny if he didn't kick Leo out of the house. Sonny surprisingly stood up to Victor, who suddenly decided to change his mind! "I changed my mind because I have a heart of gold," Victor told Sonny in a Christmas miracle, notes TVLine. In his final scene, Victor offered Sonny some words of advice, noting that Will Horton (Chandler Massey) probably won't be happy about him supporting Leo.

At the end of the episode, Days showed a long compilation of Aniston's best-known scenes, including his many, many wedding ceremonies. There were scenes highlighting his rivalry with Stefano DeMera, played by the late Joseph Mascolo. The last scene showed Victor sailing away on his yacht, appropriately named Victor.

Before the episode aired, Days released a tribute video featuring Wally Kurth, who plays Victor's nephew Justin Kiriakis. "It's impossible for us to put into words what John has meant to us in the studio," Kurth said. "He was a dedicated actor, a very funny man, a mentor, and a dear friend. We miss him." The show also shared videos from cast members sharing their treasured memories of Aniston on Instagram.

Aniston first appeared on Days of Our Lives as a character named Eric Richards in 1970. He returned to the show in 1985 as Victor, playing the role right up until his death. Over the summer, he received a Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on Days. He is survived by his daughter Jennifer, son Alexander, and wife Sherry Rooney.