Stephen Nichols Celebrates 40 Years on 'Days of Our Lives'

Published: June 17, 2025

Victoria Edel

Stephen Nichols, who plays Steve "Patch" Johnson on 'Days of Our Lives,' is celebrating 40 years on the soap opera this June. Nichols reflected on his tenure on the show in a new interview with Soap Opera Digest.

Nichols said that though his character Steve 'Patch' Johnson has worn an eye patch for almost all of those 40 years, he would never support him losing it. "I was always against losing the patch," Nichols said. "It is his signature, both physically and psychologically. Wearing the patch is one of the reasons I was excited about taking the job, because I knew what an indelible signature it would be for the character."

Nichols noted that Patch was first introduced as an "expendable villain" and it was "a bit sketchy" if the character would stay on 'Days of Our Lives' long-term. He added that he tried his best to bring humor to the character, which helped him get through until the wonderful Mary Beth Evans came along.

Once the writers set Patch with Evans' Kayla Brady, a new soap super couple was born. But that wasn't before Steve lost one of his eyes in a knife fight with Peter Reckell's Bo Brady. After the loss, Steve donned his now-trademark eye patch.

In honor of Nichols' 'Days' anniversary, some of his cast members shared congratulations in videos posted to the 'Days of Our Lives' Instagram. Evans, 64, said of him in one of the videos, "Darlin Stephen, wow, 40 years. What a ride we've had. It's been so much fun, and you're amazing, and you always give me everything. Your heart. Your soul. Your love."

Stephen Nichols (left) and Mary Beth Evans on 'Days of Our Lives'

Nichols told Soap Opera Digest, "I suppose I am most proud of having been a part of a legacy enterprise like 'Days.' As we know, in our business, there are very few programs, films, that have the staying power or the fan base of daytime television. Any actor who has enjoyed a long career in daytime television will tell you; all the time and effort put into that career was worth the effort and can't be discounted."

In addition to his time on 'Days,' Nichols also played Stefan Cassadine on 'General Hospital' and Tucker McCall on 'The Young and the Restless.'

'Days of Our Lives' streams weekdays on Peacock.

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