“It’s not by any means the reason why we want to be on set,” says Greg Vaughan, who will return to Days of Our Lives as Eric Brady on May 30 as part of the goodbye to John Black (Drake Hogestyn) storyline.
“The celebration of life and the celebration of Drake were very, very touching,” Vaughan previews of the upcoming episodes. “It was a very hard day for everybody, obviously, and bringing Eric back was very sweet, but I wish it was under better circumstances.”
Regarding the material that’s playing out, Vaughan notes, “Drake’s family, his wife, approved of this story, so I thought that was really just a wonderful gesture, and the way they wrote it was a nice touch.”
Filming the episodes, however, wasn’t always easy. “I just carried a lot of the memories we created together and the conversations we shared, and we all had a lot of laughs in the way he would want it to be,” Vaughan relays. “So, we kind of reflected a lot on that as the day and the week went forward, with the unfortunate prognosis of Drake’s situation.”
Vaughan, who began working with Hogestyn in 2012, felt a strong connection to the actor, who passed away on September 28, 2024. “There’s not enough time in the day to tell you all the great things about Drake Hogestyn,” Vaughan states. “He had a quiet leadership. He prioritized his family and life outside of work, but when he came in, he was always geared up to contribute. I cherish the conversations and the stories we had, and we exchanged text messages up to the very end.
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“He was more than just a costar; our connection was deeper than I had with other people. Josh Taylor [Roman Brady] and Drake were like two fatherly figures in my life. He was a dear friend. He always just gave me great wisdom, great advice, and there wasn’t a day that ever went by that he didn’t pull me aside and ask about my sons. I’m very blessed to have known him, to have stood beside him, and to have worked and collaborated with him. He is dearly missed and very loved, and his memory will forever be cherished and remembered.”
While Vaughan is only back for a visit, he has kept busy branching out into other media. “I’ve written three projects,” he reveals. “I pitched one to a big network, and we had a great meeting. They gave me a lot of good notes. It’s an endeavor that I’m not very familiar with, but I just had to dive into it, and I found myself sitting at my desk and staring at my computer. It took a lot of time and a lot of patience, so now I’m in a zone and I’ve completed a full revised draft of a wonderful story.”
He also went public with his romance with Shanna Moakler, whom he first met in 1993 when she was 18 years old then recently reconnected with. “It was under wraps for a long time, which was good, and the way I like it,” Vaughan explains. “When you’ve been under the microscope and you’ve been in that world of being online visible, it becomes a little bit disruptive. But she and I have a lot of warmth, love, and appreciation, and that has developed over the last year.
“She is an incredible mom. She is a delightful, intelligent woman,” he continues. “She is a wonderfully talented, gifted entrepreneur, actress, director, and producer. She has written six books. We are both in each other’s corners. I admire her in so many ways. I lift her up as she does to me, which has been a missing piece of my life. She’s been an angel and a complement to me in so many ways. She’s just a beautiful person with a heart of gold.”
Greg Vaughan / Instagram
Vaughan, who now resides in his native Texas and recently celebrated his 18-year-old son Jathan’s graduation from high school, says he doesn’t miss the hustle and bustle of Tinseltown. “L.A. is good for what it’s good for,” he points out. “It served a purpose in my life, but I see the growth of my children and what they’ve gained by being here. Jathan and I had a conversation about the last four years because it’s been four years that I’ve been back in Texas, and to see Jathan go from being a freshman to being a graduate is emotionally hard for me, but at the same time, it’s such a blessing. I’m so thankful for the man that he’s becoming. All of my boys [sons Cavan, 15, and Landan, 13] have only benefited from being in this wonderful environment and this community. The support has been unbelievable.”
But that doesn’t mean he would rule out a Salem comeback. “I would under the right circumstances,” he offers. “I’m available.”
Days of Our Lives, Weekdays, Peacock