Today, Days of our Lives viewers were reintroduced to Julie Williams’ (Susan Seaforth Hayes) brother, Steve Olsen.
Soap vet Stephen Schnetzer was back in Salem as Steve for the first time in 45 years.
Steve returned to be there for his sister, Julie, following Doug’s (Bill Hayes) death.
Thanks to many flashbacks, more insight was given into Steve and his relationship with Julie.
However, the blast from the past still left some Days fans with questions.
Steve was a conman who caused plenty of chaos in Salem, especially for his sister and Doug.
Here’s what we know about Steven Olsen.
Who is Julie Williams’ brother on Days of our Lives?
In 1972, Steve (then James Carroll Jordan) popped up on the canvas after finishing school. Steve’s time on the show was short-lived due to his unhappiness in Salem.
The character, played by Stephen Schnetzer, resurfaced in 1979 when Doug and Julie went to Paris and brought him home. Trouble immediately followed Steve upon his Salem return because of his desire to make a quick buck.
While working at Doug’s coffee house, Steve skimmed money from his boss. Steve later sold fake antiques through Julie’s antique shop. After getting involved with a drug dealer and a diamond thief, Steve found himself in a heap of trouble.
The final straw for Steve was Maggie (Suzanne Rogers) unknowingly selling fake diamonds in Julie’s antique shop, which put Steve and Julie in danger. Fearing for their lives, Steve fled town and, as we learned today, barely kept in touch with his sister.
There’s a hint that Steve’s relationship may not be on the up and up. Steve looked nervous as Julie talked about her FBI agent grandson Eli (Lamon Archey).
Ahead of his return, soap star Stephen opened up about going back to his daytime roots.
Stephen Schnetzer weighs in on Days of our Lives return as Steve Olsen
Most soap fans know Stephen as Cass Winthrop on Another World, a character he also went on to play on As The World Turns and Guiding Light following Another World’s cancellation.
It was Days, though, that gave Stephen his start in the daytime world, so returning to the show was like going home again.
Speaking with TV Insider, Stephen got real about reprising a role from 45 years ago.
“I was very enthusiastic about it. They had reached out on a couple of occasions to see if I’d be interested in doing limited roles and stuff and it just didn’t work out. But this time, I was really excited to go back and it was just great to see how many people were still there from when I was there,” he told the outlet.
The actor also admitted he hadn’t kept in touch with Susan or Bill, but as soon as he learned of Bill’s passing and was asked to return, the memories came flooding back for Stephen. In true Bill and Susan fashion, they helped Stephen immensely during his first stint on the hit Peacock soap.
Stephen and Susan fell right into that sibling rhythm despite all the years. Their dynamic was a delight to watch amid such a tearful, heartfelt episode. Perhaps we will get more of Steve and Julie in 2025.
Days of our Lives airs weekdays on Peacock.