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From the moment Eli first showed up on Days of Our Lives, viewers took to him. He worked in law enforcement, was a consummate good guy and was Julie’s grandson, making him a legacy character in Salem’s beloved Horton family. From his family, to his dream romance with Lani, virtually everything was stacked in Eli’s favor, and it showed.
His Salem parents, though, were another matter, as David Banning and Valerie Grant were broken up onscreen because viewers refused to accept daytime’s first interracial couple back in the ’70s. But that’s what made Eli’s appearance so special when he showed up in town. Even if the show capitulated to bigotry back during their onscreen run, they did their best to right that wrong by saying Valerie and David reconnected offscreen and had a son together.
But in time, Lamon Archey and Sal Stowers left Days of Our Lives and went their own ways. For Archey, that way took him to the CW hit All American, where he plays Superintendent D’Angelo Carter, who also served as the interim principal at the show’s South Crenshaw High School. And, Archey acknowledged while sharing video from the show’s season 6 wrap, it was a rough, if exciting start.
“I showed up to set as a co-star at the end of season 2 with the expectation of shooting one episode,” he wrote. “Four seasons later, I’ve been blessed to turn a character so disliked (I received threats and hate messages) into a loving husband, a dependable step father, and advocate and protector for the kids at Crenshaw High. What a blessing it’s been to be a part of this wonderful cast and crew.”
And, as Archey himself admitted in an interview on Chicago’s CW26, he came into the show as “the villain.” It was a far cry from Eli’s time in Salem, but in time, D’Angelo evolved and grew into a beloved part of All American.
As Lamonarcheyfans0409 put it in the comments, “Soooo glad we got to see the evolution of Principal Carter. If they hate a character that much, it means you’ve done a phenomenal job as an actor.”
But that doesn’t mean that fans weren’t aghast over his revelation. As _spelivia.edits wrote in the comments, “Threats?? OMG, I’m so, so sorry that that happened to you. Nobody deserves that.”
