Sonny Kiriakis is a fictional character from Days of Our Lives, an American soap opera on the NBC network, originally portrayed by Freddie Smith. Sonny is the only biological child of supercouple, Justin Kiriakis (Wally Kurth) and Adrienne Johnson Kiriakis (Judi Evans). Sonny's birth was announced in 1991. Developed under head writer Dena Higley, Sonny was introduced in 2011 by executive producers Ken Corday and Gary Tomlin as Justin and Adrienne's openly gay son – the show's first regular character to be openly gay. His major stories included a gay bashing storyline and the development of his romance with Will Horton (Chandler Massey) who is just coming to terms with his own sexuality. In 2014, Sonny and Will (then Guy Wilson) marry, becoming the first male-male couple to legally marry in the history of American daytime television drama. Sonny is also known for his friendship and business dealings with Chad DiMera (Casey Deidrick, later Billy Flynn) – a relationship that nearly gets him killed when their sports website is taken over by an illegal gambling operation. In 2014, the series introduced Sonny's closeted first love, the world-famous baseball player, Paul Narita (Christopher Sean) and a romantic triangle develops between Sonny, Paul, and Will (who also falls for Paul). Smith vacated the role in 2015, and Sonny was written out of the show by his relocation to Paris in August 2015. Smith later briefly reappeared as Sonny that October, before returning again as a regular player in July 2016. In February 2020, it was announced that Smith would again exit the role, with his last episode airing in September 2020. In September 2021, the role of Sonny was recast with Zach Tinker, who took over for the Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem one week limited series after Smith turned down the offer. Tinker would start appearing on the main network show in March 2022. Smith became a fan favorite during his stint as one half of the show's first same-sex supercouple with Will Horton (Chandler Massey). The couple is commonly referred to by the portmanteaus "WilSon". Smith won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series in 2015, and earned a nomination for the same award in 2013. Sonny's arrival on Days of Our Lives in 2011 began an era of storylines featuring gay characters in prominent roles on Days, and in 2012 the show won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Daily Drama, followed by successive wins in 2013, 2014, and 2015.