Veteran Days of Our Lives actress Deidre Hall left viewers laughing after playfully “slapping” Today show host Craig Melvin during a live interview celebrating her 50 years on the iconic soap opera.
The light-hearted moment came after Melvin praised Hall’s famous on-screen slap scenes, telling the 78-year-old actress she was “a great slapper.” He then jokingly asked if she would slap him, calling it “one of the greatest professional honours” of his career.
Hall happily accepted.
After instructing Melvin to snap his head back as her hand came close to his face, the Emmy-nominated actress delivered a convincing soap-style fake slap, sending the studio into laughter.
“Oh, my God!” Melvin exclaimed as he dramatically clutched his face, while Hall laughed and joked, “I meant to miss.” The playful exchange quickly delighted fans online, many congratulating Hall on five decades of playing the beloved Dr Marlena Evans, a role she has portrayed since 1976.
Hall’s performance as the iconic psychiatrist has earned her three Daytime Emmy nominations and made her one of the longest-serving stars in daytime television. She continues to appear on Days of Our Lives, which has streamed on Peacock since 2022, following the death of longtime co-star Drake Hogestyn in 2024.
